Well, I picked up my new Cat Ex this morning and by the time I got
the boom cut and fit, got the trike home and added all the
accessories (i.e. wireless Cateye - ya gotta have a Cateye on a
Catrike, right:o), bottle cage, seat post bag, etc., and got out on
my first ride it was 14:30 here in San Diego (that's 2:30 PM for
those of you not on a 24 hour clock:o) Anyway, I have a 5 mile loop
mapped out along with an add on 3.2 mile extension loop that I
frequently ride to increase my mileage without too much boredom. The
entire "big loop" is mostly flat with a couple of small gradiants
and bridges there and there. One good thing is the wind is usually
constant off the ocean and from the west/southwest and also usually
is at its peak between 1 and 4 PM then it dies down (it's usually
calmest in the early hours between dawn and 10 AM which is why I
like to get my longer weekly rides done early Saturday and Sunday
morning). As such I am riding into the wind about half the time I'm
doing one of these loops/circuits. OK, enough about the terrain and
wind conditions - on to the Ex and the ride itself. When I left I
was pretty tired and figured I'd really take it easy and just do 15
miles the first time out on the trike. What I noticed right away was
that the steering was way more "twitchy" at higher speeds than I was
able to generate in the alley at the LBS where I bought the bike. I
also had some trouble with the head rest not being as tight as
needed and it tended to rotate backwards if I put too much pressure
on it. At first I actually thought that I might have made a big
mistake buying the Ex. After completing 21.4 miles I can rather
assuredly say I DID NOT make ANY MISTAKE!! I have owned two nice
trikes prior to this Cat. I had a GS GTO with a two speed schumph
drive in the bottom bracket that was very FAST and comfortable and
my second trike was a fully optioned 27 speed SCARAB that was almost
as nice as the GS, but a little heavier and slower, IMO. Well, this
MAY be a little premature at this point having only ridden a little
over 21 miles on the Cat, BUT I will CATEGORICALLY state that the Ex
is MUCH faster and more comfortable than either of those other fine
trikes!!! Around the 10 - 12 mile mark of the ride I was feeling so
dang good and having such a good time relaxing and puttering along
that a lot of the "twitchiness" I had concerns with at the beginning
of the ride seemed to diminish to the point of not being noticable.
I did discover that when I had my head OFF the rest and was mashing
the pedals hard I experienced LESS twitching and better straight
ahead momentum. Miles 15 through 21 were actually BETTER and more
enjoyable than the first 15 AND I felt more in control of the trike
and definately was able to maintain a higher AVS. All in all, I
averaged around 12.5 MPH and that included one "nature call" stop
and one stop to pick up my flag that departed its mount bracket when
I hit a small pothole in the road. This entire loop/course I
normally ride during the week is on some country backroads near
Imperial Beach and I feel pretty safe on them (have been riding them
for 12+ years with no bad experiences yet - KNOCK on WOOD:o) How
would I rate the Ex? (and remember I have been trying to decide
between and Ex and a 700 for the past 3 days) IF first impressions
count for anything at all - I'd say SUPERB and/or EXCELLENT. The Cat
is FAST and VERY COMFORTABLE. I'm sure that after I've put several
hundred miles on it and am more familar with it and do some minor
adjustments/tweaking I'll be able to write a better review. Just
thought you'd all like to know that I AM now offically a Cat Owner
and very impressed with the Expedition.