ICE Ergo Luxe - Cover Tear

Update; As of April 2023 I've using the seat for most of my riding and the tear has not gotten any worse.

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As always ICE costumer service is the best.

The ICE Adventure Ergo Luxe seat cover I use on my Sprint developed a tear at 1,400 miles. Andy at ICE offered to send me a new seat cover but I may opt out and use this situation to change over to the Sprint Ergo Luxe seat and frame instead of the Adventure frame seat I currently use on my Sprint. The frame of the Adventure seat base is a bit longer and I find it more comfortable when using the mesh. However using Adventure Ergo Lux cover now seems a little long when I'm fully reclined. 

For now I'm using the mesh cover and find it a nice change from using the cushy Ergo Luxe cover. 

Moving on, here are the details via emails with Andy at Ice.

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Hey Andy,

Are others having this problem with the Ergo seat? It's starting to tear as pictured below. Any advice?

I have 1,400 miles on the seat. I weight 185 lbs (83.9kgs).

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Hi Mark,

 

We have not had reports of this issue, however in the picture you sent over it clearly shows the material between the pads fraying & separating. If you could please let me know your trikes frame number which is located underneath the main frame spar stamped into the frame this number begins with a Y & is followed by 5 numbers.

 

I can then arrange a replacement seat be sent out to you, could you please also supply me with you Full Address & Telephone Number.

 

Just to be certain is the seat & cover the standard size Sprint Ergo Luxe not the Shor Back version it is not clear in the picture you sent through I would hate to send you the incorrect cover. If you would not mind doing so when the replacement cover arrives with you would it be possible to send the damaged cover back to us for testing & examination. Do not worry if you are unable. It would just be nice for us to inspect the damaged cover.

 

Thanks,

 

Andy

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Hey Andy.

Thanks for the offer but I'll use this opportunity to purchase a proper Sprint frame and Ergo cover. Let me explain.

I bought my Sprint FS E8000 in 2019 with an Adventure seat frame and mesh cover and updated it with the Ergo seat cover in 2020.  I found the Sprint seat with the mesh cover to feel a bit short in the seat. Testing an Ergo cover on the actual Sprint seat frame has changed my opinion. With the tear I might as well change over to a proper Sprint seat with the Ergo cover.

I'll be happy to send the seat cover back to you as soon as I change the seat out. Can I buy a Sprint seat frame and Ergo cover through you or should I find a local dealer?

Mark

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Hi Mark,

 

I think I understand your thoughts on the change of seat, if you are near to an ICE Dealer then we would suggest you purchase the required seat & cover through them. If you are not & are very far away then you would be able to purchase these items through us if you would like.

 

If you are sure you do not mind it would be great for us to be able to examine the cover.

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Hey Andy,

The cost of sending you the seat is prohibitive so I'm sending the enclosed pictures of the seat cover removed from the frame.

Pictures 1 and 2 are looking at the seat cover from behind. The last two pictures are from the front.

The tear (on the right side of the seat) seems to not have gotten any worse while riding with it in this condition and looks like it stopped at the blue stitching. 

 

FYI..

I weigh 185lbs (83.9kg). I use the front wheels for support when I get on and off the trike, not the seat. Sometimes I might plop my ass down a little hard to sit down. I keep the straps tight. As I mentioned before the seat has a little over 1,400 (2,253km). Due to hip replacements my dominant leg is my left leg, my right leg has had some atrophy thanks to the doctor who butchered me. Any other questions?

Hopefully this helps. 

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Hi Mark, 

 

Thank you for the pictures & the information regarding your seat cover, we have not seen this kind of failure before & as such am a little unsure of what could of caused this issue. I understand your thoughts on not sending the cover back to us I greatly appreciate your time in taking the pictures & sending them over to me I will pass this email across to the design team who had/have the most experience with the seats & covers to see what they think.

 

Thanks,

 

Andy

 

Screwing Around with Tires

The Pandemic has left me with time to spend to do useless projects. With the tires I have laying around I decided to spend some that time to figure out which tire combination is the fasted. Over the course of a few rides I came up with the results. 

No science involved here, just going downhill and keeping track of the downhill speeds when weather and road conditions seemed to be about same for each ride I measured. 

The max speed was measured on a 3/4 mile downhill run with a max grade of 8% and no signals with minimal traffic on my ICE Sprint FS E8000 with 90% max pressure in tires. 

Front tires and Back Tire

Schwalbe Marathon Racer and Schwalbe Supreme

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

40/406 - 340g   0.75 lbs

42/599 - 440g   0.93 lbs

Total    1,120g  2.43lbs

Speed Average: 38.6 mph

Speeds: 40.8, 38.1, 38.5, 38.5, 38.1, 39.4

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Continental Contact (E25) and Schwalbe Supreme

37/406 - 420g   0.93 lbs

37/406 - 420g   0.93 lbs

42/559 - 440g   0.97 lbs

Total     1,280g  2.83 lbs

Speed Average: 38.2 mph

Speeds: 36.5, 38.2, 39.4, 38.7, 37.8, 38.0

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Schwalbe Plus and Schwalbe Plus

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

35/406 - 560g   1.23 lbs

40/599 - 870g   1.90 lbs 

Total    1,990g  4.36 lbs

Speed Average: 36.6 mph

Speeds: 37.1, 35.8, 36.8, 36.5, 37.8

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Now it's time to figure out something else to do with my time besides riding my trike, working on my trike, making stuff, drawing, reading  and watching birds in my garden with my beautiful wife Carrie. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to pack my trike in the car and start traveling again with Carrie, go out to dinner, visit family and friends and whatever.