# Me and my catbike musashi



## neil earley (5 Sep 2011)

Well I have owned the musashi [APPROX 4 MTHS}which I purchased from Ian from Wheels NV , so A quick review!! its def light , quite fast and the steering is light if not a bit sensitive, loves downhill runs , seems to freewheel forever. Holds corners very well and can climb most hills comfortably.
Some things could be improved find front brake not so good , def could do with a side stand as its a pain without one ? Love riding this bent as its given me a new interest since having fusion to my lower spine L4-5. which has left me with poor mobility. Having problems with a stiff neck and numbness to my right hand and arm, had CT scan and it shows my spine is out of align which is causing my problems. So after much thought and dicussion I have reached a decision to go ahead and have a procedure to remove 2 discs at C4-7 , IMPLANTS put in and verterbrae fused , this is done by going through the front of the neck rather than my back as its less complicated [ sounds awfull} recovery is estimated to be 6-8 weeks. My intentions is to ride as much as possible before my op on Sept 20. If anyone has had this procedure done would love to hear from you ! Wish me luck and enjoy your bents. ps, if you would like to try a musashi contact Ian as he has a demo bike and trikes he is a top bloke and is after sales is brilliant have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone .[ no I,m not on commission or relateded to him lol} just a nice guy who cares about his customers.
Neil


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## ianrauk (5 Sep 2011)

Be nice to see a pic Neil.

I haven't found the front brake to be a problem myself. The bike seems to stop pretty rapid. It is a fast bike and does fly up hills. And I had the great enjoyment of blasting past a 'Garming Jersey'ed' roadie into a head wind. He tried but could not keep up.


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## ufkacbln (5 Sep 2011)

ianrauk said:


> Be nice to see a pic Neil.



He's ashamed of his bell!


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## sunnyjim (6 Sep 2011)

neil earley said:


> Well I have owned the musashi [APPROX 4 MTHS}which I purchased from Ian from Wheels NV , so A quick review!! its def light , quite fast and the steering is light if not a bit sensitive, loves downhill runs , seems to freewheel forever. Holds corners very well and can climb most hills comfortably.
> Some things could be improved find front brake not so good , def could do with a side stand as its a pain without one ? Love riding this bent as its given me a new interest since having fusion to my lower spine L4-5. which has left me with poor mobility. Having problems with a stiff neck and numbness to my right hand and arm, had CT scan and it shows my spine is out of align which is causing my problems. So after much thought and dicussion I have reached a decision to go ahead and have a procedure to remove 2 discs at C4-7 , IMPLANTS put in and verterbrae fused , this is done by going through the front of the neck rather than my back as its less complicated [ sounds awfull} recovery is estimated to be 6-8 weeks. My intentions is to ride as much as possible before my op on Sept 20. If anyone has had this procedure done would love to hear from you ! Wish me luck and enjoy your bents. ps, if you would like to try a musashi contact Ian as he has a demo bike and trikes he is a top bloke and is after sales is brilliant have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone .[ no I,m not on commission or relateded to him lol} just a nice guy who cares about his customers.
> Neil



Hmmm- I like the idea of a bike that climbs hills comfortably by it'self, but suspect there's more to it than that. 

Best of luck with your op.


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## riggsbie (7 Sep 2011)

Good luck Neil !!

I just bought a Musashi (and now it has to go back for a frame swap) any tips for a novice ? My initial thoughts were that is seemed quite twitchy after a trike.....I struggle to relax my shoulders and so any little input gets me wobbling.....

Love the speed.....

Any advice on improving my Musashi riding ability would be appreciated. I don't like the bar end shifters much, they seem to get in the way so might change to some thumb shifters soon.

Paul


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## ianrauk (7 Sep 2011)

riggsbie said:


> Good luck Neil !!
> 
> I just bought a Musashi (and now it has to go back for a frame swap) any tips for a novice ? My initial thoughts were that is seemed quite twitchy after a trike.....I struggle to relax my shoulders and so any little input gets me wobbling.....
> 
> ...



What number was your bike?
I take it the one you have is of the first batch?
Catbike said that people who have to swap the frame can choose a free upgrade colour of their choosing.

Try to relax the shoulders and release the death grip. Once you get it in your head that you're not going over then it all falls into place and balance is not a problem. Practice, Practice, Practice as they say. What I did was loops of back streets where I lived every night for a month. Not far, just 5 miles or so but my confidence built up to the point where I can just jump on and ride and subsequently did a FNRttC of 100 miles.

However, I do still have a little problem with left turns from start...right.. no problem, left.. I will have to keep practising. 

Before I bough the Mushashi, I though that the bar end changers would not be for me so got them changed to trigger shifters.


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## riggsbie (8 Sep 2011)

Hi Ian,

Yes, my frame is number 12.....it was an older bike from a shop in Canberra....

My other problem is that where I live (Jan Juc, Australia - I used to live in Orpington too !! Small World....) is really hilly so not a good way to start learning, and can't find a long enough cycle rack to go on the car so modifying one currently to take the bike somewhere flat.......

I have completed several 15 - 20 minute rides and but hills all around us, so get the wobbly climbs and then the mental speed rush down the other side complete with twitchy tank-slappers.... Every ride is improving so not giving up....

What is the best technique for hill starts, still struggling, do the obvious stuff like select low gear when stopping but struggle to get going and have had to turn around and go downhill and then try a low speed u-turn.....then have the bar end shifter thigh interference feature......

It's great fun and I am totally loving it

Paul


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## ianrauk (8 Sep 2011)

Orpington? Blimey.. it is a small world. I'm just off Tubbenden Lane if you know it. Where were you?

Wow, # 12, that's a very early one indeed. Mine is # 191.

Hill starts. Hmmm.. I'm still learning those also. It is a case of low gear, a bit of oomph, and commitment, get the first rotation of the pedals and you should be off.

Glad to hear you are enjoying the bike. It is jolly fun to ride.

*Here's* some pics of my Blusashi if you haven't seen already.


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## riggsbie (9 Sep 2011)

Hi Ian,

I know Tubbenden Lane well, I grew up living on Crofton Road, right on the hill just before Newstead Avenue, then more recently lived on Cray Avenue in my first little house, now in Australia.......Happy Days !

I used to ride down to College everyday on my crappy Raleigh Team Banana racer, awesome fun going down the hill, sometimes overtaking the odd car/bus and the afternoon grind/mash back up the hill on the way home......Happy Days !

Also lots of riding over to Chislehurst/Mottingham/Grove Park.........

It is a small world !

Will keep at it on the Musashi, currently nicknamed the Widowmaker because of it's twitchy tank-slappy behaviour when I am riding (reminds me of a Suzuki TL1000) ;-)

How do you transport your bike ? I can't find a cycle roof rack long enough so currently looking to modify my Rhino Rack to make the extruded aluminium track longer......

Paul


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## riggsbie (10 Sep 2011)

Two rides today, a nice leisurely 40km ride along the river in Geelong on my Greenspeed GT5 with some work friends....by chance a quick trial go on a Cruzbike (FWD recumbent carbon mid-racer with spring steel/titanium elastomer rear suspension and front air suspension headset/bearing thing-a-me !!

Then an hour and 10 minutes on the Musashi, a lot more relaxed, a few wobbles but 30 km covered, even some one handed riding to signal and confident enough to drink whilst riding !!

Getting the hang of this 2 wheel recumbent riding






One slight mishap when I had to do an emergency stop as a numpty driver was not indicating and then last minute turned in front of me so did the stop, balance, wobble, balance, wobble, hand out, stuck with geet still in clips, hmmmm........a little embarrassing but I can cope !

Paul


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## Bill B-J (10 Sep 2011)

I longed after a team banana racer. Never got one.

My uphill start key would be smoooooooth. Yeh some power, but as if it was going to be no problem, no question that I might fall off/over attitude.


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## Darkerside (11 Sep 2011)

I'm not sure if it's any help riggsbie (or indeed whether linking to one's own blog is a bit cheeky) but I wrote a post a few weeks back on starting and stopping here. Looks like I'm in a similar situation to you, being fairly new to 2 wheel recumbent-ing. Can say that using it as a daily commuter really helps with getting to grips with it, given you either learn or don't get to work...!


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## riggsbie (12 Sep 2011)

Any help/advice is appreciated....

I will check out your blog !

My commute is 32km each way so a bit more than I'd be comfortable with right now plus I would be quite stinky went I arrive at work, need to plan a good route which avoids Ute drivers and rush hour traffic ! And suss out the showers at work !


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## riggsbie (13 Sep 2011)

Ride #5 complete yesterday afternoon after work - a good 40 km (1hr 20 mins) around the Belmont Criterium track - nice 2km outdoor bike track.....

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113794329


Average speed 29 - 30 kph, maxed out at 40.5 kph, still a bit tricky on tighter turns....it finally dawned on me that unlike upright bikes the inside leg has to be extended on corners to avoid handlebar clash with thigh - instinctively I had my inside leg bent (from upright riding for so many years)...... isn't it amazing how difficult it is to untrain your brain from stuff you learnt 25 years ago ??

Also found that making an effort to look thru a corner to the exit helped a lot, and also generally looking further down the track helped a lot too, the last 10 kms were warm down laps chatting to another cyclist and then the cornering was much more natural as I was distracted and not thinking about it and a lot more relaxed !!

I think the Musashi is almost fully tamed !

Paul


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## ianrauk (13 Sep 2011)

Hi Paul,
yes it did take a little training to turn in with the inside leg down. But heck, it sure is bloody great fun powering round corners and roundabouts without having to worry about pedal-road strike. Very exhilarating. 

Being relaxed and not thinking about what you are doing is the key. Cycling with another cyclist especially another bent rider makes things so much easier.

I have now got to the stage where I can pedal from off slowly, with only one foot clipped in, in case I have to stop again.


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## byegad (14 Sep 2011)

I used to love powering around fast corners on my AZUB-4. Where on a DF I would need to keep the inside leg up to avoid pedal contact on the ground, on the AZUB I could just keep on pedalling. Great fun!


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## riggsbie (18 Sep 2011)

Musashi ride#6:

Met up with a bunch of work friends on DF bikes and we did a 60km ride, nice sidewinds along the coast and head wind on the way back to Torquay (Victoria)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/115126783

Peaked out at 48 kph and had a good average of close to 30 kph until the last few kays which were into a strong headwind, pretty damn hilly and I was knackered......

Now got 160 km on the Musashi and pretty confident, the real low speed stuff is still a bit wobbly and starts are a lot better, still avoiding the hill starts !!


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## byegad (24 Sep 2011)

Hill starts are the measure of your ability. It took me a long time, nearly 500 miles, to get away on a half decent hill. I was stuggling with an undiagnosed balance issue at the time so I'd expect others to do better.


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## neil earley (29 Sep 2011)

well had my surgery last week fusion to C5-7 [ just below my neck} they removed discs from an anterior approach through my neck so getting about on 2 crutches, miss being on my musashi but hopefully be back riding end of October. Neil


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## riggsbie (30 Sep 2011)

Good luck with your recovery & rehab !!

Now upto 300km on my Musashi, it's just getting better and better....One of my friends tried a go on it on Sunday and tired to tell him to relax many times but he was way to 'tight' and really really struggled, which made me feel a lot better !

Now got my cadence sensor all setup and even some Arkell frame bags.......

Keep us posted on your progress !!

Paul


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## ianrauk (30 Sep 2011)

Hi Paul,
glad to hear you are getting the miles it. It soon becomes second nature doesn't it?.


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## Riding in Circles (30 Sep 2011)

I should get mine back from Velovision next week.


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## byegad (1 Oct 2011)

Catrike UK said:


> I should get mine back from Velovision next week.



I'm sure Peter said something about just getting a free Musashi. Should I break the sad news to him, or will you?


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## markg0vbr (1 Oct 2011)

byegad said:


> I'm sure Peter said something about just getting a free Musashi. Should I break the sad news to him, or will you?



the last time i spoke to him he was saying some thing about, cold dead hand and a big pry bar


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## gambatte (1 Oct 2011)

Hey Mark,
Were you on a handpowered recumbent, coming up past the Energie (old fitness first) gym) from Dalton direction, friday afternoon?


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## riggsbie (2 Oct 2011)

Hey Musashi guys,

Just did ride number 9, upto about 350km and had a few technical issues today.......

 the boom seems to be twisting even tho the boom clamp bolts are tight, need to find correct torque to tighten them some more ! Caused the chain to de-rail twice !! Then right near the end the front brake caliper came off - just been over the rumble strips on Horsebend Rd (nr Mt Duneed Rd) and then a clanky noise but that stopped then a flying glittery metal object caught my attention so tried to stop but as soon as I touched the front brake the caliper shot off and then tangled in the wheel and kicked the handlebars over and I came to a stop on my LHS - luckily wearing a long sleeved jacket and long cycling trousers...... the brake caliper completely came off, no sign of the bolt so cable tied it to the handlebars and turned around and headed for home on the back brake !! All good !!


Does anyone have a technical spec sheet for a Musashi ? I had a look on the Catrike site but found nothing, my dealer in Canberra sent nothing with the bike..... I just want some torques for nuts & bolts, I don't want to wreck the hardware but also don't want my boom to twist either.....


Also, on the front brake caliper, what should there be on the allen bolt securing the caliper to the fork ? I found an alloy ferrule thing with graduations to prevent the caliper twisting, is there just a washer and nyloc nut on the back ? Any idea of what torque they should be ? I did check everything about 150 km ago and everything was fine so the ultra smooth Victorian roads are just shaking the bike a lot !! 






Any advice would be gratefully appreciated, as usual...... |did a couple of tough steep climbs and some quite long more gradual climbs. Also got my new speed record at 60.4 kph





Need to do some tinkering over the next few nights, good job I still have the frame swap coming up and this did not happen on the new frame !!!

Paul


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## byegad (2 Oct 2011)

Try adjusting the boom for length, then check for rotational alignment. Tighten the clamps as tight as you can, then, when these are right, there will be a gap, in the boom groove, to one or both sides of the anti-rotation lug, which is attached to the clamp. Tap in a shim to the side(s) which show some clearance. I used an M5 edge on into the gap on my Trail. Once tapped into the gap this/these stops any rotation. 

My boom was able to move left and right even when clamped as hard as I could get it! The length didn't change but I could see the dérailleur support move left and right as I pedalled. Not great I know as, in theory, the lug should fill the groove, but since I shimmed it with a washer, the boom hasn't moved, even on 25% hills. An issue for Catrike to address I think.


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## ufkacbln (2 Oct 2011)

Catrike have a resource page here 

Although these are Trike Manuals, I know that most parts are universal across the range so I suspect that things like the boom adjustment etc will still be valid


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## markg0vbr (2 Oct 2011)

gambatte said:


> Hey Mark,
> Were you on a handpowered recumbent, coming up past the Energie (old fitness first) gym) from Dalton direction, friday afternoon?



yep twas me most days i come home that way.


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## markg0vbr (2 Oct 2011)

byegad said:


> Try adjusting the boom for length, then check for rotational alignment. Tighten the clamps as tight as you can, then, when these are right, there will be a gap, in the boom groove, to one or both sides of the anti-rotation lug, which is attached to the clamp. Tap in a shim to the side(s) which show some clearance. I used an M5 edge on into the gap on my Trail. Once tapped into the gap this/these stops any rotation.
> 
> My boom was able to move left and right even when clamped as hard as I could get it! The length didn't change but I could see the dérailleur support move left and right as I pedalled. Not great I know as, in theory, the lug should fill the groove, but since I shimmed it with a washer, the boom hasn't moved, even on 25% hills. An issue for Catrike to address I think.



"Our new peace boom and boom clamp is designed for high pressure clamping and has an indexing system to
keep the boom from twisting more than a few degrees. Make sure the boom clamp is tight enough, so the boom will not twist
while you pedal. The indexing tab should be used as a guide; it is not intended to keep the boom from twisting under pressure.
Just like a bicycle seat post clamp, it is the rider's responsibility to check for the boom clamp for tightness. There is a plastic shim
included between the boom and the main frame to eliminate any gap and to increase clamping action. Make sure the plastic
shim is correctly placed before riding your Catrike. If for any reason, you are unable to install or tighten the boom clamp or are missing the boom shim, please do not ride your Catrike and contact your Catrike Dealer or Big Cat HPV, LLC. Failure to do so
might cause the boom to twist and cause serious injury."

is the washer as well as or insted of the plastic shim?


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## byegad (2 Oct 2011)

The shim is there. The washer is vertically inserted into the groove, alongside the lump on the clamp designed to stop rotation. The key in your quote is 'more than a few degrees'. Those 'few degrees' are annoying.


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## riggsbie (2 Oct 2011)

Thanks guys !!

So basically the correct torque is FT, fekking tight ?

My boom has the plastic shim thing but there is 'slop' in the alignment groove and only a couple of degrees of rotation is enough to de-rail the chain...... I know I am right side dominated so that's the leg I clip in for setting off so that's why my boom had a slight rotation to the right......

With carbon forks, is there any risk of over tightening the front brake caliper and damaging the carbon fork ? Or is there a long metal insert in the carbon fork where the brake caliper mounting bolt goes through the fork ? When I put it back together I will use some blue loctite as well as a new Nyloc nut.

All good fun !!

Paul


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## riggsbie (3 Oct 2011)

Found a tech spec sheet on the Tektro website 

Paul


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