# Catrike two wheeler?



## arallsopp (22 Jan 2010)

Can it be true? Are catrike really about to launch this?

Looks pretty stable. As if we didn't already feel like fighter pilots, now we can wave our arms around like wings too?


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## gaz (23 Jan 2010)

looks beautiful.


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## ufkacbln (23 Jan 2010)

Well its on the Catrike Website and Mark is discussing it on the forum.

Now the question is how much?


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## arallsopp (23 Jan 2010)

... And does it have an USS option.


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## ufkacbln (23 Jan 2010)

Some discussion but no announcement as yet...


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

Retails @ £1995 with SRAM rival 10 speed group set, we will have a demo here shortly. Also will be available from D-Tek as we have just appointed them as dealer for that lumpy bit of the country north of here.


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## ianrauk (16 Apr 2010)

now that looks very nice indeed.... hmmmm (don's thinking cap)


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

ianrauk said:


> now that looks very nice indeed.... hmmmm (don's thinking cap)



I'll let you know when it is here, you can come and take it for a spin.


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## ianrauk (16 Apr 2010)

Sounds a jolly good idea..



Catrike UK said:


> I'll let you know when it is here, you can come and take it for a spin.


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

I'm looking forward to it myself, it may even tempt me from the trike for a while, we'll see.


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## mickle (16 Apr 2010)

That's so bent.


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

I'm sure when I was here a few months ago you were all about to get banned, now you are all moderators, have the lunatics taken over the asylum?


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## mickle (16 Apr 2010)

Where you been puss?


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

Building the business up, new premisses etc.., now to take over the world.

Puss? You know I am a 6'4" skinhead don't you?


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## mickle (16 Apr 2010)

Meow. You goin to Spezi?


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## Riding in Circles (16 Apr 2010)

No, too busy with all the new stuff this year, hopefully will have some space at York though.


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## arallsopp (19 Apr 2010)

...is wondering whether Ian knows he's going to buy one, or merely thinks he's going to buy one (whilst everyone else knows).


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## Riding in Circles (19 Apr 2010)

arallsopp said:


> ...is wondering whether Ian knows he's going to buy one, or merely thinks he's going to buy one (whilst everyone else knows).



At the end of the day you can come and have a ride on one, there is no high pressure sales pitch here, ask Lee. I just love the products and am an enthusiast myself.


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## arallsopp (19 Apr 2010)

Hey, I'm not rubbing you. Just the limits of Ian's self control.


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## ianrauk (19 Apr 2010)

I've watched the vid a good few times now.... and notice that you can choose either a black or blue version.. hmm.. even better


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## Riding in Circles (19 Apr 2010)

ianrauk said:


> I've watched the vid a good few times now.... and notice that you can choose either a black or blue version.. hmm.. even better



White or black are the standard colours but it is available in the optional colours of Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Lime Green or Pink, candy hues of Red, Blue or Purple and sparkle (metal flake sort of but finer) Orange or British Racing Green.


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## arallsopp (19 Apr 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> White or black are the standard colours but it is available in the optional colours of Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Lime Green or Pink, candy hues of Red, Blue or Purple and sparkle (metal flake sort of but finer) Orange or British Racing Green.



Allow me to translate for you Ian.

White or black are the standard colours but it is available in the optional colours of Blue and candy hue of Blue.


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## Riding in Circles (19 Apr 2010)

The candy colours are really metallic, the blue is very nice, I have a colour sample rack here.


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## ianrauk (19 Apr 2010)

Can i trouble you for a photo?



Catrike UK said:


> The candy colours are really metallic, the blue is very nice, I have a colour sample rack here.


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## Riding in Circles (19 Apr 2010)

ianrauk said:


> Can i trouble you for a photo?



I'll see what I can do. Not sure how well it will come out with my rudimentary photography skills.


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## ianrauk (19 Apr 2010)

appreciated. Either Blue or Black would be the colour of choice.


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## Riding in Circles (20 Apr 2010)

Here are the two blues


ianrauk said:


> appreciated. Either Blue or Black would be the colour of choice.



Here are the two blues, the one on the right is the metallic, they look a touch darker than this in the flesh but this is the best I can do.


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## ianrauk (20 Apr 2010)

Cheers mate. I do like the metallic Blue. However I am still drawn more to black.

I found this review with pics on-line.


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## Riding in Circles (20 Apr 2010)

I wonder why he hasn't fitted the neck rest.


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## arallsopp (21 Apr 2010)

I'm liking the carbon fork and the chain tube to protect it. Far neater than my bare Furai (which is slowly losing one arm of the alu fork to chain rub). Also the idler (which looks a lot like a terracycle) and the built in seat back pockets.

Less keen on the seat pattern. What originally looked like an addition to the 'muscle' club's livery now puts me in mind of a recumbent friesian. 

After last night's commute though, I don't think I could ride a bent without disc brakes. Numerous 'smidsys' (actually more like "sorry mate I didn't consider looking at all before pulling out and crossing two lanes of traffic") resulting in emergency stops from around 27mph.


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## ianrauk (21 Apr 2010)

re brakes. I did also wonder that about the rim brakes. But rattling around the interweb at various reviews. Reports are that the brakes are very good. But I was thinking of probably upgrading them to disc. Catrike do you know if this is possible?


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## Riding in Circles (21 Apr 2010)

At the moment there are no disc brake mounts on the frame or forks.


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## ianrauk (21 Apr 2010)

okey doke... good thing reports on the brakes are good then..


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## arallsopp (21 Apr 2010)

They better be, 'cos if I recall correctly, you eat pads. 


ianrauk said:


> I am lucky to get 3 months out of mine.



Considering our mileages aren't *that* different, bear in mind I change pads once a year, and can only top my 19mph average cross town speed by braking late and sharp. 

Small wheels run hot, so go easy. That said, I did pick up a lovely rotor tattoo last summer on the Furai. Nothing compared to yours, but those avid rotors do leave a pretty pattern on the calf.


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## Riding in Circles (21 Apr 2010)

The rims give a larger surface area for braking, to be honest I am not sure which I prefer, rim or disc, they can both be very efficient and can both be utter rubbish.


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## ianrauk (22 Apr 2010)

I notice they do different boom versions.
Standard version X-Seam 41" to 46" 
Short version X-Seam min 39" 

And I have found a couple of reports that the shorter version has pedal wheel strike issues. Have you heard about this?

Now me being a shortarse 5'9" I can imagine I would need the short version.


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## Riding in Circles (22 Apr 2010)

They do standard and extra long, you would fit standard.


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## arallsopp (23 Apr 2010)

IMHO, pedal / wheel interference is a nightmare on the first few rides, and then almost never shows up again. I got spoilt by the SMGTe (no interference at all) and had never had to learn avoidance techniques before progressing to the Furai. You can imagine my surprise when I found it was possible to hit the CRANK on the front wheel, let alone a foot! 

Dialled out in my post LEL boom length, I now have about 4" clearance between the pedal and tyre. Remembering not to put your foot in the wheel when wobbling away or turning tightly is something you just do after a while. 

Its not really any different from learning not to scrape the inside pedal of a DF on the floor when powering through a tight corner. You soon learn which foot to have up, and how much clearance you actually need.

Lean to steer, turn the bars to bring the bike back under you. All will be well.


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## Riding in Circles (23 Apr 2010)

Well it is a MWB so there is the chance, with SWB there is seldom a chance but the bike is not as stable, I was under the impression that the only person who had pedal strike on the Musashi was a 5'7" rider with flipper feet, I may be wrong though.


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## arallsopp (27 Apr 2010)

Video up at Youtube


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## Riding in Circles (6 Jul 2010)

I now have a Musashi on demo is sexy black.


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## ianrauk (6 Jul 2010)

Right.. upon my return from holibobs end of July. I will make a date to pop down and have a spin if that's ok?


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## ianrauk (6 Jul 2010)

Have you had a spin on it yet Ian?


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## Riding in Circles (6 Jul 2010)

ianrauk said:


> Have you had a spin on it yet Ian?



Only up and down the estate so far. First impressions are that it is quick.


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## Riding in Circles (10 Jul 2010)

Took my first decent run on the Catbike today, it is fast and feels weightless, I have not got up to the no hands point yet but am riding clipless already, just need to remember to unclip at junctions as I do not do that on the trike. The seat is also very comfortable, it has the mesh type seat and velcro'd to that is a hd foam seat pad, the bike almost feels like it has suspension. The next couple of weeks see me all over the place so will not get to ride much but will start commuting by Musashi from about the 24th just to get used to 2 wheels again.


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## PaulM (11 Jul 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> Took my first decent run on the Catbike today, it is fast and feels weightless, I have not got up to the no hands point yet but am riding clipless already, just need to remember to unclip at junctions as I do not do that on the trike. The seat is also very comfortable, it has the mesh type seat and velcro'd to that is a hd foam seat pad, the bike almost feels like it has suspension. The next couple of weeks see me all over the place so will not get to ride much but will start commuting by Musashi from about the 24th just to get used to 2 wheels again.



There are reports on BROL of minor chain slap/rub on the frame under the seat in two places on both sizes of the bike but perhaps more so on the smaller size. Worthwhile keeping an eye out for and possibly fitting protectors. I find it hard to believe, but worth checking.

Paul


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## Riding in Circles (11 Jul 2010)

PaulM said:


> Catrike UK said:
> 
> 
> > Took my first decent run on the Catbike today, it is fast and feels weightless, I have not got up to the no hands point yet but am riding clipless already, just need to remember to unclip at junctions as I do not do that on the trike. The seat is also very comfortable, it has the mesh type seat and velcro'd to that is a hd foam seat pad, the bike almost feels like it has suspension. The next couple of weeks see me all over the place so will not get to ride much but will start commuting by Musashi from about the 24th just to get used to 2 wheels again.
> ...



The chain does run very close on the return side, interestingly the power idler is on the outside, the return side of the chain passes through two idlers so is pretty well controlled, maybe some skin will be a good idea but time will tell.


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## Riding in Circles (11 Jul 2010)

Took the beast for some hill climbing today, very good indeed considering the tallish gearing, I think there is a hill on my 22 mile training circuit that may cause a problem but will have to confirm that at the end of the month, I am not 100% convinced by the bar end shifters in this config however, I think some flat bar trigger shifters may be better, so I will be trying some of them. Blisteringly fast down hill of course and on the flat, I am getting used to two wheels again but it feels very different from the trike.


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## ianrauk (11 Jul 2010)

Keep reporting Ian... one of those baby's is so on my radar.
Interesting what you say about the shifters as I was thinking the same when I originally ready the spec. With the type of handlebars it has I would have thought that flatbar shifters would be easier to use.


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## Riding in Circles (11 Jul 2010)

ianrauk said:


> Keep reporting Ian... one of those baby's is so on my radar.
> Interesting what you say about the shifters as I was thinking the same when I originally ready the spec. With the type of handlebars it has I would have thought that flatbar shifters would be easier to use.



At the moment I am finding the bar end shifters to be fiddly to use but I have not got the miles on the machine to say if this will always be the case, going up the gears is fine but going back to lower gears is when it does not feel right to me, the opposite for the front shifter. On the trike, bar end shifters are great, but handlebar orientation is completely different. The Musashi bars felt odd at first but now feel nice, brake feel is very good and the handlebars feel well placed, riding with one hand while getting the water bottle from the cage on the seat rail is fine, high speed corners are very secure if a little odd as I am leaning over unlike on the trike, low speed handling is good and getting better as I get more used to being back on two wheels, the bike looks superb in black. Neck rest is good as it is the same as the trike item, seatback pockets swallow a lot of stuff as well, I have to say that the seat is superb, it is very laid back as is expected from a race type machine but is supremely comfortable, it would be nice to see this seat design find it's way onto the trikes, they have nice seats as well but not as nice as this. I find starting off very easy, I even tried some uphill starts today and they were no issue, the weight really disappears on this bike, not that it is heavy anyway. It handles rough surfaces well and I am yet to hear any chain slap, it is possible that the front idler has been reduced in size to combat this, there is reasonable clearance between the seat rail and the return chain run. All in I am enjoying the bike immensely which is just as well as I cannot sell anything I would not be happy with myself, I can see this being a very popular bike.


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## Riding in Circles (25 Jul 2010)

OK, very fast 22 miler today although I suspect I will be suffering tomorrow as my bad knee feels weird at the moment, I did my 22 mile circuit, which has yielded a best trike time of 1hr and 12 minutes, for the first time on the Musashi, 59 minutes! It is not a flat circuit either, the bike feels weightless to ride, it is a strange feeling, while it does not have the same feeling of speed as the trike due to being higher it does feel more vulnerable probably due to the trike being so planted, I absolutely laid waste to a group of club riders who tried to keep up for about 5 miles before giving up and I did not even try to step it up a notch, just passed them and watched them in the mirror, hit 62mph on one down hill that sees 54mph on the trike, however where the trike bounces through the flat on the bottom the Musashi swooped though with the single track giving an easier avoidance of the undulations and those it did hit in no way unsettled the ride. The MWB configuration is really nice. I found myself once more hoping the seat design makes it over to future trikes.


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## arallsopp (26 Jul 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> hit 62mph on one down hill




Bloody hell. I find 50 a little scary. sixty bloody two? Man.


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## ianrauk (26 Jul 2010)

that bike is ripe for a descent down the other side of Ditchling or Devils Dyke..


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## Fiona N (26 Jul 2010)

I'll let you know when/if they resurface the A6 over Shap - I've hit 70mph (114kmph) on the descent into Borrowdale and that was with the poor surface. If they ever smoothed the tarmac, it would be phenomenal - good sightlines and an uphill runout mean you can really let go - just the small matter of the little chicane at the bottom to concentrate the mind too 

Edit - forgot to say, this was on the Speedmachine


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## Arch (26 Jul 2010)

arallsopp said:


> Bloody hell. I find 50 a little scary. sixty bloody two? Man.



Bloody, as you say, hell.

I thought my ears were going to come off at 37.5... (my fastest yet).

Indeed they sort of did, at 35 once - going down the hill into Burnby from the top of Nunburnholme hill (nice bit of road, even with gravel in the middle), my MP3 player earphones simply popped out, and flailed about behind me....

Now, Ian, stop it. I'm perfectly happy with the Dash, honestly I am. I don't need a 2 wheeler... No, I don't.


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## ufkacbln (26 Jul 2010)

Arch said:


> Bloody, as you say, hell.
> 
> I thought my ears were going to come off at 37.5... (my fastest yet).
> 
> ...




So if here was a  small frame version that would be your (or your bank manager's) worst nightmare?


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## Arch (26 Jul 2010)

Cunobelin said:


> So if here was a  small frame version that would be your (or your bank manager's) worst nightmare?



Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

<pokes own eyes out with handy pencil>


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## ufkacbln (26 Jul 2010)

Arch said:


> Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
> 
> <pokes own eyes out with handy pencil>



Happy to be a right sod of help.


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## ufkacbln (26 Jul 2010)

Don't tell Ian I said this - but do a "Clarkson" (allegedly)

Get one for a review and then threaten a bad review unless they forget to ask for it back


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## Riding in Circles (27 Jul 2010)

Cunobelin said:


> Don't tell Ian I said this - but do a "Clarkson" (allegedly)
> 
> Get one for a review and then threaten a bad review unless they forget to ask for it back



I can see a flaw in where you are offering your advice.


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## Arch (27 Jul 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> I can see a flaw in where you are offering your advice.



 LOL!

I couldn't have a two wheeler too, even if I had the money. I'd be so torn up deciding which one to ride, I'd never go out on either!

Does look fun though....


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## ufkacbln (27 Jul 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> I can see a flaw in where you are offering your advice.



I did say not to tell you!


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## Riding in Circles (2 Aug 2010)

Fastest ride yet today, did a five mile loop into work which took a whole ten minutes, so averaged 30mph, I think I will switch to trigger shifters though as I am not totally getting on with the bar ends with this configuration, I am beginning to wonder where the cornering limit is as well as I am getting faster so leaning more, one hand on the bars and the other hand skimming the road looks impressive I imagine but may not be the best thing to do.


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## ufkacbln (2 Aug 2010)

Catrike UK said:


> Fastest ride yet today, did a five mile loop into work which took a whole ten minutes, so averaged 30mph, I think I will switch to trigger shifters though as I am not totally getting on with the bar ends with this configuration, I am beginning to wonder where the cornering limit is as well as I am getting faster so leaning more, one hand on the bars and the other hand skimming the road looks impressive I imagine but may not be the best thing to do.



This is one of the advantages of my Hurricane, you can stop at lights and just put a hand down.


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## Riding in Circles (3 Aug 2010)

I mixed it with the traffic this morning for the first time including flying through a couple of gaps that would have been a no no on the trike, the medium wheel base means it is very stable at any speed, I also took in some rough old roads and everything remained composed, it is however very evident that it is a machine built for speed, it makes you want to go fast all the time, it also climbs supremely well, I suspect it will be a good machine for audax rides when suitably equipped. It is amazing how much you can squeeze into the seat pockets as well.


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## Riding in Circles (9 Aug 2010)

In a fit of madness the other day I decided to lock up the front wheel on a loose surface just to see what happened, on my old Street Machine it would have led to binning it which is perfectly reasonable with a SWB, I thought the MWB may react differently and although I almost soiled myself it did straighten back up when I released the brakes, I'm sure a better rider than me could show off with that but I am going to give it a miss, it is odd how when you are kid something like that makes you laugh but as an adult it scares the life out of you. I also found myself in an odd position the other day of finding myself going very slowly and needing to make a tight turn, being more accustomed to trikes I stupidly tried to pedal through it rather than put a foot down, the combination of pedaling while turning the bars a lot got me into the knee handlebar interface world, I got away with it but won't do it again. High speed handling however? I took a roundabout at 50mph, wow, scary but a whole lot of fun and rock solid, on a particular roundabout that I can see all exits/slips well in advance as I approach down hill, I find it a bit less confidence inspiring on the trike as the view is not as good lower down but on two wheels and a little higher I could see plenty to go for it, I also scalped a motor scooter on the same run which was a lot of fun for me but must have been demoralising for the young lad riding it.


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## Riding in Circles (9 Aug 2010)

[QUOTE 936093"]
Catrike are you about at all next weekend 21/22? Wouldn't mind going for a test ride. Did try to PM you but it wouldn't let me.
[/quote]

Inbox was full, sorted now, will be around next weekend sure.


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## Riding in Circles (9 Aug 2010)

next weekend is the 14th/15th btw.


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## Riding in Circles (24 Aug 2010)

I rode in the wet today as the weather caught me out, I should have taken the trike home last night but jumped on the Musashi without thinking, coming down to a junction a kamikazi chav decided to pull out and I hit the brakes managing to lock the back wheel for a 20 yard skid, the back wheel stepped out maybe a foot and had straightened back up again before I released the brake fully, car driver behind pulled up next to me at the next lights and commented on how graceful the slide looked, the Duranos seem to handle wet road cornering very well but I still prefer the trike for the wet, it was good to ride in the rain just because it gets rid of the worry about being on two wheels again and lets me know how it handles, also I don't get wet elbows like on the trike but the frame was pretty well caked behind the front wheel when I got in.


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