Recumbent - Trice Elastomer vs Scorpion Spring

I am 2 months into my recumbent obsession and have decided to expand the lineup by adding a trike.

My nearest recumbent dealer has a Trice Q, Trice T and HP Velotechnik Scorpion and all 3 are a blast to ride.

I am wondering if anyone has any mileage experience on a Trice trike? Specifically, is the elastomer rear suspension sufficient on bumpy ground? The Scorpion has the same rear suspension as my Streetmachine and I love it but the Scorpion is also a good $500 more expensive than the Trice.

Secondly....is the higher ride height on the Trice T going to be any safer in traffic than the lower Trice Q or Scorpion???

Any other reviews or comments about the three trikes?

Many thanks

Dave

First, I am an ICE dealer. There are many ICE trikes out there with thousands of miles on the elastomer--I have put a couple of thousand miles on my own trikes. The elastomers work perfectly and, even if one needs to restore the original springiness at some point, the cost for a new one is only around $20. The function and simplicity of this suspension is really quite excellent. I would encourage you that the type of suspension should not be the main determiner of your trike choice.

My current trike is a T (I've had a QNT and Q previously) and I find it quite versatile with its ability to drop off of a full height curb if necessary. Although I am liking the high seat I don't think it makes much difference in traffic as the main safety point of trikes is that, since you don't have to watch the road surface for bike dangerous conditions, you have all of your attention to devote to watching around you. I recommend to customers that they select the model of Trice that feels best for all of their circumstances and/or concerns.

Enjoy your selection whatever it is.

Chip
recumbenttrikestore.com

I'm also considering purchasing a T and wondered about the longevity of the elastomer.

The other thing I'm wondering about is the drum brakes (which I have no experience with) that come standard on the T and whether or not I should swap them out with disc brakes.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.


First, I am an ICE dealer. There are many ICE trikes out there with thousands of miles on the elastomer--I have put a couple of thousand miles on my own trikes. The elastomers work perfectly and, even if one needs to restore the original springiness at some point, the cost for a new one is only around $20. The function and simplicity of this suspension is really quite excellent. I would encourage you that the type of suspension should not be the main determiner of your trike choice.

My current trike is a T (I've had a QNT and Q previously) and I find it quite versatile with its ability to drop off of a full height curb if necessary. Although I am liking the high seat I don't think it makes much difference in traffic as the main safety point of trikes is that, since you don't have to watch the road surface for bike dangerous conditions, you have all of your attention to devote to watching around you. I recommend to customers that they select the model of Trice that feels best for all of their circumstances and/or concerns.

Enjoy your selection whatever it is.

Chip
recumbenttrikestore.com

I'm also considering purchasing a T and wondered about the longevity of the elastomer.

The other thing I'm wondering about is the drum brakes (which I have no experience with) that come standard on the T and whether or not I should swap them out with disc brakes.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

Drum brakes need no adjusting (you can't, actually) and last close to indefinitely. I sell drums about 15/20 to one over disc brakes. Discs have a grabbier stopping attitude, but will need servicing--pads and such--as some point. Now, I prefer discs on my trikes, whereas my wife prefers drums. There was a thread on BROL once that posed the question and the split was 50/50 (and the respondents were mostly male). If you like a wee bit of extra stopping power and don't mind a bit of fussing--not to mention extra cost--get discs. If you don't like to mess with parts, want to save a buck, and can stand a touch less initial grab, get drums.

I once replaced the front wheels and braking system for an owner with 25000 miles on his trike. He changed from hydraulic discs--tired of messing with them--to drums and liked the carefree result and performance. I still like discs, however :-) (Fair to mention, though, that I get to ride a new trike every year.)

Chip
recumbenttrikestore.com

My limited experience with disks (Tequila, BB7) is they squeel like a blue light special when wet. I'm going with drums next time.

I ride my T in all kinds of weather and the one thing I can say is that the elastomer does get stiff when it's cold (above freezing). This can make for a bit more of a bumpy ride. I don't think You'd don't get that with the scorpion shock.
The thing that sold me on the T (besides the smooth ride) was the stability. The Scorpion was very easy to get up on two wheels (this was not fun to learn as the shop owner watched me scoot his floor model around in his parking lot!). Even thought the T is slightly higher, it is way more stable.

my two cents,
I'm 62, a bit overweight and went with a QNT26. I also had it sent with a short crank and Qrings as well as a Hardshell seat as opposed to a mesh. We ride a TerraTrike tandem with the mesh seats and for my money the shell is GREAT! affords much more energy to the drive train and is really comfortable. I was never a fan of suspended frames although many are, however the folks I ride with are split 50/50 over rigid vs suspension and nearly 80/20 on drums vs disk. Disk's reduce the rolling weight of the wheel and are a bit lighter but the drums are nearly 100% maintenance and adjustment free while the disks require constant attention and squeel annoyingly from the get go, calm down when broken in but go nuts again when wet....never had any problems with my drums even at sustained speeds over 36mph.....love the Q, love the shell seat, love the disc brakes, absolutely crazy about short cranks and QRings.....lovely trike

An update from an earlier posting. I decided to go with the Trice T and picked it up last Friday. I went for a couple of short rides on the weekend and had a great time. I stayed with the drum brakes and they work perfectly. Thanks to Chip for your advice.

The seat is gentle on my nether regions which is very nice and I'm finally back on the road again after a long, health related hiatus.....