I made my first tadpole trike in 2007. Then I bought my Catrike Trail in 2009. Since then it has undergone several modifications. The first modification I made was to drill out the rims so I could use Schrader valve inner tubes as I don’t like the Presta valves that came on it. At that time the Trail model came with Avid BB-5 brakes which I quickly learned to hate. I had to adjust them everyday as they constantly changed and went out of adjustment. It didn’t take long before I ordered Avid BB-7 brakes to replace them. I wrote to Catrike about the BB-5 brakes and after awhile Catrike started installing BB-7s on the Trail model.

I am short so my boom needed to be shortened, but the poor excuse for a dealer where I bought my trike didn’t shorten it. They just pounded it back in so that it was extremely tight. It would not pull back out so I had to forcibly hammer it back out using a large hammer and a short piece of 2 x 4 to protect the aluminum from damage. Once I got it out I cut it shorter.

As I continued to ride my trike I discovered that the Catrike wheels were not strong enough. My spokes were constantly breaking and even the rims went out of round. One rim had a spoke hole break a big chunk out around it. I repaired it, but eventually I replaced them with more Catrike wheels, but when they also got badly damaged quickly I bought some heavier duty BMX rims and had them laced into the Catrike hubs. The total cost was about the same as buying Catrike wheels. That was many years ago and many many thousands of miles ago. I have nearly 180,000 miles on my trike now. I am pleased to report that ended my problems with spoke breakage and damaged rims. They have held up great.

Riding in the hot sun I decided I wanted a canopy on my trike. Most of them are expensive so I used a kayak canopy I bought for $35. It took a bit of ingenuity to mount it but I got it done and it has been a great canopy. I think I had about $15 additional cost to get it mounted.

As electric motor assist became more and more popular I eventually purchased my first e-motor conversion kit. It was a BionX brand. I say first because I have had several. Most have been hub motors as I don’t care much for crank drive motors. They are just too hard on the drive train in my opinion. I tried one Tongsheng motor and it went bad in less than 2 months so I was not impressed with it. I tried an inexpensive motor conversion kit and have had real good service out of it. However, it eventually went bad and I replaced it with another. I had at least 5 of them over the years. Thru the years I kept getting larger more powerful motors and batteries.

Speaking of batteries … several people have advised against buying lower cost batteries off of Amazon, Ebay and similar sources, but I have bought several and never had any issue with any of them. They have all given good service, but any battery eventually goes bad and needs to be replaced.

The rear dropouts eventually broke near the bottle and would no longer hold a wheel so that ended my riding my trike. It sat under our carport for awhile until I found a way to repair it. I simply used Utah Trikes rear wheel extensions they sell to allow a larger diameter wheel to be installed. I kept using a 20 inch wheel. The extension got me going again and works great. The only thing is it makes my trike’s overall length slightly longer and I can’t turn quite as sharp. It is not really that noticeable however.

I have not mentioned it, but my 2009 trike developed a hairline crack in the weld under the cruciform. Catrike replace it under warranty with a new frame, but I could get the space frame like my 2009 had. They replaced it with a 2013 frame which is different. I don’t think the 2009 frame would have broken at the dropouts like the 2013 did.

I have added assist bars to aid in getting back up out of the seat. I have numerous lights and various accessories installed over the years as well as baskets, racks, trunks, etc.

I have found that the bad bumps and holes in Fort Wayne’s streets and trails are very hard on my trike. I have spent thousands of dollars in repairs and replace damaged parts over the years. However it is still going and very dependable. I ride it most every day. I am getting ready to go out riding as soon as I finish this and eat lunch.