Utah Trikes - 10 Years of the Catrike 559!

2025 will mark the 10 year anniversary of the Catrike 559. 10 years of an amazing touring trike by Catrike with standout comfort and riding capabilities.

An everyday touring trike by Catrike, providing unbeatable comfort, innovation, and rideability. A pioneer in bringing Catrikes elevated adjustable seat frames to 26 inch rear wheel trikes. All while being easily foldable.

The Catrike 559 is all of these things and so much more.

In today's article we will be giving you the full breakdown of the Catrike 559. so What is� The Catrike 559?

The Catrike 559

The Catrike 559 is a touring trike. What is that? You may be asking. Well a Touring trike is a trike made for long sustained riding. Like an inbetween of a racing trike and a comfort trike.

They are usually more upright than racing trikes but still give you a reclined seat for nice aerodynamics. Let's not forget the 26 inch rear wheel that makes going long distances all the more doable.

So why is that? What makes a touring trike like the 559 so much better for long distances?

Well it's because of the rear wheel�s diameter. When you have a larger wheel once you get it up to speed it has a lot more power in its rotation to keep you there with much less effort long term, and facilitates higher speeds, making the 559 about 3-5 miles per hour faster than a catrike with a 20 inch rear wheel. But unlike a 20 inch rear wheel it takes a bit more power to accelerate the larger wheel. So it all depends on what type of riding you want to do. If you want to learn more about the difference between a 20 inch and a 26 inch rear wheel check out this recent video.

Like on most Catrikes you have 30 speed gearing. 3 in the front and 10 in the rear which is a great range for most types of riding. You can tackle steep hills with the low gears and hit high speeds going downhill with the high gears. Great for long road riding.

The Catrike base provides an easily customizable trike. So you can always set up your gearing how you want it. You can check out our 559 configurator here on our website. The most in depth and custom way to buy your trike.

The reclined seat adds to the customization potential aswell. A recumbent seat angle for your trike does a lot for the longevity of your comfort. So on the 559 with an adjustable 44 to 51 degrees on the seat You can have a customizable and reclined seat. And it's even more comfortable with Catrikes premium foam seat pad.

Touring

Now you may want to utilize these touring abilities farther away from your home or on a specific trail. This can be difficult with other touring trikes like the expedition because of their long wheelbase and large rear wheel. It's not the easiest to transport.

The 559 still features a long touring base, but has something most trikes don't have, And that�s folding. You can fold down your seat and fold the whole trike in half to fit it in more compact storage areas, making the transportation process so much easier.

Now that we know what the 559 is at face value, and a more personal look. Lets see what it is with a deeper dive into its specs and parts!

A Deeper Look

The 559 is built with the basics of any standard Catrike. A frame made of Aircraft Grade Aluminum and strong enough to have a 275 lb weight capacity. 30 speed gearing with 3 gears up front and 10 in the rear, Direct steering, Ackerman steering, and it's- all made in the USA.

Being a touring trike, the 559 has many distinctions to influence the types of rides its best used for. Every trike can do touring, but there are certain things about the 559 that make it so much better suited for these long distance rides.

First off being the 26 inch rear wheel from where the 559 gets its name. 559 being the metric bead seat diameter of this size of wheel. This size of wheel allows for higher top speeds 3-5 mph more than a 20 inch rear tire Catrike.

This tire also makes keeping a consistent speed easier. A larger tire creates more momentum and the ratio between pedal power and wheel rotation at higher speeds is much more forgiving. Less power into the pedals to keep your high speeds.

But that 26 inch wheel makes it a lot more difficult to accelerate especially from a stop. For tours this doesn't end up being too big of an issue though. On a tour you are usually going for long stretches without stopping. So the benefit of a higher top speed, and easily maintained speed often outweighs the more difficult acceleration.

The seat is the standard comfort seat from catrike but the seat height is very specific to the 559. The seat height and angle of this trike give you a nice aerodynamic seating that is nice and low to the ground while also being much easier to get out of compared to something like the 700 or Expedition.

The seat on the 559 is 11 inches off the ground compared to the Expedition's 10 inches. This isn't a massive difference and you may be wondering how that makes getting in and out as easy as I say, well the answer lies in the recline of the seat.

On an expedition you have a reclined angle of 37 inches which is a very laid back seat. But the 559 has a maximum reclined angle of 44 degrees and can go up to 51 degrees. This affects the sitting seat slope as well. This makes you more upright so you can enter and exit the trike easier.

The 559s larger wheel also gives it a longer length and a bigger wheel base. The length of the 559 is 81 inches long, unfolded and the wheelbase is 44 inches. This gives you a sturdier ride and allows the seat to be lower to the ground so you can take turns easier.

Because of this extended length you also have a wider turning radius of 9 ft. This prevents you from turning too tightly and needing to take wider turns than a trike with a 20 inch tire. This is great for stability and keeping you upright, but can be difficult for harder to navigate areas.

Given this length it can also be really difficult to transport or store. Making the fact that it comes with a folding hinge all the more convenient. Just fold the seat down and then the trike in half to reduce the trike to 46 inches long. This gives you a full trike dimension of 46 by 32.5 by 29.5. And it's even got rolling wheels so you can move it around easily when folded.

Putting It All Together

So what is the Catrike 559? The 559 is Catrikes middle tier folding trike. Packing tons of features to keep you riding for longer comfortably, and transporting your trike easily to the next ride.

It's been a staple in the lineup for 10 years now and hopefully for many to come. If you are interested in this trike check it out on our website here, send us an email at trikes@utahtrikes.com or give us a call and one of helpful salesmen would love to help you out!