Contents:- 

1. New model line-up for 2006 
2. New Interactive Order Forms
3. Small Frame GT & X series trikes
4. New Scorcher 40-406 (20 x 1.5) tyres
5. Velomobile Development
6. Frog Project
7. 2006 Dealer Manual
8. New Greenspeed Phone System

Please click any picture for a larger image.

1. New Model Line-up for 2006

The biggest change for 2006 is the creation of our new "Custom Shop", and the availability of the small frame GT series and X series trikes. Thus Greenspeed trikes are now available as standard models and also as custom models. This has been done to give better availability of the standard trikes, and to give a greater variety to customers wanting special trikes to suit their specific needs. Thus the standard models have been rationalized, and the custom models expanded.

In the standard range, we have the X3, X5, GT3, GT5, GTO, and standard GTT2S models. These trikes will only be available in red and blue for the GTs, GTTs and the GTO, and yellow and metallic grey for the Xs.

The Custom Shop will offer the GTS in both 20" and 16" wheel versions, and with a choice of 800 or 750 track widths. The 16" GTS will be a new model, which is virtually a fixed frame X series trike, with the cambered wheels, and advanced steering geometry. The X7 will continue as the high end of the X series, with a choice of 750 or 800 mm track. A new trike will be the GLO, which is a S&S coupled version of the X series trike, which will pack down even smaller than the folding X series.

The GTR is now also a Custom Shop (CS) trike, and will be available with 20" or 16" wheels. There is a choice of track for the 20" of 800 or 750 mm, and 750 or 700 for the 16" wheels. Same with the Custom Shop GTO - note that the 16" GTO replaces the GTC, and is essentially the same machine. The GT7 is also available in two track widths of 750 mm, or 800 mm to suit larger people. The five coupling GTT is now a CS trike, as will be heavy duty frames, and unusual sizes, like large/large. All trikes from the Custom Shop will be offered with an expanded range of 21 frame colours, including metalics!

All these options will be set out on the web site, and in the new, 2006 catalogue, which is nearly finished. See draft copy, opposite. 

New 2006 Catalogue, cover

Pages 8 & 9, X series

Pages 16&17, Custom Shop

Pages 22 & 23, Accessories

To help customers come to terms with the large number of choices in the Custom Shop, we are in the process of building a new interactive order form, which will explain the pros and cons of each choice as the form is filled out, by just checking the options. It also adjusts the price as each option is chosen. The format is pdf, and here is a draft copy for you to have a look at. Please note that this not the final version, and that this is a large file of about 1.1 meg, and will take some time to download. Adobe Reader 6 or above is required to read this file. Adobe Reader 7 is available free from Adobe.

We would appreciate any feed back you would care to give us on this form.

New Order Form

We now have small frames for both the GT series (GT3 & GT5) and X series (X3 and X5) trikes. This will enable us to cater for small women and others who have not fitted our standard frame trikes. Rather than having the small frame GT3/5s fully assembled in Taiwan, we have decided just to have the frames built over there and to have them powder coated and assembled here, like the GTOs. This will give us greater flexibility to meet customer preferences with model choices, colours and options. The small frames  are available now. The X series frames are built here in Oz, and are also available now.

GT3 Folding Trike

X5 Sports Folding Trike

There has been an agonizingly slow wait for the 40-406 Scorcher tyres, since the success of the 40-349 (16 x 1 1/2") Scorcher tyres. We had always intended to produce a 20" Scorcher, but decided to have the 16s made 1st as there was no 16" x 1 1/2" tyre available, and we hoped to learn from the development of the 16" before we produced the 20". As luck would have it, I was not satisfied with the fit of the tyre on the rims, as the tyres had been made to a rim seat diameter of exactly 349 mm, rather than 1mm under at 348mm, which seems to be more or less general practice. So we had to get the tyre Co. to change the mould and were rewarded with a better fit on the undersize Velocity AeroHeat rims (348mm) and a good fit on the Sims and Jalco rims (349mm). IMO these two rims have a proper bead seat, so that the tyre is more likely to stay on the rim in the unlikely event of a blowout.

There was also some problems with delamination when the tyres were used tubeless with Stan's NoTubes puncture resistance system. The tyre is rated at 40 to 100 psi, and Stan's system is NOT supposed to run at over 40 psi - see

http://www.notubes.com/support_detailed.php

Plus we had similar problems with other tyres. Thus we have decided for now to only recommend Stan's tyre sealant be used in tubes, rather than to be used "tubeless" with the Scorchers.

The first 40-406 Scorcher samples arrived the week after Christmas, and I have now tested both the plain "Scorcher", and the Kevlar belted "Scorcher TR". The plain Scorcher appears to roll better than our old favourite 20" tyres, the Tioga Comp Pool, and Scorcher TR (Thorn Resistant) is about the same - see table.

Unfortunately the production of the 1st batch of 406 Scorcher TRs, with the Kevlar belts, has been delayed, pending further testing. However the 1st production batch of the plain 40-406 Scorchers has now been finished, and is on the water. We are expecting delivery in April. Our UK Dealer, Rob Hague, Westcountry Recumbents, will be the 1st to receive the 406 Scorchers, as his are being air lifted.

40-406 Scorcher TR mounted on GTO disc brake wheel

It has always been my dream for Greenspeed to produce a practical, high performance, fully faired trike or Velomobile. We have built a number of fully faired trikes, but have never been happy with them or any others which are presently on the market in various countries. One of the many problems has been stability, esp. at the much higher speeds possible in these machines, compared with ordinary bare trikes. Early rolling test with the 1st faired trike I built, down Wheeler's Hill, showed a difference of between 45 and 69 kph, between the unfaired and faired versions of our earliest trikes, so a good fairing should more than double the efficiency. Used as a commuting vehicle I found my AVERAGE speed increased from 20 kph to 30 kph with a level road cruising speed of 40 kph. However it was difficult to get in and out of, and had many practical problems. It was not easy to keep on the road at 80 kph, and all of the faired trikes I have ridden seem to have some stability problems, esp. in gusty side winds.

Thus when Paul produced his 1st quad for racing, as featured in the "news" in VeloVision,  it seemed like it might be the answer. We found that four wheels gives much better stability for the same track or overall width compared with a trike. In fact no trike could stay with it on the corners, and it was only rolled once in the 24 hour race, when it was involved with a collision with another vehicle. Whereas last year's race trike was rolled a number of times. The head-out design also makes it easy to get in and out, reduces visibility, ventilation and noise problems. Plus the four wheels allows for cargo space between the rear wheels, and gives in increase in the allowable cargo weight.

The race the machine had a relatively upright seat of 40 to 50 degrees, depending on rider size, but we've found this can easily be reduced, to allow a fully faired version, which would increase speed, further improve stability, improve weather protection, and still retain outward visibility. Thus we could have a number of different "tops" for the machine for different seat angles and different purposes, including the full fairing. So we have decided to continue the development of the "Quad" for both racing and road use.

1st Faired Greenspeed, 1992

GS "Quad" as raced

Normal rider position, head out

Reclined position, full fairing 

We have been aware for some time that there is a demand for a high quality recreational trike for older and handicapped riders, who are unable to get up and down from our low trikes, and would like a more user friendly trike. Thus I have designed a rather unique higher trike for this market, and Paul has spent some time developing and improving the design while I have been away in Queensland. He is now getting the prototype ready for production. No photos or details are available, as the final version may change, and we hope to begin production in 2007.

Mick has been keep very busy doing the new catalogue, so a new Dealer Manual is some time off. Please expect new pricing sheets for the Custom Shop in the mean time. For 2006 the Greenspeed Dealer Manual will extensively updated to deal with the new Custom Shop trikes.

We have now installed a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system. This now allows us to transfer incoming phone calls between all three factories in Knoxfield, AND the head office in Ferntree Gully. The new system operates on the main incoming number to factory 5, +61 3 9753 3644 and also the old parts number, +61 3 9763 4522.  This is helping to improve our response to phone calls, as incoming calls are 1st directed by a menu - 1 for Parts and Accessories, 2 for Trikes, and 3 for Accounts, and then can be transferred if required. Also there is an answering service on all three lines.