Why Don't Bike Stores Carry More Adult Tricycles & ETrikes? The Secret to Shopping for a Trike

Why don't bike stores carry more E-trikes and tricycles? 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 answer the question, why don't bike stores carry more electric trikes and regular tricycles?

All right. So, let's say you are shopping for a trike, a three-wheel E-bike, or an adult tricycle, and you visit a lot of bike shops, and maybe you're not finding the selection that you hoped you would find. A lot of bike stores don't carry electric trikes or tricycles at all. There are specialty stores out there that carry tricycles and electric trikes. However, they're really few and far between, or you may find a bike shop here and there, again, that has more specialty products like E-trikes or regular adult tricycles.

I call a tricycle a specialty product because it's different from a two-wheel bike, which is the specialty of bike stores. Bike stores are focused on two-wheel bicycles, mainly that is because there are a lot of customers for that specific product category. And within the product category of two-wheel bikes, you've got a whole slew of different models and customer types. You've got mountain bike riders, road bike riders, you've got cruisers, you've got hybrids, you've got city bikes just to name a few.

So, when you talk about a bike shop stocking enough inventory just to facilitate two-wheel bike customers, you're talking about a lot of inventory already. And I didn't even discuss the different sizes, the different components. Kind of like cars, your bike could have trim levels. And for road bikes and mountain bikes in particular, there are lots of different sizes. So, it starts to increase the amount of inventory that bike stores need to carry. And for a lot of bike stores, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory on their floor at any given moment just to ensure that they have the necessary bikes to sell to the customers that walk in.

So, catering to a whole other segment of customers in the three-wheel category can become a challenge on the inventory level for these stores. Now, in addition to the actual dollar amount in carrying the inventory, it's a space thing as well. Now, you think about with these two E-trikes back here, they're going to be taking up about two to four times the amount of space that a singular two-wheel bike would take up. You see right here on our electric rickshaw with the seat in the back, the width is about the space of two to three bikes that this could take up in a bike shop.

So, if you're a bike shop owner and you're calculating in your head, and your customer is specifically a two-wheel bike customer, you're thinking, man, I could either have one tricycle or two to three regular bikes in here. In addition to that, a lot of bike shops are going to have racks. They're going to use the vertical space to store as many bikes as possible. Putting a tricycle or an E-trike on a rack is going to be a challenge. You'd need to have a specific type of rack to get that up. And again, it's something that a lot of bike shop owners just don't want to deal with. And they may bring in one or two trikes throughout the year and they find that they just don't sell them fast enough, and they can get a quicker turnover with a standard mountain bike.

So, I would say typically for an average bike store, a tricycle is going to turn over much slower than, say, your average mountain or road bike or cruiser bike. And so, even though they could make more money on a single sale of a trike or an E-trike, they're better at turning over a regular bike more times, maybe three to one what you would with a tricycle or even four to one. You sell four mountain bikes to one tricycle and at the end of the day, it's going to mean more sales dollars by turning one specific product quicker than how long it takes you to sell that one tricycle.

Now, at Sixthreezero, we cater to that three-wheel E-bike customer. We have a huge selection online, and that's why we like to offer them on our website and do different models because we know it can be challenging to find adult tricycles out there in the marketplace. But we realize there's a huge customer base, and it's a great product option for many riders who don't want to ride on a two-wheel bike.

Tricycles Are A Specialty Product

Most electric tricycle shops focus on 2-wheel bikes (Like Road Bikes Or Mountain Bikes) as they are in high demand. These shops usually keep a wide variety of these bikes but three-wheel bikes are less common. Since the demand is smaller, bike shops often do not have much space for tricycles. It is more practical for them to focus on the larger selection of 2-wheel bikes that more people need and want.

Space And Inventory Limitations

The stores of e-trikes electric tricycles​ already have a lot of bikes to stock, with many sizes, styles, and parts to consider. Adding electric trikes or adult tricycles takes up more space. An E-trike is much bigger, about 2 to 4 times the size of a regular bike. Since space is less, bike shop owners must choose between using space for tricycles, which do not sell as fast, or sticking with popular 2-wheel bikes. Additionally, riders cannot store tricycles and E-trikes on regular bike tracks. Thus, it makes it harder for shops to organize their spaces. Hence, this adds to the challenge of managing inventory.

Slower Sales For Trikes

The stores of an electric tricycle for adults​ can make a good profit from selling tricycles. But they do not sell as fast as regular bikes. Due to this reason, bike shops prefer to focus on products that sell faster. Even though a tricycle brings in more money with each scale, it takes longer to sell. This means that the stores can sell fewer tricycles in the same amount of time. This is why several bike shops choose to focus on bikes that sell more often.

Limited Selection In Stores

Due to slower sales and space limits, many shops don't carry an adult electric tricycle bike. Some specialty shops do sell them, but they are rare and often a small selection. At sixthreezero, we know it can be hard to find the right electric tricycle bike in local stores. That is why we offer a wide range of tricycles and e-trikes online. Whether you want a simple trike for casual rides or a powerful electric one, we have options for customers looking for these special bikes.

Our Solution: Online Shopping And 30-Day Test Ride

If you want to buy an adult electric tricycle​ but are not sure where to start, Sixthreezero can help. We offer a simple online quiz to find the best trike for your size and riding needs. After choosing, you can try our trike at your home with our 30-day test ride policy. If it is not a perfect fit, you can return it with no questions asked. We also provide a one-year warranty on every bike, so if anything goes wrong, we will fix it for you. This way, you will be able to enjoy your new trike with peace of mind.

Have questions or need more information about our electric tricycles​? Contact us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call (310) 982-2877. We are here to help you find the perfect trike for your journey.

So, that sums up why bike stores don't carry E-trikes or tricycles. If you have any comments, please email us, at theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us at (310) 9822877. Also, if you're in the market for a trike or an E-trike, and don't know what you're looking for, take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website at sixthreezero.com. Enter some information about your body and your life, and we'll recommend the perfect trike or E-trike for you.

In addition to that, we have a 30-day test ride your trike policy. So, you can test ride at home, and see how you like it. And if you don't love it, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we're going to warranty everything for up to a year on the bike. If anything goes wrong, we'll take care of it in the first year to ensure you can continue riding.

Lastly, join our Facebook group, the Sixthreezero Pedalers, and then you can also download our app. In the group, you can talk to existing customers about their trikes before you purchase, so you can get comfortable jumping into owning your trike. Then once you have it, post it in the group, and make friends, it's tons of fun. And track your rides on the app and compete on the leaderboard.

Thank you. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience, enjoy the ride.