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Catrike Trail E-Cat with accessories
We have equipped a Catrike Trail with drivetrain and accessory upgrades. Here are the changes and why we made them.
- Shimano Alfine-8 internal-gearing drivetrain. This drivetrain gives the Trail the following benefits:
- Can be shifted at a standstill in case the rider comes to a stop without remembering to shift down.
- Better derailleur clearance from the ground.
- Better chain clearance from large tires.
- Easier to tune the shifting.
- The ECat controls are mounted on an in-house accessory mount which provides a mount-point for the left-side mirror.
- The left-side mirror-mount is moved to the right side where it gets another in-house accessory mount that provides a mounting point for a phone-mount and another (right-side) mirror.
- A RackTime rear rack intended for the front of a touring bicycle is mounted on the back. The Racktime rack easily and quickly accepts a Racktime basket to carry sundries.
- An in-house rack-stay mount goes strategically on the Trail to stabilize the rack cleanly and strongly. The stay-mount is made of weather-resistant, carbon-fiber infused plastic for strength and durability.
- Low-tech, but effective heel-catching pedals.
- Durable, flat-resistant Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire reduces the chance of flats on the rear wheel which requires a wrench to release the Alfine-8 gear-hub.
Don't wait! Until December 8th, all in-stock Catrike ECat recumbent trikes are on sale at $600-$850 discounts.
More information...Hand-cycling for Health
Neodrives Z20 electric-assist upgrade kit for Catrikes
Fire 2024
A fire in the early morning of 5 June 2024 destroyed our neighboring business, MidCentury Sacramento. An investigation is in the works.
Thanks to thick masonry walls and the skills of the Sacramento Fire Department, AlphaBENT came through the event relatively unscathed.
More news at:
UPDATED 29 June 2024:
Our power is back on and the internet is up. Business almost as usual. The entry-door to the shop still looks like a grizzly had its way with it, but that should get fixed soon. Other miscellaneous repairs are in the works.
Thanks to all of our customers and vendors hanging in there while things were a bit wonky!!!
More information...Catrike MAX: New Recumbent Trike Model Announced
Catrike discontinues Road recumbent trike model
The Road and the Speed were the first two recumbent trike models designed and built in the USA by Catrike. The Road is now being discontinued and follows in the Speed's footsteps from several years ago.
Catrike cited the popularity of other Catrike models as the impetus for shutting down production of the Road. With nine (9) models in their line-up, there is a strong argument for culling the selection. If nothing else, this change will clarify Catrike's offerings to the end consumer.
The Road has had a good run of it (17 years' worth). It is the longest produced Catrike model ever, and has evolved from a fully-welded space frame to a full-suspension adjustable-seat frame over its many years of production. Current Eola models have much in common with the original Road.
Fun fact: The Road is the only Catrike recumbent trike model ever produced with indirect steering... waaaayyyyy back in about 2005 -- and for that roughly 1/2 year, you could actually try indirect-steer and direct-steer Roads side by side at AlphaBENT.
We at AlphaBENT salute the venerable Road and the fact that Catrike has been steadily growing and making these fine trikes for so long!!!
If you have always wanted a Road and want to act on that impulse before your last chance is gone, you can call us and order one in your favorite Catrike color. You have until January 31, 2020 and then time runs out.
More information...Meet ICE: British trike manufacturer on US tour
This event has taken place and the notice is simply part of our articles archive
Meet the maker: ICE is on a tour of the U.S. and will be staying for the day at AlphaBENT on January 15, 2020.
This is your chance to find out more about your prospective purchase, or get the behind-the-scenes story of how your trike was made, or just chat and have coffee and meet other trikers.
You can also try the latest ICE models, including the fully-automatice ICE Adventure recumbent trikes with Shimano STEPS electric assist and bump-smoothing full suspension.
- demos of how to fold your ICE trike,
- how to check it for safety before a ride, and
- essential maintenance for non-mechanics
Cheap trike carrier for folded recumbent trike
A customer loaded his ICE Full Fat recumbent adventure trike on an inexpensive hitch-mount platform rack.
With a solid strap-down system, it works.
This gentleman also used a U-bolt hitch clamp stabilizer to eliminate movement associated with the play in the hitch receiver / platform interface.
More information...Meet Azub: Czech recumbent trike makers on U.S. tour
Azub will be at AlphaBENT on Wednesday, October 23 to show the latest Czech recumbent technology. Come to for test-rides, and bent-talk.
Azub is a world reknowned manufacturer of expedition-ready recumbent bikes and trikes. Always innovating, Azub has won many prestigious awards for recumbent trike designs and lead the industry in adventure-ready trikes.
On their 2019 U.S. tour, representatives of Azub will visit the Sacramento, California Azub dealer, AlphaBENT to show and demo some of their extensive lineup of recumbent trikes.
If you have questions, curiosity, or just want to meet some of the people behind the Azub story, come down to 1114 C Street, in Sacramento, CA on Wednesday, October 23 from 2-3pm and be prepared to try some trikes like you've never ridden.
More information...Catrike makes wider axles standard equipment on all large-wheel models
Catrike introduced a mid-season change to its large-wheel recumbent trike models including the Expedition, 5.5.9., 700, and Dumont. All future models will use a 12x142mm through-axle hub.
Through-axle hubs were designed for use in downhill mountain-biking to withstand high forces, and this move ensures that Catrike rear wheels will be some of the strongest on the market. With lateral forces being a factor on recumbent trikes, Catrike's move should result in more durable and possibly more efficient wheels. Furthermore, the through-axle design will prevent inadvertent shifting of the hub in the dropouts.
The new hubs rely on specially machined dropouts that allow rear-wheel braking for the first time in Catrike's history. Rear-wheel braking is mainly useful for parking brakes, and drag brakes under touring conditions. Under ordinary conditions, braking the rear wheel can cause skidding.
The policy move by Catrike make Catrike recumbent trikes incompatible with technology that relies on a 132mm dropout width. Such technologies include many rear-wheel electric motor systems and many internally-geared rear hubs such as the Shimano Alfine and Nexus hubs, and dual-use hubs such as the Sturmey-Archer RF3 and RK3 hubs that use an internal 3-speed mechanism in conjunction with an external conventional derailleur / cassette.
More information...RideAtaxia 1 June 2019, Winters, CA - NorCal - Friedrich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
The 2019 annual Northern Californa FARA RideAtaxia to raise much-needed funds for research is coming up!
The ride will happen early June 1, 2019 and starts and ends at the Community Center in Winters, CA
Make your plans, join or form a team, donate, and show up and be part of the cure.
... And, delicious BarBeCue
Together, we will cure FA!
More information at:
Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
533 W. Uwchlan Ave | Downingtown, PA 19335 | USA
Phone: (484) 879-6160 | Fax: (484) 872-1402 | Email: [email protected] | Website: CureFA.org
Cross-pollination
10 Top Reasons to add electric-assist to your Catrike with a Neodrive Z20
These days, there are so many options to add electric-assist to your Catrike, including using the Catrike OEM E-Kit featuring a Bosch mid-drive motor, it can make your head swim.
Only one works on the full range of Catrikes while simultaneously preserving the full, original gear-range and sticking to the 250W Class 1 motor designation of Catrike's own E-Kits: The Neodrive Z20.
Here are the 10 best no-nonsense reasons to upgrade your Catrike with the Neodrive Z20 electric-assist hub-motor.
- Drop-in wheel replacement: You simply remove the existing rear wheel, move the cassette, tube, and tire to the new Neodrive Z20 wheel, and your Catrike is instantaneously motorized. [Note: the battery and mounting bracket must be bolted on, controller mounted to a shifter, and wiring must be zip-tied to existing infrastructure.]
- Full gear range: Catrikes generally come with 3 chainrings paired to a 10-speed cassette, yielding 30-speed with about a 567% gear-range. When you put on a Catrike E-Kit, you lose the lower and upper front chainrings -- with a corresponding loss of gear-range (down to 327%). In contrast, a Neodrive keeps all of your front chainrings and rear cassette speeds unchanged. All of your original 567% gear range is still available after your Neodrive EKit is installed.
- Compatible with Catrike 142mm through-axles: Neodrive EKits are available in the 142mm through-axle format found in Catrike 26" and 700c models and the 20" wheels found on the MAX. They are also available in the 135mm quick-release format provided for the Villager, Trail, and older Catrike models.
- Instantaneous torque-arm engagement when installing the rear wheel: Torque-arms are necessary for all motors. With hub-motors, they have been particularly problematic resulting in many interesting and potentially unsafe solutions. The Neodrive Z20 has an integrated torque-arm that mates to the Catrike frame in such a way that it instantly engages with no extra effort simply by inserting the rear wheel in its proper spot.
- Simple installation: The Neodrive Z20 has three pieces: battery, controller / user-interface, and motor -- all connected with a wiring harness. To install, simply bolt the battery-mount in its place, put the display / controller on left or right SRAM shifter, and insert the rear wheel in its place. The wiring harness can be zip-tied to existing frame and cable infrastructure.
- 250W Class 1 rating: The Catrike OEM EKit features a 250W torque-based, German-made Class 1 motor with 43Nm of output at the rear wheel of a 30-speed Catrike in 1st gear.The Neodrive is a 250W torque-based, German-made Class 1 motor with 40Nm of torque in all gears.
- Overall higher torque on the pavement: The Bosch EKit puts out 50Nm of torque. After working through a 42T front chainring mated to the 36T cog of a Catrike 559 first gear, it becomes 43Nm at the rear hub. All other gears will have lower torque going all the way down to 13Nm in the highest (fastest) 11T rear gear. In contrast, the Neodrive Z20 puts out a maximum of 40Nm at the hub in all gears. This means that you can accelerate as strongly at 15mph as at 2mph.
- Easier on rear derailleur: Mid-drive systems such as the Bosch Active-Line Plus send the assisted force through the chain to the rear gears and rear derailleur. This is hard on the gears. The Neodrive hub-motor sends the assisted force directly from the hub to the ground giving the rear-derailleur normal, human-powered cycling forces only.
- No gears: The Neodrive Z20 is a direct-drive motor. There are no gears inside and, consequently, no potential for gear failures.
- No moving parts or sensors: The only thing that moves in a Neodrive is the motor (hub) around the axle with just big huge bearings between the two. There are no gears, no grease, no pivot-points. There aren't even any sensors!!! Not even a heat sensor. Instead, the heat inside the motor is determined extremely accurately simply by knowing the voltage and current and then calculating it from the instantaneous resistance of the coils. The torque-sensor has a very slight movement that causes it to send out different RFID signals to the controller. No wires. All of this results in the least wear and tear with extraordinary durability.
Neodrive Z20 systems come with a two-year warranty. energy-sipping efficiency, and energy recuperation.
All Neodrive Z20 Catrike upgrade systems are available from your nearest Catrike dealer.
MG recently upgraded his Catrike Dumont to an electric-assisted system using a Neodrive Z20. Here are some photos of the amazing result.
More information...