SENIORS! Why 2" on An EBike Make All the Difference? The Shocking Truth About EBikes for Seniors

Why two inches can make all the difference for seniors choosing an e-bike, find out why. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today, I'm going to explain to you why two inches can make all the difference in the world to seniors choosing an e-bike. All right, I've got three e-bikes here that are all good options for seniors or great options. The Simple Step-Thru 26 inches, Simple Step-Thru 20 inches, and the Zip and Fold 750 watt. Both of these are 500 watts. All right, I've been... Making a lot of videos for e-bikes for seniors over the age of 60. And I've also done a lot of test rides here in San Clemente for riders between the ages of 60 to 90. One thing that I commonly find with those riders is mounting and dismounting, which can either be easy or can sometimes be difficult and a struggle. And what I've noticed is that the low step-through frame is usually the best option for many riders over the age of 60. Something that is very low to the ground and allows the foot to pass through the frame so you can get on and off easily. Now, why is the title two inches makes all the difference? It's because when I see a lot of riders get on, this two inches of height through the step-through can mean the difference between getting their foot through the frame or not getting their foot through the frame and riding. And what I find to be the reason I decided to design e-bikes with very low step-throughs. I saw many riders who were physically capable of riding an e-bike, but they maybe just couldn't lift their foot to get on the frame. There are a lot of great e-bikes out there, but the frame is just a little bit too high, and a lot of the time, this is a 9-inches step over.

If that step over was 11 inches for many riders, that would mean the difference of not being able to pass their foot through. Now, it may seem unrealistic that I'm saying that, but it is true. I see oftentimes somebody's toe will get hung up on the bar, and they just can't get it through, or they can. And they get it through, but it takes an awful lot of effort and exertion just to get their foot or leg over the bar. Honestly, if this is something you're experiencing, you're not alone. There are many, many riders, not just senior riders, but other riders that have the same kind of situation, either because of knee surgery, hip surgery, or just general arthritis or whatever it may be. So... This is why we've offered a couple of different options. Our simple step-thru 20 inches, as I said, has a 9-inch step-over, which is just about, if not the lowest step-over height you can make for any frame e-bike or not, because you still need clearance here between the bottom of the frame and the ground. And if you are going to have a derailleur like we do, this is seven speeds on this e-bike. Again, the bike can't be... You know, the frame can't be on the ground, and you don't want to scrape it if you're going over curbs and things like that. Then, moving up here, we have another option, which is our 26-inch, which has about an 11-inch step-over. Now, and believe it or not, I've had riders that can ride this e-bike and get their foot through, but ride this one, and they cannot get their foot over. So, 2 inches can be the difference between a rider being able to mount and dismount easily and being able to get on the e-bike. So, one thing if you want to try to practice at home, honestly, is put a tape measure and see how far how high you can get your foot off the ground.

Now, another thing I want to point out with this 20-inch model is there's a misconception, I think, about 20-inch e-bikes, which is that, oh, they're smaller and they're easier to rot or easier to get on and off. That is not always true. You can see here that the step-over height of this frame is 16 and a half inches. So that is 7 and a half inches higher than the simple step-thru with also having 20-inch wheels. So, if you're in the market and you're looking at 20-inch e-bikes, pay attention to this middle bar. I'm going to tell you that for most of the e-bike companies that have the fatter tires on their 20-inch models, the step-over height is not very low. And a lot of them have this thicker frame and folding capability. So even if it's lower, it's never going to be as low as the 9-inch step-over height on this 20-inch right here. So it is very, very important for you to pay attention to your body and what you're capable of. And just remember that a 2-inch difference in the frame could make all the difference. So if you're looking at an e-bike with an 11-inch step over or a 13-inch step over, be sure that you can get your foot up that high easily because what I've also seen with the many test rides I do is for somebody that struggles to get their foot over, it demoralizes them from the whole experience. My goal was to make the mounting and dismounting easy to not demotivate you even before you get on the e-bike and think you can't do it because the reality is that lifting your foot over doesn't mean that you can't ride an e-bike. So, if we can eliminate that barrier, make it easy to get on. I'm hoping more people can get out there and experience electric bikes.

So, if you have any other questions at all, reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. Don't forget all three of these e-bikes We also offer a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy if you don't love it in the first 30 days. Send it back. No questions asked. No money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we're going to warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of its parts and labor. And lastly, be a part of our community. We have a Facebook group called sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members there. Talk to existing riders before you purchase to make sure you're making the right choice. And when you have yours, post in the group and make friends. And finally, download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. It's a lot of fun. So, thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.