ICE

A world first for the recumbent trike industry! The PERS Chainless pedalling system is here. Game-changing new technology, the future has arrived! And it's quick!

In stock now! Clean, maintenance-free, chainless e-assist cycling! Convert your pedaling into propulsion through electricity. Think of it like, cycle by wire! No chain or drivetrain and it works through electricity alone. More pedaling, more power. More power, more speed!

Riding an ICE PERS equipped trike, feels intuitive, natural and simply exhilarating. The speed is  instant. No gear shifting, reverse pedaling, clean and  maintenance-free, regenerative braking, smooth quiet operation and with  anti-theft technology. Powerful 250w rear hub motor, 75nm of torque, 5  power settings and a 700wh battery let you ride more with ease.

My  take without the marketing hype:

Riding a PERS Adventure 26... it's kinda the same but different vs a mid-drive.  It also has elements of a geared hub motor paired with a torque sensor.

It does an incredibly good job of offering different cadence levels (adjustable on the fly).  You can choose a leisurely pace, or adjust it up for a faster cadence if preferred (it's similar to changing gears), and the 5 power levels are very well balanced and have cool names like Muscular, Punch and Dynamite. 

The torque sensor works very well, but it feels a bit different from a traditional mid-drive. You push harder and it delivers more power, but it also speeds up without having to shift gears - it's very unique

There is no perception of any slippage, just forward (or reverse - lol) propulsion, and there is no shortage of power. 

I tried it from a stop on the medium steep hill in the dry-pond by the shop, and it had zero problems accelerating up it briskly in Dynamite mode (the highest level). It has a massive advantage over a mid-drive under these circumstances as there are no gears to shift - just pedal and go! 

I also tried it on a very steep grass hill in the dry pond, but I ran out of traction before running out of power. On Muscular (the hardest setting), it feels like you're generating all the power to the motor, it's harder than expected. 

The reverse feature is slick, just pedal backwards and it engages w/o any drama.  Same for re-gen, it works very well without being abrupt  or feeling unnatural. 

The motor is very quiet, and the pedal generator is slightly noisy - but not obtrusive. 

I have 18 years experience with geared and direct drive hub motors, and I will say it surprised me, typically it takes an aftermarket conversion to obtain this kind of power.

For you technical types: It uses a geared hub motor but without a freewheeling sprag clutch, very similar to a Grin Technologies GMAC motor.   

Geared hub motors have traditionally incorporated a one-way freewheel clutch, allowing the motor to spin freely when the bike is coasting forward without creating significant drag. However, this design also means regenerative braking and reverse operation aren't possible. In high-torque applications, the clutch can also become a potential weak point and a source of mechanical failure. CIXI takes a different approach by eliminating the freewheel clutch altogether, which enables regenerative braking, provides reverse capability, and removes the clutch as a potential failure point.

Having utilized several GMAC motors and other high torque geared motors (BMC, MAC, Bafang etc) I can say that the CIXI motor is on par and exceeded my expectations.

Will it replace a regular mid-drive in all applications?  No... but for various applications / special needs, this is most certainly a viable option.  If not the go-to option.

Of course, it's all pretty subjective until you ride it.

Click here for the ICE Trikes PERS website page.