Bike test: ICE Adventure 20 Rigid

ICE has been building recumbent trikes for 26 years and now offers six models, ranging from the VTX fast road machine to the Full Fat off-roader. The Adventure is a tourer. 

There’s a huge menu of build options, which you can get a sense of by comparing this test trike with CeCe Balfour’s ICE Adventure (p43). I specified an entry-level build with a rigid frame, 20-inch (ISO 406) wheels all round, big tyres and practical extras like mudguards and a rear rack. 

Frame 

Like all ICE trikes, the Adventure has a ‘tadpole’ format with two wheels at the front. An under-seat handlebar and track rods provide intuitive, indirect steering. This is unaffected by braking. 

The cruciform main frame is chrome-moly steel, while the rear section is aluminium. The latter has an angled hinge so that, with the seat removed, the rear end can be lifted up and over, leaving the rear wheel lying flat(ish) between the front pair. ICE calls this its Compact Flat Twist fold. The folded trike is still too big for a train but will fit in a decent-sized car boot – with the boom between the car seats if space is tight. 

There’s just one size of frame, which should fit riders from around 5ft to 6ft 6in as the boom length is highly adjustable. Leg length rather than height is the ultimate arbiter; there’s a sizing guide on the ICE website. The test trike had ICE’s Easy Adjust Kit for Leg Length (£167), which enables boom adjustment without chain length tinkering. Most owners won't need this. 

The Adventure is 80cm wide. I didn’t have any problems with that on cycle tracks such as the Scarborough-Whitby Cinder Track that CeCe also cycled. It was too wide for the passage at the side of my house, however, and for my workshop door. I had to remove the seat (takes seconds) and carry it sideways. Awkward. 

Components 

You can choose either a 20in (406) or 26in (559) rear wheel. A smaller wheel saves space and, other things being equal, reduces the gearing. This trike’s range of 16-87in would have been 21-113in with the larger rear wheel, and in retrospect I would have struggled with that on North Yorkshire’s hills. A bigger wheel will slightly improve the rolling performance and filter out bumps and road buzz a little better. 

I didn’t think I'd need to worry about this. I’d chosen 50mm Schwalbe Big Apple tyres, thinking the large air volume and lower pressure would offset the lack of suspension. But I was surprised how much vibration – mostly felt in the belly and eyeballs – got past the rear tyre at 35psi (the nominal minimum pressure). If I were buying an Adventure, I’d add ICE’s elastomer rear suspension – an extra £926. 

Gearing is a 3×8 setup mixing Microshift bar-end levers with Shimano Claris, Deore and Altus. It's inexpensive but functional. What matters is the range: there’s no such thing as a bottom gear that’s too low on a recumbent trike. You don’t have to balance so can climb as slow as you like, and with no option to stand on the pedals, spinning beats slow-cadence grinding. 

Whatever additional equipment you choose, the rear view mirror is essential. The neck rest is also very useful, as are ICE’s Sidepod bags that hang on the seat. Said seat is as comfortable as it looks. It’s like pedalling a mobile sun lounger. In fact, you’ll want to incorporate that relaxed attitude into your riding…

Ride 

Because the Adventure is a very sedate ride indeed. Recumbents have a reputation for being fast, which they are when they’re faired. Some, like low racers, are fast unfaired. The Adventure is not a racer. It’s a tourer – a 20kg tourer. 

My average speed, depending on the load and terrain, was 10-12mph. That’s 2-3mph slower than I’d cruise at on a conventional tourer, and I don't think that was solely due to my upright-adapted legs.

Hills were the killer. I found myself crawling up them and absolutely needed that 16in bottom gear. Going slower doesn’t matter in itself on tour but will affect daily distances and may impact group rides. Descents, as you’d expect, were exhilarating. 

The views you get on a recumbent trike are different from an upright’s. You can’t always see over hedges yet you do get a lovely ‘widescreen’ view of what you can see.

Being seen by other road users wasn't a problem. Drivers behaved much better, waiting patiently behind and overtaking with lots of room. Maybe it's the novelty factor? Maybe it's the extra width? It was like being on a horse! 

Loading up the trike with panniers made minimal difference to the handling. For kitchen-sink tourers, it’s a useful plus.

Verdict 

The ICE Adventure is a good-value trike with lots of customisability and a host of clever details (that fold! that hidden seat pocket!). I’d recommend very low gears, rear suspension, maybe electric assistance and definitely a test ride. For some cyclists, it could be the solution that gets or keeps them riding. For others, it’s an eye-catching alternative to an upright for comfortable, unhurried touring and everyday riding.

HP VELOTECHNIK SCORPION FX £4,700+ 

German 20in-wheel folding recumbent trike with rear suspension and, like the ICE Adventure, a huge range of options. Brexit has bumped the price for shipping. 

HASE KETTWIESEL ALLROUND LINEAR £3,939+

Delta-format trike with a higher seat, 1×11 drivetrain, Avid BB7 brakes, mudguards and lighting. Also German, also with a huge range of options.

First published in Cycle magazine, August/September 2024 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.