Its time to start back up the recumbent review posts. We are going to try and review a new recumbent at least once a month for everyone with honest opinions , awesome photos of the bike of course and all you’ll need to know about the product to have a better understanding if you are looking in the market for a recumbent or just want to get some feedback on the trikes themselves.
I took the recumbent to Newport, Rhode Island for a ride along the ocean roads, hilly countryside backroads and even into the busy town near the harbor. I tracked the ride and was just a little over 9 miles so this was a great experience to really test the limits of the trike, find the faults and see what people thought of it.
Riding the ICE Trike I was constantly getting a thumbs up , big smiles and laughter from pedestrians. So right away that was an awesome feeling that everyone loved the looks of the bike. ICE Trike is manufactured in Falmouth, England so it surely has style and the color of the frame stands out when pedaling down the road.
On this ICE Adventure HD we currently have it paired up with the Shimano Steps pedal assist. This was my first time going on a ride with this setup and man it was just incredible. With the steps they have 3 modes you can switch between.
- ECO
- TRAIL
- BOOST
Switching between the modes is right at your fingertips and they are all excellent in their own way, ESPECIALLY the boost mode. I found myself riding the in trail mode more than anything. It was the perfect combo of resistance and assistance where it wasn’t too much power and could still be in a low gear and not have to put too much power to the pedals. When I got to some long flat areas I would switch over to the boost mode and man I was flying. I was able to put up 28 mph quickly on the recumbent and there was still plenty of room for more! The Boost mode was so much fun and brings a lot of speed with the assistance.
On the controller you have the ability to change up the display in various ways to give you more data about your ride and power mode. The information you can change through is :
- SPEED
- DISTANCE
- ODOMETER
- MAX SPEED
- AVG SPEED
- TRAVEL TIME
- EACH MODE TRAVEL DISTANCE
That being a key feature on this bike I would highly recommend the Shimano Steps as it was just that added power I would be looking for , especially on the hill climbs and flats where you can switch over to boost mode and crush it
The Seat and design was another point why I loved this recumbent so much. The seat we have on this adventure HD is the Ergo Luxe seat and holds the title for most comfortable recumbent seat and I could see why. I felt like I could have rode that bike the entire day and walked away with zero aches what so ever. The seat contours right to your back and butt and holds you centered over the bike very well during hard cornering. Just another awesome upgrade for this recumbent.
I felt in total control of this bike. From corning to stopping it performed flawlessly like I had expected from ICE. Overall the ride quality was just amazing and a great experience.
One option that I would recommend would be to add clip-in pedals. I found myself slipping on the pedals at times because of the laid back style of a recumbent and there being no pushing down force on the pedals, like you find on a regular triangle framed bike. At one point my foot slipped and caught the ground leaving the frame to smash into my calf. This was probably something every recumbent rider has experience but one of my biggest recommendations for any recumbent honestly.
In conclusion this bike is worth every dime, especially with the Shimano Steps. Yes, it comes with a good price tag but for all the right reasons and once you ride one your going to be hooked. If there was one more thing I could have added to make this a gold mine of a bike would be a side pannier. During the ride I was carrying my DSLR in hand , which still was not that bad but to be able to stash it away until needed would have completed this package fully for me!
Find your local dealer or if you are in the area give us a call and ask for a demo ride and you will soon find out why I had such a great experience on the ICE Adventure HD. I give it a 5/5 for performance, style, comfort, and build. Be sure to check out the ICE ADVENTURE HD here on our site, if you have any questions please leave a comment down below and check back shortly for another recumbent review!
