Overweight People & ETrikes: What Heavy Riders NEED To Know Before Buying an Electric Trike

What overweight people should know about buying an electric trike. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. Today we're going to talk about what overweight people should know about buying an electric trike. Right here I've got two of our electric trikes, our Easy transit 750 watt and our Simple Glide 750 watt fat tire. All right, I have done hundreds of test rides with overweight riders. I am overweight, I'm 230 pounds, and I've gone on test rides with riders, male and female, from 200 pounds up to 450 pounds. There are a lot of takeaways and learnings I've had, and suggestions I have for anyone who is overweight looking to purchase an e-trike. Now, there's a difference between riders who are in the 200 to 300 and 300 to 400 categories. Also, your height has a big impact on it. But I'm going to give general things that I've seen and suggestions, and also what kind of e-trike I think you should look for if you are an overweight rider.

Okay, number one. In my experience, from all the overweight riders I've seen who are choosing an e-trike, the mounting and dismounting can sometimes be challenging to get on and off. One of the things I notice is that if it is challenging, it becomes very discouraging for them to even want to ride. So the minute I can get them onto a trike where it's easy, comfortable, and fits their body, it makes the whole experience that much different. Because for a lot of them, let's take the Easy Transit as an example, when they get on it, for our overweight riders or heavier riders, when they get on, No problem, right? But if it becomes too strenuous to get on, that's when it's not even worth it, right? Also, the getting off portion is another piece of it because whether it's getting your leg over the frame or getting down off of it, it feels unsafe for a lot of them. So, you want to make sure you have something with a low step over and something where you can get on and off the seat height easily, because if you have a fear of getting on and off, you're never going to use it.

That's why many riders like the Simple Glide, it has a very low step-over. Also, you can sit down and slide in, and you feel very safe and secure. You can see the difference between these two e-trikes. The Easy Transit it's a little more compact and upright. The Simple Glide is more of a recumbent with a stretched-out frame and lower center of gravity. So when you sit here, you feel more stable, safer. There's also less risk of tipping, and when you are seated, you have these armrests here that keep the rider contained within the seat, so there's no slipping or sliding off the seat at all. I've noticed that as well. When you're an overweight rider, the seat, your body are going to have a lot of area that's not on the seat itself. And what I've seen is that if you get your body weight going in one direction, there is the possibility of falling off the seat. Now, you can get wider seats. We offer a seat that's 17 inches wide. That's not going to make it as safe or comfortable as a seat like the Simple Glide. Now, it could help, but I've also seen with some of our heavier riders, a bigger seat doesn't necessarily always mean more comfort, because sometimes the bigger seats are a little more difficult to get on and off. 

With the smaller seat, there's less surface area that your bottom has to slide onto. So the mounting and dismounting on the smaller seat could be easier, but the comfort may be more difficult. So, just things to consider as you are looking for an e-trike. Now, the other thing is the power, right? So if you're a rider above 300 pounds, three to 400 pounds, technically, e-bikes in most states cannot have motors larger than 750 watts for it still to be considered an e-bike. One thing to know is that if you are getting an electric trike and you are someone who's over 300 pounds, you're not going to be zipping up hills. So you have to consider what kind of hills you're going to take on, what the incline is like. On flat ground, the weight won't be much of an issue. Again, you can get a max of 750 watts. Some states do allow 1,000 watts. If you are planning on climbing major hills and you're a heavy individual, opt for nothing less than 750.

 If your state does allow it, you could look into a 1,000-watt. Now, if you're going to ride on flat ground, a 500-watt or 750-watt motor will be just fine for heavier riders. Now, the other thing to think about is that the weight will also impact the range the battery can provide. So if you're using the highest level of assistance and you're a heavier rider, over 300 pounds, you're going to drain that battery quicker. Somebody 200 pounds versus 150 is going to drain the battery quicker as well. So the Simple Glide comes with a 15-amp-hour battery. The Easy Transit comes with a 10.4-amp-hour battery. So again, think about the type of riding you're going to do. If you increase the battery size, you are going to increase the cost. So, just something to consider as well. Now, in addition to that, if you are an overweight rider, a lot of people like the fatter tires. And it is something that I like as well, because with the fatter tires, you are absorbing the shock. The tires are absorbing more of the pressure, less strain on the spokes. And you're gonna have a better tire to support your weight, especially if you are 325 and above.

I would recommend a thicker tire. Now these are 2.125 inches. You can also get a three-inch, which is four inches. Now, if you're closer to 400 pounds, I would opt for a four-inch tire; it's going to be more stable for you, last longer, and, like I said, take more pressure off the spokes, things like that. On the 2.125-inch tires, over time. If you're 350 pounds or 325 pounds, it is going to wear these tires down and put a lot of pressure on the spokes. So this is one reason why a lot of manufacturers don't rate their trikes for over 300 pounds, particularly the tires, the spokes, and then a lot of times the seat. So that's another thing to consider as well. You can see on the simple glide, we have an actual platform built here to support the seat. This is why riders up to 400 pounds could sit on this, no problem. Whereas a seat like this, someone 350 pounds over time is gonna break these springs. So that's a big thing that tends to break when you have heavier riders. So again, talking about being overweight, you know, you could be 10 pounds overweight, you could be 150 pounds overweight, you could be 250 pounds or 350 pounds. You can opt for a trike like this, It just depends on how heavy you are, what type of riding you're going to do.

Somebody over 300 pounds may like the Simple Glide with the fat tires better. We've sold both to riders up to 300 pounds and about 315 for the EZ Transit, and riders up to 400 pounds have ridden and enjoyed the Simple Glide fat tire. So I hope that helps. If you have any other topics, comments, or if you're an overweight rider and you have suggestions or thoughts on what kind of e-trike is best, please reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. In addition to that, we offer a 30-day test ride of your e-trike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Also, if you want to come for a test ride, we are located at 1046 Calle Rocoto, in San Clemente, California, Unit K. You can come, test out all of our e-trikes and e-bikes before you purchase. And we are also gonna warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of it, parts, and labor. Lastly, be a part of our community. We have a Facebook group called 630 Pedalers. There are thousands of members in the group. Join the group before you purchase to 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. Don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.