69 and Riding an E-Trike for the First Time: Les Takes the Simple Glide for a Spin

A First E-Trike Ride at 69: Why Les's Story Matters

Most of the riders I fit for a trike don't come to us as lifelong cyclists. Some rode as kids and haven't touched a pedal in decades. Some never felt steady on two wheels to begin with. Others stopped because a knee, a hip, or one close call made riding feel like more risk than reward. So when Les settled into a Simple Glide recumbent e-trike, looked into the camera, and said this would be his first time on an electric bike in all of his 69 years, I knew we were about to film something worth sharing.

Not because anything dramatic happened. Quite the opposite. Les rolled out, figured things out as he went, said exactly what he was thinking, and came back a few minutes later grinning. That's the whole story, and honestly, it's the story a lot of people need to hear before they buy their first e-trike. The nerves before a first ride are almost always bigger than the ride itself.

In this article I'm going to walk through Les's ride from start to finish: his first impression of the pedal assist, the moment he decided to test the motor's torque, his careful first turn, the gearing on a gentle hill, and his honest wrap-up afterward, including the one thing he said he still needs to get used to. Along the way I'll add the context I'd give any first-time rider sitting across from me during a fitting, because Les's observations line up almost perfectly with the questions I hear every week.

Who This Ride Is Really For

If you're reading this, there's a decent chance you're somewhere close to where Les was that morning. Maybe you've been browsing electric trikes for seniors and wondering whether you'd actually feel comfortable on one. Maybe a spouse or an adult kid sent you a link and said, "You should try this." Maybe you rode a regular bicycle for years but you're not sure a motor is something you want to manage at this stage of life.

Les's ride answers several of those questions directly. He didn't need a long lesson before setting off. On his very first outing he said there were no issues figuring out how to operate it. He enjoyed the motor instead of being intimidated by it. And he was candid about the part that does take time, which is learning how the trike's gears and its electric assist work together. I'd much rather you hear that from a real rider than read it off a spec sheet.

There's also something reassuring about watching someone narrate their own first ride in real time. Les doesn't perform for the camera. He changes his mind about which way to turn, he gets distracted by a sports car, he jokes about falling asleep in the seat. That's what a real first ride looks like. It isn't polished, and it doesn't need to be.

Why a Trike Instead of a Two-Wheeler

Les chose a three-wheeler for his first electric ride, and for a lot of riders his age that's exactly the right instinct. A trike stands on its own. You don't have to hold it up at a stop sign, you don't have to throw a foot down to catch yourself, and you don't have to balance at walking pace, which is where most two-wheel tip-overs actually happen. For someone trying an e-bike for the first time, taking balance out of the equation frees up your attention for the things that are genuinely new: the assist, the shifting, the speed.

A recumbent trike like the Simple Glide takes that idea one step further. Instead of perching on a narrow saddle, you sit in a chair-style seat with a backrest, legs out in front of you. Your weight is spread across your back and seat instead of being concentrated on a small saddle and your hands. If you want to see the full range of seated designs, our recumbent electric trikes collection is the place to start, and the electric trikes with armrests page explains why that supported, laid-back posture works so well for riders who put comfort first.

There is a trade-off, and Les touched on it early: a trike handles differently in corners than a bicycle. You can't lean the whole machine into a turn the way you would on two wheels, so you have to respect your speed going in. I'll come back to that in a moment, because Les handled it exactly the way I'd hope any new rider would.

Setting Expectations for a First Ride

Before we roll out with Les, one more thought. A first ride isn't a test you pass or fail. It's the first conversation between you and a new machine. You're learning how it responds when you press the pedals, how quickly the motor joins in, how the brakes feel under your fingers, and how much effort a small hill takes. Nobody masters all of that in five minutes, and nobody needs to.

What you want from a first ride is simpler. You want to come back feeling safe. You want to feel like it was fun. And you want to be curious about the next one. By that standard, Les nailed it. His own summary when he pulled back into home base was that his first trip on an e-trike was a success, and fun too. Let's look at how he got there.

Les started the way most of us do on unfamiliar ground, with a little friendly indecision about which direction to head. You can hear him point one way, change his mind, and settle on another. Within a few seconds, though, he'd made up his mind about the part that matters. "Yeah, this is fun," he said, before he'd gone very far at all.

I love that moment because it happens so fast. A lot of first-time riders spend weeks worrying about whether they'll like an e-trike. The answer usually shows up within the first block. Either the machine feels friendly or it doesn't, and with the Simple Glide, Les felt it right away.

Pedal Assist From the First Pedal Stroke

Early on, Les called out that he was in "gear five" and that he was using the motor assist. His very next observation was the one I hear from nearly every first-time e-rider: the pedaling was easy.

That easy feeling is pedal assist doing its job. On a pedal-assist e-trike, the motor adds power while you pedal. You're still turning the cranks, you're still moving your legs, but the motor is quietly multiplying your effort. The higher the assist setting, the more help you get. For someone who hasn't ridden in years, that's the difference between dreading the start of a ride and enjoying it.

I want to flag one thing about how Les described it, because it matters later. In his narration he used the word "gear" when he was talking about the motor assist. That's extremely common. The Simple Glide has two separate systems that both come with numbered settings: the mechanical gears you change with the shifter, and the electric assist levels you change on the controls. New riders mix up the names all the time, and Les himself said afterward that understanding how the two work together was the piece he still wanted to learn. I'll break that down properly in the next section.

For now, the takeaway is simple. With assist engaged, Les wasn't fighting the trike to get it moving. Starting from a standstill is the hardest moment on any pedal-powered machine, especially a three-wheeler with a seat, a frame, and a rider to push. Pedal assist smooths that moment out, and you could hear in Les's voice that he noticed.

Reading the Display: 8 MPH

A little further along, Les glanced down and read his speed off the display: about 8 mph. For a first outing, that's a sensible, relaxed pace. It's quick enough to feel like you're actually going somewhere and slow enough to look around, react to whatever's ahead, and get a feel for the steering.

Here's something worth knowing if you're new to recumbents. Because you sit lower than you would on an upright bike, speed tends to feel faster than the number on the screen. The ground is closer and it moves past your peripheral vision more noticeably. That's not a bad thing. It just means a modest speed feels lively, which is part of why riders like Les have so much fun at an easy cruising pace.

My advice to anyone on their first few rides is to keep one eye on the display, the way Les did. Pick a comfortable number, notice what it feels like, and build from there. There's no prize for going fast on day one.

Testing the Torque

Then Les said something that told me he was settling in: "That electric motor, it has the torque. I like that part." A moment later he announced he was going to test it.

Torque is the word riders use for the push you feel when the motor pulls you forward, especially from a slow roll. It's different from top speed. Top speed is how fast a machine can eventually go; torque is how strongly it gets you moving and how well it holds up when the road tilts upward. For everyday riding, torque is the thing you actually feel. It's what makes pulling away from a stop easy, what helps you up a driveway, and what keeps a slight incline from turning into a grind.

I also want to point out how Les tested it. He didn't do it in a busy spot or heading into a corner. He did it on an open stretch where he had room. That's exactly right. If you want to find out how your e-trike responds when you ask for power, do it in a straight line, with clear space ahead, and with your hands ready on the brakes. Learn the machine's personality where there's nothing to bump into.

Going Easy on the First Turn

If I could underline one line from Les's whole ride, it would be this one: "We're going to go easy on our first turn. We don't want to tip it."

That's a rider who understands the one real handling difference on a three-wheeler. On a bicycle, you lean into a turn and the bike leans with you. On a trike, the machine stays flat. When you corner, your body and the trike want to keep going straight, and that force pushes outward. Carry too much speed into a tight turn on any trike and you can lift the inside wheel. A low, recumbent seating position like the Simple Glide's keeps your weight closer to the ground than an upright trike would, but physics still applies to everyone.

The technique is easy once you know it. Slow down before the turn, not in the middle of it. Ease off the pedals so the assist isn't pushing you through the corner. Lean your upper body slightly toward the inside of the turn. And when you can, take a wider line rather than a sharp one. Les did all of that instinctively on his first corner, which is a big reason his ride went so smoothly.

"Seats Are Comfortable. I'll Try Not to Doze Off."

A few minutes in, Les gave the seat the best review I've heard in a while. It was comfortable enough that he joked about nodding off. He was kidding, of course, but there's a real point under the joke.

Comfort is the reason so many riders choose a recumbent in the first place. With a backrest supporting you, your lower back isn't doing all the work of holding you upright. Your hands rest lightly on the controls instead of propping up your upper body. And you're not sitting on a narrow saddle that gets less friendly by the mile. If comfort is the single most important thing on your list, browse our most comfortable electric trikes and you'll see why chair-style seating keeps coming up.

For a first-time rider, comfort isn't a luxury. It's what keeps you riding. If the first ride hurts, there usually isn't a second one. Les came back relaxed, joking, and ready to go again. That's what a comfortable machine buys you.

About three minutes into the ride, Les summed up how it was going so far: for his very first time on an e-trike, everything was going perfectly, with no issues figuring out how to operate it. Then, in the same breath, he named the one thing on his mind: he had to learn which gear to be in while pedaling.

And then a Ferrari drove past and he lost his train of thought for a second. I'm keeping that in because it's real, and because it says something nice about riding a trike. When you aren't busy balancing, you get to look around and enjoy the neighborhood, sports cars included. Les got right back to it, and what came next is the most useful part of the whole video for anyone thinking about their first e-trike.

Two Systems, One Ride

Let's clear up the gear-versus-assist question properly, because it's the most common source of confusion I see with new riders, and Les named it himself.

The gears are mechanical. You change them with the shifter, and a derailleur moves the chain between different-sized cogs at the back wheel. Gears change how hard each turn of the pedals feels and how far each turn moves you. A low gear is easy to pedal but doesn't carry you far per rotation, which is ideal for starting and climbing. A high gear is harder to push but covers more ground, which suits flat stretches and gentle downhills once you're up to speed.

The assist levels are electric. You change them on the controls, and they decide how much the motor helps while you pedal. Low assist means you're doing more of the work. High assist means the motor is doing more.

Here's the part that clicks for most people: the two settings stack. Your gear decides how your legs feel on each pedal stroke. Your assist level decides how much the motor adds on top of that. You can be in an easy gear with a little assist, or a harder gear with a lot of assist, and the ride will feel completely different each way. Because both systems use numbers, it's natural to call everything a "gear," just as Les did. Once you know they're separate, the whole thing gets much easier to manage.

Les's First Hill

Here's how it played out on the road. Les called out that he was in "gear six" and heading slightly uphill. As the incline built, he decided to bring in more help from the motor. "I'll just kick that motor in," he said, and you could hear the grin when it responded.

A moment later he added the other half of the equation: he'd geared down to go up the hill a little, and it worked out fine.

That's the right combination, and it's worth spelling out why. When the road tilts upward, every pedal stroke gets heavier. You can respond in two ways. You can shift to an easier gear so your legs keep spinning at a comfortable pace, or you can add assist so the motor takes more of the load. Les did both, and that's usually the smoothest approach on a climb.

Some riders ask why they'd bother shifting at all when they have a motor. It's a fair question. The answer is that pedal assist works with your pedaling, not instead of it. If you stay in a hard gear, you end up pushing slowly and heavily on the pedals, which is tough on your knees, and the motor has to work harder to make up the difference. Shift down, keep your legs turning at a relaxed rhythm, and let the motor add its share. You'll feel better at the top of the hill and the ride will feel more natural the whole way up.

When to Shift: A Simple Rule

If there's one habit I'd teach every new rider, it's this: shift before you need to. Downshift as you approach a hill or a stop, not halfway up the hill when the pedals are already heavy. Shifting under heavy pressure is harder on the drivetrain and less smooth for you. Shifting a beat early, while you're still pedaling lightly, keeps everything easy.

The same goes for stopping. Before you come to a halt, click down into an easier gear. When you start pedaling again, you'll be in a gear that gets you moving without strain. It's one of those small habits that makes every ride feel smoother, and it's exactly the sort of thing Les was talking about when he said he needed to learn when to change gears.

"Very Smooth Derailleur System"

Les had a specific compliment for the drivetrain. In his words, the gearing worked really well, and it was a very smooth derailleur system.

For a first-time rider, smooth shifting matters more than you might expect. If changing gears feels clunky or unpredictable, people stop doing it. They pick one gear and leave it there, and then they wonder why hills feel so hard. When shifting is smooth, you're much more willing to experiment, which is exactly how you learn.

A couple of tips to keep it that way. Keep pedaling gently while you shift, because a derailleur needs the chain moving to change gears. Ease off the pressure for a moment as you click the shifter, rather than stomping through the shift. And change one gear at a time when you're starting out, so you can feel what each step does. After a few rides you won't think about it at all.

Coasting Home

After the climb came the reward. Les reported that he was coasting downhill, and for a little while he just let the trike roll. As he came back toward the start, he said he used a little battery assist, and then he was back at home base.

That's a lovely example of using the assist strategically. You don't need the motor working every second of a ride. On a downhill, you can stop pedaling and enjoy the glide. On flat ground, you might pedal with modest help. When you hit a hill or want a little boost at the end of a ride, turn it up. Treating the assist as a tool you reach for, rather than something that's always on full, gives you a more engaging ride and lets you put in some of your own effort when you feel like it.

Les didn't plan any of that in advance. He just responded to the road the way a rider does, and within five minutes he was using the hill, the gears, and the motor together. That's the learning curve in action.

Back at home base, Les gave us his honest wrap-up. Everything he said was short and unscripted, which is exactly why I trust it. Here's what stood out and what each point means for you.

"A Success, and Fun Too"

Les's headline was simple: the first trip on an e-trike for this rider was a success, and fun too. I want to sit with that for a second, because it's easy to skip past.

Those are the two things that decide whether someone keeps riding. Success means he felt in control, nothing went wrong, and he came back safely. Fun means he wants to do it again. You need both. A ride that's safe but dull doesn't get repeated. A ride that's thrilling but nerve-racking doesn't either. Les got both on his first try, at 69, on a machine he'd never ridden before.

The Brakes: "Real Smooth"

The first specific thing Les praised was the braking. He described it as really smooth.

Brakes don't get the attention motors do, but for a first-time rider they're the foundation of confidence. When you know you can slow down predictably, everything else feels easier: you're more relaxed in turns, more willing to try a little speed, and calmer around traffic and pedestrians. Brakes that feel smooth rather than grabby let you control your speed gradually instead of in sudden jolts.

If you're new, practice braking on purpose during your first few rides. Find a quiet stretch, get up to a comfortable speed, and squeeze the levers gently and progressively. Learn how much pressure it takes to slow down and how much it takes to stop. Use both levers together for a balanced stop. On a trike, smooth braking also helps in corners, because the best time to scrub off speed is before the turn, the way Les did. If braking feel ranks high on your list as you shop, our collection of electric trikes with disc brakes is worth a look.

The Torque and the Battery: "Love That"

Les came back to the motor in his review. He mentioned the torque and the battery together, and his verdict was short: he loved that.

That lines up with everything he said on the ride. He noticed the torque early, tested it on purpose, called on it again for the hill, and used a bit of assist to finish the loop. For a rider coming back to pedaling after years away, that dependable push is what turns a ride from a workout you dread into an outing you look forward to. You still pedal, you still get your legs moving, but you never feel stuck.

The Honest Part: Getting Used to the Gears

Here's my favorite part of Les's review, because it's the part a lot of reviews leave out. He said he still has to get used to knowing when to change gears on the pedals, and how that combines with the electric assist and the chain. Then he added, simply, that it was his first time, and he's going to get used to it.

That's the most accurate description of the e-trike learning curve I've heard. The controls are easy. Moving forward is easy. Stopping is easy. The skill that takes a few rides is learning how your gears and your assist work together, so you're always in a comfortable combination for the road in front of you. Les identified that on day one, which means he's already halfway there.

If you're in the same spot, here's a practice routine I recommend to new riders. It takes two or three short rides.

Ride one: learn the gears. Pick a quiet, mostly flat loop. Set a moderate assist level and leave it alone. Spend the ride shifting through the gears one at a time, noticing how each one feels. Shift down before every stop.

Ride two: learn the assist. Same loop. This time pick a comfortable middle gear and leave it there. Move through the assist levels instead and notice how much the motor adds at each one.

Ride three: put them together. Add a gentle hill. Approach it the way Les did: downshift early, then add assist if you want more help. On the way down, ease off and coast.

By the end of those three rides, most riders have a "home" combination they use for everyday cruising, plus a go-to adjustment for hills. From there it becomes second nature.

"Let's Do It"

Les finished by saying he's looking forward to the next e-trike, and he signed off with an enthusiastic "Let's do it." Five minutes earlier he'd never ridden an electric bike. Now he was ready for the next ride.

That's the turnaround I see over and over with first-time riders. The hesitation is real before the ride, and it's gone afterward. What replaces it is curiosity: what's the next hill like, how far can I go, where should I ride next week? That's the best possible outcome of a first ride, and it's exactly where Les ended up on the Simple Glide.

Les's ride is a good template for anyone getting ready for their own first time on an e-trike. If you take nothing else from his story, take this: you don't have to be an experienced cyclist, and you don't have to have everything figured out before you start. You need the right machine, a sensible plan, and a little patience with yourself. Here's how I'd put that together.

Start With Fit

The single biggest factor in whether a first ride feels comfortable is whether the trike fits you. Seat height, reach to the pedals, reach to the handlebars, and how easily you can get on and off all depend on your body, not just on the model. That's why we built our personal fitting consultation. Tell us your height, your inseam, how you plan to ride, and anything about mobility we should know, and I'll help you narrow down what makes sense.

If getting on and off is a concern, start by looking at easy-to-mount e-trikes with a low step-thru. A lot of first-time riders worry more about mounting and dismounting than about the ride itself, and a low entry removes most of that worry.

Think About Where You'll Ride

Les's loop had a bit of everything: a flat start, a corner, a slight climb, and a coast downhill. That's a good mix for a first ride. Before you buy, picture your own routes. Neighborhood streets and paved paths are a different job from grass, gravel, or sand. If you'll be riding off the pavement, browse our fat tire electric trikes, where wider tires add traction and cushioning on loose or uneven ground.

Think about how you like to control your speed, too. Some riders prefer pedal assist alone, because it keeps them pedaling. Others like having a throttle for getting moving from a stop or for moments when their legs need a break. If that option matters to you, take a look at our electric tricycles with throttle control.

Your First-Ride Checklist

Here's the plan I'd hand to any first-time rider, built straight from what went right on Les's ride:

• Choose a quiet place and a quiet time. An empty parking lot, a calm residential street, or a paved path early in the morning gives you room to learn without pressure.
• Wear a helmet, every ride. If you don't have one that fits well, our sixthreezero helmets are an easy place to start.
• Start in an easy gear with a low-to-moderate assist level. You can always add more help once you know how the trike responds.
• Test the brakes before anything else. Roll forward slowly and squeeze both levers gently until you know how they feel.
• Test the motor in a straight line with open space ahead, the way Les tested the torque.
• Go easy on your first turns. Slow down before the corner, ease off the pedals, and lean your upper body slightly to the inside.
• Shift down before hills and before stops, then add assist on the climb if you want more help.
• Keep the first ride short. Five or ten minutes, like Les's, is plenty. Come back while it's still fun.

Try Before You Commit

Nothing replaces actually sitting on a trike. If you're near us, come visit our store and take a test ride the same way Les did. If you're not, read the details of our 30-day test ride so you know exactly how trying a trike at home works before you order.

If you're still comparing styles and want the bigger picture first, the sixthreezero bike buyer's guide walks through how to think about frame styles, motors, and features. You can also browse our full lineup of electric tricycles to see every three-wheel design side by side.

Give Yourself the Same Grace Les Did

The thing I admire most about Les's ride isn't that it went smoothly. It's how he talked about the part that didn't feel automatic yet. He didn't call the gearing confusing or decide e-trikes weren't for him. He said it was his first time, he'd get used to it, and he was looking forward to the next ride.

That's the right mindset for anyone at any age. You'll probably grab the wrong gear on a hill once or twice. You might take a corner a little more slowly than you need to for a while. That's all part of it. Every confident rider I know started exactly where Les did, with a first ride, a few small surprises, and a smile at the end.

Sixty-nine years without an electric bike, then five minutes on a Simple Glide, and he was ready for more. If you've been on the fence, maybe it's time for your first ride, too.