That Hostelshop catalog

Some deltas have both the underseat steering and the space behind the seat. I have a Penninger
Voyager www.penninger.com I also have a Wicks Trimuter (It is an American clone of a
Greenspeed GTS).

I compare the Voyager to a Lincoln Towncar (It's comfortable, smooth riding, but will never win any
acceleration or handling tests). The Trimuter is like a Maza Miata. It is sporty, hugs the curves
like it's on rails, and can outclimb the Penninger due to the low gearing.

In the end, it's all personal preference. The big advantage of the delta design is the easy of entry
and exit. I've yet to develop a graceful means of getting up from the Wicks. I usually kind of trip
over the front chainring on the way up.

Interesting! I suppose Hostelshop has many parts for either 'bent, I am eagerly awaiting the catalog
for my Ferrari (aka- Catrike) ;-) Chris Jordan (gotta start the year off right!) Santa Cruz, CA.

"Jonathan Kaplan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<oeWdnQbbha7dKG6iRVn-
[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Some deltas have both the underseat steering and the space behind the seat. I have a Penninger
Voyager www.penninger.com I also have a Wicks Trimuter (It is an American clone of a
Greenspeed GTS).

I compare the Voyager to a Lincoln Towncar (It's comfortable, smooth riding, but will never win
any acceleration or handling tests). The Trimuter is like a Maza Miata. It is sporty, hugs the
curves like it's on rails, and can outclimb the Penninger due to the low gearing.

In the end, it's all personal preference. The big advantage of the delta design is the easy of
entry and exit. I've yet to develop a graceful means of getting up from the Wicks. I usually kind
of trip over the front chainring on the way up.

My brother owns a yellow Catrike Speed (one of the rare colored ones). My only issue with the design
is the flimsy cross bar between the two front wheels and the plastic ball swivel joints used to
connect the steering rods to the king pins.

My brother first had the original cross bar replaced with a sliding sleeve to reinforce it (courtesy
of Cattrike). The sliding sleeve would then sometimes bind and sag. The next problem occurred when
the plastic ball joint snapped. Fortunately, he wasn't riding fast when it occured.

These two problems could be solved relatively easily and inexpensively. Catrike should spec a solid
aluminum rod that is about 1/2" think instead of the 1/4". They should then upgrade the end ball
swivel joints to metal ones. Greenspeed uses both the thicker bark and metal ends.

As far as performance goes, he loves it. It is very light and has sports car handling, though not as
stable as a Greenspeed. On the other hand, it is now less than half the price of the GS, due to the
poor trading value of the US dollar.

In article <[email hidden]>, Jonathan Kaplan

Quoted message said:

My brother owns a yellow Catrike Speed (one of the rare colored ones). My only issue with the
design is the flimsy cross bar between the two front wheels and the plastic ball swivel joints
used to connect the steering rods to the king pins.

Jon, from what I understand the 2004 Speeds have a completely new tie rod assembly, with new rod-
end bearings.

Also, FWIW when I tested the Speed for BROL (with the reinforcing tube) I had no problems or issues
whatsoever.

Finally, even if you want to make one yourself using whatever bearings you wish, it's not that big a
deal. It's all just hardware...no true fabrication needed. You'd need to cut a tube and drill a
couple of holes in it...that's all.

Back to the original question, delta vs. tadpole...one distinct advantage of tadpoles is that
they are much lighter (which is not to say it's impossible to build a light delta, just that
nobody has...except Baccura, but they're a special case). The new wave of tadpoles (Catrike,
Hellbent) all weigh 30 pounds or so. Trikes like the Penninger are up closer to 50 lbs, or well
into the 40s anyway.

I know, I know..."just have the rider lose some weight..." but if you don't think bike weight makes
a difference no matter HOW much the rider weighs, chuck a cinder block in your pannier next time you
ride and tell me honestly it doesn't make a difference.

Pat, We are waiting on a pair of Kettwiesel trikes: Hase Kettwiesel Delta Trike Under Seat Steering
Weight 17 kg (34 lbs) Price (Hostel Shop) $2590 with fenders and lights Light weight, FAST turning
trike. I believe it will keep up with most tadpole trikes out there. Willie

Pat said:

In my spare time I peruse the catalog and look at the....tricycles! Can someone tell me whether
the delta or the tadpole have an edge over the other one? First, I think I'd like to have a delta
because it lends itself to a carrier behind the seat. Then, I get swayed by the sheer "coolness"
of the tadpole variety and that under-seat steering.

Pat in TX

Andrew Douglas said:

... Back to the original question, delta vs. tadpole...one distinct advantage of tadpoles is that
they are much lighter (which is not to say it's impossible to build a light delta, just that
nobody has...except Baccura, but they're a special case). The new wave of tadpoles (Catrike,
Hellbent) all weigh 30 pounds or so. Trikes like the Penninger are up closer to 50 lbs, or well
into the 40s anyway....

I briefly road a TriSled Gizmo [1] that had some upgraded components and weighed about 28 or 29
pounds (~13 kgf). The Gizmo has a 4130 Cro-Moly frame.

[1] < trisled.com.augizmo.htmOpen ↗ >

Tom Sherman – Close to 41½ N, 90½ W