The Surprising Truth About Riding an EBike with Osteoarthritis: Can You Ride an EBike with Arthritis

Can someone with osteoarthritis ride an e-bike? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry, and today we're gonna answer the question, can someone with osteoarthritis ride an e-bike? Right here I've got a Simple Glide Recumbent e-trike, a Simple step-through 26-inch e-trike, and an e-bike that is actually great for riders with osteoarthritis. Now, we just answered the question, can someone with osteoarthritis ride an e-bike? Of course, the answer is yes. I've done hundreds of test rides with riders battling rheumatoid arthritis and also osteoarthritis. Depending on the severity and how long they've been dealing with it, it inhibits some people's ability to ride an e-bike. Not necessarily an e-trike, but it also has limitations for an e-trike. Now, it depends on where you are riding. Uh, struggling with your osteoarthritis. Is it in your hips, your knees? Um, is it in your feet or your toes, your shoulders, your wrists? You know, so you name it, it depends on where it is. Now, the beauty of e-bikes is that there are electric trikes. Now I know a lot of riders want to try to believe still that they can do two-wheel bikes, but if you have osteoarthritis so bad that your knees hurt so much and you struggle to power a two-wheel bike even with assistance, then a three-wheel e-bike is actually a better option. The reason why e-bikes are so great for somebody with osteoarthritis is that you can have the motor assist you while you pedal. So if you have it bad in your hips or your knees and you're challenged with getting your legs going and you feel pain, if you allow the assistance to help keep your knees moving, you may find that an e-bike is much better for you than a two-wheel, or sorry than a regular bike, because by utilizing the assistance, you can remove or increase the resistance on your knees.

So if you have a lot of pain, turn the resist, turn, not the resistance, turn the assistance way up so the bike is doing more of the work, and it'll at least keep your knee moving. On a two-wheel bike, if you have a lot of pain in your knees, you might not be able to even turn those pedals and keep them upright because you just don't have the ability with the pain in your knees. Now the other thing too is you can get a recumbent style where you're pedaling out in front of your body. If you can't bend your knee a lot or you have pain when you bend it, maybe you want to get it out in front of you. Same with your hips. The other thing is too if you have it in your shoulders or elbows or wrists, you can find the right riding position, and this is true of standard bikes as well. That'll be right for your wrists or hands or whatever it may be. Now, a lot of e-bikes do come with throttles, and I know there's been a lot of concern about some people who have arthritis either in their fingers or in their hands, and they may not be able to utilize the throttle. Well, there are two different types of throttles. There's a twist throttle or a thumb throttle. So ,depending on the mobility you have in your thumbs and hands and the dexterity, you could opt for either one of those that work. If those don't work for you, you can still utilize the assistance of the motor by pedaling. So you don't have to use the throttle. You can have it assist you when you pedal. We've got other videos on our YouTube channel with other riders who are dealing with osteoarthritis, and you'll see how e-bikes have been great for them.

We've also seen lots of testimonials and things like that. Now, the one thing I'll say about choosing an e-bike, if you are battling arthritis, and maybe you can't lift your leg as high as you used to. I've seen that a lot with people who have had hip surgery or knee surgery. You want to make sure you get a very low-step-through frame, something that is very easy to mount and dismount like this. So you don't have to bring your leg way up. And I've seen it countless times. Again, if it's arthritis in the knees or the hips, and the foot just won't come up as high as it used to, you want something as low as possible. The Simple step through right here, our 26-inch version is an 11-inch step over, and the 20-inch is a 9-inch step over. That's the lowest you're going to find of any e-bike. Now, if it's even too much for you to do this on a two-wheel bike, something like a simple step-through where you can lift the armrest and slide onto the seat and then bring your legs over is an even better option. So, mounting and dismounting is easy for you. I've seen this also countless times, where when the mounting and dismounting of the e-bike ride becomes the most stressful point for somebody, it becomes unmotivating to wanna get on and off the e-bike. So, for someone with osteoarthritis, it's no problem to ride an e-bike; you just have to find the right frame and style that will accommodate you. And then once you get the hang of it, it's gonna be a dream because you'll be able to keep your body moving, you'll be able to decide how much work you do or don't do.

Honestly, you won't have to be the victim of arthritis because now you'll have this mobility device that can assist you when you want to, or don't have it to assist you if you don't want to. And if you can use the throttle, you can zip around without pedaling. So it's a great way to stay outdoors, still be active and feel like you're not limited to just being at home and not getting out outside and doing the things that you once did so if you have arthritis or you just have a comment or question, you can always reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us 310-982-2877 in addition to that we have a 30-day test ride 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 warrant 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. It's called Sixthreezero 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 our leaderboard. It's a lot of fun. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.