Reviewed by Adulttricyclereview.com
ICE Trike originally hand no intention on producing an Adventure 26’’ trike. People buy ICE trike for a lot of different reasons. Some people buy it for the quality, some for the ride, some for seating position and some for the ability to fold. For ICE, the 20” wheel just makes so much good sense. Some of the advantages to the Adventure 20’’ suspended trikes are that they folds so nice and small. The trike is lighter with the 20” rear wheel and you do not have to carry two different size inter tubes with you in case of a flat tire. If you live in a hilly area, like where ICE is located in the United Kingdom, simply a 26” wheel will raise your gear ratio making it too difficult to climb steep hills for some people. So why now are they producing a 26” suspended rear wheel trike? Simply because customers demand it. I live in the Midwest. I am a very young and fit fifty five year old and have raced two wheel bicycles for most of my life. I raced BMX bikes all over the country and even mountain biked before there were front shocks. Today, I still love bike riding and still love going stupid fast. But when it comes to the ride, give me that suspension and 26” rear wheel so I can go farther and faster without feeling beat up at the end of the day.
Frame: The frame on the ICE Adventure trike is 100% 4130 Crome-moly steel TIG welded together. I would have to say the welds are beautiful and of the highest quality in the industry. You will not be able to find any manufacturer building a better quality frame than the ICE.
Paint: The ICE paint jobs are fantastic. There is no one in the bike industry that is better at painting. All the other brands of trikes in the industry just hope they can do as good of a job as the ICE paint jobs. However, ICE only offers the Adventure in blue so I hope you like blue.
Drive Train: The shifting is superb on the Adventure, ICE has a large variety of drive trains: Shimano Clairs 24 Speed Drive Train. ICE also offers a Shimano Deore 30 speed and a Shimano Ultegra 33 Speed. ICE also offers the Roloff 14 speed internal hub which can be shifted while sitting still. ICE offers two models of Shimano Steps motors the 6100 series and the new Shimano SP8 and two battery choices. They also have the Enviolo shifter which is all internal and automatically shifts for you as you ride to keep you at a consistent cadence.
Brakes: ICE chose the Sturmey Archer Drum brakes and Tektro brand brake levers. This combination stops the trike more consistently than disc brakes because the brake surface and brake pads never get wet. I have no issue with the Sturmey Archer drum brakes. They are simple, reliable and easy to adjust, and stop well. ICE has a quick release wheel kit which makes removing the wheels a snap. ICE chose to add a parking brake to the rear wheel and a remote shifter to control the brake. This works well and is easier to work with for some people rather than the locking brake levers used by some other trike manufactures.
Seat: The seat height on the ICE Adventure is higher than most other brands offer. I will have to say the seat angle on the Adventure is the most adjustable I have found. The seat angle will adjust from 42 to 49 degrees, which makes the Adventure seat one of the most upright seat angle on the market. Now on to the seat mesh. ICE has two seat mesh to choose from the Ergo Mesh and the Ergo Mesh Premium which is padded ICE has been way ahead of their competition when it comes to the seat mesh. The standard Ergo Mesh is breathable on the back so your back does not get too hot and sweaty. The bottom is breathable as well. ICE put in a breathable foam pad in the bottom of the seat to give you some extra support, plus extra comfort. The sides of the seat mesh have just the right amount of extra padding to not only cushion you from the seat frame, but also helps hold you in the seat a bit. The new Ergo Mesh Premium seat has been a huge huge success for ICE with the Seat Mesh being padded through out and vented for breathability along with good support.
Ride: One thing I do with every trike is to see how far I can push it into a turn to test the trikes stability. It can be some what fun to find out where that point is where you end up on a two wheel trike rather than three wheel trike. Just about any trike can be prodded into lifting a wheel, if pushed far enough. The wider you make the trike and the more reclined you sit, the harder it is to get that wheel to come up. With the ICE Adventure trikes, I would not call this trike glued to the ground but for normal riding it is very stable. If you want that feeling where I can take a corner at any speed, the Sprint, or better yet, the VTX is the trike for you. The indirect steering that ICE offers is precise and accurate. The feeling is light and you do not have to use much effort to make the trike go where you want it to go.
In conclusion: I found the Adventure 26, with the
front and rear suspension, to be one of the most comfortable trikes I
have ever ridden. The workmanship is flawless and all accessories fit
perfectly. Is this the perfect trike for everyone? Probably not, but it
is close to being the perfect trike for most trike customers. If you are
the casual trike rider and want to sit more upright, the ICE Adventure
is for you. If you are going to ride it like you just stole it, then you
would want to be on the Sprint or VTX.