Triker Andy (ICE Sprint)

Trike Asylum reader Andy Vardzik has a unique 2013 ICE Sprint RS (rear suspension) trike, that looked very standard when he first acquired it (top photo), but now has an incredibly unique appearance that stands out from most other touring triples. The trike started out as a 37 pound Sprint RS. It is now a 65 pound touring beauty. Have you ever seen any trike quite like this?

Andy is still in the modification process, although it is pretty much complete at this stage of the game. He has purchased a trike for his wife also, and plans on making a canopy for it. As updates come in, they will be shown here. Below are a few photos to whet your wistle.

Below are some additional images of Andy, his wife, and the first trike, in no particular order. Some of the photos show Andy’s Sprint prior to the high customization that it now has, for instance, with a milk crate. Following is also some explanatory text from Andy about his background and what you will be viewing below. This is a man possessed with an incredible project:

FROM ANDY:

I wish I had some cool camping pics for you but I only started riding at the end of last summer 2013. My wife and I have ridden most of the Lebanon Valley Rail trail in Lebanon, Pa. That is only about 20 mins from our house. That’s about 30 miles round trip. We have also ridden the rail trail in Jim Thorpe, Pa. I believe that was 45 miles that day and the Heritage rail trail that goes from York, Pa to the Mason Dixon line. I hope to do much more then that in the coming spring and summer. God willing and the creek don’t rise that is.

I’m not sure if we will do the camping thing or not. A lot of people ask me why I put all this stuff on my trike and where am I going that I need all this storage. Really I just started adding things on because I thought it looked cool. I never thought it was going to get the attention it did. I mean since trikes have been around for a long time I would never think I was the first to do this. You can see in one of the pics that I put a milk crate on the back. I realized pretty quick that I needed a place to put stuff. As the temps fell we had to wear layers and of course as we rode we needed to peel off layers and put it in the milk crate.

Well I got the idea of a trunk and started searching ebay for scooter trunks. I found this one brand new for 25 bucks and free shipping. Well I thought that was cheap so I got it and one thing led to another. I started looking motorcycle stuff. I found fancy bar ends that would fit any 7/8 bar. I found motorcycle bar end mirrors and while searching through those I found mounts to mount any motorcycle mirror on to a 7/8 handlebar. The choices are endless. Well I searched ebay for lights, horns, bell and you name it. I just searched motorcycle parts just to see what might work on my trike. I can tell you the hard saddlebags were a real project making the mounts. And actually the mounts were not that tough to make as it was to level the trike and set the saddlebags in place and hold them in place to make a mount that would work. It’s a little scary drilling that first hole hoping my thinking was right and I’m going to drill into my saddlebags and my rack frame.

I love doing this stuff. And now that I know there is probably not another one on the planet like this, that makes it cooler yet. I was asked what I named my trike and that a lot of people do that. So I put the question out on all the recumbent groups I have joined on facebook. A guy came up with AV3W version 1.0 I got a lot of suggestions and I liked that one so I changed it a little and went with AVRT 2.3 (andrew vardzik recumbent trike, version 2.3) So I thanked Gary Maynard for the idea and next thing I know he sends me a logo that he made. I thought that was so cool and I’m going to use it for my official logo.Next Saturday my wife and I are going to State College, Pa to RBR’s recumbent shop to pick up her new trike. She wanted the Performer Trike X. We bought it last sat. but because I wasn’t really planning to buy one we took the car. They (RBR) wanted to go over it and make sure it was perfect so I will take my truck next Saturday and pick it up. We will see what we come up with on her trike.

More to come …