E-Bikes & Bikes Customised to You
All right. E-tricycle safety commission. I'm asking you to join me in learning about the dangers of riding an e-tricycle. Peter Kaltreider, Sixthreezero. So you may think that a tricycle is safer than a bicycle, and here's why. This is a bicycle. I'll take off the kickstand, and then I'm going to walk away. Oh, a bicycle left to its own will fall down. That's just it, gravity. It takes a human being to keep it going and make it stay up. But on a tricycle, I can do whatever I want and it stays up. So it has three points, just like a bar stool, three points of support, and so very stable. However, there's one thing, turning on a tricycle is probably can be more dangerous than on a bicycle.
So e-bikes safety commission, let's mount up. Nate's going to hop on this puppy. And I'm going to show you what happens if you take a corner too hard. Let's go. So here I am. I'm riding without any electric power. Okay? There's really only so fast you're going to be able to get with zero assists. Here, we are going about max speed. I'm actually going to shift down a little bit to get easier gear. And then when I turn, there's really not much to it because I'm not going very fast. However, if you want to go ahead and put on the pedal assist, you're going to have more power obviously, so you can go a lot faster. Okay?
Now, one thing you need to look for is when you try to take a turn, one of the wheels, the inside wheel can lift off of the ground. See? Like this. That's a dangerous situation, especially if you're on an off-camber road. So be very careful if you are using power on your e-trike. You can get going so fast that one of the wheels will lift up and it can toss you. So slow down for those curves, get used to the tricycle, and how fast you can ride it. Also, the roads you are... This road is actually slanted a little bit. So taking a curve in the wrong direction could cause you to slip and fall. So just remember that with an e-trike you have a lot of power and it's going to go fast. So when you take that curve, you need to be aware that it can lift up like this and throw you. That's just how it is with tricycles.
So my best advice to you is don't be scared of it. It's great to be able to ride that fast. Just get used to it, get your feet wet a little bit, and give yourself a week or so to understand how fast you can take a curve. And then obviously, adjust your speed accordingly as you get out there in the wide world. Have a great time. I truly hope that that was helpful for you. If you liked it, please do like it and hit subscribe. It helps grow our channel. And if you need any help at all, please contact us. You can call us at (310) 982-2877 or email us at theteam@sixthreezero.com. Remember, Sixthreezero is spelled out, S-I-X-T-H-R-E-E-Z-E-R-O. Theteam@sixthreezero.com. Thanks.
Are Electric Trikes Actually Safe?
Short answer: yes — electric trikes are generally safer than two-wheel bikes and e-bikes for most riders, mainly because they don't require balance to stay upright at a stop. But "safe" doesn't mean "risk-free," and the video above shows exactly where that risk shows up: cornering.
The three-wheel design removes the most common cause of bike falls — losing balance while starting, stopping, or riding slowly. That's a real, meaningful safety advantage, especially for anyone who feels unsteady on two wheels. But a trike introduces a different kind of risk that two-wheelers don't have: because the frame can't lean into a turn, taking a corner too fast can lift the inside wheel off the ground, which is exactly what's demonstrated above.
So is an electric trike safe to ride? Yes, for the vast majority of riders, once you understand this one key difference and ride accordingly.
How Stable Is an Electric Trike at Top Speed?
Stability on a trike isn't about speed in a straight line — it's about speed through a turn. Riding fast on a straight, flat road is not where trikes run into trouble; nearly all e-trike tipping incidents happen while cornering at higher speeds, exactly as shown in the video above.
A few factors affect how stable a trike feels at speed:
- Wheelbase and width — a wider stance and longer wheelbase resist tipping more than a narrow, short one.
- Center of gravity — lower seating (like a recumbent trike) stays stable at higher cornering speeds than a taller, upright design.
- Road camber — an off-camber or sloped road reduces your safety margin in a turn, even at a speed that would otherwise feel fine.
- Rider weight distribution — leaning toward the outside of a turn, as shown in the video, helps keep all three wheels planted.
In a straight line, a well-built electric trike is stable well past the speeds most riders will actually use. The real variable to manage is cornering speed, not top speed.
Are Electric Tricycles Safer Than E-Bikes?
This depends on what kind of risk you're comparing.
Two-wheel e-bikes require constant balance — most falls happen at low speed, at stops, or when starting off, because that's when balance is hardest to maintain. Electric trikes eliminate that risk entirely: you can stop, sit, and start again without ever needing to balance the frame.
In exchange, trikes introduce the cornering risk described above, which two-wheelers don't have in the same way — a leaning bike naturally adjusts to a turn, while a trike's rigid frame doesn't lean at all.
In practice, this makes electric trikes the safer choice for riders who struggle with balance, have limited mobility, or are returning to riding after time away — which is the majority of e-trike buyers. For confident, experienced cyclists, the trade-off is closer to even: less fall risk overall, but a genuine need to unlearn the instinct to take turns the way you would on two wheels.
Riding Safely, in Short
- Slow down before a turn, not during it — accelerate once you're through
- Give yourself a week or two of easy riding to get a feel for your specific trike before pushing your cornering speed
- Pay extra attention on sloped or off-camber roads
- Lean your body weight toward the outside of a turn, as demonstrated above