Carbon fibre trike. Beutiful

[Mike at INNESENTI]

The bent boom is a marked departure from the more traditional straight boom found on most other tadpole trikes. This configuration would be difficult to achieve using another material but the real reason is for looks. While some like it others noe so much. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in this case, if you took the side view and took the bend out, the lines don't flow as well. At the end of the day, it has nothing to do with the performance of the machine which is the most important factor. As far as a pratical "man" powered machine, that is a typo and should have stated human instead. There is a much longer story about the INNESENTI and how it came to be but it was a woman who spurred the development effort and rides one today. I think someone mentioned it was too narrow in both track and seat width. The track is set so that it will just roll through a 32" door but it dosen't cause excessive tipping in corners. The seat can be customized as necesary to fit the rider and riding style. We are working on a new seat pad as we speak to provide an even better fit.

 

[Fiona N]

Does that mean there is a more practical woman powered version?

Naturally It comes with built in luggage and a kitchen sink

 

[Mike at INNESENTI]

Of course. The luggage is made by the designer of your choice and the sink is carbon fiber with gold plated fixtures.

OK, not really but if the major sticking point is luggage, I can suggest to the team we move our "touring" configuration to the head of the line. We have several projects in the works so it's just a matter of selecting the one which people are most intrested in.

 

[Arch]

At the bottom of their home page they state that it is "the most practical man powered sports machine in the world."

Does that mean there is a more practical woman powered version?

Well of course, that would come with a woman, making it immediately more practical.....

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I wanted one, soooo wanted one....then I saw........................the price!!!!!!

I'll stick with my tourer.

 

[Mike at INNESENTI]

Building just another tadpole trike was not the goal. There are plenty of capable machines out there well under this price range. However none of them are built using this technology and for good reason; it's expensive! This is not built using a wet layup method but instead we use pre preg carbon fibre, vacuum bagged and autoclave process which is far stronger and lighter. Needless to say, the frame cost is the bulk of the overall expense. It's not for eveyone nor do we expect to have hundereds of people standing in line to purchase one. Production is very limited but we are open to comments about what is important to riders. (OK, price is important but besides that...) We have several projects in the works right now but we are looking to the end user community to help prioritize our efforts.

 

[Mike at INNESENTI]

Well, you hit the target market. As I mentioned, there are other options which are more in line price wise to what the average public can afford. However, the real proof is how it works and how well it holds together not by comparing the specs simply on paper.

Before you pass judgement, I highly recommend a trip to London and take a test ride with Trevor. If you like I can help set that up for you, no obligation. It is more important to us to have opinions generated by people who have actually ridden it then come to a conclusion without first hand experience. If all the trikes were built the same way using the same materials, then what would you have to compare to? There has to be the one manufacture who is willing to go out on a limb and build what is otherwise deemed impractical but advanced. We want to be the company who not only strives for, but reaches that goal.

We are always looking to improve our offerings and welcome your feed back.

 

[Redmountduo]

At the end of the day there is a market for most things. People buy Smart cars and people also buy Ferrari's.
I could not afford the Innesenti but i admire the design and do think it is both innovative and beautiful.

 

[Mike at INNESENTI]

Thanks for the kind words. You have concisely expressed what I was attempting to say.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Mike, I'd be interested in a test-ride - could you PM me details of how to arrange? Thanks.

 

[StuAff]

All valid questions. It was not intended to be used in conjunction with luggage as that was not the intended use. This is why we have a touring version and a trailer. We know this is not the best solution long term and we are working on alternatives. We have tried some streamlining with limited success but this just ruins the look. THe gearing range is plenty wide enough now with the current system. The SRAM components simply fell apart so those were thrown out. We do have a Rolhoff Speedhub 500/14 version now and that has proven to be a great solution. For the most part, the drive train is standard equipment so we do save some money there. We offer both front and rear lights if you want them. The top of the bottom bracket is drilled and tapped for mounting what ever you want for a head light and the rear lights mount on the seat bushings.

Folding is hot right now but it's not in the design plans as of yet. Our first change to support easier transport was to engineer special front forks so the wheel will drop out without taking the disk brake rotor off. You can image the extra weight if we included a folding system. Mighe be something we look at in later releases. Oh, and the front mud guards you were asking about. You have one option today where standard fenders will work just fine, however we are in the design phases for a radical design that I think will really get people talking. Still a few months away but should be very cool once it's completed.

We are very much intrested in peoples requirements and desires. A key point that fails to makes it's way into print is how we really focused on reducing rolling resistance. Weight is important but this rides and handles like trikes weighing several kgs less. There is very little wasted energy in the design which also helps ensure it stays together. One of the test models was struck by a car and is still in use today. Some of the components (wheels) didn't fair as well but the frame never missed a beat.

If you are in the London area, give Trevor a call. I'm sure you would love to go out on a ride with you sometime.

Thanks for that. I'll pass on the test ride offer (at least until those pesky lottery numbers come up!).

 

[CopperBrompton]

I'm taking a test-ride on Tuesday afternoon, so will let you know my impressions sometime next week.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I test-rode this with Trevor (the designer) yesterday. Did about 15 miles on a very good mix of roads, including a cobbled road and a fast downhill, so it got a decent workout. I rode the Sport:

For background, I own a TRICE Q, so essentially I'm comparing it to that. However, in choosing the TRICE I did test-rides on seven or eight different trikes, so I have at least a little experience of others.

My first impression when the link was posted in here was that it was absolutely beautiful, but most likely one of those products that's all form and no function. I remember test-riding the Strida folding bike a few years ago. Gorgeous-looking machine, very clever folding mechanism but utterly appalling to ride. The Innesenti, I'm happy to report, is no Strida.

Trevor adjusted the machine to suit my height, which was as simple as loosening four allen-bolts and sliding the seat back about an inch. Getting into it is a slightly different process to the Q: you grasp the handlebars, apply the brakes and then lower yourself in that way. If it had the parking-brake I have fitted to my Q (an optional extra), it would be even easier, but it's perfectly straightforward.

The seat is much more comfortable than it looks! If you buy one, the seat is individually moulded to fit you, while I was of course testing a standard one. The seat feels narrow when you get into it but is then comfy.

The Sports model has a two-speed Schulmpf gear at the front. I've never used one before, but quickly got used to it. You tap the centre of the crank with your heel to change gear: left crank to change down, right crank to change up. The rear gears are on a trigger-shift on the left handlebar.

The gearing setup is quite different to my TRICE. I have a triple on the front, set so that I'm on the middle ring 95% of the time, using the small ring only for pretty steep hills and the big ring for fast downhills. This means that generally I'm only using the twist-grip for the rear gears.

With the Innesenti, I needed to use both front and rear, but the Schulmpf is easier to use than a front derailleur. On balance, I prefer my TRICE setup, but it's not a big deal.

Acceleration is fast. It's hard to do a like-for-like comparison as my TRICE has a Streamer fairing and luggage, both of which add weight. I'm guessing that a back-to-back test with a naked TRICE would show them pretty similar but probably a slight edge to the Innesenti.

Handling is excellent. I love the TRICE handling, and the Innesenti is even better. Very sharp, very stable, and the very significant negative camber on the front wheels gives a lot of confidence in fast cornering. I gave it some abuse in Hyde Park, and it just turned in. Like the TRICE, when you overdo it, the front wheels slide. Lovely.

The steering is direct. This makes it both quicker and heavier than the TRICE. I was surprised how quickly I got used to the difference - literally within a few bends. I disliked it initially, then grew to like it more and more during the ride. By the end of the ride, I still prefer the TRICE indirect steering, but there was less in it than I thought there would be.

The most surprising thing to me was seat comfort. I've tried a hard-shell seat before and found it very uncomfortable. This one was well-padded, and is mounted on elastomers. These absorb both bumps and vibration really well. Trevor's confidence in this was evident when he led me onto a cobbled road! I found I was able to ride across cobbles two or three times as fast as I would on the TRICE. By the end of 15 miles, I was starting to find the seat a little hard, but I'm guessing that a body-moulded seat would make quite a difference.

On a fast downhill, I'd guess I reached around 40mph (I forgot to take my GPS with me) and it felt rock-solid. You'd obviously want to test it on a longer and steeper hill than can be found in central London, but certainly the signs were good. Personally, I'd want bigger gearing at the top end for high-speed downhills, but I have custom-gearing on the TRICE for that reason and I'm sure Innesenti could provide the same.

I'd want luggage, but I'd imagine the Radical Sidepod bags I use on the TRICE would also fit this. I certainly can't see any reason why not.

Overall assessment? I'd say that it's probably 10% nicer than the TRICE in terms of overall performance. For my budget, there's no way that would justify the huge price-difference, but then I'm not the target-market for an £8k trike. I do think it's every bit as beautiful in the flesh as it is in the photos, so if I had four times the cash to spend, I'd certainly be tempted.

 

[Redmountduo]

Great write up.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Ben should come down to Kent and have a ride on the Catrike Expedition sometime.