ICE Recumbent Trike...the Bad

 So, what happened? Long story short, the frame collapsed near the cross frame after going over a small bump. The bump is so small that the video camera barely shook. Fortunately, I take video of all my rides. Here's the last 5 minutes of the doomed trike before its demise. You won't see much. Just a small bump near the end of the video. 

https://youtu.be/Pm2UCpTNjpI         

Still awake? Doesn't look like much does it? I had to be rescued by Erika since I didn't feel like walking 15km to get home. I sent Yoshi at HC Works in Osaka an email along with this video as soon as I got home. After the shock abaded, I took some photos of the damage...this is the "bad" part.

Now come on...really? This happened because of that tiny bump in the road? I believe that bump was the straw that broke the camels back. This frame was defective out of the factory. It was just a matter of time. I was extremely lucky this didn't happen when I was on the road with cars flying by. I think ICE is lucky, too. In the last post, I will let you know what the ICE "inspection" revealed. Hint: We would never admit to having a frame defect. Why just think that would do for business?!

ICE Recumbent Trike...the Good

 As promised, a few posts about the trike. If you're interested in purchasing an ICE recumbent trike, then pull up a seat. You might learn something. To be fair, I'll first talk about the good news. The trike is in good running order. The frame and associated parts were replaced at no charge. I sent the trike to Osaka for repairs due to the severity of the damage. ICE covered everything under warranty. Luckily, I wasn't hurt. I couldn't ride for 34 days because of the repairs and replacement/ shipping time.

By now you are probably asking, "What happened?" I'll save that for the "next" post. Why did it happen? I'll save that for the "last" post. For now, here's some photos of the repaired/ replaced trike. Since the disasterous mishap, I have ridden about 700km. The trike rides well, but in the back of my mind, I've lost confidence in ICE. Over the course of the month the trike was in the shop, I learned some things about the company. I'll share those findings in my last post. 

Hint: Buy an AZUB instead. At least you know where the frame is made.