Micro Mark II is a prototype, but doesn't look it: There's nothing crude
or semi-finished about the machine, which is built to the usual extremely
high ICE standards with fancy lugs, fine brazing plus a couple of
supernaturally smooth TIG welds, and plenty of practical but aesthetically
pleasing details (I'm particularly impressed by the dynamo mount
incorporated in the left front mudguard stay; unobtrusive, but within easy
reach). The frame is built from T45, a grade of steel tubing similar to
the renowned Reynolds 531 and more usually found in racing car roll cages,
space frames, and suspension components. Mark II's frame is finished in
metallic blue, with silver around the cruciform, and has a rigid rear
triangle, rather than the suspension rear end on the original prototype.
It looks stunning, to these eyes and to every other pair that has yet seen
it. The frame can be separated into parts in the traditional Trice way
(you can replace the hardtail with a suspension rear end if you want to.
But you won't want to once you've ridden the rigid trike. Of course, the
suspended trike will be more foldable). In a departure from Trice
tradition, the seat is a hardshell, with a height-adjustable neck rest.
The seat angle is adjustable from ooh yes this is really rather reclined to
ooh er I'm flat on my back waving my legs in the air. I think it's
currently set at a bit under 30 degrees, which seems pretty comfortable
(I'll try more recline in due course). Bottom bracket is low. All three
wheels are 349 (Brompton size). The prototype has Hope front hubs with XC
hydraulic discs (left lever controls left brake, right lever controls right
brake; no significant brake steer under single-sided braking), a type 2
Schlumpf Mountain Drive (1.65 overdrive) with 46 and 34 chainrings,
Gripshift changers, a 12-25 9-speed block, Ultegra mechs, and an XT rear
hub. The steering setup is traditional Trice, but greatly lightened. The
turning circle is maybe a foot or so wider than the XL's, unless your
thighs are beefy. Ground clearance is comparable with the XL, though the
low point of the frame extends further back, so speed humps (but not speed
cushions) require a degree of prudence. The whole prototype trike,
equipped as above, with mudguards all round, dynamo front light, two LED
front lights with batteries, Lightspin dynamo, three bottle cages, full
chain tubes, computer, rear-view mirror, rear rack to take two small
panniers, kitchen sink, and two LED rear lights with batteries, weighs
37lb. Oh all right, there's no kitchen sink. But I witnessed the readout
on the scales with my own eyes...

The Micro is tiny. You don't so much ride it as wear it (it's not a
machine for the amply-buttocked and broad of beam, unless straight-line
riding is all you do). Getting on board is an act of faith--you basically
have to topple backwards into the seat, which holds you snugly. The bars
fall naturally to hand, either side of your thighs, and the front wheels
are *just* outboard of the bars. The whole machine is barely wider than an
upright bike. But a whole lot lower, heh heh.

How does it ride? The handling is very sharp and responsive, with a mild
degree of oversteer and excellent swerveability. It seems to climb very
well, though I'm not entirely convinced that the Mountain Drive is
appropriate on a performance machine. It's extremely convenient, though.
Going downhill is about as close to the Cresta Run as you can get without
benefit of ice (but with benefit of ICE, of course). The real surprise is
the extremely comfortable ride: Small wheels + No suspension + Hardshell
seat = Lost fillings + Voice like Dalek? No--the ride is far more
compliant than my old 97 Trice or the 99 XL. It's a strange experience to
waft serenely on the Micro down a local road that jars the kidneys severely
on every other machine I've ridden, whether upright or recumbent.

How fast is it? Very, I think, but after Saturday's ride I can't really
say for sure, because conditions were so atrocious that mere survival soon
became the primary objective. The rain lashed down, the lanes were slick
with mud and wet leaves and strewn with twigs, branches, and rocks washed
from the roadside, only rarely was even one wheel track clear of debris, a
good (?) couple of km of road did a very convincing impression of a
riverbed, and I encountered standing water centimetres deep more often than
I can bring myself to recall. Of course, lying low on the Micro I wasn't
conscious of the gale-force wind. Until I had to stand up to fix a
puncture, that is. Still, that only happened the seven times...

I *can* say for sure that the Micro's braking is superb and that the
trike's handling didn't give me a moment's concern. The Micro went where I
pointed it. I'd expected to have to do a good deal of leaning because of
the narrow track, but stability seemed excellent. Admittedly, I was
seeking to, um, gently test the envelope rather than airily tear it up in a
sort of Steve Beck-ish way ;-)

This was my first extended ride on a hardshell seat. I found the seat had
a split personality: It was definitely less comfortable for lounging
around on than the traditional Trice seat, but once I was under way I
simply forgot the seat was there. This *could* be a sign that my
short-term memory is on the way out, but I reckon it's more of a tribute to
the seat design. Spookily, the pronounced lumbar hump that I was greatly
aware of when lying around simply "vanished" once I started pedalling. The
seat made it easy to put the power on--when I wanted to give it some welly
I could brace myself against the backrest and rise from the cushion. It'll
be interesting to try this seat on longer rides. I think the omens are
good (but I wonder about the comfort of the hardshell in hot weather. If
we ever get any in the UK).

The only real problem I encountered on Saturday's ride, apart from the
p*nct*res, was a lack of traction on the steepest climbs. Admittedly, this
was under extreme adverse conditions: Heavy rain, wet leaves all over the
road, gradients of 1 in 6 or worse. I'm not sure I've dealt with that
combination of circumstances on other trikes, but... The Micro was shod
with non-Kevlar Brompton tyres, which seemed to lack a certain amount of
wet-weather grip and to be somewhat susceptible to thorns and flints. I've
swapped the tyres for a set of kevlar-belted Schwalbe Marathons, in the
hope of improved wet-weather traction and p*nct*re resistance.

I'd wondered how a trike as radically low as the Micro would be in urban
traffic. It was OK, even without a flag, though, in the interests of
self-preservation, I didn't do anything silly like sneak up on the inside
of queuing cars. The "Whoa! Cool bike" factor was so high as to be off
the scale. I hadn't had time to festoon the Micro with bits of reflective
material, but, notwithstanding, I found that cars gave me a wide berth even
after dark. A couple of times I encountered oncoming cars on single-track
lanes--the Micro was narrow enough to squeeze by easily, though a wider
machine would have had problems...

I'm hoping to have a longer ride on the Micro, in more favourable
conditions, next weekend. I'll post further impressions after that.

Happy pedalling

Peter (lower and lower and loving it)