Jim's Fargo
Get your own 2012 Catrike Expedition
When Jim started talking to me about a custom Quad to take on the Tour of Discovery I was intrigued. We spent months going over different ideas and even changed the base model. Ultimately, we decided to build Fargo around our Catrike Quad conversion. While the Quad conversion had been in the works for nearly a year it was still in the prototype stage and very few people knew about it. The Quad was merely the base for this project, so that alone presented some challenges. The main challenge was the incredibly tight timeframe we had to work with once we had the Quad conversion at a happy point for the Catrike Expedition. Once the Quad prototype was finalized we had about 1 week to design, build, test and paint the cage frame and lexan. We envy you Jim in the Journey you get to take. Please start out slowly!
Catrike Expedition
Jim has been a longtime supporter of Catrike, so ultimately there was only one choice for Fargo. The Catrike Expedition became the base of the Quad and ultimately of Fargo. Catrike went above and beyond in their support of this project and even gave Jim a custom color -- Chrome Black.
Quad Conversion
The Quad conversion attaches to the rear of the Expedition's dropouts and uses the stock wheel mounting position for the middrive.
Lexan
One of the primary purposes of Fargo is to offer weather protection. We wrapped the cage with Lexan which provides a very nice windshield.
Enclosed Chain
The entire drivetrain runs inside of the cage and lexan. This will keep the chain clean.
Avid BB7 Brakes
We went with BB7 brakes all the way around. The double pull levers up front each actuate two brakes.
Bottle Cage
There is a fair amount of bling on Fargo. In the front we have the Origin8 carbon fiber cage with yellow anodized mount.
Custom Idlers
TerraCycle made Jim a custom set of yellow power idlers. As we were completing the cae we thought they might not be visible, but I think they show just enough.
Custom Chainline
We eliminated all the chain tubing by using a TerraCycle Adjustable Idler Clamp to move the front idler into position. And, you will notice that we are using two sprocketed power idlers here. With all internal hub gears and the chainline under tension we felt that was the most appropriate way to go.
Tensioner
One of the complications of setting up the Quad conversion is that we still have to allow for the adjustable boom. We made our mount so that the stock derailleur hanger can stick below and be used with the Rohloff tensioner.
Rohloff Speedhub
The Rohloff Speedhub is at the heart of Fargo's drivetrain. 14 speeds of badass gearing. This German-made transmission will allow Jim to climb just about any hill he wants.
Schlumpf High Speed Drive
Up front Fargo uses the Schlumpf overdrive. The High Speed Drive has the equivalent of a 27T and 68T chainring. Combined with the Rohloff Jim has super low low gears and super high high gears.
Side Entrance
To get in Fargo, Jim will need to sit sideways on the seat and lift his legs up and inside the cabin.
Rear Suspension
The limited suspension of the Quad conversion is designed to keep all 4 wheels on the ground while cornering. There are two elastomers per side that carry the weight of the Quad. The white elastomers on top are used as bumpers while engaging the rear brakes.
Bungee
To minimize the lexan flapping we joined the side panels together with a bungee strap. Not super hi-tech, but it seems to work well.
Couplers
We made the cage so it is removable. There are a total of 8 of these couplers on the cage frame.
Cargo Rack
The Cargo Rack was the first piece of the main cage frame that we made. With the suspension of the Quad rear end we had to make all of the cage mounts isolated from the rear axle assembly. The cargo rack supplied us with the mounting supports for the rear of the cage and is where Jim can carry everything he needs on his trip.
Rear Bracing
The main rear bracing goes from the bottom of the cage to the wheelstay bars.
Stainless Mounts
There are a total of 4 Stainless Steel mounts in the rear holding up the cage.
ICE Mirror Mounts
The ICE Mirror mounts sure come in handy. On Fargo they supply a mirror mounting point on each side.
SON Generator
Jim had us work out a mounting setup for his SON generator with a power takeoff of the Samagaga differential. Here we used two ICE mirror mounts and our own standard Quad middrive mounts.
Dirty Dog Rotors
We have the Dirty Dog Spider rotors all the way around.
Rohloff Shifter
Jim opted for the full length Rohloff shifter.
Front Stabilizers
Probably overkill, but I felt we needed som additional support for the front of the cage. The bracing here is adjustable and eliminated the cage twisting.
Fenders
We decided that we didn't need rear fenders since the wheels are outside of the cage. For the front we went with Catrike's standard fenders.
Marathon Supreme Tires
Share your comments below:
Vary envious of the Rohloff shifter, any of that stock or is it all Utah trike magic?
Posted by OldFartRadioman
06/02/2010 05:16:31 PM
It is not stock Rohloff, but is available.
Posted by Ashley
WOW!
Thanks guys!!!
This is really impressive photography.
Posted by Jim Artis
06/02/2010 06:27:04 PM
How much noise from the road and from the flapping/resonation of the lexan do you get at ~20 mph?
Posted by runnerxcskier
09/20/2010 09:55:54 PM
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