Knee Replacement Surgery & Electric Bikes: The Hardest Part of Riding an EBike Post Surgery

The hardest part about riding an e-bike after knee replacement surgery is? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. Today I'm gonna tell you the hardest part about riding an e-bike if you've had knee replacement surgery. I've got four e-bikes right here, all of which are actually great for someone who's had knee replacement surgery. It's a Simple step-through 26 inches, EVRYjourney, Relaxed body, and a Simple step-through 20 inches. All right. I've done a lot of test rides with riders who have had either one knee replacement or two knee replacements. And quite honestly, I'm seeing a lot of double knee replacement riders out there over the age of 60. Now, for many of the people that I've seen, once they get that knee replacement, they breathe a lot of life back into them, still able to be mobile and get out. But the one thing I see with many of them is that they don't ultimately have the kind of flexibility in their knee that they once had. Right. So it may bend about this much, but you can't get it up here.

Now, if you have one knee, you still have mobility in the other knee. But if you have double knee replacement and both knees can't lift like this, that can create some challenges when you talk about riding a bicycle or an electric bicycle. The one thing I see with many of the riders who have the knee replacement is that they want to be able to get good leg extension, right? Because it feels worse if your knee is super cramped or if you don't have that mobility, you need your knee to be out and be more extended. So there are two things to I really, I've seen or I find to be important to somebody that's had a knee replacement surgery. The number one is the step-over height of the particular e-bike. For somebody who's had a knee replacement, getting your leg up to a certain point to get on and off a bike can be challenging, and I see many people where they get their foot up, maybe their foot gets caught here, or you know, it's just they get it here and then they have to drag it over. So depends on your physical ability, but that's just something I see commonly. So many riders want a very low foot. 

Step through height, that's going to make it less stressful and easier to get on and off. What I also find is that if getting on and off the bike or e-bike is challenging, many riders just want to give up, right? It's like it's too stressful to worry about having to get onto the bike, let alone riding the actual e-bike itself. So it's just like anything else, right? If it's too difficult to go somewhere or get somewhere, it's like you might want to do it. But if it's too much travel, is a pain, you don't want to do it right. So what I see is if the getting on and off is too challenging, then all of a sudden they don't want to ride the e-bike or bike. So, if you are someone who has had a knee replacement or double knee replacement, look for something with a very low step-through. This 20-inch simple step-through e-bike has the lowest step-through of a two-wheel e-bike I've seen at 9 inches, and this is a true step-through in the sense that you just have to lift your foot and put it through the frame, and on the other side here, the 26-inch version, this has an 11-inch step-over height, and again, is a true step-through frame where you can step through. Now, the Relaxed body here, this is also a step through, but this is a little bit higher at 16 and a half inches, but I'll explain to you why this one is so good in a minute.

Then this journey here is about 19 inches, so again, it depends on the mobility that you have in your knee and what you're physically capable of with getting your foot on and off. Find the step-through height that's going to work for you so you don't get demoralized pre-ride. Also, if you've been looking for an e-bike and you couldn't find something, hopefully, we've got some good options here that could accommodate you, so you can give electric bikes a try. Because if you are somebody who has had a knee replacement, There are probably some things you can't do anymore, right? Maybe running, things like that. So, if you were somebody who did a lot of running and now you want to move into cycling for the low-impact aspect, e-bikes are great because they can actually assist you if you want them. So if you don't have full strength back in your leg, it's a good rehabilitation activity, or if you just don't have the kind of strength you once had, you can always use the pedal assist while you are riding your electric bike. All right. So, now let me get into the other thing I find, which is that many people with knee replacement don't want their legs to be cramped, right? Now, on an upright bike, the way to not have your leg cramped is by raising the seat.

Now, if you raise the seat, all of a sudden you're up really high, and you have to be on your tippy toes to get the leg extension you need. I find that many people don't wanna be up that high. It makes them feel unstable, right? So then the next feature that you'd want to look for is a forward-pedaling design. If you take a look at something here, like the Relaxed body, this has a very extreme forward pedal design at 14 inches. What I mean by that is that typically, the pedals are directly below the seat. In this case, they've moved forward 14 inches. Now, what that does is it allows riders to get great leg extension without having to raise the seat to extreme levels. So you can still get your feet nice and flat on the ground when stopped, but get that leg extension when riding. So again, if you're somebody who has had knee surgery and your leg just can't bend, this is a great option, as is the EVRYjourney as well. Now, this is moved forward about 9 inches, so a little less than the Relaxed Body, but the same principle. The seat doesn't have to go as high as a standard bike to get that leg extension because the pedals are moved out in front. Now, the Simple step-through only has a four-inch forward pedaling design, but it still has some. And the 20-inch has even less at about. Let's take a look here. It's about four inches as well. So the 20-inch and 26-inch.

So you're moving up in the forward pedaling when you've got the simple step through at four inches forward pedaling, the EVRYjourney at 9, and the Relaxed body at 14. So you combine the low step-through with that great forward pedaling to create a great e-bike for somebody who's had a knee replacement or a double knee replacement, because you can get on and off easily. You can get a nice leg extension, and your legs are not cramped, and you'll enjoy the ride so much more. So You've got four different options here. All provide a different combination. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982 2877. Don't forget, we offer a 30-day test ride of your e-bike policy. If you don't love your e-bike in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of it parts and labor. And lastly, join our Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members in the group. Join before you purchase and talk to existing riders to ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and finally download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So, thank you for sticking around. And don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.