A 74th Birthday Test Ride: Ken Tries the Simple Glide Recumbent eTrike

A Birthday Ride Worth Remembering

Most people celebrate turning 74 with cake, a phone call from the kids, maybe a quiet dinner out. Ken Saint Seir celebrated his by showing up at our store to test ride electric trikes. He walked in with a plan, too. He had his eye on one model in particular, the Simple Glide, and he wanted to find out for himself whether it lived up to what he'd seen online.

We like to say that the best way to judge a trike is to sit on it and ride it, and Ken took that idea seriously. He didn't just circle the parking lot once and call it a day. Over the course of about nine minutes he rode through turns, up a hill, along a straightaway, and back to where he started, talking the whole way about what he liked and what surprised him. By the end he was grinning and comparing notes on top speed.

This article walks through that ride from start to finish. We'll share Ken's honest reactions, explain what was going on with the trike at each point, and talk about who a bike like the Simple Glide makes the most sense for. If you're somewhere in the same stage of life as Ken, or you're shopping for a parent who is, his ride is a pretty good preview of what the experience feels like from the seat.

One note before we start: Ken isn't a professional reviewer, and he isn't a lifelong cyclist chasing racing times. He's a regular rider who wanted something fun, stable, and easy to live with. That's exactly the perspective most of our customers bring, which is why his feedback is worth listening to.

The Simple Glide is a recumbent electric trike, which means you sit back in a supportive chair-style seat with your legs out in front of you rather than perching on a traditional saddle. It sits in our recumbent electric trike collection and pairs that laid-back seating position with three fat tires, a footrest, and a 750-watt motor.

Each of those pieces matters for a rider like Ken. The recumbent seat spreads your weight across your back and hips instead of concentrating it on a small saddle, so there's far less pressure on your seat bones and wrists. Three wheels mean you never have to balance at a stop or while creeping along at walking pace. The fat tires add cushion and grip. And the motor handles the hard part when the road tilts upward or you just want to keep pace with traffic on a bike path.

The footrest is a small detail that ends up being a big deal. On a recumbent, there are moments when you want to coast and let the motor do the work without keeping your feet on the pedals. Having a place to rest your feet means you can relax completely, which is a big part of why a ride on a trike like this can stretch out longer than you planned.

If you want to see how it compares to other three-wheel options, our full lineup of electric tricycles includes upright trikes, cargo models, and tadpole designs with two wheels up front. The Simple Glide is built for the rider who wants comfort first and doesn't mind sitting a little lower to get it.

Ken's opening comments were short and to the point. Once he got seated and had a quick walkthrough of the controls, he was ready. There was no long period of fiddling or nervous testing. He sat down, got his feet set, and said he was ready to go.

That ease is one of the things that separates a well-designed recumbent trike from a traditional bicycle. On a two-wheeler, the first few seconds are always the trickiest. You push off, wobble a little, and find your balance. On a trike, there's nothing to find. The bike is stable before you start moving, it stays stable while you get going, and it's still stable when you stop. For someone who hasn't ridden in a while, or who has started to feel less confident on two wheels, that changes the whole feeling of the first ride.

Within the first half minute, Ken had a comment about the shifter. He liked it. That might sound like a minor note, but controls that make sense right away are important. Nobody wants to be squinting at a handlebar trying to figure out which button does what while they're rolling. The fact that Ken's first reaction was positive tells you the layout is intuitive enough to pick up in a few seconds.

A few moments later, as he picked up some speed, came the reaction we hear a lot during test rides: "Wow, this is nice." There wasn't any big setup to it. It was just the honest response of someone feeling a trike roll smoothly under him for the first time.

About a minute into the ride, Ken put his finger on what a lot of riders want from an electric trike. He said it had a lot of pep, but that he could also control it. Those two things don't always go together, and getting the balance right is harder than it looks.

A 750-watt motor is a strong motor for a trike. It gives you real acceleration from a stop and enough reserve to handle hills without strain. The worry some riders have, especially those new to e-bikes, is that strong means jumpy. Nobody wants a trike that lurches forward the moment you touch the pedals. Ken's comment suggests the power comes on in a way that feels responsive without being startling.

Part of that comes down to choosing the right level of assist. Most electric trikes let you pick how much help the motor gives you. On lower settings, the motor adds a gentle push and you do more of the work. On higher settings, it does more of the heavy lifting. Ken spent a little time figuring this out on the fly, and you can hear the moment it clicked for him when he says, essentially, oh, I see, so that's how it goes. That's the learning curve in a nutshell: a few seconds of experimenting, and then it makes sense.

If you like the idea of being able to move without pedaling at all, some riders also look for a trike with a thumb throttle. We keep a separate collection of electric tricycles with throttle control for riders who want that option. Either way, the goal is the same: power that's there when you want it and stays out of the way when you don't.

Right after testing a straightaway, Ken made another observation: he liked how it stops. Braking doesn't get the attention that motors and batteries get, but for riders in their seventies and beyond, it might matter more than anything else on the spec sheet.

Good brakes are about more than raw stopping power. They need to feel predictable. When you squeeze the lever, the trike should slow down in a smooth, even way, without grabbing suddenly or making you squeeze harder than feels comfortable. Riders with arthritis or reduced grip strength especially notice the difference between brakes that respond to a light touch and brakes that need a firm pull.

A trike also has a natural advantage when it comes to stopping. Because it doesn't tip over, coming to a halt never means putting a foot down quickly to catch yourself. You just slow down and stop. You can sit at a crosswalk or wait for a car to pass without doing anything at all. For a lot of older riders, that alone removes most of the anxiety they used to feel on a bicycle.

If braking performance is near the top of your list, it's worth browsing our electric trikes with disc brakes and comparing setups. And whatever you ride, a well-fitted helmet belongs on your head. Our sixthreezero helmets are designed with everyday riders in mind.

A couple of minutes into the ride, in between rolling through the course and testing turns, Ken said something that tells you he wasn't only thinking about the ride. He was already thinking about ownership. His exact words were that it would fit in his car.

This is one of the most practical questions anyone buying a trike should ask, and it's one people often forget until the trike shows up. Trikes are wider and longer than bicycles. If you plan to ride only from your front door, that might not matter. But if you want to take your trike to a lakeside path, a favorite park, or a family member's neighborhood, you need a way to get it there.

Before you buy, measure the cargo space in your vehicle and compare it to the trike's dimensions on the product page. Think about whether you'll be loading it alone or with help, and whether you'd benefit from a hitch rack. If transport is a major concern, take a look at our folding electric trikes, which are built to pack down smaller for storage and travel.

The fact that Ken checked this box during his test ride says a lot about how he was approaching the decision. He wasn't just asking whether the trike was fun. He was asking whether it would fit into his actual life. That's the right question, and it's one we'd encourage every shopper to ask.

As the ride moved into its middle stretch, Ken and our team navigated a loop with lefts, rights, and a climb. There were moments where he called out directions to himself, a little "take a left, left" as he lined up the next turn, and a quick "oh, we got it, okay" as he settled into a corner.

Turning on a recumbent trike feels different from turning on a bicycle, and it's worth knowing that going in. On a two-wheeler you lean into a turn. On a trike you steer it, a bit more like a car. The body stays upright and the trike tracks around the corner. For most riders, this takes a minute or two to feel natural, and then it becomes second nature. The low seat helps here, too, because it keeps the center of gravity close to the ground and makes the trike feel planted.

There's also a practical tip that every new trike rider should hear: take tight turns at a slower speed. Three-wheeled bikes are wonderfully stable, but sharp turns taken fast can still lift an inside wheel. Slow down before the corner, steer smoothly, and then speed back up on the way out. Ken did exactly this throughout his ride, and you can hear how relaxed he is as he works through the course.

Then came the hill. The middle of the video has long stretches where Ken is simply riding, putting in a bit of work and letting the motor carry him along. Later, when he was summing up, he would describe the climb as a piece of cake. That's the 750-watt motor doing what it was designed to do.

Ken got comfortable on the Simple Glide in a matter of minutes, and most riders do. Still, a few habits make that first week smoother, especially if you haven't ridden in years.

Start in an empty parking lot or a quiet street. Spend ten minutes practicing starts, stops, and slow turns in both directions before heading out onto a path. Get a feel for how the trike steers and how quickly it slows down when you squeeze the brakes.

Begin with a low assist level. It's tempting to turn the motor all the way up right away, but a gentler setting gives you time to learn how the power comes on. Once that feels natural, step it up one level at a time. You'll be surprised how quickly the higher settings start to feel normal.

Use your gears along with the motor. Shifting to an easier gear before a hill or a stop keeps your legs spinning comfortably and makes the motor's job easier, which helps the battery last longer.

Keep early rides short and build up. Recumbent riding uses your muscles a little differently than walking or an upright bike does, so give your body a few rides to adjust. And remember that because you sit low, drivers may have a harder time seeing you. A safety flag, bright clothing, and lights go a long way toward making sure you're noticed.

When Ken pulled back in and parked the trike where he'd started, the first thing he said was that it had been fun. The second thing was that it felt really stable. Then he shared the part that surprised him most: he had been going 20 miles an hour, and he didn't realize it until he looked.

That kind of surprise is one of the best compliments a trike can get. When a ride feels rough or twitchy, every mile an hour feels faster than it is. Your hands tighten, your shoulders creep up, and you start looking for a reason to slow down. When a ride feels smooth and planted, speed becomes something you notice on a display rather than something you feel in your stomach. Ken was comfortable enough at 20 that he was genuinely surprised by the number.

Several things contribute to that feeling. The recumbent seat supports your back, so you aren't bracing yourself against bumps. The fat tires soak up small cracks and rough patches in the pavement. The low, wide stance keeps the trike settled. And the motor delivers power evenly, so you're not surging and slowing as you pedal.

It's worth a reminder that just because a trike can go 20 doesn't mean you have to. Many riders spend most of their time cruising at a more relaxed pace and save the higher speeds for open stretches. Pick a speed that matches the path, the traffic, and your comfort, and follow local rules for e-bikes where you ride. The nice thing about a capable trike is that the choice is yours.

Ken's ride is a good example of why so many riders in their sixties, seventies, and eighties end up on recumbent trikes. We built an entire collection of electric trikes for seniors because this group of riders has needs that traditional bikes don't always meet.

The first is balance. As we get older, small changes in inner-ear function, vision, and leg strength can make balancing on two wheels feel less certain. A trike takes balance out of the equation entirely. You can stop anywhere, start anywhere, and ride as slowly as you like without any risk of tipping.

The second is comfort. A traditional saddle puts a lot of pressure on a small area and asks your wrists and shoulders to hold up part of your weight. A recumbent seat distributes that load across your back and hips and lets your arms stay relaxed. Riders with back problems, hip issues, or sore wrists often find they can ride far longer on a recumbent than they ever could on an upright bike.

The third is effort. An electric motor means hills and headwinds stop being obstacles. You still get exercise, because pedaling with assist is real physical activity, but you get to decide how hard you work. On a good day you might keep the assist low. On a day when your knees are complaining, you can turn it up and still get outside.

Getting on and off matters too. Some riders love the recumbent position once they're seated, while others prefer a higher seat that's easier to rise from. If that's a concern, compare the Simple Glide with our easy-to-mount eTrikes with a low step-through and see which feels better for your body.

The Simple Glide rolls on fat tires, and that's no accident. Wide tires are one of the simplest, most effective ways to make a ride feel smoother, which is why so many riders gravitate toward our fat tire electric trikes.

A fat tire holds more air volume than a skinny one, and it can run at lower pressure. That combination lets the tire flex a little over bumps instead of transmitting every jolt up into the frame and the rider. Small cracks, expansion joints on bike paths, and the occasional bit of gravel all feel softer. Over the course of a longer ride, that difference adds up to less fatigue.

Fat tires also put more rubber on the ground. That means extra grip when you're turning, braking, or riding on surfaces that aren't perfectly paved, like packed dirt paths, park trails, or a sandy stretch near the beach. For riders who want to explore beyond smooth asphalt, it's a meaningful advantage.

When Ken talked about how smooth 20 miles an hour felt, the tires were a big part of that story. Combine them with a supportive seat and a stable three-wheel layout and you get a ride that feels calm even when it's moving at a good clip.

A quick maintenance note: fat tires work best at the right pressure. Check them regularly with a gauge, because a tire that's too soft will feel sluggish and drain the battery faster, while one that's too hard gives up some of that cushion you're riding them for.

Partway through the ride, after a stretch of turns and a bit of speed, Ken said the line that probably sums up the whole video better than anything else: this is fun, absolutely, and his grandkids are in trouble now.

There's a reason that comment lands. For a lot of grandparents, one of the quiet losses of getting older is not being able to keep up. The grandkids head off on their bikes, and you wave from the porch. A capable electric trike changes that. Suddenly you're not the one being left behind. You might even be the one setting the pace.

That's what we see over and over with riders like Ken. The trike isn't just a piece of exercise equipment or a way to run errands. It's a way back into shared activities. Family bike rides, trips to the park, a loop around the neighborhood after dinner, all of it becomes possible again. And because the trike is stable and comfortable, those outings can last as long as everyone wants them to.

If you plan to bring snacks, water, or a jacket along on those family rides, it helps to have somewhere to put them. Our bags and panniers and baskets make it easy to carry the essentials so you can stay out longer.

There's a health side to this, too. Staying active and staying social are two of the best things anyone can do as they age, and riding with family checks both boxes at once.

Ken's test ride covered a lot of ground in a short time, and his comments line up nicely with the questions every trike buyer should work through. If you're considering a recumbent eTrike like the Simple Glide, here's how we'd think about it.

Start with how you'll ride. Are you mostly cruising flat neighborhood streets, or do you have hills nearby? Will you ride on pavement only, or on park paths and packed trails? A 750-watt motor and fat tires give you plenty of margin for both, but knowing your terrain helps you decide which features matter most.

Next, think about your body. A recumbent seat is wonderful for backs and wrists, but it sits lower than an upright trike. Think honestly about how easy it is for you to sit down into and rise out of a lower seat. If you're between options, our most comfortable electric trikes collection is a good place to compare seating styles side by side.

Then consider storage and transport. Ken checked whether the trike would fit in his car during the ride itself. Do the same. Measure your garage space, your doorways, and your vehicle. If you need to move the trike often, look closely at dimensions and weight, or consider a folding model.

Weight capacity is worth checking too, particularly if you plan to carry cargo. Our electric trikes with high weight capacity are built for riders who need more headroom. Finally, think about range. How far do you want to go on a typical ride? Battery capacity determines how many miles you get per charge, and spare batteries and chargers are available if you want to go farther.

If you'd like a deeper walkthrough of all of this, our Ultimate Bike Buyer's Guide covers fit, features, and riding styles in detail.

Ken got to do something every trike shopper should do if they can: sit on the trike, ride it, and see how it feels. If you're near our showroom, you can come visit us and test ride the Simple Glide and other models just like he did. There's nothing quite like feeling the difference between seating positions, motor settings, and tire sizes firsthand.

Not everyone lives close enough to stop by, and that's okay. Every bike we sell comes with a 30-day test ride, so you can ride it on your own streets, up your own hills, and in and out of your own car. If it isn't right, we'll cover the return shipping. Bikes also ship for free, which you can read more about on our shipping page.

When your trike arrives, it comes mostly assembled, and our assembly instructions walk you through the rest. If you ever need help with a repair or adjustment, we can connect you with an approved mechanic through our nationwide service network, and our warranty has you covered on the frame and components.

If you'd rather talk to a real person about which model fits your body and your riding style, our personal fitting consultation matches you with the right trike based on your height, mobility, and goals. And if spreading out the cost would help, take a look at our financing options.

Strip away the background music and the wind noise, and Ken's ride boils down to a handful of honest observations from a 74-year-old rider on his birthday. The shifter was easy. The power was lively but controllable. The brakes inspired confidence. It would fit in his car. Hills were a piece of cake. And 20 miles an hour felt so smooth that he didn't notice he was doing it.

Those are exactly the things that matter when you're choosing an electric trike later in life. You want to feel safe. You want to feel comfortable. You want enough power to go where you want without wearing yourself out. And you want the whole thing to be fun enough that you actually ride it.

Ken's grin at the end of the ride says the Simple Glide checked those boxes for him. Whether it's the right fit for you depends on your body, your routes, and how you plan to use it, but his experience is a strong argument for at least giving a recumbent eTrike a try.

Happy birthday, Ken. We hope your grandkids are ready. For more test rides, comparisons, and riding tips, browse our Bike Advice blog and our product reviews.