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Trikes - Gears

Please note that Trice Q and T are only available from the ICE factory with the gears listed in these specifications which we believe to be a great range allowing you to tackle any terrain. You may wish to speak to your dealer if you have other special requirements.

 
   
 

 

The gearing on a trike is an important part of making sure your machine can be comfortably ridden over the terrain where you want to ride it. Your own fitness and riding style should also be considered. A wide gear range is the key to being able to tackle any situation.

 

Going up hill
A low gear of 21" (1.68m) would be fine for light weight commuting and day riding even in hilly areas provided you are reasonably fit. If you want a gear to be able to ride up most hills with a little more comfort (but less speed) then about 18" (1.44m) is better.
For the Trice Q and T the standard low gear we supply is an incredible 15.7" (1.255m) . With this gear you can go SLOWLY though balance is not an issue. You will be safe in the knowledge that any new hill found on tour will be climbable with this "go anywhere" gear. The only limits will be rear wheel traction and your own endurance.

 

Going down hill
The top gear speed will depend on your preferred pedaling style - if you spin the pedals round, you will be able to keep pedaling at a higher speed. If you like to pedal slower then you will still be able to ride at a good speed due to the ICE custom 9 - 32T 9 speed cassette fitted as standard. The special small 9T sprocket gives a big top gear of 103.5" (8.28m).
 
   
 
Like many cyclists we use "gear inches" to give an idea of how the gears compare in their overall range.
The gear inches number is a simple calculation -
Number of teeth on the chainring divided by the number of teeth on the rear sprocket multiplied by the tyre diameter in inches.

So for a 48t chainring and a 9t sprocket on a 20" wheel with a Marathon Racer tyre, the gear inch will be - 48/9 x 19.4" = 103.5" (8.28m)
The wheel size we use is generally known as 20". In practice the actual outside diameter depends on the type of tyre fitted. So be warned, a 20" wheel can actually be 18.5" diameter if a Stelvio tyre is fitted for example!

Gear range is also often expressed in Meters development which are the figures shown above in brackets.

When buying tyres for any bike or trike it can help to know what the ETRTO number is for your wheel size. Our 20" wheels are ETRTO 406 (this is the same 20" as many BMX wheels). Another less common 20" tyre size exists and is known as ETRTO 451 - These DO NOT fit our 20" rims!

The actual diameter is not particularly important unless buying replacements except that it does effect the gear inch calculation.

Actual Tyre diameter used by ICE for gear inch calcs
Wheel size ETRTO
Actual Approx. Rear Tyre diameter
20" 406
Schwalbe Marathon Racer = 19.4" diameter


 

20" Rear Wheeled Trice Q and T
A fantastic range for any challenge. All derailleur system using mostly standard parts easily serviced and obtained.
20" Standard
Chainset Truvative 170mm 26/36/48 Alloy rings
Bottom Bracket Truvative GXP external BB bearings
Front Changer SRAM X9
Rear Changer SRAM X9
Gear Shifters SRAM X9
Rear Hub ICE Custom 4 cartridge bearings, IS disc brake compatible, Shimano Capreo compatible, Alloy QR
Rear Cassette ICE Custom 9-32
No of Gears 27
Gear Range 15.7"- 103.5" (Marathon Racer 1.5") (1.255m - 8.28m)

 


Fitting a Rohloff rear hub gear to a Trice Q or T

ICE do not offer the Rohloff hub as a factory direct option however, your dealer may be able to fit one to your trike.
Below is some information which should help explain our thinking on the hub and details most of the parts you would need.

What we don't like:-
1. You need a rear chain tensioner because of the way the chain line works on a Trice and also if you want to run a front derailleur.

2. You need some device to keep the chain on the front chain ring if you run a single ring, otherwise the chain can jump off.

3. If you run a Rohloff with these devices then it comes with a weight penalty against conventional derailleurs.

4. The Rohloff can be noisy in some of the gears.

5. The hub can feel like it has more internal resistance than a conventional derailleur system especially in some gears.

6. The shifter needs to be mounted "upside down" with the cables sticking out in the air above the grip and the brake lever or else it is too hard to grip and shift effectively.

7. With a single front chain ring of 52T and a Rohloff 16T sprocket you get a gear range of approx 17.5" to 92.5" on a 20" wheel - not really low enough for big hills and not really high enough either. So better to run at least a double front of 42/55 then you get a 14.2" low which is pretty good for big climbs and touring loads. The top would be 97.8" which is OK.  A 15T Rohloff sprocket is available and that would give you 15.2" - 104.4" with a 42/55 front double.
If you run the Rohloff with a 13T and the standard triple which the Trice comes with then you will get a gear range from 10.8 " to 105". That's probably rather too low realistically - you just don't need it. The 105" is fine. ALSO, NOTE THAT THIS GEAR ARRANGEMENT WILL INVALIDATE THE ROHLOFF GUARANTEE BECAUSE THE LOW GEAR EXCEEDES THEIR MINIMUM OF APPROX 14". RUNNING THIS KIND OF LOW GEAR IS ENTIRELY AT THE CUSTOMERS OWN RISK.

8. the Trice Q and T are designed and built to have a NON dished rear wheel allowing for greater tyre clearance to the chain when big tyres are used and a stronger wheel.
The Rohloff Hub is designed to be built up as a non dished wheel in a conventional bicycle due the flange positions. However, the Rohloff must be dished on our standard models if you wish to run with maximum size tyres (hence making the Rohloff build up slightly weaker).

9. The Cost!

What we do like.

1. Shift to any of the 14 hub gears whilst at a standstill.

2. Nicely made and looks cool.

3. Interesting talking point (especially if you like talking gear ratios).

What you will need.

A complete built rear wheel (the hub is only available as 32 hole) with either of the following:-

Rohloff Art Nr: 8015 SPEEDHUB 500/14 CC EX OEM Silver
Art Nr: 8250 Chain Tensioner
Art Nr: 8227 Axle Plate CC OEM2

Or, if you want to run a rear disc parking brake using our optional kit then we suggest using:-
Rohloff Art Nr: 8025 SPEEDHUB 500/14 CC DB OEM Silver
Art Nr: 8250 Chain Tensioner
Art Nr: 8227 Axle Plate CC OEM2
Art Nr: 8281 Brake Disc 160 mm (Rohloff 4 bolt fixing) for international standard caliper.

For more information on Rohloff, please see http://www.rohloff.de/en/home/index.html

 


  
Inspired Cycle Engineering Ltd, Unit 9 Spencer Carter Works, Tregoniggie Ind. Est., Bickland Water Road, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4SN