Reviewed by Adulttricyclereview.com
Tw-Bents Artifice, Reviewed on August 12, 2015
TW-Bents is new to the USA but not new to the trike manufacturing
business. TW Bents has been manufacturing trikes since 1999. TW-Bents
builds trikes for a number of different brands in the USA, Japan and
Europe.
Frame: The frame on the TW-Bents Artifice is made
out of 100% Cro-moly steel, TIG welded together in Taiwan. The tubing is
shaped and manipulated to optimized the frame for strength but not
sacrifice the ride in any way. The welds are beautiful and equal to the
best trikes in the industry. TW-Bents hinges show no flex and was easy
to operate.
Paint: TW-Bents paint jobs are as good as you could
ask for, no thin spots, runs or paint imperfections. The gloss blue
paint on our sample trike reminded me of those 1980’s bass boat paint
jobs. The metallic TW-Bents added to the paint really made the metallic
pop and sparkle. The decals are then applied and the final step is a
nice clear coat over everything to keep everything looking nice for a
long time.
Drive Train: The shifting is superb on the TW-Bents
Artifice. The Artifice comes with a premium SRAM Centera twenty four
speed shifter set. The front and rear derailleur are Shimano Sora which
gives the artifice it’s above average drive-train performance.
Brakes: The mechanical disc brakes
with the Tektro brake levers, stops the trike consistently and had no
brake rub. I have no issue with the mechanical brakes that TW-Bents
chose for the Artifice, they are simple, reliable and easy to adjust. A
super convenient feature on the brakes are that each brake pad can be
adjusted independently so you can really dial in your brake adjustment.
TW-Bents chose a simple push button to lock the brake on. ICE trike
chose a different route by adding a brake to the rear wheel and a remote
shifter to control the brake. This works well but added almost a pound
to the ICE trikes.
Seat: Both of our trike testers found the seat to be
comfortable. The seat is extra tall so taller riders should find it
more enjoyable. The seat is contoured nicely for lower back support and
has a nice breathable fabric down the center. The sides are padded with a
foam, to offer a bit more support and pad the aluminum seat frame. The
seat back can be adjusted from 38-54 degrees. Behind the seat there is a
removable pocket that is large enough for a cell phone, tube, CO2, and
mini tool kit.
Ride: I really liked the ride on the Artifice, the
Cro-Moly frame did a fantastic job at soaking up the bumps. Not only did
I think the ride was comfortable for my 170 Lbs. body but Nathan our
other trike tester who is 300 Lbs. was very surprised by the ride and
handling. TW-Bents uses Ackermann steering principals on the Artifice
with it indirect steering. Greenspeed, Trident, HP and ICE all use the
Ackermann design. The steering was spot on, no hint of brake steer or
pedal steer, the steering is very predictable and precise. I am sure
some of the above average ride quality came from the twenty six inch
rear wheel. The Artifice seat height is eleven inches and the bottom
bracket is eighteen inches. The higher than average bottom bracket
height makes the Artifice feel like a high performance go fast trike but
without the super low seat height.
Accessory: The quick release fenders may be just the
ticket for some people. The fenders are probably the lightest on the
market. The fenders offer a little less protection than the fenders from
HP, ICE and Catrike but the quick release was unique and worked fine.
The neck rest is probably the best on the market offering a very
comfortable feel.
In conclusion: The TW-Bents Artifice has a very nice
ride. I was very impressed with the Artifice ability to absorb bumps.
The handling was spot on and better than many other trikes on the
market. All the frame braze-ons were nicely positioned and there was no
need for any plastic wire ties to hold any cabling. For someone looking
for a trike that they can stuff inside a small area, keep looking, but
for someone that folding feature is not so important, the Artifice is
worth a good look.
Pros: Light for a Cro-Mo frame,
above average seat comfort, above average ability to absorb road shock
and a very adjustable angle seat.
Cons: Does not fold small. We would have liked to see a flat fold, like on the HP Gekko 26.