Rohloff's E-14 Electronic Shifter and Catrike's Flagship Dumont Full Suspension Trike

In this article we are presenting a new trike configuration with a reliable pedal assist motor and a Rohloff hub with a brand new electric shifter. Let's get right into it!

That's right, a Rohloff electronic shifter paired with the Bosch Active Line Plus. This is the UTCustom Catrike Dumont eCat14 Electric Trike.

If you’ve been looking for an electric full suspension trike with top notch internal gearing and one of the best pedal assist motors we carry this is definitely the trike for you! Built on the classic Catrike Dumont It has all of the hallmark features that make this trike such a hit! Coming in with full suspension and a folding frame, this trike is built for convenience and comfort.

In the rear there is the Rockshox air suspension system that is fully adjustable and perfect at absorbing all those bumps on your ride. In the front on each of the wheels there is the Catrike cellasto elastomer rubber elastomer that absorbs the smaller bumps on your ride to reduce hand fatigue.

For folding it comes equipped with a high quality hinge at the center of the frame. This is a durable mechanism that provides a quick and easy fold. This makes transporting or storing your Catrike super simple.
Once folded there are small rolling wheels and a kickstand. Making this folding addition all the more convenient. It features a 26 inch rear wheel which tells you that this thing is built for speed, that's perfect for all the new additions on the eCat14

If you're in it for steady speed and top notch pedal power the star of the show today is the Bosch Active Line Plus. This is the tried and true motor of the Catrike eCat. The Bosch Active Line Plus is a two hundred and fifty watt motor and easily the most natural pedal assist motor that we carry. With a top speed of twenty miles per hour and 50 newton meters of torque

The specs on this motor make it very consistent while giving you the support you need to get up to your top speed effortlessly. With 50 newton meters of torque. This gives you just the right amount of push to tackle any sort of terrain without the boost ever taking the lead; it's just enough torque to let you lead the way while being there to make up the difference and give the support you need. With its amazing torque sensor system it is constantly adjusting to your output and making your ride as smooth as possible. It also features the standard Bosch pedal assist modes. You can tune your amount of assistance to how much effort you’re wanting to put into your ride. These assist modes are; Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. Eco being the lowest amount of assistant and Turbo being the most. These modes are super simple to switch between with just a press of a button while you ride.

The Performance Line Sport also features an upgraded high capacity battery, the Bosch PowerPack 500. Which has twenty five percent more range than the PowerPack 400 that comes with the standard eCat configuration. This battery is great at keeping your rides going as long as possible. For the first time we will also offer a double battery upgrade for a Bosch motor! If one battery just isn't enough you can get your trike suited up with two Bosch PowerPack 500’s for double the range and double the ride.

I know you guys will probably be asking how far you can ride on a single charge. And the answer I have for you is that it’s complicated. There are a lot of variables that go into the range of a battery so I can't give a solid answer, but on the standard power pack 400 we had an approximation of about 60 miles on eco per charge.
So with the twenty five percent increase in battery capacity we can assume that you could get about 75 miles in a single charge. As a disclaimer remember this is an approximation and depending on your terrain, weight, assist mode and so much more this can vary widely.

Now next up on the features list is the Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub. This is a classic hub that we have carried for a long time and it's one of our favorites that we sell. With amazingly smooth shifting and low maintenance. The Rohloff internally geared hub takes the gears you would have on your rear wheel and condenses them into a contained hub. A hub like this makes everything about gearing 10 times simpler. An internally geared hub removes the need for a derailleur to pick up the slack of the chain, so when you shift you don't have to wait for the derailleur to catch up, it's smooth and has a 180 millisecond shifting speed. Leaving you with no jumpy shifting and faster riding adjustments!

Being contained inside a sealed hub prevents any dust or debris getting inside thus making it a very low maintenance option. There is however the yearly oil change Rohloff recommends which is a fairly simple maintenance step and you can find a video walking you through it on Rohloffs youtube channel.

The Rohloff contains fourteen internal gears which is three more than comes stock on the standard Catrike eCat. And with it being so small you wouldn't expect it to have a five hundred and twenty six percent gear range. This means that you will be able to pedal in any condition. With Roloffs amazing engineering it is the highest efficiency internally geared hub on the market. Meaning that the power you put to the pedals isn't going to lose any effect by the time it reaches the wheels. Because the Rohloff is an internally geared hub it has the added benefit of being able to shift while either coasting, or stopped. It works hand in hand with this brand new feature that we are debuting on the Dumont eCat14!

This is the Rohloff E-14 Electric Shifter! The most efficient and durable shifting system available for motorized cycles. It is a compact addition to any Bosch motor set up; it just attaches right onto your Rohloff hub in the rear. And instead of your usual grip shifter the E-14 brings a more compact small electronic button shifter. Which allows you to switch gears at the touch of a button.

All it is is two simple buttons that make shifting even more of a breeze. And if you really want to get into a different gear faster, you can hold down the button and activate the multi-shift function. Which will shift sequentially in 3 gear steps, in any direction through all 14 gears.

As an added feature to help improve the hub's life span it has a shift sensor that will drop the torque assistance of the motor when you shift so that you shift smoother and prevent excessive wear on the hub. To finally tie the Bosch Motor in with the E-14 to really bring this trike to the next level is the Bosch Nyon Computer Display! This is our most high-tech and supportive display yet! Making its Utah Trikes Debut here on the Dumont eCat14. The Bosch Nyon Display isn't your usual console. Sure like a normal hub it shows you your speed, battery life, assist mode, trip distance, total distance, and range. But it also includes a great deal of other features.

As an added feature to help improve the hub's life span it has a shift sensor that will drop the torque assistance of the motor when you shift so that you shift smoother and prevent excessive wear on the hub. To finally tie the Bosch Motor in with the E-14 to really bring this trike to the next level is the Bosch Nyon Computer Display! This is our most hightech and supportive display yet! Making its Utah Trikes Debut here on the Dumont eCat14. The Bosch Nyon Display isn't your usual console. Sure like a normal hub it shows you your speed, battery life, assist mode, trip distance, total distance, and range. But it also includes a great deal of other features.

Some of these features include Average power output of you and your motor, so you can see a visual on how much assist you are getting with your riding mode. It also shows you a visual of your riding mode percentage over your ride so you can see which modes you used the most. To give you a complete diagnostic of your ride it shows you your altitude and ascent. Giving you all the info about your ride that an average display isn't going to do. It even gives the time at the top of the screen which seems like a minor thing but most don't do this and it's nice to have. Hands down the coolest feature is the built in map navigator on your Display. Entirely housed on the display so you don't have to try and work with your phone's map as you ride.

(trust me it's really nice on my first ride with the Dumont i had to try and work with my map on my phone while riding and it is not a good idea or an easy task. It being mounted on my trike was such a relief). When connected to wifi you just download the GPS map for whatever state (or country if you're outside of the US) you are in. This lets you not have to rely on having any cell service, making this a perfect addition for all the off the grid riders out there.

Once you select your destination it will give you a breakdown of the altitude changes that will happen on your ride and an approximation of time to get there with the amount of battery it will take. With all of these great built in features that's not even all of that this display can do. It will even connect to your phone. With the ebike Connect smartphone app by Bosch you can pair your phone and your motor display to unlock even more features. In tandem with the map function on the phone app you can set way points along your route, and even save your current location manually so if you're not near any landmarks on your map navigating back won't be a problem.

While you're on your ride maybe you will want to log all of that exercise you're doing. With the app it can keep your rides logged and all of your fitness details saved over time so you can see your progress by each ride. You can switch through all of these display settings and information by navigating the different screens. Each screen is fully customizable with what information you want to see and where. You can switch up the order and just get rid of pages entirely. Letting you adjust the display to how you ride. With so many features it may get a bit difficult to navigate. That's why it also comes with a physical button navigator. This lets you navigate through your informational pages or change settings all while taking less attention away from your ride.

It's an amazing addition to this already decked out trike that lets you get even more involved with where and how you are riding! There’s way more features to this display, enough for it to warrant its own article, because it will take too much time. But you can find more info on our website or bosch's website both will be linked in the description.

With all of these attributes, the Dumont eCat14 is set up to be the most high tech trike that we carry. The ICE Sprint X Tour that we covered last time would arguably be our second most high-tech trike with the Enviolo automatic shifter, but with the Nyon display on the Dumont eCat14 it really makes this build the most well integrated system that we have.

I want to go test this out today and really experience all the high tech features that this new trike has. If you guys remember a couple videos ago I went on a ride with a stock eCat Dumont. This gave me a good understanding of the Dumont and what a touring trike should be. So I'll be comparing the two and see how this setup changes the eCat experience.

Let's Ride!

As we set out on travels up the canyon, fall colors flashing by as I kept a steady 18 mph down the bike trail. The first thing I noticed was how amazing the shifting was.I have been riding my own personal bike lately and crank shifting has kind of been my arch nemesis. It takes forever to get into gear, I have to shift my grip, and the front gearing has the hardest time shifting and it's just really frustrating. In contrast with the E-14 button shifting, the ease of access that buttons provide is my favorite thing about this trike set up right off the bat. The mounting for it is perfect too. Positioned at the top of the vertical handlebars is within a few inches of your thumb so it's really easy to shift without adjusting too much. Compared to a crank shifter on a trike it lets me have a lot more control as I shift without having to shift position too much.

Not to mention the gear shifts at the press of a button. Literally. There's no buffer period you need to anticipate for trying to get to another gear. You are already in the gear you're trying to get to. To make it even better with the multi shift function it speeds up the gear shifting process even more. This came in super handy on hills. On the ride there were lots of up and down spots so I was shifting to a lower climbing gear and then a couple seconds later having to shift to a higher gear to keep pedaling as I went down hill.

All I had to do with the E-14 was hold the up shifter button and I would be 3 gears up totally ready to bomb down the hill. And then in just a moment I could hold the downshift button and be in the perfect climbing gear.

While we are on the topic of the E-14 shifter that reminds me of a comment that we got on our Sprint X Tour video where we highlighted the Enviolo Automatic shifter. The comment is asking if Garret preferred the Automatiq or the Rohloff. The Enviolo Automatiq automatically shifts for you as you build up cadence and speed, no shifter needed. Compared to the E-14 which is an electric shifter, but is meant to provide an easier shifting experience not taking the shifting out entirely. Garretts sentiment towards the Automatic is that it made it a very laid back and simplified ride, but as an old fashioned manual car driver he appreciates the feel of physically shifting and having the ability to stay in control of his cadence. That's where the E-14 comes in, creating a perfect balance between standard manual shifting and an automatic shifter.

The Rohloff itself was very efficient too. I haven't ridden a trike for too long with a Rohloff so getting to feel it out on a long ride was really nice! The thing I loved the most about it was how nonchalant you can be about shifting.

On an externally geared bike or trike you have to be conscious about pedaling when you shift so your gearing can adjust properly. But with the Rohloff you can shift anytime you want. Coasting down a hill not wanting to pedal but still need to get into a higher gear? Just hit the button and let it do its thing, it'll be ready for you to pedal when you are. It works hand in hand with all the features of this trike and it really pulls its weight on a ride.

While taking this trike out for a ride I learned a lot about the NYON Bosch display and all of its awesome abilities. I really appreciated the different screens that were present on the NYON. It's a very in depth display that has a lot of information. It's really cool to see all the info but while I'm riding I just want to see the basic amount of info so that my display isn't too distracting. Being able to customize the layout of my pages and just have what I need on the main page was great! All of the riding data was super cool and helped me stay more in tune with my ride. I really liked the feature that logged the percentage of your ride you used each assist mode on. It helped me track my activity compared to battery usage.

When I first saw that this display had a map function I was certain that it would only be accessible once paired with your phone. So it was a pleasant surprise that you are able to download the map of the location you are in directly to the console and have it entirely on the display and offline too. Even though I didn't really use the map for this ride I still got to mess around with it and see all the cool things it could do. It has lots of navigation options and info about the route you are going to take like altitude throughout the ride and what type of terrain to expect.

The button navigator for the NYON was a very welcome addition. Navigating the screens while riding would be such a pain without it. The buttons are super responsive and help navigating the display and change your assist mode with ease. It also has a super great display that even with the noon day sun glaring down on the screen I could still see the contents of the screen clear as day.

I know I've touched on it before in the eCat Motor Upgrade video, but the Bosch Active Line Plus really is what pulls this whole build together. The Active line is probably my favorite pedal assist motor due to its perfect level of assist and smooth pedaling power. When I use the Active Line plus it doesn't feel like a motor is assisting me or pushing me forward. It feels like I'm pedaling a normal trike just a little bit easier. Even on Turbo there is no overwhelming sense that I'm being pushed along.I feel in control and on top of the assist at all times.

At one point on my ride I even accidentally turned the assist off and didn't even notice for a couple of minutes. It didn't feel like there was any loss of pedaling power, it just felt like my ride got a little bit harder. I didn't notice something was off until I hit an incline and the pedaling power needed became more than what was normally demanded from an uphill assisted climb.

Compared to the Enviolo EP8 that comes on ICE trikes the assist on those motors is a lot more apparent. When you start to pedal you can feel it kick in and start assisting you. It's not inherently a bad thing, but I appreciate a more behind the scenes pedal assist like the Active Line provides.

The battery that comes with the eCat14 is perfect for your average rides as well. I'm glad we decided to upgrade the stock version to the Bosch Powerpack 500 because I learned that the shifting is in fact electric and can only function with battery power. With a higher capacity battery than the normal Dumont it gives me a lot of extra security that I won't be running out of battery anytime soon on my ride. We were out for a 12 mile ride and the battery only went down by about 15%.

None of this would be possible without Dumont. As you probably know if you've been around this channel at all. We love the Dumont and it is an amazing trike. The built in suspension is awesome for a trail ride like I took. Great at absorbing small bumps giving you a perfect smooth ride. The only times I ever felt a big bump was when I hit some pot holes in the trail. Other than that, even speeding down the hills at 30 miles an hour was smooth even on the rougher parts of the trail.

The cushion was super breathable as always. I never get tired of sitting in a Catrike padded seat and on a hard ride like that when you start to build up a sweat the seat does an amazing job at providing the airflow you need and keeping your back from getting too gross.

Overall my ride was great! There was amazing scenery along the way and in comparison to the standard eCat Dumont setup this really elevates the riding experience. Even though it has all the same core elements the higher gearing with the Rohloff and the electric shifting of the E-14 do so much to make the experience better and more fun! And the NYON display just brings me even more into my ride with tons of info and statistics that are really cool to know and keep track of as you exercise! I loved this trike a lot and I'll be honest before my ride I wasn't too sure if all the additional hardware was worth much, but after taking it for a spin I can tell that it really changes up your ride for the better, even with just the inclusion of the electric shifter.

If that's not enough of an elevated ride for you we have a bunch of upgrades that compliment all the features on this trike! The biggest one I've already mentioned a little bit before. With a trike that depends on having battery power to have a good riding experience. Having extra battery life is never a bad thing.
That's why for the Dumont eCat14 we have added the option for a SECOND battery to be mounted on your Catrike. This is the first time we have ever made this available as an addon, and we've manufactured a custom aluminum battery mount just for the Bosch Power Packs. The extra 25% battery life of the Power Pack 500 should be plenty of power for the regular rider, but if you are planning to do long tours this double battery upgrade is going to be a real lifesaver for you. Especially when you need to have battery power to shift.

When you have so many technical inclusions on a trike there's not a lot more upgrades that can make a trike like this go beyond in performance. But you can definitely make this trike even more comfortable with our quality of life upgrades.

You may have noticed that there is no neck support on the stock Dumont. This usually isn't as necessary as on a trike like the 700 that's a lot more reclined. But if you are putting your seat farther back you may find that a headrest would come in handy. There are two options for headrests that we carry for Catrikes. First is the Catrike stock headrest. It's on the smaller side and is positioned to be more of a neck rest than a headrest.

It's very comfortable and does its job with no questions asked. The other option is our UTCustom Adjustable Super Headrest. This is a much beefier and padded headrest that gives you even more neck support and is much more adjustable than the standard Catrike headrest. It also provides double the comfort with an ultra padded foam rest.

Once you have your neck support all figured out pedals are another way to enhance your riding comfort. For something that is the main part of the trike used to keep you moving we need to pay more attention to it. The stock Catrike pedals are great, however if you want more retention and or comfort, we have a lot of options available for you. These options range from pedal straps to our custom fully strapped in heel support pedals with even a few clipless pedal styles as well.

Once you have your neck support all figured out pedals are another way to enhance your riding comfort. For something that is the main part of the trike used to keep you moving we need to pay more attention to it. The stock Catrike pedals are great, however if you want more retention and or comfort, we have a lot of options available for you. These options range from pedal straps to our custom fully strapped in heel support pedals with even a few clipless pedal styles as well.

Don't overlook this part of your trike; it can make a big difference!

If you have a hard time getting in and out of the Dumont's lower seat you could get yourself some of our UTCustom EZ Entry aids or Catrike Exit Assist Bars. That makes getting out of your seat so much easier.

For more adjustability of your seat's backrest you can get the Revolution Catrike Seat Extensions which will give you seven more slots to adjust your seat. Letting you angle it up to ninety degrees.

Visibility can be an issue on a trike especially for night riding. The solution is a lighting kit with front and rear lights. We have tons of options but the best for the eCat14 would be the SuperNova lighting kit. This is a high quality lighting kit that mounts directly onto the Bosch Active Line Plus. It's entirely wired into your motor kit so there's no hassle with recharging the lights separately or swapping out batteries. It even has a rear light that has a brake light for when you stop. This kit is excellent at helping you see and be seen.

And if you plan on sharing your trike and will be adjusting the boom often, we recommend purchasing a chain adjuster on this trike as well. For regular boom adjustment you will constantly be manually altering your chain each time and it can be a real hassle. With the chain adjuster it will automatically compensate for 6 inches of alterations making trike swapping much easier.

On top of all that we have many more accessories like; flags, saddle bags, and a wide assortment of accessibility options. For even more customization we can custom paint your trike any of our over 41 UTcustom colors. You can find all of these colorful options on our website.

Once you've decided what you may want it's time to get into the price of this all new configuration. For the stock version of the Dumont eCat14 it will cost you $10,780. But if you want double the range with your trike. The dual battery upgrade will cost you. $11,625 You can order your trike and supe it up however you'd like through our website UtahTrikes.com or over the phone with one of our sales reps. We offer in store pickup here in Springville Utah and ship worldwide if you aren't able to come in person.

This is an awesome trike with a ton of electrical upgrades. From an enhanced motor display with the Bosch Nyon, all the way to lightning fast electric gearing with the E-14. This is a configuration you don't wanna miss out on!

I had a lot of fun getting to know this new trike configuration. We hope you enjoyed this ride and review article. Let us know what trikes you would like us to cover next time.

And in the meantime remember to relax, spin fast and ride trikes!