Ken's 74th Birthday Test Ride on the EVRYjourney Electric Rickshaw Trike

A Birthday Ride Worth Taking

people celebrate turning 74 with cake, a card or two, and maybe a nice dinner out. Ken Saint Seir celebrated his by climbing onto an electric rickshaw and pointing it straight up a hill. He spent his birthday morning with a group of fellow riders and a lineup of three-wheelers, and the one he picked to take out on the road was the sixthreezero EVRYjourney Electric Tricycle Rickshaw, the 750W model with a rear passenger seat and a hitch.

What follows is a write-up of that ride. Ken narrated as he went, which makes his video a useful look at what this trike is actually like for someone who isn't a professional reviewer. He isn't reading off a spec sheet. He's a grandfather who likes sitting up high, wants to bring people along, and cares a lot about being able to slow down safely. Over about fifteen minutes he takes the rickshaw up steep grades, across busy crosswalks, over curbs, down narrow sidewalks and along some badly cracked pathways. By the end he's pedaling along with the motor and grinning.

If you've been wondering whether a rickshaw-style trike makes sense for you, or whether it's too big and awkward for everyday riding, Ken's experience answers a lot of those questions. We've organized his observations by topic so you can jump to whatever matters most to you, from hill climbing to the passenger seat to the one feature he wished it had.

The EVRYjourney rickshaw is a three-wheeled electric trike built around one idea: you shouldn't have to ride alone. Up front is the rider's position, set high with an upright posture. Behind the rider sits a dedicated passenger seat with its own seat belt, and underneath that seat is a storage compartment. It's driven by a 750W motor, and it comes with a hitch, which gives you more options for hauling later on. You can see it alongside its siblings in our electric rickshaw collection.

It belongs to a broader family of electric tricycles that sixthreezero builds for riders who want stability without giving up the fun of being on a bike. Three wheels means you don't have to balance at a stop, you don't have to put a foot down at every light, and you can go as slowly as you like without the bike wobbling. For many riders, especially those who haven't been on a bicycle in years, that changes the whole experience.

What sets the rickshaw apart from a standard trike is the passenger. Plenty of trikes have a big rear basket for groceries. The EVRYjourney puts a person back there instead, and still finds room for cargo. If carrying a second person is the main thing you're after, it's worth browsing our full range of trikes built for passengers to compare layouts, but as Ken found out, this one covers the basics very well.

Before Ken rolled an inch, he ran into the first feature that impressed him: the brakes were locked. On a lot of bikes that wouldn't mean much, but on a trike it matters. A three-wheeler doesn't fall over when you let go of it, which is great, but it also means it can roll away if you park it on a slope and walk off. A parking brake keeps it exactly where you left it.

Ken noted that he couldn't move the trike at all while the brakes were locked. It sat perfectly still. Then, to get going, all he had to do was pull the brake lever back and it popped free. No hunting for a switch, no fiddly latch, no tools. He called out the simplicity specifically, and that theme comes up again and again through the rest of his ride.

This is one of those features you don't think about until you need it. Picture loading a grandchild into the back seat, or setting a bag in the storage compartment, while the trike is parked on a driveway with a gentle slope. You want both hands free and you want the trike to stay put. A locking brake gives you that. It's also reassuring when you're climbing on or off. The trike isn't going to shift under you as you swing a leg over or settle into the seat.

If ease of getting on and off is near the top of your list, you might also look at our easy-to-mount eTrikes with low step-thru frames. But for Ken, the combination of a stable parked trike and a quick release was exactly what he wanted before heading out.

Within the first minute of riding, Ken said something he'd repeat a few more times: he likes sitting up high. He compared it to being in a car, and later he got more specific and said it felt like being in his SUV. That comparison is worth unpacking, because it explains why a lot of riders end up preferring this kind of trike.

When you sit low, you see less. Parked cars block your view, hedges hide driveways, and you feel small next to traffic. Sitting higher flips that. You can see over obstacles, you can spot a car backing out before it's a problem, and drivers have an easier time seeing you too. For someone who's used to the commanding view from an SUV, a low-slung bike can feel exposed. The EVRYjourney's riding position closes that gap.

There's also a comfort side to it. An upright seating position keeps your back straighter and takes pressure off your wrists and shoulders. You're not hunched over handlebars, you're sitting in something closer to a chair. On a longer ride that adds up. Ken never complained about his back or hands during his fifteen-minute loop, and he described the ride as smooth and comfortable several times.

Visibility and posture are two of the big reasons riders choose a trike in the first place. If you're trying to figure out which riding position suits your body, the sixthreezero fitting process walks you through it with a real person rather than a guessing game. It's a good way to confirm that a high, upright setup like this one is right for you before you commit.

Ken didn't ease into things. Almost immediately, his group pointed him up a hill, and he described it as a pretty steep upgrade. He said he was anxious to test the acceleration and see how the electric drive handled the climb. That's the right instinct. Flat ground tells you very little about a motor. Hills tell you everything.

The rickshaw settled into a steady 8 miles per hour on the climb. Then it crept up to nine and a half. Ken reported a nice steady nine all the way to the top. For a trike of this size, carrying a full-grown adult up a real grade, that's a solid result. More importantly, he kept using the word steady. The speed didn't surge and fade. It held.

Consistency on a hill is often more important than raw top speed. A motor that delivers power evenly lets you relax. You aren't bracing for a sudden lurch, and you aren't worrying that the trike will bog down halfway up and leave you stuck. Ken's tone throughout the climb was relaxed and pleased rather than tense, which says a lot about how the power came on.

Later in the ride, he hit more uphill sections and the numbers stayed impressive: 10 miles per hour while saying he really wasn't pushing it hard, 13 miles per hour on another climb, and 11 still going uphill a bit after that. He summed it up by saying the rickshaw is a big bike and handles uphills just fine. At the end of the video, he admitted that was the thing that surprised him most. For a larger trike, he didn't expect the hill performance and the ability to hold speed to be that good.

If your neighborhood has hills and you've been nervous about whether an electric trike could handle them, Ken's ride is a pretty clear answer. You can see more motor-assisted options in our electric trike lineup.

Once Ken crested that first hill and the road flattened out, the rickshaw picked up pace. He described it as very smooth and comfortable. Then came one of the best lines of the video. He looked down, saw 14 miles per hour, and said it felt like he was walking.

That's not to say 14 miles per hour is slow. It isn't, especially on three wheels. What he meant is that the trike felt so calm and planted at that speed that it didn't register as fast. There was no twitchiness, no sense of being on the edge of control. The ride quality smoothed out the experience enough that his brain didn't flag it as something to worry about.

This matters for anyone who's a little hesitant about electric bikes in general. A common worry is that a motor will make things feel rushed or out of control. Ken's experience points the other way. The power is there when you need it, but at a cruising pace the rickshaw feels relaxed. You can enjoy the scenery and talk to whoever is riding with you.

On the pathways later in the ride, he settled into 9 to 10 miles per hour and described it as nice, comfortable and safe. He also pointed out how good it was to be able to move along at your own pace. That's really the appeal of this kind of trike. You decide how fast the ride should be. If you want to cruise slowly and chat, you can. If you want to make up some time on an open stretch, the power is there for that too.

Some of Ken's favorite details were small ones. On a smooth stretch he took a moment to comment on the handlebar grips. He said they were nice and smooth, felt like leather, and were comfortable. That might seem like a minor point, but your hands are one of your three main contact points with any bike. If the grips are hard, slippery or rough, you notice it within a few minutes. If they're good, you forget about them, which is exactly what you want.

He also called out the mirror more than once. Early in the ride he said it was nice to be able to see what was going on behind him, and he mentioned it again in his final summary. For a trike, a mirror is especially useful. Three-wheelers are wider than bicycles, and twisting around to look over your shoulder can throw off your steering or be uncomfortable if you have limited neck mobility. A mirror lets you check behind you with a glance.

With a passenger in the back seat, the mirror becomes even more handy. You can keep an eye on traffic behind you without turning around and accidentally leaning into your passenger's space. Ken was riding solo during the video, but he talked a lot about bringing his grandkids or his wife along, and that's a scenario where a mirror earns its keep.

If you want to add your own finishing touches, sixthreezero carries a range of add-ons, including helmets and bells. A bell in particular is worth having when you're sharing narrow paths with pedestrians, as Ken did for a good part of his ride.

Somewhere around the four-and-a-half-minute mark, coming downhill, Ken said something that every rider should hear. He liked the deceleration, said it was very easy to control, and then added that acceleration is important, but deceleration is even more important. He finished the thought by praising the control and precision of the braking.

He's right. A lot of conversation around electric bikes focuses on how fast they go and how hard they pull. Those are fun numbers to talk about, but they aren't what keeps you safe. What keeps you safe is your ability to slow down smoothly, predictably and exactly as much as you intend to. If the brakes are grabby, you'll be jerked forward. If they're weak, you'll be anxious on every descent. Neither is fun, and with a passenger on board it's even more important to get right.

Coming down a hill on a trike also has its own feel. You aren't leaning into the slope the way you might on two wheels, so you rely more on the brakes to manage your speed. Ken's comments suggest the EVRYjourney gives you that fine control. He could scrub off speed precisely rather than all at once, which is what makes descents feel calm instead of stressful.

If braking feel is a priority for you, our collection of electric trikes with disc brakes is a good place to compare stopping systems across different models. But for Ken, the rickshaw's control on the way down was one of the standout parts of the ride.

A big trike sounds fine in theory. The real test is everyday obstacles: curbs, crosswalks, narrow sidewalks, and the awkward little maneuvers you need to make when you stop in the wrong spot. Ken's route was full of them, and he talked through each one.

He went up and down a curb on the street and described it as very simple and very easy to handle. The key, he said, is that you can control the speed and go super slow going up and down. That's a big deal. If a motor only knows how to go fast, curbs become nerve-wracking. If you can creep up to one at a crawl, it's no problem. Later he rolled right up onto another curb without a second thought.

Crosswalks came up repeatedly, and every time his verdict was nice, simple and easy. He also mentioned that after pressing a crosswalk button he had to back up a bit, and that this was pretty easy to do. On a sidewalk that he called pretty narrow, he said the rickshaw handled it well and he kept it right down the middle.

There was one honest moment worth flagging. At one point he needed to reposition and noted that the rickshaw doesn't have a reverse. So when he backed up, he was doing it the old-fashioned way, without a powered reverse gear. He managed fine, and he made it sound easy, but it's useful information if you expect to do a lot of backing into tight parking spots.

If a powered reverse is a must for you, take a look at our electric trikes with a reverse gear. For most of Ken's route, though, the lack of reverse didn't slow him down at all.

About six minutes into the ride, Ken joked that he was getting dangerous with this thing. What he meant was that he was quickly figuring out the little nuances. He pointed out that half an hour earlier he couldn't have pulled off the maneuver he'd just done, and now it came naturally.

He followed that with one of the most useful observations in the whole video. If somebody was nervous about a trike like this and did a test ride, he said, all that nervousness goes away. You don't even think about it anymore. A bit later he added that the safety features built into the trike become very natural. You stop thinking about them, because they just happen. Then he corrected himself: you make them happen. You're still in charge, it just stops feeling like work.

There was also a nice moment around the eight-minute mark where Ken said that all the bike-riding experience from when we were kids comes right back on these things. That's a common reaction from riders who haven't been on a bike in decades. The muscle memory of steering, looking ahead and picking a line through traffic is still there. A trike just removes the balancing part, which is often the part people are most worried about.

The takeaway is simple. If you're unsure, ride one. Visit the sixthreezero store if you're nearby, or take advantage of the 30-day test ride and get to know a trike on your own streets. As Ken found, the first half hour does most of the work.

Not every road on Ken's route was smooth. Around the nine-minute mark he found himself on a bumpy road, and he said the rickshaw handled it just great. Then came a stretch of path in bad enough shape that he commented, with some feeling, that somebody really needed to repave it.

Even so, he kept describing the ride as comfortable. On another stretch of pathway he called out how nice it was to move along at his own pace, cruising at 9 or 10 miles an hour, and said it felt comfortable and safe even on a bumpy little path. At one point he joked about how bumpy it was, but there was no sense he felt shaken up or out of control.

This is where three wheels and a stable frame help. A two-wheeler on a cracked path asks you to keep your balance while the front wheel gets knocked around. A trike stays upright on its own, so bumps are mostly something you feel through the seat rather than something you have to fight. You can ease off, roll over the rough patch, and carry on.

If your local paths are rough or you plan to ride on mixed surfaces like gravel or packed dirt, it's worth comparing the EVRYjourney with our fat tire electric trikes, which use wider tires to soak up uneven ground. But Ken's ride shows the rickshaw holds its own on the kind of imperfect pavement most of us deal with every day.

From the very first minute, Ken made it clear the back seat was a big part of the appeal. He said he loved having it in case he had the grandkids or his wife or whomever with him, and that it makes riding even more fun. That's really the heart of the rickshaw. A ride you share is a different experience than a ride on your own.

He also pointed out the seat belt in the back seat. He noted his grandkids are big enough now that it isn't as much of a concern, but when they were younger, that would have been ideal. Anyone who has tried to keep a wriggly six-year-old in place knows the value of a seat belt. It also gives adult passengers a bit more peace of mind when the trike is moving over bumps or around corners.

Think about what this opens up. A grandparent can take a grandchild to the park without needing a car. A couple can ride together even if one partner isn't comfortable pedaling or balancing on their own. Someone recovering from an injury can still get out and enjoy the neighborhood as a passenger. The rickshaw turns a solo activity into a social one.

If carrying a passenger is the main reason you're shopping, our passenger trike collection and tandem trikes are worth comparing side by side. A tandem gives both riders pedals, while a rickshaw like the EVRYjourney lets the passenger simply sit back. And because two people add up, it's worth checking weight limits too. Our high weight capacity eTrikes are a good reference point.

Ken mentioned the storage twice, which tells you he really liked it. While climbing a hill at a steady 10 miles an hour, he pointed out that there's storage in the back, underneath the back seat. A couple of minutes later he came back to it, noting that in addition to the back seat there's storage underneath, which makes it really convenient.

It's a smart use of space. Usually, adding a passenger seat means giving up your cargo area. Here, the space below the seat is put to work, so you can bring a passenger and still have somewhere to put a bag, a jacket, a picnic lunch or a few groceries. You aren't forced to choose between company and carrying capacity.

In his final summary, Ken came back to this point again. He said he liked being able to take somebody in the back seat, belted in, and still have storage underneath. For practical riding, like running errands with your spouse or heading to the beach with a grandchild, that combination is genuinely useful.

If you need more room than that, there are other ways to add carrying space. Our bags and panniers and baskets can expand what you bring along, and if hauling stuff is your main goal rather than hauling people, our cargo electric trikes are built specifically for that.

Toward the end of his ride, on another uphill stretch, Ken started pedaling. He was candid about why. The rickshaw doesn't need the help, he said, but he needed the exercise. That's a great way to think about an electric trike. The motor is there to make the ride possible and pleasant, but you can still put in as much effort as you want.

Then he noticed something. That little boost from pedaling was making the trike pick up speed going uphill. He called it impressive. In his closing thoughts he put a number on it, saying that when he started using pedal assist, the trike picked up 2 or 3 miles an hour.

That's a nice illustration of how pedal assist works in practice. Your legs and the motor work together. On a climb where the trike was already holding a steady pace on its own, adding some pedaling pushed the speed higher. You get exercise, the trike moves faster, and you never feel like you're straining alone.

For a lot of riders, this is the sweet spot. Some days you want to sit back and let the motor do the work. Other days you want to break a sweat. A trike like the EVRYjourney lets you choose on the fly, ride by ride and even hill by hill. Ken, at 74, clearly enjoyed being able to pitch in when he felt like it.

If you'd like a trike where you can also just twist and go without pedaling at all, our electric trikes with throttle control collection is the place to compare that feature across models.

Based on Ken's ride, a few kinds of riders stand out as a natural fit for this trike. The first is the grandparent who wants to share rides with the grandkids. The seat belt, the high position and the steady motor make it easy to picture a weekend trip to the park or an ice cream shop with a young passenger in the back. If you're an older rider exploring options, our collection of electric trikes for seniors is a helpful place to see what else fits that need.

The second is the couple where one partner wants to ride and the other would rather sit back and enjoy the scenery. The rickshaw lets you go out together without forcing anyone to pedal or balance if they'd rather not.

The third is the rider who lives somewhere hilly and has been skeptical that a big trike could manage. Ken's steady 8 to 13 mph on real climbs suggests the 750W motor is up to the job, and that's before you add pedaling.

The fourth is anyone who has been away from cycling for a long time. Ken's comments about the learning curve, and about old bike-riding instincts coming right back, are encouraging. A trike takes the balance worry away, and the rest falls into place quickly.

Finally, there's the practical rider who wants a car-like riding position. If you love the feeling of sitting tall in an SUV and want a bike that feels similar, the EVRYjourney delivers exactly that, according to the man who said so twice in fifteen minutes.

No trike is perfect for everyone, and Ken's ride surfaces a few practical points worth considering. The first is reverse. As he noted on camera, the EVRYjourney rickshaw doesn't have a reverse gear. He backed up without trouble, but if you'll often be maneuvering in tight garages or crowded parking areas, a powered reverse might be on your wish list.

The second is size. Ken called it a big bike, and it is. That size is what makes room for a passenger and storage, but it also means you'll want to think about where you'll park it at home and how much room you have to turn around. Measure your garage or storage space before you commit, and consider how wide your local paths and sidewalks are. Ken found the narrow sidewalk manageable, but it's still worth knowing your routes.

The third is where you'll ride. Ken's group discussed whether to take the road or the sidewalk at a couple of points. Rules about where trikes and electric bikes can ride vary from place to place, so check what applies in your area before you plan your regular routes.

Finally, think about cost and support. sixthreezero offers financing options, free shipping, and a warranty on its bikes and trikes. Trikes arrive mostly assembled, and our assembly instructions walk you through the rest. If you'd like a broader overview first, the sixthreezero buyer’s guide is a good starting point.

Ken's loop around the neighborhood packed in most of the situations a new rickshaw owner will face in the first week, so it's worth pulling a few practical lessons out of it.

Start on a hill if you can. Ken's group sent him uphill almost right away, and it was the fastest way for him to learn what the motor could do. Once you know the trike will hold a steady pace on a climb, you'll ride everywhere else with more confidence.

Take curbs slowly. Ken's point about being able to go super slow going up and down curbs is the whole trick. Line the trike up square to the curb, keep your speed low and let the wheels roll over it one at a time. Rushing a curb on any three-wheeler is how you get jostled.

Use your mirror before every turn. With a wide trike, and especially with a passenger, a quick look behind you before changing direction is a good habit to build early.

Plan around the lack of reverse. Because the EVRYjourney doesn't have a powered reverse, it helps to think a step ahead when you pull up to a crosswalk button or a parking spot. Stop with a little room to spare and you'll rarely need to back up at all.

Let the passenger know what's coming. When Ken talked about riding with his grandkids, the seat belt was the first thing he mentioned. Buckle your passenger in, give them a heads-up before bumps or hills, and the ride will be more relaxing for both of you.

Finally, pedal when you feel like it. As Ken discovered, adding your own effort on a climb is good exercise and gives you a few extra miles an hour. There's no rule that says you have to, but it's a nice option to have.

By the end of the ride, Ken had a simple response: sign me up. Then he gave a quick rundown of why. He liked sitting high in the seat and the control and visibility that came with it. He liked the mirror. He liked being able to bring somebody along in the back seat, belted in, while still having storage underneath.

He was surprised, he said, that a bike this big could accelerate uphill and hold its speed so well. And when he added his own pedaling, the trike picked up another 2 or 3 miles an hour, which he called pretty impressive. His last words on the subject were short and to the point: good bike.

What stands out most about his review is how quickly his comfort grew. In the first few minutes he was testing things out, talking about the brakes and seating position. By the middle of the ride he was joking about getting dangerous because he'd figured out the nuances. By the end he was pedaling up hills for the fun of it. That's the arc most new trike riders go through, and it happens faster than people expect.

For a 74th birthday, it's hard to think of a better gift than discovering a new way to get around. Ken spent his morning climbing hills, crossing streets, cruising pathways and imagining rides with his grandkids. It's a good reminder that an electric trike isn't only a way to get from point A to point B. It's a way to keep exploring, keep moving and keep bringing people along with you.

Ken's biggest piece of advice was really about test riding. If you're nervous about a trike, ride one. The nervousness tends to disappear within minutes, and you'll learn more in half an hour on the seat than in a week of reading reviews.

There are a few easy ways to do that. If you're near Los Angeles, you can visit the sixthreezero store and try different models in person. If not, you can find a retailer near you. And if you order online, the 30-day test ride gives you a month to ride the trike on your own streets and hills before deciding.

Not sure whether the rickshaw is the right style, or whether another trike might fit you better? Start with the personal fitting consultation, where a real fit specialist helps match you to a bike or trike based on your body and the way you ride. You can also browse the full rickshaw collection to see the EVRYjourney alongside other models.

For more rider stories, how-to guides and honest test rides like this one, keep exploring the sixthreezero Bike Advice blog and our Video Blog. And if you're planning a birthday ride of your own, Ken has set a pretty good example.