First Catrike Dumont full-suspension recumbent trikes to ship on 1 October 2016

Catrike has announced that production of the full-suspension Dumont recumbent tricycle will begin on October 1, 2016.

The Dumont incorporates new technologies in its design and manufacture. It is not uncommon for next-generation manufacturing technologies to have inconvenient delay. In this case, the production preparation and testing is taking longer than Catrike expected when they announced the Dumont at last year's Interbike trade show.

Causes for the delay

A re-design of the rear-suspension is requiring the manufacture of new custom parts, and new production jigs.

As previously reported here, the front end of the Dumont is getting redesigned for the new front suspension system.

Catrike is also playing it safe with testing and allowing itself plenty of time to conduct a thorough battery of tests of the new materials and structures.

Manufacturing precision at Catrike will also be increased thanks to a new jig and fixture testing and adjustment system developed expressly for the fixtures used for the Dumont.

Short-term pain for long-term gain

As one of the few recumbent manufacturers in the world (Azub being another) actually doing its own frame production, Catrike invests more in its manufacturing infrastructure and less in inventory and shipping logistics. This delay is not entirely unexpected and similar to delays associated with Catrike's (now years ago) investment in its in-house powdercoating system, it is a bitter pill in the short term that will bear long-term fruit for the entire Catrike lineup.