Brakes

There are two main types of brakes which can be used on ICE’s trikes; drum brakes and disc brakes. Both brake types will stop the trike well and have advantages and disadvantages, which brakes are right for you depends on you and how you intend to ride the trike.

DRUM BRAKES

Drum brakes are reliable, low maintenance and aerodynamic with very little of the brakes mechanism out in the wind as it is all encased in the hub shell. The long lasting brake shoes can go tens of thousands of miles between replacement and require very little maintenance other than some cable adjustment as they slowly wear down.

Most of ICE’s trikes use 90mm Sturmey Archer drum brakes they are powerful and very reliable. Ideal for fully loaded touring and have great stopping power especially for heavier riders and for people looking to do a lot of touring with heavy camping loads.

ICE also use 70mm drum brakes on ICE’s VTX and Sprint X custom race wheel set. They are lighter than the 90mm drum brakes but still offer exceptional braking performance, stopping power and reliability.

DISC BRAKES

Disc brakes have more outright power than drum brakes and are lighter weight. The trade-off for this extra power and lower weight is more frequent maintenance and slightly worse aerodynamics.

The pads will need to be replaced more often than the drum brake pads with a life of 2-5 thousand miles being expected depending on riding conditions. We recommend disk brakes for riders who like to go fast.

SINGLE HANDED CONTROLS

ICE Trikes as standard come with the braking and gearing controls fitted to both handlebars. Optional single-handed controls help riders who have limited use or no use of one hand or arm to ride. You can specify controls are fitted to either the left or right handlebars. This enables the trike to be safely controlled from either side.