I have at this time (June 98) had the trike for four months. The frameset finally arrived after a huge delay in the beginning of February. The trike was ordered in September, so it really took some time for it to arrive. It seems like the delay mostly wasn't A.S.E.'s fault, but it still was quite frustrating, especially because response to e-mails was from time to time quite slow. Well, the money was not lost and all things finally arrived.
After unwrapping all parts (which were very well packaged, BTW) I got really surprised. The quality of the work really exceeded all my expectations. I was waiting to see some good quality, but not that good!
I had all the necessary parts already waiting, so it didn't take me too many days to put it all together. Assembling the wheels took most of the time, but I wanted to learn the art and do all by myself, so there I was. The frame itself was quite straightforward to set up. Besides the wheels, the brake system took a lot of time to set up. The hydraulic hoses are quite cumbersome to work with, especially inserting the connectors to the ends of the hoses was quite hard. Also, I didn't pay enough attention to the tiny metal gaskets, and inserted one of them incorrectly, resulting in a leaking rear brake. The brake fluid (not real brake fluid, but low-viscose mineral oil) is also very messy to work with. I first put fully synthetic motor oil in the brakes, but found automatic transmission oil to work better. Magura also provides it's own oil, but I don't even want to know about the price of it.
My setup was as following:
Most of the stuff was mail-ordered from Rose Versand, a big German mail-order company. Very cheap, and extremely hassle-free. Rims and spokes were supplied by Flevobike. Also their service was extremely good. Some parts were bought from local bicycle stores.
Besides the usual hex-wrenches and different screwdrivers, lock-ring pliers and a 32 mm hex-wrench were needed in the assembly.
I got the trike ready and going, but after a couple of weeks I started to hear strange noises and note strange operation of the left-hand side freewheel. As I opened the hub, I noticed that one of the two freewheel claws was broken, and the tiny titanium bits really had wreaked havoc inside the hub. Casualties: a roller bearing, a nailon bushing, the freewheel hub and the axle end. Darn! After consulting A.S.E. I sent the broken parts back to Russia. At least it was relieving to see that the problem was taken very seriously, and the folks at A.S.E. seem to be really quality-oriented. It took the parts over two months to make the round-trip. One month in Russian mail, two weeks at A.S.E. and two weeks back, all that time the trike was unusable. At least the replacement didn't cost me anything. I found the breakage quite surprising, since the broken part shouldn't have been in any great stress in the direction of the crack. I personally suspect a material fault to be the reason. Yuri told me they hadn't had any similar problems before.
After getting the trike repaired, I finally have been able to get some experience with it. The trike seems to be almost as fast as my old Optima Eagle ASS SWB recumbent, if not as fast. The trike feels quite snappy, from time to time it almost begs you to make the tyres slide by hard cornering. It's possible to lose traction in corners before lifting the front wheel, but then you really have to lean hard into the corner. It seems like your upper torso moves around a lot more when riding the trike than when riding a recumbent bicycle.
I've never ridden any other tadpole trikes, so I can't really compare the feel of the trike, but I have nothing to complain about the S-327. The ride is fast and stable, and the steering mechanism and brakes are both very rigid and precise. Steering has no slack at all (but then, how could it with that quality of work!) and you can stop the trike incredibly fast. The locking of one front brake does not really affect steering, except for slight under-steer, tops. Locking the rear brake of course initiates a slide, but even that is easily corrected. It is possible to do a "hand-brake turn" even on dry asphalt, but it's possible to flip the trike if the rear tyre runs across any roughness during the turn.
The steering geometry is OK in my opinion. The steering is not centre-point, so pedaling torque and bumps affect the steer, but I really don't notice the bump steer and the torque steer doesn't bother me at all.
Although the rear wheel is suspended, the rubber elastomers supplied by the manufacturer are quite hard and it's difficult to notice any benefits from the suspension. It wouldn't be too hard to replace the rubber bits with softer ones, but as the hardness doesn't bother me at all, I've not really paid any attention to it.
All in all, riding the S-327 is great fun, but it differs considerably from riding two-wheeled vehicles. Recumbent bicycles generally have this feel of low-altitude flying, while the trike feels more like a go-cart. I do miss riding a two-wheeled recumbent, although I would at no cost abandon my Sputnik. I guess I'd make a great recumbent collector, given the necessary funds...
I'm also keen on getting some winter experience - during the first two weeks I rode in winter-time I had the trike equipped with high-pressure semi-slick tyres, which were really slippery indeed. Frustrating at uphills, as you very easily get stuck. I suppose that will be helped by equipping the trike with proper knobby tyres or even studded tyres.
The component mix seems to work very well, except for the mediocre Grip Shift shifters. The gear selection is good, as I get a development from 1.71 to 7.54 meters.
Comments on the trike are generally much more enthusiastic than on my old Optima. People quite often stop me and ask about the trike, and are often asking how to get one for themselves.
Still to do: I am in process of getting an attachment system for my BOB Trailer and also a carrier. My panniers won't fit the rack offered by A.S.E., and you can't fit a standard rack either. Front mudguards would be extremely nice, and I guess I have to stop by at Helsinki University of Technology Aerodynamics lab and ask them about building a feather-light and bullet-proof composite fairing for the trike...