Catrike Road Modifications: 24 Inch MTBs All Way Round and Others Update (two weeks)

[Bigfoot]

I had the following installed on my Catrike Road:

1. Marathon Plus tires and thorn proof tubes
2. 24" MTB rims all way round
3. SRAM - 81 gear set up
4. Rotor cranks
5. Fenders and rear rack

24” rim initial ride results (two weeks):

1. Braking...saw no effects.
2. Steering...turn around ability has decreased, but was not significant.
3. More comfortable...yes, especially when I hit the small imperfections in the road. With the wider tires, ride is smoother and quieter.
4. etc...getting in and out trike is easier since I am two inches higher off the ground.
5. Speed...saw no degradation considering the rotor cranks.

SRAM – 81 gear set up
Speed on flats improves significantly

Rotor cranks
1. Knee pain less (am 54 yrs old)
2. Climbing much easier

Have not regretted above modifications. They have improved my riding experience tremendously.

Installation done by The Bicycle Company, 3800 Mesa Suite D5, El Paso, TX 79902, (915) 544-2453.


Catrike Road #116

[BigAlMN]

This is the kind of detail I have been searching for on these forums. Wanting to find out why everyone is content to stay on the default 20" wheels rather than increase the radius of the wheel. I would suppose that this should make for a more 'powerful' bike that could move on the flats and still be agressive [given good bent muscles] on the climbs.
I guess that I would assume that would require the SRAM 81 gears.

How much did these mod's cost you? How long had you used the Catrike as delivered before the modifications? Any turning instability?

[BlazingPedals]

Bigfoot, I am interested because of the size tire you chose. I have found that there are basically two 24" sizes. The most common, used in kids' bikes, is ISO 507, which has ONE good high-pressure road tire to fit: the Vee Rubber 24x1 1/4. Other than that, the only thing you can get is low-pressure, low-performance ribbed road tires or knobbies. The other size is ISO 520, for which you can get a couple of narrow high-pressure tires, none of which are over 28mm wide. I'm guessing that you went to the 507 size, since you mentioned wider tires and 28mm is about the narrowest you can find in a 406 (20") wheel. You also mentioned you saw no loss in speed. My questions are
1. which size did you convert to?
2. What tires are you using?
3. What speeds do you normally ride?
4. What terrain?

[Bigfoot]

How long had you used the Catrike as delivered before the modifications? Five months...150 miles or so a week.

Any turning instability? No.