Staff Review – Trice T, standard width
“This past weekend (Halloween), I had the opportunity to take the Trice T out for an extended test ride on our Boogie-Boo shop ride. I’d ridden it before, but never longer than 2 or 3 miles. As a disclaimer, I will note that the front left wheel was out of alignment (my fault for not checking it before hand), which added a little frustration at the beginning of the ride.
The ride lasted about 10 miles, starting at Memory Grove in Salt Lake City and meandering through downtown before starting back up the monstrous hill leading to the Capitol Building. Right from the get-go, we were in hill country. The first 2 miles were one long, slogging hill with little or no flat spots for respite. After topping the hill, our route raced down a sizeable hill and joined up with the main traffic flow in downtown. Heading down the hill, I kept my hands on the brakes. My alignment problem kept me from comfortably just zipping down the hill like the rest of the group. And I DID have to hold down the brakes. This trike just wanted to fly down the street, and I had to reign it in.
Entering the downtown area, we kept to a slower pace. I got my alignment problem taken care of and immediately felt the difference in pedaling. The rear suspension was a life-saver as we crossed trolley tracks and rode over road seams. I could feel that I was going over a bump, but it wasn’t anywhere near as unpleasant as it would have been on a DF bike, or even a non-suspended trike. The rigid bumps became smooth little ripples as I went over them.
We began our ascent to the Capitol Building, which was a grueling (GRUELING) hill that forced us to ride at 5 MPH or slower. I found that the Trice’s big gearing was a definite benefit. I noticed that I had more low-end pedaling options, and geared my way up the hill with little discomfort.
The model I rode had the hard seat with a mesh cover on it. This was the only part of the trike I didn’t like. At least for my frame, the hard seat was too narrow. It dug into my shoulder blades a bit, and I didn’t feel as comfortable as I normally do in a trike. It does come with two “love-handles” which angle out at the waist and are designed to “hold” you in. These, I felt, were more a distraction than an aid. Again, this may be simply because of my own particular size. I’m sure other people get along just fine with a hard seat, but give me a mesh lawn-chair seat any day.
On the several sharp turns we had to make, I did enjoy the wider stance of the T (as opposed to the TNT). It felt more stable than the narrow track model. The T is sat up a bit higher than most other trikes, which was a definite advantage when trying to spot potholes or road debris. At higher speeds, though, the high-up seat gave me a little bit of the feeling that I was going to get dumped out if I hit any rock, pebble, or significant bump.
All in all, the Trice T gave me a smooth ride, and had considerable low-end gearing for hill climbing. The wide wheel track lent a bit more stability to corners, but the higher seat negated that somewhat. I loved the suspension, and finished the ride feeling no road-fatigue or soreness.”
- Luke Markham
