by Larry Varney
Co-Editor Bentrider Online
When I refer to this trike as such, the word “ultimate” seems to annoy some people. They ask questions, such as “Where do you get off, calling this the ‘Ultimate Sprint’?” They ask upon what do I base that description, isn’t it just a matter of opinion, and so on. When I finally get the chance to just say: this is the trike that ICE put in its “Ultimate Collection”, they just look momentarily lost for a comment, then eventually just nod. And now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at this trike, OK?
If you go to the ICE website and look at their description, you’ll see what they were striving for, when they created this collection. Simply, they wanted to offer the “best trikes with the best level of componentry.” If you’ve been to their site and used their system to outfit a trike, you can see just how many options there are, and how confusing it might be, especially if you’re relatively new. Suspension or not, 10 or 11 gears, drums or discs – what do I choose? It sometimes comes down to how much do the various options cost, how to come up with a good trike without going bankrupt or divorced. ICE decided to design a trike with the components that they thought are the “best”, regardless of price. You may disagree with some of their choices, and that’s OK. But I do think if you want advice on just what is the “best” for these ICE trikes, you can’t go far wrong, listening to ICE itself!
I do want you to understand that this isn’t the usual sort of review. I’m not going to go into detail about every aspect of the trike, such as how it handled, the dimensions, and so on, simply because it is so very similar to a previous trike I reviewed not so long ago, in October of 2018. For those of you who may not have read it, please do – and then come back here. We’ll wait, as you check out that earlier review.
Welcome back! Now let’s look at this newer version of the Sprint X Tour, and what differences there may be between this and that earlier trike. The first thing you might notice is the seat. While all ICE trike seats are comfortable, this ergo-luxe model is almost guaranteed to bring a smile and a soft “wow” from everyone who sits on it. As some have described the experience, it is so comfortable that if the trike had WiFi and a toilet, they’d never get off it. It really is that good. And yes, redesigned neck and wrist rests complete the feeling.
Of course, the trike has full suspension. It utilizes elastomers, and is adjustable to suit you. And, one other thing that makes it even more supple on rough roads: the tires, Schwalbe Marathon Plus – with a recommended pressure of 70 psi! I had to look at them more closely – I am so used to setting my pump to 115, that I thought I may have been misreading – but I wasn’t. As everyone “knows”, the higher the pressure, the faster the trike will be, and such a low pressure will make the trike slower. Right? Well, in general, that may be true, but in this particular case, with these tires, the difference wasn’t dramatic enough to be very noticeable. Besides, if it’s that much of a concern to you, then talk to your dealer, and I’m sure they’ll smile and put the tires on that you want.
