The new 700 is loaded up, tweaked and ready to take off the stand.
Yes there are red front hubs on my new ride...Chris King to be exact. Thanks to Dana at Bent Up Cycles.
I won't be able to give it a real workout until Sunday. So far only a few up and down passes and some tight turns on my street to make sure nothing flies off, rattles. twists or makes unwelcome noises. There's a few things worth mentioning at this point in regards to how the new 700 compares to the old 700. The first impression when looking at the 700 is that it seems "longer" then the one inch Catrike claims to have added and it looks awesome. It's been narrowed down as well and when sitting in the drivers seat it is apparent. Careful adjustment of the handle bars is needed to get as much room as possible in the cockpit when turning and at the same time keep the knuckles away from the tire. No big deal here. The little extra ground clearance is a welcomed change. The change in the seat from a 27 degree recline to a 25 degree recline is not that noticeable. Longer rides will give me a better feel for the new ergonomics of the new 700. It's to soon to tell but so far the the 700 seems as stable as it ever was.
The one item I have never been a fan of is the quick releases on the boom. I've never been able to hand tighten the boom enough on any of my Catrikes to prevent the boom from twisting under pressure. If I can close the quick release by hand then the boom is not tight enough. I hand tighten the quick release enough so that I have to use a rubber mallet to get that last bit of closure of the quick release lever.
One final note...the Catrike bags just manage to work. The triangulated area where the bags are mounted are a bit compressed and elongated.
