An ice cream bicycle is a combination chest freezer and bicycle. Including such accoutrements as an umbrella and jingle bells, the ice cream bicycle utilizes a three-wheel design to create a stable platform for the operator to serve patrons. Three basic styles of freezer are available for the ice cream bicycle: household electric freezer, battery-operated and frozen ice box.
The bicycle is able to function equally well as an advertising device for a local ice cream parlor or as a standalone business. Many versions of the ice cream bicycle offer a large umbrella to shade both the operator and the customers while the ice cream is being sold and served. The operator can ring bells positioned on the handle bars of the ice cream bicycle, which function to alert prospective patrons of the location where the ice cream filled freezer is stationed. The tricycle design of the cycle allows the bike to ride smoothly across the boardwalk and on a sidewalk or parking area.
Offered as both a single and multi-speed bicycle, the rolling ice cream vending machine can be operated from both a permanently identified operating location or as a completely mobile ice cream operation. Many of the mobile ice cream bikes use dry ice to maintain the cold temperature of the freezer's contents. Most designs are able to maintain the proper conditions for as many as 12 hours once the correct measure of dry ice has been placed into the freezer unit. Frozen treats other than ice cream are commonly transported and sold from a common source. Flavored ice, frozen fruit juices and cold water are all typical items found in a freezer box of an ice cream bicycle.
Safety features, such as parking brakes, reflective tape and optional lighting systems, are available for the ice cream bicycle. Some of the bicycles provide a sanitation station for customers to wash their hands before and after enjoying a cold treat. Optional music systems can be placed onto the bicycle, allowing ice cream truck-type music to assist the jingle bells on the handlebars in calling customers to the bicycle as it travels through certain neighborhoods. The large, flat sides of the freezer component of the bicycle make it possible to paint elaborate and occasionally seasonal decorative murals on the sides. In some areas, special permits and licensing are required and these can also be displayed on the flat sides.