Category: construction/design

I know some of you have asked me to provide a report on or review of the Greenspeed Magnum SD trike I am now the proud owner of. Well, I tell you … it is a mixed review as I have things about it I really like and a few things about it I don’t care for at all. This model is designed to handle 400 pounds. I weigh less than 250 pounds. Obviously a person weighing 400 pounds is most likely a lot larger than I am. The trike has a 16 inch wide seat which is 2 inches wider than most tadpole trike seats. Sitting on the seat I find I am as cramped in space as my Catrike. I find it hard to believe this trike is suppose to be designed for large people. Another factor which bothers me is that the seat is quite short in depth … that is the front to back area one sits on. There is just not enough of it. Again, I would think it would be even worse for a larger person than myself. I think it could be twice as deep as it is. It would make it feel a lot more comfortable. The seat feels like it is made for a very small person.

The Magnum is 8 pounds heavier than my Catrike. With the Bafang motor mounted on the end of the boom it is all I can do to lift it especially with the spindly handlebars that are found on indirect steering trikes. I keep the trike in the back of my pickup truck so it is a challenge to lift the front end up onto the tailgate. Once the front wheels are on the tailgate getting the back end lifted up and the trike rolled on in is easy enough.

The handlebars are adjustable both in width and pivoting forward and backward. That sounds great, but I have the handlebars set as wide apart as possible. Any farther and they hit on the fenders and keep the trike from turning as sharp as it should be turning. Yet there is barely room for my body to fit between them. As I pedal the trike my hands are right up against my legs and my clothing rubs back and forth on my hands which very annoying and uncomfortable. And, of course, it means I can’t turn as sharp as I should be able to. I can’t imagine what it would be like for a larger person. I would like to see the handlebars made so they come up over the top of the fenders. I think they should be higher anyway to be more comfortable. In my drawing below I have made them wider than they should be as I would not want them any wider than the fenders.

Along with the handlebars is the steering. This trike is indirect steering. My homemade trike and my Catrike both had direct steering which I definitely prefer. Many claim that direct steering is too sensitive and claim indirect steering is not therefore making it better than direct steering. Well, this Greenspeed has very sensitive steering and is a bit scary to me.

On my Catrike I ride in between bollards at 15 mph as I have about one inch clearance on each side. But not so with this Greenspeed. I barely fit in between the posts. In fact, I was touching on both sides as I passed thru very slowly. So that is another thing I don’t like.

My Catrike had a more solid safe feel to it when riding it. Again, hopefully this will change for me as time passes and I will feel more comfortable and safe on the Greenspeed.

The water bottle mount is too far back on the boom. If it were just 4 inches further forward the water bottle would stay in place much better. Twice now it has fallen out of the holder as I ride along. Somebody wasn’t thinking when they mounted it clear to the back of the boom.

That is about all the negative things I can think of. I like the trike otherwise. It rides nice. rolls great and is a nice looking trike. I like the drum brakes and the quick release front hubs.

I have the seat set down as low as it will go which is considerably higher than my Catrike Trail seat. On my Catrike I found it a bit challenging getting up out of the seat. I have always had to use my hands and arms t push myself up out of the seat. I had assist bars on the Catrike. On the Greenspeed Magnum I can stand up out of the seat easily without using my hands and arms.

The trike came with a Bacchetta Big Bag which slips over the back of the seat. I have a set of panniers and rear rack bag I was using on my Catrike, but I decided to use this Bacchetta Big Bag as in doing so it will free up my rear rack. I mounted a battery on the rear rack which I would not have been able to do if I used my rear rack bag. The Bacchetta Big Bag is indeed big. I can get all my stuff in it. If I  need more storage space I can always use the panniers.

The trike also came with a neckrest. It is better than most neckrests trike manufacturers sell, but it does not begin to compare to a Finer Recliner or my homemade one. I will probably end up replacing it with my homemade one. I will have to fabricate the mount to do so. This Greenspeed neckrest is too stiff for me and gives me a headache.

Now to the Bafang crank drive e-motor: I have mostly had hub drive e-motors in the past and I really like a hub drive. I had one Tongsheng crank drive system and didn’t like it at all. It destroyed my expensive idler pulleys in about a month’s time in the drive train and the motor quit working altogether within 60 days. So I have not been a fan of crank drive systems. I have always heard that they are hard on drive trains and my local bike shop mechanics fully agree. And now I have another one … a Bafang this time around. It is very quiet. I can’t even hear it. It is set up for 9 levels of power for which I am thankful as I prefer that over the optional 5 or 3 levels. I noticed right away that unless I use level one or two when I pedal I am not contributing anything. From level 3 and higher the motor does all the work and I am only ghost pedaling. I don’t like that. Even power level two I don’t feel much resistance on the pedals. And this is cadence sensing not torque sensing which I definitely don’t care for. One needs to be careful using the e-motor system as there is not the control one feels comfortable with. Pedaling starts the motor and the trike can suddenly take off with more power and speed than is desirable. Of course, the rider needs to be careful not to have the motor energized when upshifting or downshifting. I notice that the motor gets pretty warm each time I use it … warmer than I think it should. Resetting the tripometer is a pain. One has to go into settings each time to do it rather than just have a designated button to push and hold to reset it.

Installing the Bafang motor means that the three front chainrings are removed and only one chainring remains. I haven’t counted but I think it is a 42 tooth. That means the gear range is changed drastically. I don’t like this. I no longer have low enough gearing nor high enough gearing. I spin out at about 16 mph which is ridiculous. And hill climbing without the aid of the motor is out of the question. No more granny gear and I really miss it. With a rear hub drive I still had all my gears which I really liked. This is just one more reason I am not a fan of crankdrive motors.

There is one last thing I wanted to address … the Schwalbe Big Apple tires that come on the Greenspeed Magnum. They are 2 inch width. I have been running 2.15 inch wide Big Ben Plus tires on my Catrike and love them. Only .15 inch difference in their size but there is a world of difference in their physical size. The Big Ben Plus tires are much larger … truly a balloon tire in comparison. And they ride like a balloon tire whereas the Big Apple tires just seem like any other tire, but not a balloon tire. I definitely will be switching to the Big Ben Plus in the future as there is nothing about the Big Apples that impresses me. I will probably have to readjust the fenders which will, no doubt, worsen the handlebar problem I spoke of.

That is my initial report on the Greenspeed Magnum SD. Despite the negative things I think I can safely say that I am liking it better with each daily ride which is a good thing … a very good thing. I believe this is an honest report/review of this trike. I am undecided about the Bafang motor. I may end up uninstalling it and installing a hub motor system in its place.