Ordered a *pair* of AB Tadpoles today.

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Stupid

I ordered them from Kim Schulman in Washington State.. A "Rust" colored one for me and an "Apple Green" model for my wife. I'll post a review of them in a couple of weeks when we've gotten them and had a chance to ride them a little.

Fun times a comin'! ;)

The BikeForums Team

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jeff-o

Kim Shulman? Is s/he a local dealer? How did you get paint options?

Stupid

Kim Shulman? Is s/he a local dealer? How did you get paint options?

She and her husband(?) run a small dealership in Washington State (not sure what part), and I got color options by asking for them. :p

There are three colors to choose from.. Black, Green and Rust (I'm guessing that's some sort of orange). You can find them by simply clicking on the provided link on the Actionbent website. Oh what the heck, here's the link. ;)
http://www.actionbent.com/

They don't actually have the trikes in stock right now, but are expecting a shipment in by the end of this week and it should take about three days after they get them to reach me here in Calif.
When I asked about the cost of shipping, Kim said they shipped one to Texas a while ago and it was about fifty bucks.

If you want to wait a week and a half, I'll let you know if I think you should buy one or not. :D

jeff-o

Well, you don't need to convince ME to get one, you need to convince my wife! ;)

Stupid

I actually found that to be pretty easy.. I just said "Hey, how'd you like a $1,400.00 birthday present?"

It was simple. :p

jeff-o

***envy***

Dchiefransom

Will you be assembling them yourself, or having a bike shop do it?

Stupid

Will you be assembling them yourself, or having a bike shop do it?

I'll be taking them to my brothers house and we'll be assembling them together. I figure there's bound to be times where two hands just aren't enough, and definately where one brain isn't. :p

Dchiefransom

I looked at the trike by Sun Bicycles in a shop near here today. According to their website, it weighs 11 more pounds than the Actionbent. I'm looking at what to do with my half of any tax return refund next year. The Tadpole is VERY intriguing.

jeff-o

Yeah, you can definitely do MUCH better than Sun's measly offering. The AB trike is a very, very solid contender, with next most expensive being the Catrike Pocket. Even then, the Catrike doesn't offer much more than the AB trike.

Dchiefransom

jeff-o

I've been eyeballing the Catrike Pocket on their website, and they have a generic statement about driveline components changing, but with a picture of a triple chainring, the specs say it's a double chainring. ??? The big difference in the reviews is that the Actionbent supposedly had no steering problems when applying only one brake.

Yup, that's called brake steer. As I recall, it also had very low pedal steer too, didn't it? The Actionbent has 20" wheels up front and a 26" wheel in the rear, while the Pocket uses 18" wheels all around. So not only do you have greater clearance from the road, but replacement tires are easier to find, and the wheel diameter won't be limiting your top speed. The Catrike is almost 10 pounds lighter however, and possibly slightly higher quality. There is a $350 price difference, so you'll have to decide what's worth more to you.

In the end, it's the "rolling weight" that most affects acceleration. Basically, it's the effect of the combined weight of the wheels. The heavier they are, the more energy you need to start them spinning. When spinning, a heavier wheel will also be more resistant to turning or changing direction, which aids in stability. So again, since the AB trike uses bigger, heavier tires than the Catrike, it will be slower to accelerate but more stable on really fast downhill runs.

Stupid

Looks like it's going to be a little bit longer.......... I just got an email from Randy at Actionbent saying it'll likely ship by Friday.

Oh well, no hurry (good thing too, huh?) :p

-T

Redrom

Did you see the colors before buying, or just pick one of each based on the name of the color. We're thinking of buying just one, and wanted see the colors first, and didn't find that option on the AB website...

Stupid

[QUOTE=Redrom]Did you see the colors before buying, or just pick one of each based on the name of the color.QUOTE]

I couldn't find color photos on the site either, so I just went with the only two non-black options. :o I'm not too picky when it comes to the color of my bike/trike. I'm more interested in how it rides than what it looks like.
Know what I mean? ;)

With names like "Burnt Orange" and "Apple Green"...... Well, that pretty much discribes itself, doesn't it? :p

I'm planning on posting some pictures of the two of them after I get them put together (& during the build), so if you haven't purchased yours by then you can see the color options here first. I shold get them by the middle/end of next week and have them put together withing 24 hours of their arrival.

-T

Stupid

WooHoo! Just got my tracking #.. They'll be here Monday!! :beer:

Stupid

We're thinking of buying just one, and wanted see the colors first...

Here yah go! :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/BurntOrangeMyFoot.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/BlueBuellFool/Finished.jpg

Redrom

Thanks, let us know how it goes, AB's seem really contriversial at the moment.

Stupid

Thanks, let us know how it goes, AB's seem really contriversial at the moment.

The only problems I had were a cracked seat and a poorly desinged chain tool, which I replaced today.

-T

Redrom

Stupid, I'm outing you - you're Timbo!

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