The Original Chameleon Convertitrikes were a huge success, but we
felt they needed some upgrades. Here are some of the improvements we
made:
- The Frame: We shortened the center section a bit to
give the frame less flex as well as added some vertical braces to
stiffen it some more. The proprietary couplers have also been improved.
Adjustable handlebars Front and Rear are now standard. There is also a
Stoker’s Boom Support to keep the Stoker’s Boom from flexing during hard
pedaling.
- The Seats: All Chameleons now have our new Seats
that include adjustable seat height as well as 4 adjustable angle
positions. An optional headrest is also available as well as the option
for Hard Shell Seats
- Components: We are using the Microshift Marvo XE
CNC Machined Rear derailleur and Bar End Shifters for this derailleur as
well as the Stokers Crankset. Independent Pedaling is Standard.
- Chain Management: All of our new Chameleons have our new Idler System. This is a huge improvement over our original system.
For all of us Recumbent enthusiasts, lets face it- we all wish we
could have a bigger stable of bikes. A Single Trike, a Dual 650c Wheel
Bike, a Comfort Bike and of course there is nobody who can honestly say
they didn’t lust after a Tandem Tadpole Trike- especially one of the
ones from that “G” company in Australia!! The problem was that you
almost had to refinance your house or sell your firstborn child to be
able to afford the $10,000+ it costs to get one of these, that will in
all honesty probably not be your main ride.
There are frame issues, chain management issues, component issues as well as cable issues here. Here’s how we addressed them:
The Frame: In the end, there was really only one choice here- 4130
Chromoly Tubing. We tried frames in Aluminum and Stainless Steel, but
felt that one could not compromise here without ending up with an
inferior product. The Booms, Seats, and Handlebars however are Anodized
Aluminum . This was an EXPENSIVE choice!! The booms in particular are
sandblasted first to give it a little textured finish. This finish make
the booms less likely to scratch than paint, give the boom tightening a
little more “grip” and besides they look cool!
There was the issue of couplers though. Obviously we could sell this
Trike for a lot less money if it was an uncoupled Tandem only, but once
we had decided to make the Single/Tandem Convertitrike it had to be
coupled. The choice was to have the frame come apart into two pieces
(using 2 couplers) or four pieces (using 4 couplers). The advantage of 2
couplers is of course the manufacturing cost and retail price is less.
The advantage of 4 couplers is that it is much easier to transport and
ship. There is one coupler company that dominates the market- I won’t
mention their name, but you all know who they are. I about fell to the
floor when I learned the wholesale/OEM price for these- there is a
reason most companies charge $750+ for a Trike with just TWO couplers
and over $1500 for 4-5 Couplers . Again, they make a fantastic product,
but unaffordable in this instance. We have designed our own interlocking
coupling system. We CAD designed these and they work amazingly well!
Are they as lightweight as the “name brand” system? Nope… but on a 72LB
Tandem Trike, we felt that the 1 LB penalty was easily justifiable.
Single Trike and Tandem Trike in one package: There were so many
issues here to solve! But our goal was to make the changeover easy and
take only about 30 Minutes. You remove the middle section, the rear
Brake Cable and long chain, recouple the front to the rear, recouple the
derailleur cables, attach the front seat to the rear ,adjust the chain
in some cases, and VOILA!! A Single Trike!!
There is also an optional adjustment that can be made to the steering
that takes an extra 5-10 minutes. Technically you should change the
Ackerman Compensation when you do the changeover, and I have equipped
the steering with positions for both the Tandem and Single. Basically
you move the steering to the other holes and then adjust the wheel
spacing.
For the frame: once we developed the dual boom system many things
fell into place. This also allow us to have one size frame that will fit
almost everybody. The Captain can have an X Seam of up to 47 ½””, and
the Stoker up to 43 ½”’. If you are a Captain taller than 6’5” , I can
make you a custom boom that is a little longer. For all the cabling-
much like the frame- the derailleur cables are all coupled and the
center section is removed and the two ends put back together. Coupling
the front brake cables is not necessary at all as they stay intact
during the changeover. The exception to this is the rear brake. We felt
that it was important to have a rear brake in the tandem configuration
for safety. The rear brake is not used in the Single Configuration.
Components: I LOVE all the name brand stuff ! So we decided you use
them. We are using the SRAM Dual Drive System, Microshift Marvo XE Rear
Derailleur, Microshift Front Derailleur, Bar End Shifters, and Avid BB7
Disc Brakes. Independent Pedaling (IPS) is STANDARD! Look at all other
brands’ component mix and I challenge you to find a better mix than
this!!. The stoker has control of the rear brake as well as the “front”
derailleur (that is in the stoker position). Again- a big debate about
this but it accomplishes a few things. When the Captain has control of
this they cannot see this to make adjustment, it makes the changeover
much easier as the center section stays intact, and lastly it gives the
stoker something to do!! The seat has a built in pocket for your
hydration bladder system, and has a reflective stripe on the back for
safety. We include everything!! The rear rack, front and rear fenders,
Captain’s mirror, a safety flag, rear light , 2 seat mounted water
bottle cages, and 2 sets of alloy pedals are INCLUDED! This could easily
add up to $300-$450 on other brands that make them “options” . Note:
The Convertitrike is 81 Speeds as a Tandem, and 27 Speeds as a Single.
Pricing The Trident Trikes Covertitrike retails for $6499.00 +
shipping from Lincolnton NC. It is shipped in one carton. Shipping to
any lower 48 US address is $135.00. Canadian shipping averages about
$225.00. If you are in Canada, Hawaii, Alaska or any other country,
please write or call for a quote. Please note however that unlike other
brands, we fully assemble each Chameleon Convertitrike and make
adjustments before disassembling them for shipping. The benefit to you
is less reassembly and less adjustments will be needed .
We have made several custom E Chameleons for customers, so we have
decided to put it in the lineup. The E Chameleon has a 48 V 500 W Hub
Motor system. The stoker still has the IPS crankset. There is no longer a
Dual Drive wheel in the rear. The E Chameleon has 27 Speeds, which is
plenty with the E Assist