New Azub T-Tris 20 Review

[PaulM]

I originally posted this on BROL, but I have revised and extended this review with further experience. I wanted a trike for my commute because I was finding 2-wheeled bents a bit stressful in traffic, particularly when climbing.
Previously owned:
2007 ICE T
2008 Catrike Speed
2010 ICE Sprint 26
2015 Catrike 700
My criteria for my new trike were:

• Seat height of more than 10 inches to make dismounting easier
• Three 20” wheels for more compact size and better turning circle
• Mesh seat for shock absorption
• Folding not essential
• Not too pricey, had concerns about it being a thief magnet

An ICE Adventure would have been the obvious choice but I think it looks a bit staid. Also the base model is quite a bit more money than the AZUB although it is folding. Catrike have no European imports and personal imports cost as much as a trike just for the shipping (had a shipping quote of $1500 – before VAT and import duties!).
Ordered rear mudguard, low rider rack, handlebar bag mount, separable frame (folding hinge can be added later). Added bottle cage and mirror post-purchase.

Azub T-Tris 20

• PaulM
• 25 Apr 2020
• 5

Azub T-Tris 20

Purchasing:

• Easy ordering and payment
• Arrived ahead of schedule
• Came set up for my height which I wasn’t expecting (so I hadn’t told them that I’d be swapping out the crankset for shorter cranks so the chain length and chain tube length were shorter than ideal)
• Well boxed but
• No assembly instructions included
• On-line instructions seemed to relate to an older model with different kingpins. Attaching the wheels and connecting up the drum brakes wasn’t obvious. (AZUB have now made this video,
  
  View: https://youtu.be/2Hav2XZmZxA
  )

Wins:

• 90mm drum brakes. Now bedded in and performing nicely.
• Locking brake levers (really, really like these)
• Tight turning circle (great at crossings)
• Good handling (39mph so far). It’s responsive so a light touch is required on the bars.
• Good comfort for unsuspended trike.
• Appreciate the 12” seat height for easy dismounting
• Stiff frame, no flex even in bottom gear
• Easy to lock up through rear triangle
• Lots of adjustment
• New Marathon Racer tyres. Light, supple and improved tread.
• Excellent mesh seat. Like the ICE mesh seats of old. Why did they change?

The Azub “Ideal Position System” for the seat is an interesting sophistication with perhaps 10” of fore/aft adjustment. Towards the front improves stability and handling, towards the rear improves traction. I wanted to maximise passive suspension so positioned it so that my centre of gravity would be as far from all 3 axles as possible. This turned out to be about 75% of the way towards the front.

Negatives:

• Approx weight of 43.5lbs after a 600g weight reduction exercise on crankset, RD, cassette, and lighter rear wheel
• Interference between RD and tall section chain stay. (Odd this one, it limited the forward movement of the SORA RD it arrived with. I changed the RD.)
• Initially noticed road camber more with increased head height but a problem.
• 20” wheel limits gear range. Long cage shadow derailleurs which have the largest capacity (and are not restricted by the chain stay) extend beyond the rim and so are vulnerable in the event of a puncture.
• You really have to get the seat mount frame clamp correctly adjusted for a secure mount, setting the ears on the upper part of the clamp to the correct width. There’s nothing in the manual on checking and adjusting it.

Gearing. It came with 9-speed 30/42/52 chainset (all alloy rings), 170mm cranks, 11-34 cassette (which I find gappy because of the 17T-20T jump) and Shimano 9-speed shifter. I changed this to 150mm cranks, 28/39/53 rings and an 11-32 cassette. I also changed it to a 9-speed SRAM X9 RD and twist shifter which has more precise shifting than 9-speed Shimano kit. Gear range is about 16” to 90”. I use the whole range on my commute. I have ordered a 26T granny ring so that I have something in reserve (takes it down by one gear inch). The 39 to 53 shift is sweet in both directions; the 39 to 28 shift is not so sweet and delivers some cadence shock which will no doubt get worse with a 26 ring but that’s a less frequent shift.

I’m also feeling gaps in the 11-32 cassette which I’ve never really noticed before, the 12-14 shift and the 18-21 shift. (Might be the weight of the trike or I’m getting old.) Have decided to live with this because curing both gaps would require an 11-28 cassette and I would lose too much range. A change to a 10-speed 11-32 Shimano dynasys set up would be a cost solution, although I would then run into the risk of the very long, long cage shadow derailleurs. Also I’m not keen on 10-speed chains because of their tight chain quick links.

My ride times over 1-2hrs average around 8.5mph (with 500-1000’ of climbing) which is maybe 1mph down on what I was doing 10 or more years ago. That’s probably me rather than the trike though. Strava shows me climbing 9% grades in my bottom gear at just under 3mph. 7th or 8th gear on the large ring is about 18mph which I can’t really maintain on the flat. I spin out at around 25mph in top (downhill). There’s room for improvement but it’s a trike so the ride is really about enjoyment rather than performance.

Any regrets? Not at the moment. It’s a quality machine which I now feel fits me well and I have confidence it will last well.

 

[404 Not Found Anywhere]

Thanks for the review, Paul... I have always thought Azub machines looked high quality but suspected they would be pricey... maybe not! I’ve no plans of adding (another) trike to my stable (yet...) but I am interested in how you get on with the 90mm drum brakes. My 2 year old VTX came before there was a choice of drums or disks, otherwise I’d have gone for drums without a second thought. Now that ICE have made that an option it‘s made me realise that there’s no reason I couldn’t build myself a pair of wheels... I hadn’t thought of 90mm drums, I wonder if you have any comments on stopping ability vs weight penalty? Did either of your previous ICEs come with the 70mm drums for comparison?

 

[PaulM]

I paid about £600 less than a base ICE adventure. I had 70mm drums on my ICE T. They were fine apart from really steep descents. I expect the 90mm drums to be better but hard to compare with the passage of time. The drums are more progressive than disks, having less initial bite. I prefer them. Disks are always prone to squealing in the wet.

 

[PaulM]

I managed a flatter 9-miler today at an average of 10.5mph, with a small amount of shared paths so not really different from previous trikes.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I paid about £600 less than a base ICE adventure.

You mentioned that the ICE ADVENTURE has a folding feature ?
If your Azub also had that feature and matched the group set .
You would probably discover the difference in price is only £95.
Still cheaper .....but a UK ICE dealer is expected to build and commision so its ready to ride .......not ready for home assembly 🤔
Buyers need to be carefull with "headline grabbing " phrases "prices starting from XYZ "
Research is the key and the ability to test ride is a must , particularly for novice recumbent riders .
Enjoy the ride Paul perhaps this AZUB recumbent is your best recipe yet😁

 

[PaulM]

Yes, all ICE Adventures fold. A folding hinge for the Azub would have cost an additional £250 at the time, getting towards half the price difference of an "equivalent build" ICE Adventure. Prices fluctuate all the time and I ordered in the winter when Azub give a 5% discount. The base Azub is 27-speed, the base ICE is 24-speed. However, when comparing models with rear suspension there was little difference. The ICE is definitely the lighter trike, maybe by 3lbs or so. I wasn't expecting the Azub to be as heavy as it is. You can't really go wrong with an ICE it's just that I wanted something different and the aesthetics and some of the features of the Azub attracted me. The price difference was just a bonus and only really existed when looking at rigid non-folding models.