A few days ago on one of the days when it was raining all day long I brought my tadpole trike into the garage to work on it. I was sitting on a mechanics chair on castors when I started to move the chair back away from my trike. One of the wheels went down into a depression in the concrete floor of the garage and the chair caught and quickly tipped over all so easily dumping me off of it and down onto the floor. I lit right on my tailbone and I am here to tell you it hurt. And days later it still hurts. I am glad to say that it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did. And at 76 years old this old body does not deal with such things as well as it did many years ago. Nope, it didn’t exactly tickle.
I asked a few different people to pray for me that the pain would subside and I would heal quickly. I am happy to say God is answering those prayers. I can still feel it but there is very little pain and discomfort now. It still is not tickling. That’s okay, I can do without tickling. It was bothering me a little bit sitting on my trike seat, but now it feels fairly normal.
The mechanics chair is a combination mechanics creeper and chair … a handy gadget. However, I would have to say that it tipped over too easily. I don’t know if that means there is a flaw in its design or what. I sure do like to be able to sit down while working on my trike. This old body appreciates it. It just doesn’t appreciate getting dumped over and falling onto that hard concrete floor. Well, I learned how easily and quickly it can happen so hopefully I will be more careful when moving it around in the future. I don’t think I will soon forget the matter. Nope, it wasn’t a ticklish matter.
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I don’t think any normal person likes getting flats. I know I sure don’t. For years I used Schwabe Marathon Plus tires and never had a flat while using them.
A few years ago I switched to Schwalbe Big Ben Plus as I wanted to go with a balloon tire. I like the ride and handlling of the Big Ben Plus but they don’t offer the wear mileage nor as much flat protection as the Marathon Plus. I have always used standard inner tubes (shown as normal in the photo above). When I switched to the Big Ben Plus tires I decided to use the heavy duty thorn resistant inner tubes as the tires are plenty roomy inside to accommadate them.. My thinking was “since the BB+ don’t offer as much flat protection as the M+ tires do adding the HD inner tubes would increase the flat protection”. And they do, but there is a trade off. With the much thicker wall inner tube comes stiffness. With these inner tubes the sidewalls of the tires can’t yield like they can when a standard inner tube is used. Oh BTW, the cost for the HD inner tubes is about doulble what the standard inner tubes cost.
What I am saying is using the HD inner tubes means the soft ride balloon tires are capable of providing is sacrificed. It is a tradeoff. I am tempted to go back to using standard inner tubes just to experience the difference it would make in the ride.
I just had a thought worth mentioning here. Whatever a person does don’t mix up inner tubes, especially on the two front wheels. Don’t have a HD inner tube in one side and a standard inner tube in the tire on the other side. That could seriously effect the handling of the trike and result in a wreck.
Well, that is my story and for now I am stuck with it. Besides, I just restocked my supply of HD inner tubes. My plan is to …
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Flooded over trails is something that happens all too often. All it takes is one day of rain and some of our local trails close for weeks sometimes. This is something I have written about several times before so I won’t repeat myself here. I will simply provide a link to a past article I wrote about it.
I am amazed that one of our local rivers rarely ever rises up under a major highway flooding over the trail which goes under the highway. Looking at the river here one would think it would readily flood over. Yet I have only seen it flooded over a couple of times. And this river has flooded over elsewhere at other locations and doesn’t even rise any here oftentimes.
It is a mystery to me, but I am glad about it as I can still ride this trail when others are closed due to flooding. I may have to take alternate detours elsewhere but most of the trail is rideable when others are not.
Dealing with all too frequent flooding and trail closures gets old quick. Never the less, I am thankful I still have other trails to ride that usually don’t flood. And if worse comes to worse there are always streets and roads to ride … as hellacious as they are. I am talking about pot holes. I don’t know how many thousands of dollars I have spent repairing my trike from damage Fort Wayne streets have caused. The heavier duty BMX wheels I have now are holding up much better than the stock Catrike wheels did. Still I hate hitting pot holes and there are lots of them and I can’t usually avoid them. With the Catrike wheels I was constantly breaking spokes … I mean dozens of them. I think I have had only one broken spoke since I got the BMX wheels. I have put a lot of money into my trike over the years, but it is serving me well and holding up well with the components I now have on it. I just wish I had made the changes sooner rather than keeping it stock for so long.
In addition to the trail closures due to flooding there are also several utility, construction, tree removal, and bridge closures all going on at the same time in many different locations. As they say “when it rains it pours”. And as they say … “you’ll have that!” And I can vouch for it … we got it.
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Most rear sprocket clusters nowadays are cassette type … not freewheel type. That is because freewheels came along first and were replaced later by cassettes. They don’t look much different from one another so how can you tell which one you have? This video answers that question plus helps you to determine what tool you will need to remove it if you do the work on it yourself like I do.
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So you bought a recumbent trike … now what? That is a fair question. Do you have any questions? This video addresses some important matters and answers some common questions new trike owners have.
If you still have questions or concerns feel free to address them in comments or you can email me and I will do my best to answer them for you.
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You are looking at one of many very real menaces and causes of costly repairs. Yep, while riding on a trail ( glorified sidewalk) and crossing a city street I was keeping my eyes on the cars to try to stay safe. Consequently I was not looking down at the pavement I was riding on. About the middle of the intersection I suddenly experienced a major catastrophe. My rear wheel went down suddenly into some sort of hole hitting very hard and the tire went flat instantly. The tire was wore out anyway and I was less than a mile from home so I just rode slowly on the flat to get on home. I installed a new tire and inner tube and was ready to ride. I did not realize that my axle had got bent in the harsh impact of hitting the nasty hole. The motor still works fine electrically but when the wheel turns it sounds like there is gravel inside making a lot of noise and sometimes other loud embarrassing and annoying noises are emitted. The wheel isn’t all that old … probably less than 2500 miles on it. However, with this problem going on I have no choice but to replace it. I am checking into whether or not I can buy just the wheel with the motor laced in it rather than having to buy the entire conversion kit. I think I can. But even if I have to buy the entire conversion kit there is good news … the cost has been reduced from $469 to $416. And having an extra controller on hand would be nice. Anyway, as noisy as it is I am hoping it holds up until I can replace it.
Over the years I have spent well over $1500 in various repairs … mostly on broken spokes and new rims and complete wheels which Fort Wayne, Indiana’s infamous pot holes have broken and/or destroyed. It gets old. It is quite frustrating and maddening. Personally I think the city should be liable for such expenses people incur. Of course, since the city has no money of its own that means that tax payers would be footing the bill. Anyway you look at it it just isn’t fair. I love riding my trike but it sure is an expensive “hobby”. One thing for sure … ya gotta pay to ride.
UPDATE — I got some good news. My rear wheel didn’t receive any damage after all. What did receive damage is the freewheel (rear sprockets) which I had planned on replacing soon anyway. The new one is suppose to be delivered today so I am a happy camper …. well, probably better make that happy triker. Now I have a new e-motor conversion kit on its way which I have no immediate need of. Oh, if I ever need it I will have it.
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You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the two membership vetting questions and agree to comply with the group rules.
As fun as our trikes are to ride they do require periodic maintenance and repair. Many of us do our own mechanical work on our trikes. Being mechanically inclined is one thing but knowing what we are doing or need to do is another. Thankfully help is available and from several different sources. Certainly YouTube videos come to mind. I usually just do a search for what I am looking for on YouTube. A quick simple search for tadpole trike repair brings forth many results.
Then there are lots of different companies that have various videos and articles on repair and maintenance. Parktool is one that immediately comes to mind. Utah Trikes is another one. Hostel Shoppe is yet another one. There are several other bike/trike shops that have created videos as well as individuals. Some are pretty good while some are not so good. Anyway, whether you are an old hand at doing your own work on your trike or a newbie help is available for most everything. All you have to do is search for it. Modern day technology is great in someways. All the information we need is right at our fingertips.
Maintaining our trikes making any necessary repairs will help us …
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I don’t know about you but I like saving money whenever I can. Of course, I want quality for my money. A good price is not a good price or deal if it lacks quality. I have mostly bought Avid brand brake pads since I bought my trike. They are not inexpensive …. like$22 a set. A few years ago I came across some inexpensive brake pads made in China. What isn’t any more? And, yes, those $22 Avid brake pads are made in China. Anyway, I decided to try the inexpensive brake pads. I ordered several sets of them. It cost me about $2.50 per set. That is a huge savings … $22 vs $2.50. And the good news is they have been excellent quality … every bit as good as the Avid brand. I have been very well pleased with them. I just replaced the brake pads on my trike recently. I could have waited longer but I was pretty sure the right side was getting rather worn and I didn’t want to procrastinate and end up with a metal to metal situation. Anyway I got 16,775 miles out of this last set so I got my money’s worth out of them. And I just ordered 8 more sets for $2.50 each. And that includes the shipping.
So what is the difference between Avid brand brake pads and these inexpensive ones you ask? The best answer I could give to that is … $19.50 … that is the difference.
One thing I have learned is when shopping online for them not to jump on what appears to be the best price as if I wait and keep looking I always find them cheaper. I have had problems trying to order them from Aliexpress. I have been buying them on Ebay. Sometimes the price looks good but then I discover the shipping is considerable.
For what it is worth, I would not be at all surprised if many of these various brands of brake pads are made in the same factory. Years ago that was very commonplace in China.
Speaking of saving money, I like buying my tires for half of what most people pay for them. It can be done. I have done it for years.
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In the picture above the chain is too short and the rear derailleur is stretched out too far with no more available movement left. In this scenario the rear derailleur can be damaged … bent from not having any more movement available. This is one of two ways that come to mind when it comes to damaging the rear derailleur.
The other way is to try to pedal without first down shifting into a low enough gear. Applying brute force on a pedal trying to move when in too high of a gear can result in making a pretzel out of your rear derailleur. One needs to be very careful not to “force” the rear derailleur as they just are not designed to take such abuse. Sometimes a rear deraileur can be bent back straightening it out to where it will work. However, sometimes one can work and work on it and never get it to shift properly again. Sometimes ya just got to bite the bullet and toss it in the scrap pile and install a new one. I had that happen to me once with a very expensive rear deraileur which was almost brand new. I had picked up a small tree limb about 5/8 of an inch in diameter. It went right into my rear derailleur and spokes doing a lot of damage. I straightened it out the best I could but it never worked right after that and I was forced to replace it. The main problem was the hangar had gotten bent and stretched out. I staraighted it but because it had stretched it would not go back to the right position and alignment. It required replacement. Needless to say, it didn’t make my day.
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Do you need a new mesh seat for your trike? HERE is a resource that can make you one. It is especially useful if you have a trike which is no longer made and no mesh seat is available anymore. They also offer these services:
NEW REPLACEMENT RECUMBENT SEATS
REPAIR OF SEATS, BAGS & RELATED GEAR
New seat mesh backs start at $75.00. New complete mesh seats start at $165.00. Prices are subject to change due to rising materials costs.
Features of Recumbent Seat Fix new seats —
Simplified designs with proven features and strong, quality materials
Self-adjusting Lace-Loop system, just like high end running shoes. No metal grommets which can pul out
TorqStrap provides rider with strong area to push into, lower back support, and focuses power in strong part of seat
Minimized seams and maximized stitching
Open back provides excellent ventilation
Design allows for variables in seat frame construction
Phone consultation with the person making your seat
Handmade in Colorado, USA
Some of the available new seat options —
Choice of 2 styles mesh fabrics – standard and high density
Extra reinforcements for heavy or strong riders
Seat bottom pads of made from air-flow honeycomb gel
Considerations and modifications for special comfort needs as well as physical limitations
Custom requests may be possible — it never hurts to ask
It is good to know there are some resources we can turn to should the need arise. It can help us to …
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When I bought my current hub motor I had to buy a free wheel sprocket assembly to use with it. I have put a lot of miles on it over the passing years. The teeth on the sprockets are still in fine shape, but the bearings and races are screaming at me to be replaced. It slips, grabs, locks up and sounds like a threshing machine when it acts up. It is worn out and badly in need or replacement. The problem is my 9 speed unit is no longer easy to find. I have been getting by continuing to use it thanks to taking it apart and oiling it well. But it really needs to be replaced. Finally I found one and ordered it. I am just hoping my current one won’t leave me stranded somewhere as I am continuing to take my daily rides. My new unit is suppose to arrive about the middle of next week. I wish I could use a newer unit … a cassette instead of a free wheel, but alas it is not to be. And 9 speed is old tech and getting harder to find. And beggars can’t be chooses when it comes to selection. I would like to get an 11-36 tooth unit, but all that was available is an 11-32 which is what I have now. I had changed to an 11-36 rear cassette on my Catrike wheel to help with hill climbing but when I bought my e-motor all that was available was an 11-32. As time goes by it is getting bleaker. I am just glad I was able to find an 11-32. Hopefully it will last me quite some time helping me to …
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
I don’t know what I would be up against if it needs to be replaced again.
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UPDATE — I got the new free wheel installed today (12-17-21) and wow … what a difference. The brand new free wheel is like brand new!
It has been some time since I first started having a serious problem with my e-motor system on my trike … about sic months now. Whenever I would apply power to the motor using the hand throttle the power would shut off just like I turned it off at the switch on the battery. Then I would have to wait for it to “reboot” only to keep having it go back off most of the time. Once in awhile it would remain on and I could actually use it. I contacted Grin Technologies where I bought it asking them what they thought the problem might be. They said that it most likely is the battery but I have 3 batteries and it does this with all 3 and one battery was brand new at the time. Then they said that it is probably a bad wiring connection. I went thru everything and found nothing wrong. That was the end of their help. They were at least on the right track. The problem had to do with the battery power being interupted. All the time I was suspicious of the controller. Replacing the controller is not inexpensive so I did not jump on it. It use to cost $130 plus shipping but now it is $160 plus shipping. It was like gambling since I did not know for sure that the problem was the controller. Recently I took the plunge and ordered it from Grin Technologies. It only took less than two days to receive it … amazingly quick … about 24 hours from the time they shipped it. I installed it the same morning I received it and went for a ride. The gamble paid off. It works great once again. I sure wish I would have played my hunch much sooner. Anyway, I am rejoicing as I have a properly working motor back again. I have turned to Grin Technologies a few different times previously for technical help and never once did they actually help me. If I can figure this out knowing next to nothing about electronics I would think they should be able to be of help. Oh well, with this working right now I can …
BTW, I want to give credit where it is due. I received an email from Grin Technologies offering to see if they could repair my old controller and have it covered under warranty. It appears that the battery power has an issue somewhere inside of the controller. I would, of course, have to return the new controller I just bought. I truly appreciate their offer but there exists two issues. One, I would have to be without my motor for quite some time. I would not care to do that. And two, I doubt if I could return the new controller as I had to modify it to hook the battery power up to it. Oh, and another thing to their credit. I selected and paid for the least expensive shipping when I purchased the new controller but I received it super quick meaning that they must have shipped it the most expensive way … overnight. That was really nice of them.
I bought my Catrike new back in 2009. It came with an owner’s manual. I have never bought another Catrike since but it is my understanding that Catrike no longer supplies a user manual with their new trikes and has not for several years. If you are in need of one, like so many other things, you can find it available online.
Actually if I understand correctly there is just one 63 page manual used for all models. The link above should take you directly to it. Looking at the 2009 manual I see that it covers all models as well. They did not offer a model specific owners manua.
Catrike offers a webpage of “knowledge” which includes links to specific years of their manuals. They show 2004 to 2020 as being available. They also offer videos to view to help with maintenance and repair. Click HERE to visit their knowledge webpage.
Here is some of what you will find there:
Owner’s Manuals Owner’s Manuals are organized by model year. Start with the most recent owner’s manual as that version contains the latest information. If there is something specific to your model not shown, then, refer to the owner’s manual for the model year of your Catrike.
FAQ / Riding Tips Can I Change The Wheel Size? Can I Sit More Upright? Can I Tow a Trailer? How Do I Measure My X-Seam? How Do I Transport My Catrike? What Is The Weight Limit of My Catrike? What Tire Size Fits My Catrike? What Year Is My Catrike? Where Is My Serial Number Located? Is Touch Up Paint Available? Availability of Accessories Accessories
The next section is their videos. Unfortunately none of them are marked so the reader knows what they are about. That is really dumb and rather irresponsible. … C’mon Catrike, you can do better than that!
I have had my eZee hub motor now for over 3 years so I thought I would write a review on it. After my bad experiences with BionX and Golden Motors the eZee motor has been reliable and performed relatively well for me. That is until recently. I am having trouble with it so I have replaced it with a different brand. I bought a Tongsheng crank drive motor which is what I have been considering if ever I were to buy another motor. That being said I did not know about the newest Bafang crankdrive motor that now has a torque sensor. I probably would have bought it instead of the Tongsheng if I had known about it sooner. The trouble I am having with the eZee motor system has nothing to do with the motor as far as I know. Personally I think my controller is acting up. I bought my eZee hub motor conversion kit from Grin Technologies. I have emailed them several times over the 3 years I have had it requesting their help on a few things. They have replied back but they have never really helped me. Overall the eZee motor has been good but I do want to cover the few things which have not been good. The eZee motor does not have built in torque sensing so a separate external torque sensor which mounts in the bottom bracket must be purchased. It is not cheap. And what they don’t tell you is that in order to install it it requires buying a new crankset … also not cheap … meaning this is all getting rather expensive.
I bought the new crankset and paid my LBS to install the torque sensor in the bottom bracket. The torque sensor didn’t work. Grin Technologies then told me that they have had a lot of problems with this particular torque sensor. (It would have been nice if they would have mentioned that upfront and advise against buying it.) They advised me to try a different one which they would send to me at no additional charge. All they asked is that I mail them back the defective one which I had to pay postage on. When I received the new torque sensor I discovered that it required yet a different crankset. My LBS looked but could not find one to order. So for over three years now all I have had is a manual thumb throttle to use. I have not had a torque sensor for pedal assist. All of this mess and expense could have been avoided if only the bicycle industry would standardize the cranksets instead of making various types and sizes.
The rear wheel which the eZee hub motor was laced into did not hold up for me. It cracked open and I had to replace it. This added a lot more expense to my e-trike. I now have a rear wheel which is holding up great. But why doesn’t the supplier of the eZee hub motor provide a rear rim which is better made?
The eZee hub motor requires the older type of rear sprockets known as free wheel. Just recently the free wheel unit has started acting up spinning forward instead of grabbing to propel the trike forward. That’s not good. I went to my LBS and they looked up 9 sprocket free wheel units only to find nothing available like I have now. I would have to sacrifice my lower gearing going from a 34 tooth sprocket to a 30 tooth. My system is just too old and it is hard to find these component parts for it. The industry has gone to 10 and 11 speed. 9 speed has become an antique so to speak. Anyway, they lubricated the free wheel unit and it has been working okay since then. I don’t know for how long though. What I am getting at is it is time to move on. I have the Tongsheng motor kit installed but I am waiting on an extension cable so I can hook up the speed sensor to get it all working. That cable just arrived in yesterday’s mail so I will be installing it today.
Oh, another thing about the eZee hub motor I don’t care for is that in order to change the nylon gear inside the motor the electrical wiring coming out of the motor has to be cut in two to disassemble it to change the nylon gears. Then all those wires need to be reconnected and resealed when reassembling it. I think they made a change in this in the newer model they are manufacturing. They say the nylon gears inside the motor should last about 9000 miles I think. I had over 40,000 miles on the motor so I ordered a new gear and went to change it when I discovered this about having to cut the wires. I didn’t want to get into that. Even though I had several times more than the 9000 miles on the hub motor the nylon gear inside still looked like new so I simply regreased it and put it all back together. It is still sounding and working the same as it always has so I assume the gear has not worn out yet.
The eZee hub motor is a geared reduction motor meaning that is should be very powerful … more so than the 350 watt BionX motor I started out with which was a gearless direct drive unit. For some reason unknown to me I have never been able to get any help from Grin Technologies as to why this motor lacks power (torque on demand). It should easily out perform the BionX but just the opposite is true. From a standstill or low speed up to about 12 mph or so the BionX will easily shoot away from my eZee hub motor. Once I am up to 12 mph or so I start gaining on the BionX and pass it by leaving it far behind. It has good top end … 28 plus mph … but on hills I have to assist it as it just does not have the power to climb hills. My BionX would shoot me up and over if I used the hand throttle.
Well, that is my review. Could I recommend it to others? No, not really. If these issues I have described didn’t exist then yes, I would recommend it. But hey, they do exist and as I have stated I have not been able to get any help to resolve them. It is time to move on. I want to get this Tongsheng working and see how it does. It will be great to have a torque sensor and true pedal assist.
I can personally identify with this as last Saturday I started having problems with my e-motor on my trike. Power to the motor keeps cutting out so I need to go thru things in an attempt to find the cause and fix it. I am hoping it will turn out to be something simple and inexpensive but I am fearful that it may be the controller. I have a new battery ordered as my present one is old enough to start showing major concerns. It should be getting near the end of its life. Like many others, I am pretty much on my own as there are no e-bike shops anywhere near me that are experienced and know much about working on e-bike motor systems.
This video is nothing profound … just everyday common sense.
It is definitely a scary thing to be going along and suddenly experience a bad case of front end wobble, shimmying or shaking whether you are in a car, motorcycle, bicycle or trike. It can be quite unnerving … downright scary. And it is even scarier when it happens at a high speed which seems to be when it happens the most. You can be going along and everything is fine … then suddenly you are like Elvis … all shook up.. My experience is that hitting a bump just right (maybe just WRONG) sets off the front end shimmy. About all one can do to end it is slow down. Of course, we would much prefer this doesn’t happen. So what is the cause of it? That is not something that can always be answered quickly and accurately as it can be the result of one of a few different things or a combination of them. It can be worn front end components such as tie rod ends. It can be poor inferior design. Some trikes are simply not made well and are well known for this problem. It can be toe in adjustment is off. I personally find that the most common cause is the headsets need to be reset as they loosen up. The type of headsets that Catrike uses is notorious for this. Catrike in their excellent engineering even redesigned the headset as the stock headset had a bad problem of shimmying as the manufacturer designed it. Catrike removed the upper bearing and replaced it with a Teflon bushing to help with this. BTW, Catrike owners may need to replace these at some point in time. You can get them from a Catrike dealer, from Catrike or other sources such as Utah Trikes. They can be bought individually or you can buy both for $25.
This Utah Trikes video covers resetting the headsets … starting at about six minutes into the video … and again at about 7 minutes 50 seconds into the video.
There is one thing that was not mentioned and seldom is. For the best results the rider should be sitting in the seat in the riding position so that the rider’s weight is loaded onto the headsets. This works best to have someone else do the mechanical work unless someone else can take the rider’s place who weighs the same. With proper headset adjustment it should help to eliminate front end shimmy. I wish you well in resolving this issue. It has worked for me. Do your best to be safe so that you can …
I have always gotten phenomenal mileage out of my chains on my trike. I just recently replaced one which had 16,672 miles on it. That is the most I have ever got and truthfully the way it was wearing I think I could have got another couple thousand miles out of it.
I use Rock-n-Roll Gold chain lubricant and am quite impressed with it … more so than any other product I have ever tried.
One of my bike mechanics said to me that I should only get about 1600 miles out of a chain. I said to him “you’re talking about a bicycle, but a recumbent tadpole trike gets far more wear out of the chain than a bicycle”. That is because a trike has 2.5 to 3 standard lengths of bicycle chain compared to a bicycle.That should result in considerable less wear. Even so about 5000 miles is all that one should expect. I have always got far more … usually 9000 to 12,000 miles. One time I got over 14,ooo miles. And, like I said, this time over 16,000.
You may ask me how this is possible. It is possible because of God. That is right! I learned many many years ago to put God first in my finances … to give Him the tithe before I spend money for anything else. He says in His word that if we do this He will rebuke the devouter and we will be blessed. I can not explain this incredible mileage I get out of my chains any other way. The same is true of my tire wear. I have witnessed the result of withholding the tithe. God says it is stealing from Him. One way or another He will get His tithe. If not given freely He will take it some other way. The car or furnace or some appliance will break down costing far more than the tithe would have cost. I have seen it happen in many people’s lives. God is real and everything I am talking about is real. It is truly a joy to give God His tithe. In doing so I also enjoy His many blessings in my life each and every day. May He be praised and may we all …
Like bicycle tires the inner tubes that go inside of them can be confusing. There are lots of different sizes and other things which vary in the offerings. It is imperative that we buy the right size and type. Probably the two biggest factors are valve type … Schrader or Presta … and the size … both in width and diameter. Rubber stretches but we need to be careful we don’t try using an inner tube which is too small and stretches too much. And as to diameter we need to be careful there as not all inner tubes are the same diameter. By that I mean it may say 20 inch on the box but upon trying to install it we find that it is way too big of diameter to fit. There are 406 and 451 diameters. Most of our trikes use 406. I have found that not all those who work in a bike shop know this and they might sell you a 451 inner tube. The picture below shows a 451 inner tube in a 406 tire. As you can see there is way too much inner tube to fit.
Here are some web pages to help inform us and straighten out any confusion:
Perhaps you can not tell what you are looking at so I will tell you. The picture above is of the broken off skewer bolt which goes thru my Catrike Trail’s seat back. I replaced it once before when it broke off. It is broken again. I am not going to replace it again as I am convinced that the bolt is too soft and therefore not up to the job it is intended for. I am going to drill out the holes thru the pieces and go to a 1/4″ hardened bolt. I don’t adjust my seat back anyway so I have no need of the quick release skewer Catrike uses there. Catrike replaced my first broken skewer without charge but I am not going to ask them to do it again. Besides the one they sent me only lasted a few months in service before it sheared off. There is no sense in continuing to replace it with the same thing which keeps breaking. I truly miss the space frame the Catrike Trail had when I first bought my 2009 trike. Catrike can have their new frame … just give me back the space frame. The more complex one makes something the more likely something will go wrong. I prefer to stay away from things like folding frames and suspension. KISS applies for me … Keep It Simple Stupid. I don’t know if it will ever happen but I would love to come across a Catrike Trail space frame and revert back to it. My original 2009 space frame developed a hair line crack in the weld on the underside of the crossmember of the frame so Catrike replaced the frame under warranty. I appreciated that but what I didn’t appreciate is that by that time they had discontinued using the space frame and replaced it with the monstrosity they offer now. I was hoping they might have a space frame lying around somewhere they could send but that didn’t happen. I was stuck with this new frame which I hate. Such is life. I often wonder if I would have just kept my original frame and never replaced it under warranty if it would have held together or if the hairline crack along the edge of the weld would have failed. Of course, I will never know. One thing about it with the space frame I would not be dealing with broken skewer bolts. The only thing left of my 2009 trike is the boom. I still have my 2009 boom on my 2013 frame. My frame is green but my boom is silver. BTW, the Catrike Trail costs just about twice as much now as it did in 2009. It is ridiculous! I am glad I bought mine when I did. I had a hard enough time coming up with the money involved in 2009. I can’t imagine attempting to buy a trike at today’s prices. I don’t understand how they can justify such an increase in cost. All that money and they can’t even supply a simple bolt that doesn’t shear off. I come from the old school where “design should follow function and not trend” and “if it ain’t broke, don’t mess with it”.
Tadpole Rider 