01
February 2003 21:36
Since
I started riding the Trice XLNT last August,
I have put approximately 2200 miles on it.
Most of the riding has been done near and
in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
around Boulder, Colorado. I am constantly
amazed on the stability of the trike under
such conditions as: high speeds (approaching
50 mph on dry pavement), in sharp turns
on either paved or gravel roads, on wet/snowy/icy
roads, and in high crosswinds (approximately
75 mph). The gear range of 13-153 gear inches
has enabled me to both slowly make my way
along rocky hiking trails and to speed down
steep hills. All this riding was done in
unbelievable comfort and with ease of mind.
The mini Hope disc brakes provide unbelievable
stopping power, which comes in handy along
crowded bike paths. The Hope bakes do have
a tendency to squeal. However, I have found
that the squeal can be eliminated by applying
a small amount of a fine abrasive such as
Rain Dance's No. 7 heavy-duty rubbing compound
(for polishing cars) to both sides of the
spinning brake rotors with a finger, gently
braking a few times, and removing the residue
from the rotors by gently placing a paper
towel on the spinning rotor. This procedure
usually provides approximately 50-75 miles
of squeal-free riding will frequent braking.
Although
the current 1.75" Tioga Comp III tire
on the rear of the trike allows only a 2-3
mm gap between the tire and the fender-support
wires, it provides considerable more traction
than either the previously-tried 1.50"
Tioga Comp III tire or the original 1.50"
Schwalb Marathon tire. I have continued
to use 1.50" Schwalb Marathon tires
on the front wheels and have been pleased
with both their traction in turns and tire
life (aproximately 1500 miles).
Even though
I have enjoyed riding bikes for close to
fifty years, I had never rode either a recumbent
bike or trike, and purchasing this Trice
trike was a leap of faith for me. Numerous
friends and strangers have asked me how
I like my trike, and my answer has always
been a resounding "awesome". The
hardest feature of owning this trike has
being able to shout out ICE's web address
in answer to inquires while travelling at
20+ mph.
I would like
thank both ICE and Zach Kaplan for providing
me with such a pleasurable riding machine.
Michael
Fleming
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