Why We Put Two eTrikes on the Same Hill
Hills are where electric trikes earn their keep, and they are also where the differences between models stop being abstract. On flat pavement, almost any well-built electric trike feels capable. Point it up a real grade with a full-size adult on board, and you find out very quickly whether the motor has enough in reserve or whether it is working at the edge of what it can do.
That is the question Dustin, who has spent about 20 years in the bike and ebike business, set out to answer on camera. He took two versions of the same sixthreezero fat tire eTrike, one with a single motor and one with two, rode them up the same hill, and paid attention to the things a rider actually feels: how fast the trike climbs, how much effort it takes, how it behaves when you start from a stop on the slope, and what happens when the battery runs low.
Dustin weighs 240 pounds, which matters a lot here. Plenty of riders shopping for an electric tricycle are well over 200 pounds, and those riders are often told, vaguely, that they may need to pedal on hills. That advice is not wrong, but it is not very useful either. How much pedaling? On what kind of hill? Does a second motor change the answer? This test gives a concrete, real-world look at those questions.
What follows is a full walkthrough of the ride: the two trikes, the numbers from each climb, the surprise ending to the single-motor run, and what the dual motor changed. We will also cover the practical lessons that apply to anyone riding an eTrike in hilly country, whichever model they end up choosing.
One note before we start. This was not a lab test with a dynamometer and a controlled slope. It was a real ride on a real road with traffic, a cameraman trying to keep up, and the kind of conditions you would face on your own street. That makes the results less precise than a spec sheet, but in our experience it also makes them more honest about what you will feel when you ride.
","id":"d61fa4d3-6ae1-41f5-88e7-4e7edb6876cc"},{"layoutId":"bike-listing","variants":{},"bikes":[{"id":"406f6378-48aa-4f12-bf63-fe2200c3d14c","value":{"entry":{"entryId":"6VWkXowyY8xQE2C3aXaZ1u"}}},{"id":"5b4b5e29-0d4f-4a8a-b4bf-864613a6b6cb","value":{"entry":{"entryId":"6zdHIM4RMvRtDRzJrd87N1"}}}],"id":"3ca1fc36-3907-46e8-bad0-332223793019"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Meet the Two Trikes","body":"Both trikes in this test belong to the same family: sixthreezero's Simple Glide fat tire electric trike. They share the same relaxed, upright riding position, the same wide tires, a twist throttle, and a seven-speed drivetrain. If you sat on one and then the other with your eyes closed, the cockpit would feel familiar. The differences are underneath you and behind you.
The single motor version uses one 750-watt motor mounted at the rear and a single 15 amp-hour battery. The unit Dustin rode for the test was equipped with mechanical disc brakes, though there is also a single motor version that comes with hydraulic brakes. By Dustin's estimate, the trike weighs around 100 pounds.
The dual motor version keeps the 750-watt rear motor and adds a second 750-watt hub motor in the front wheel. To feed both, it carries two 15 amp-hour batteries for a total of 30 amp-hours. It also adds rear suspension, a rear basket, and hydraulic disc brakes, and it offers three ride modes: eco, normal, and power.
Both trikes are built to have a reverse function, which is a genuinely useful feature on a three-wheeler when you are backing out of a parking spot or a tight garage. The dual motor sample used in this video happened to be a pre-production unit without reverse, but production versions include it. If backing up matters to you, sixthreezero keeps a full lineup of eTrikes with a reverse gear.
On flat ground, the two trikes top out at the same speed on throttle alone: about 20 miles per hour. That is worth keeping in mind, because it means a second motor is not mainly about a higher top speed on the flats. It is about torque, the twisting force that gets a heavy trike and rider moving and keeps them moving when the road tilts upward. The flat-ground ceiling only shifts when you add your own legs, and even there the dual motor setup lets you go noticeably faster with pedal assist.
So the stage was set. Same rider, same hill, same basic frame, and one big variable: one motor or two.
What a 240-Pound Rider and a 100-Pound Trike Ask of a Motor
Before looking at the results, it helps to understand why rider weight changes the hill-climbing picture so much. On level ground, a motor mostly has to fight rolling resistance and air. Those forces are real, but they are modest at eTrike speeds. On a hill, a new force shows up: gravity pulling the whole package back down the slope. The heavier the package, the harder that pull.
In this test, the package was about 340 pounds: Dustin at 240 and the trike at roughly 100. Add a bag of groceries or a loaded basket and that number keeps climbing. Every extra pound is something the motor has to lift, and the steeper the grade, the larger the share of the motor's effort that goes into lifting rather than moving forward.
This is why two riders can have such different experiences on the same trike. A 150-pound rider might glide up a neighborhood hill on throttle alone and wonder what the fuss is about. A 250-pound rider on the same hill may feel the trike slow down and start to labor. Neither experience is wrong. The motor is doing the same job in both cases; it simply has more weight to deal with in the second.
There is a second factor that does not get talked about enough: battery demand. When a motor works harder, it draws more current from the battery. On a long climb with a heavy load, that draw can be substantial. A battery that is full handles it easily. A battery that is running low may not be able to deliver what the motor is asking for, even if it still has enough charge to cruise on flat ground. Keep that in mind, because it becomes important later in this story.
If you are a larger rider, it is worth looking specifically at eTrikes with a high weight capacity. Weight rating is not just about what the frame can hold; it also tells you something about how the trike is built to carry and move that load. And if you are not sure what size and setup suits your body, the sixthreezero fitting quiz is a good place to start.
With that background, the results from the hill start to make a lot of sense.
","id":"9dc809f2-b32a-4246-acfa-1359d88e5f9f"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"53H389naH3tvZQMtNo03eq","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"a8009c28-3c29-4bb3-95b2-09e7f740cf28"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Single Motor, Throttle Only: The First Climb","body":"Dustin started with the single motor trike and kept the test simple: throttle only, no pedaling. That is how a lot of riders want to use an eTrike, especially those who bought one because pedaling up hills is difficult or uncomfortable for them. If the trike can get you up the hill on its own, that is a meaningful result.
The climb did not start in ideal fashion. Traffic forced him to wait and then pull out, and by the time he was on the slope with the throttle fully engaged, he had lost most of his momentum. That is a realistic scenario. You do not always get a running start on a hill; sometimes you are starting from a stop sign at the bottom, or you have to slow down for a car halfway up.
From that slow start, the trike began to pull. The speedometer crept up to 9 miles per hour, then 9 and a half, then 10. It was not dramatic, but it was steady, and the trike kept climbing without any help from Dustin's legs. As the grade eased near the top, it picked up a little more, reaching about 12 miles per hour.
Dustin was honest about his reaction: he was a bit surprised. A 240-pound rider on a 100-pound trike, starting with no momentum, climbing a hill with a decent grade at around 10 miles per hour on throttle alone is a respectable result. It is not fast, but it is far from the crawl many heavier riders worry about. For a lot of everyday riding, like getting home from the store or climbing the hill at the end of your street, that is perfectly workable.
The overall figure he took away from the run was about 10 miles per hour up the hill on throttle only. That number becomes the baseline for everything that follows.
It is worth pointing out what this result does not mean. It does not mean the single motor will handle every hill the same way. A steeper grade, a longer climb, a heavier load, or a lower battery would all push that number down. What it does show is that the single motor trike is not out of its depth with a large rider on a moderate hill. It gets there, and it gets there without asking you to work.
Adding Pedal Power to the Single Motor
After coasting back down, Dustin looped around and ran the climb again on the single motor, this time pedaling. This is where the seven-speed drivetrain and pedal assist come into the picture, and the difference was immediate.
With his own legs added to the motor's effort, the trike climbed at about 14 miles per hour. That is roughly four miles per hour faster than the throttle-only run, a gain of around 40 percent. On a hill, that is a big difference. It means less time on the climb, less time with the motor working hard, and a more confident feel overall.
The interesting part is how little effort it took. Dustin noted that he was not really exerting himself, and he was doing it in seventh gear, the highest gear on the trike. In other words, he was pedaling at a relaxed cadence in a tall gear and still adding meaningful speed. If he had wanted the climb to feel even easier, he could have shifted down into a lower gear and spun the pedals more lightly.
That is one of the quiet advantages of having gears on an eTrike. On the single motor model in particular, Dustin recommends making use of the lower gears on hills. A lower gear lets your legs contribute without straining, and every bit of help you give takes some load off the motor and the battery.
He also shared a personal habit that many experienced riders swear by: keeping the throttle engaged while pedaling on climbs. Rather than choosing between throttle and pedal assist, he uses both at once, and he feels he gets more power out of the trike that way. If your trike has a throttle and pedal assist, this is worth trying on your own hills to see how it feels.
The takeaway from the second run is simple. For a heavier rider on a single motor trike, light pedaling is not a punishment; it is a multiplier. You do not have to work hard. You just have to turn the pedals, and the climb gets noticeably faster and smoother.
","id":"4a4da1ec-0f77-42ef-82ed-7b75f15a1b34"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"3V9gbtWkbi9ttnB8pgj7bi","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"80548246-7393-4094-9d65-a4a074722327"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"When the Battery Quit Near the Top","body":"The second climb had an unscripted ending. Just as Dustin reached the top, the single motor trike's battery gave out. He made it over the crest, but the power cut out on the hill, and the display was flashing a low-battery warning.
After a moment, the trike came back to life with a little bit of power, enough to get home on flat ground. That detail is important. The battery was not completely empty. It still had enough charge to cruise on the flat. What it could not do was supply the amount of power the motor was demanding on a steep, heavy climb.
This is exactly the battery demand issue mentioned earlier. When the motor works hard, it pulls a lot of current. A full, healthy battery delivers that without complaint. A battery that is nearly drained may still hold enough energy for gentle riding but sag under a heavy load, and the system shuts off power to protect itself. On flat ground, the demand drops and the trike carries on.
Dustin's advice from this moment is one of the most practical lessons in the whole video: if your battery is low, be careful about attempting a big climb. When you are down to your last bar on the display, you cannot know exactly when that bar is going to give out. It might last for several miles of flat riding, or it might quit halfway up the one hill between you and home.
There are a few easy ways to avoid getting caught out. Plan your rides so the biggest climbs come early, while the battery is fresh. Charge before rides that you know will include hills. Pay attention to how quickly the bars drop on climbs compared to the flats, because that tells you a lot about your real-world range. And if you ride long distances or tackle lots of hills, a second battery or a higher-capacity setup can give you a real margin. sixthreezero carries replacement batteries and chargers if you want a spare.
The flip side of this story is that the dual motor trike carries two 15 amp-hour batteries for 30 amp-hours total, double the capacity of the single motor model. That is not just about going farther. It also means more reserve on hand when the motors are asking for a lot of power.
Switching to the Dual Motor: What Changes the Moment You Twist
Once the single motor trike was safely home, Dustin climbed aboard the dual motor version. The setup is a little different: there are two batteries to switch on, and there is a choice of three ride modes, eco, normal, and power. He adjusted the handlebars to suit his reach, switched both batteries on, and set off.
The first thing he noticed was the extra torque. With both motors running, a twist of the throttle produces a much stronger launch. The trike does not ease into motion; it takes off. For a heavy rider on a heavy trike, that kind of response makes a real difference at intersections, on driveways, and especially when starting on a slope.
Why does a second motor feel so different? With a front hub motor and a rear motor working together, the job of moving the trike is shared between two wheels instead of one. Each motor carries part of the load, and together they deliver far more pulling force than either one alone. The front motor also pulls the trike forward from the front while the rear pushes, which tends to give a planted, confident feel.
Dustin also pointed out how comfortably the dual motor trike handled turns on the way to the hill. Fat tires, a stable three-wheel platform, and plenty of power on tap make for a trike that feels composed rather than nervous, even for a larger rider.
The three ride modes are worth a mention for anyone thinking about this model. Eco is the gentlest and the most battery-friendly. Normal is a good everyday setting. Power is the one you reach for when the road tilts up, you are carrying a load, or you simply want the strongest response. Having that range means the same trike can be relaxed and efficient on a flat bike path and assertive on a steep climb, without changing anything but a button.
At this point Dustin had not even reached the hill yet, and the difference was already obvious from how the trike moved off the line.
","id":"f57e50ea-fe25-46a5-b7d6-7f0e36eb10cd"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"63ZOavSEtgzhTYU75JsSl1","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"15553523-f100-4df4-b941-6c2c003e6761"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"The Dual Motor Climb","body":"With traffic finally clearing, Dustin crossed over to the hill, twisted the throttle, and headed up. This time the start was not a struggle. The dual motor trike got off the line quickly and was cruising at about 14 miles per hour on throttle only within moments.
Think about what that means. On the single motor trike, 14 miles per hour was the speed he reached by pedaling. On the dual motor trike, he hit that speed with no pedaling at all. The second motor essentially gave him, for free, what his legs had added on the single motor run.
He described it as almost no effort. He was moving at a good clip and simply holding the throttle. Then he started to pedal, and the trike really took off. He did not call out a precise number for the pedaling run, but the footage made the point on its own: he pulled away from the cameraman, who simply could not keep up on the way up the hill.
For Dustin, the comparison was clear. The dual motor trike gets up the hill far faster than the single motor version, and it does it with much less effort from the rider. As he put it, if you are a bigger rider and you want to rely on the throttle, the second motor helps a great deal.
He also mentioned something that is easy to overlook in a performance test: the dual motor trike is simply fun to ride. A strong, immediate response from the throttle and the ability to get off the line quickly make everyday riding more enjoyable, not just hill climbing. That matters, because the trike you enjoy riding is the trike you will actually ride.
It is worth repeating that both trikes made it up the hill. The single motor is not a weak machine; it climbed with a 240-pound rider at around 10 miles per hour on throttle alone and around 14 with light pedaling. The dual motor simply raises the floor. Its throttle-only performance matches the single motor's pedaling performance, and when you add your own effort, it goes well beyond that.
Gears, Modes, and How Hard You Have to Work
One of the clearest differences between the two trikes is how much attention you need to pay to gears on a climb. Both have seven speeds, but they use them in different ways.
On the single motor trike, Dustin suggests using the lower gears on hills. A lower gear makes pedaling easier, which means you are more likely to keep contributing, and your contribution takes pressure off the motor and battery. Shifting down before a hill rather than halfway up it also helps you keep a smooth cadence instead of grinding against a tall gear.
On the dual motor trike, gears become much less of a concern. Dustin noted that with so much power available, you probably do not need to worry about gearing on a climb at all. You can leave it in a middle or high gear, use the throttle, and pedal along if you like. The motors do the heavy lifting.
That difference matters more than it might seem. For many riders, especially newer ones or those who simply do not enjoy fiddling with shifters, the mental load of managing gears on a hill is part of what makes climbs stressful. Removing that step makes the whole ride calmer.
The ride modes on the dual motor trike add another layer of control. Power mode is the natural choice for big climbs. Normal or eco can stretch your battery on flatter stretches. Because the dual motor setup carries 30 amp-hours of capacity, you have more room to use power mode when you need it without immediately worrying about range.
It is also worth thinking about what kind of exercise you want from your trike. Some riders want an eTrike that lets them get some gentle exercise with a helping hand on the hard parts. Others want the trike to do almost all the work. The single motor model is well suited to riders who are happy to pedal lightly on climbs. The dual motor model suits riders who want the option to pedal or not, even on steep grades, and still get up the hill quickly. Neither approach is better. They just fit different riders and different priorities.
","id":"2e5c3cfb-2bd8-4a38-85be-ff2daf47259e"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"3xFRac4TddaGNaFDIA3itZ","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"87dba88a-e636-4d5b-92ab-2cdc4625b3c8"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Coming Back Down: Stability and Brakes","body":"Climbing is only half of riding in hilly country. Every hill you go up, you eventually come back down, and how a trike behaves on a descent matters just as much as how it climbs.
On the single motor trike, Dustin coasted down at around 24 to 25 miles per hour without pedaling. He described the trike as insanely stable at that speed. That is a big part of the appeal of a well-designed three-wheeler: with a wide stance and three points of contact, it does not feel twitchy or nervous on a fast descent the way some two-wheelers can.
On the dual motor trike, the descent was a little quicker, at about 27 miles per hour. Again, the trike felt composed and planted. Dustin has long been a fan of how stable this model feels, and the hill test only reinforced that.
Speeds like that put the spotlight on brakes. The dual motor trike uses hydraulic disc brakes, which Dustin noted stop very nicely. Hydraulic systems generally offer strong, smooth stopping power with a light pull at the lever, which is reassuring when you are carrying a lot of weight downhill. The single motor trike he rode had mechanical disc brakes, which are also capable and easy to maintain, and there is a single motor version with hydraulic brakes for riders who want that feel.
If you live somewhere with long or steep descents, it is worth giving brakes real weight in your decision. sixthreezero groups its eTrikes with disc brakes in one place to make comparing them easier.
A few safety habits are worth practicing on any descent. Start braking before you need to rather than waiting until you are already going fast. Use both brakes smoothly instead of grabbing one hard. Keep your speed at a level where you can stop comfortably within the distance you can see. And remember that a heavier rider and a heavier trike carry more momentum, so stopping distances grow with weight. Fast descents are part of the fun, but control always comes first.
The Results Side by Side
Putting the numbers next to each other makes the difference easy to see. Keep in mind these are real-world figures from a single ride on a public road, so treat them as a practical guide rather than lab-certified data.
Single motor, throttle only: about 10 miles per hour up the hill, reaching around 12 near the top, starting with almost no momentum.
Single motor, pedaling with throttle: about 14 miles per hour up the hill in seventh gear, with very little effort. The battery cut out near the top because it was running low.
Dual motor, throttle only: about 14 miles per hour almost immediately after starting the climb, with a much quicker launch.
Dual motor, pedaling with throttle: noticeably faster again, fast enough to pull well away from the cameraman.
Descents: roughly 24 to 25 miles per hour coasting on the single motor and about 27 on the dual motor, both feeling very stable.
Flat ground: both trikes top out at around 20 miles per hour on throttle alone, with the dual motor able to go faster with pedal assist.
The pattern is clear. The dual motor trike's throttle-only performance on the climb roughly matched what the single motor achieved with pedaling. In practical terms, the second motor gives a heavier rider the climbing speed of a pedaling rider without requiring the pedaling.
Equally clear is that the single motor trike did well. Dustin was genuinely surprised at how capable it was for someone his size. If your riding includes only the occasional moderate hill and you are happy to pedal a little, the single motor model handles it.
The battery episode adds one more data point worth remembering. Capacity and reserve matter on hills, and the dual motor's 30 amp-hours give it much more of both.
","id":"54d9086b-927f-4c7c-87b9-15d2f8437146"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"5ONaTm9DcC4GxxZzJD7Dwq","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"05f03e01-ed29-4b40-b0ea-d5858f1740f9"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Who the Single Motor eTrike Suits","body":"After watching both climbs, it would be easy to assume the dual motor is the obvious pick for everyone. That is not the case. The single motor trike has a lot going for it, and for many riders it is the more sensible choice.
If you live somewhere mostly flat, with only a few gentle hills, the single motor's 750-watt rear motor provides plenty of power. You get the same comfortable, upright riding position, the same 20 mph throttle-only top speed on the flats, the same fat tires, and the same seven-speed drivetrain. For errands around town, rides along the beach path, or trips to the park, that combination covers a lot of ground.
It also makes sense for riders who are glad to pedal a little on climbs. As the test showed, light pedaling in an easy gear turned a 10 mph throttle-only climb into a 14 mph climb without much exertion. If you enjoy the gentle exercise and want a trike that helps on the hard parts rather than doing everything, the single motor fits that style of riding well.
Lighter riders will typically see better climbing than Dustin did on the single motor, since there is less weight for the motor to haul up the slope. A rider well under 200 pounds may find the single motor handles their local hills on throttle alone with room to spare.
The main things to keep in mind are battery planning and gearing. With a single 15 amp-hour battery, it pays to charge before hilly rides and to save big climbs for when the battery is fresh. And on steeper grades, shifting into a lower gear and adding some pedal effort makes the climb easier on you, the motor, and the battery.
If you are weighing up comfort features too, it is worth browsing sixthreezero's most comfortable eTrikes and the easy-to-mount step-thru eTrikes to see which frame style suits your body and how you get on and off.
Who the Dual Motor eTrike Suits
Dustin's verdict on the dual motor was direct: if you live in a really hilly area, or you want to ride off-road trails with hills, the dual motor makes those rides substantially easier. That covers a lot of riders, and the test footage backs it up.
The first group that benefits is heavier riders. If you are over 200 pounds and you want to rely mainly on the throttle, the dual motor delivers the kind of climbing performance a single motor only reaches with pedaling. At 240 pounds, Dustin went up the hill at around 14 mph without touching the pedals. For riders who have physical limitations, joint pain, or simply no interest in working hard on climbs, that is the real difference.
The second group is riders in genuinely hilly places. A single moderate hill is one thing; a daily route with several long, steep climbs is another. The dual motor's extra torque and doubled battery capacity mean you can tackle those climbs repeatedly without feeling like you are draining the trike to its limits.
The third group is riders who carry loads. Groceries, gear, a picnic, a pet in the basket: all of it adds weight, and weight is the enemy on hills. The dual motor trike also comes with a rear basket, which makes it a natural fit for riders who use their trike as a practical way to get things done. sixthreezero also lists eTrikes with a large basket and dedicated cargo eTrikes for riders who haul more.
Then there are the comfort and confidence extras. Rear suspension smooths out rough pavement and trail surfaces. Hydraulic disc brakes offer strong, smooth stopping on descents. Three ride modes let you choose between efficiency and maximum power. And the quick launch makes intersections and hill starts far less stressful.
Finally, there is the fun factor. Dustin made a point of saying the dual motor is a lot of fun to ride. Strong acceleration and effortless climbing bring a sense of freedom that keeps people riding more often, and that is ultimately what an eTrike is for.
","id":"2ece5696-1764-4ccc-9d6c-aa6eab7b29bf"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"42kShqybL5wVpFG0eob2yc","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"1f4dab59-17b4-4cfc-bd33-0be885d8fc39"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Practical Hill-Climbing Tips for Any eTrike","body":"Whichever trike you choose, a few habits will make climbs smoother, safer, and easier on your battery. These come straight out of what happened during the test.
Carry momentum when you can. The single motor run started with almost no speed, and it showed. When traffic allows, hitting the bottom of a hill already moving makes the climb easier on the motor. When you cannot, do not worry; just expect a slower first few seconds.
Shift before the hill, not on it. On a single motor trike especially, drop into a lower gear as you approach the climb. It is easier to keep a smooth, light cadence than to fight a tall gear halfway up.
Pedal lightly, even if you do not have to. On the single motor trike, easy pedaling added roughly four miles per hour on the climb. Even a small contribution takes load off the motor and stretches your battery.
Try using throttle and pedals together. Dustin keeps the throttle engaged while pedaling on climbs because he feels it gives the most power. Experiment and see what works for you.
Watch the battery before big climbs. A low battery may handle flat ground but cut out under the heavy demand of a hill. When you are down to your last bar, you cannot predict when it will quit. Charge before hilly rides and plan routes so the big climbs come early.
Use the right mode. If your trike has ride modes, save the strongest setting for climbs and use gentler modes on the flats to conserve energy.
Respect the descent. Brake early and smoothly, keep your speed within your comfort zone, and remember that heavier loads mean longer stopping distances.
Ride your own hills before you decide. A hill in a video is useful, but your street and your body are what count. Whenever you can, try a trike on the kind of terrain you will ride every day.
For more practical guidance on choosing, riding, and caring for your trike, the sixthreezero Bike Advice blog and the Ultimate Bike Buyer's Guide are both good next reads.
","id":"6aaa2179-e015-46ad-92ac-5e49ea856245"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"2QJN2aKL9h0Dl3t1UNhO7l","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"0802ac92-e0d4-4797-80b7-66e4a013bea9"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"Choosing With Confidence","body":"So, how much better does a dual motor eTrike climb hills than a single motor one? Based on this test with a 240-pound rider, the answer is: a lot. The dual motor reached on throttle alone the speed the single motor needed pedaling to hit, launched much more quickly from a standstill, and pulled away when its rider added some pedal effort. It also carries twice the battery capacity, which proved its value the moment the single motor's battery cut out near the top of the hill.
At the same time, the single motor trike earned real respect. It climbed the hill with a heavy rider on throttle alone at a steady 10 mph, and with light pedaling it reached 14 mph without much effort. For flatter areas, lighter riders, and anyone who enjoys pedaling a little, it is a capable, comfortable choice.
The right answer depends on where you live, how much you weigh, what you carry, and how much you want to pedal. If your daily rides are full of hills, if you are a larger rider who wants to rely on the throttle, or if you plan to explore hilly trails, the dual motor will make those rides substantially easier. If your world is mostly flat and you like a bit of gentle exercise, the single motor covers you well.
If you are still unsure, there are a few ways to take the guesswork out of it. The personal fitting consultation matches you with a trike based on your body and how you ride. sixthreezero's 30-day test ride lets you try a trike on your own hills, and if it is not right, you can send it back. Every trike is covered by a one-year warranty on parts and labor. And if you are near Southern California, you can visit the store and ride both trikes yourself, just as Dustin did.
For many riders, financing options also make it easier to choose the trike that truly fits their riding rather than settling. Whatever you decide, the goal is the same: a trike that gets you up the hills in your life with confidence, so you can spend more time enjoying the ride.
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