Olympia, 55, Test Rides the Relaxed Body eTrike: Corners, Speed and a Clear Verdict

Meet Olympia, and a Trike She'd Never Ridden Before

Olympia is 55, and she showed up for this test ride with the kind of honest curiosity that makes for the best kind of review. No script, no polished talking points. She climbed aboard the Relaxed Body, introduced herself to the camera, said she was going to give it a try, and then rode off with a cheer. Within the first few seconds there was an "oops," a laugh, and a quick lesson from the person riding alongside her. By the end of the ride she was talking about how much fun she was having and comparing it to other trikes she'd tried.

That arc, from a slightly wobbly first moment to genuine enthusiasm a few minutes later, is exactly what most new trike riders go through. It's also the reason we like videos like this one. A spec sheet can tell you that a trike has a 750 watt motor and wide tires. It can't tell you what it feels like the first time you take a corner a little too quickly, or what it's like to roll up to a stop sign and realize you don't need to put a foot down.

In this article we'll walk through Olympia's ride moment by moment and use it as a jumping-off point for the practical stuff: how a three-wheeler handles differently from a bicycle, why you need to slow down for corners, how to think about speed and power, what to watch for near curbs, and who the Relaxed Body is really built for. If you're thinking about your first electric tricycle, or you're trying to decide between a trike and an e-bike, this is the ride to learn from.

Before getting into the ride itself, a quick orientation. The Relaxed Body is a recumbent-style electric trike from sixthreezero. "Recumbent" here means the pedals sit out in front of your body rather than directly below you, so your legs push forward instead of down. That forward pedaling position takes a lot of pressure off the knees and lower back, which is a big part of the appeal for riders who find a traditional upright bike uncomfortable after twenty minutes.

It runs on a 750 watt rear-mounted motor, which is about as much power as you'll find on a street-legal e-trike in most of the US. Sixthreezero lists its top speed at around 16 mph. The frame is aluminum with a step-through design, so getting on and off doesn't require swinging a leg high over anything. The rear end uses 3 inch wide tires, which gives the trike a planted feel on pavement and enough grip for packed dirt or gravel paths. There's a large rear basket for groceries, a bag, or whatever you need to haul, and mechanical disc brakes front and rear.

The long, low frame keeps the center of gravity down, which is a big reason the trike feels so stable when you're rolling straight or sitting at a stop. If you want to compare it to similar designs, the recumbent electric trike collection is a good place to see the Relaxed Body next to its siblings.

Those are the basics. Now for what they actually feel like from the seat.

Olympia's ride starts the way a lot of first trike rides start. She says "let's go," lets out a happy "woohoo," and then, almost immediately, "oops." Her riding partner calls out to relax and be careful, and she admits she felt something going around the first corner.

If you've spent decades on two-wheeled bicycles, this moment is almost guaranteed. Your body has a deep, automatic set of habits for balancing a bike, and almost none of them apply to a tricycle. On a bike, you make constant tiny steering corrections to stay upright, and you lean into every turn without thinking about it. On a trike, the machine is already balanced for you. Those old habits don't help, and some of them actively work against you.

The good news is that the adjustment is quick. In Olympia's case, it took well under a minute of riding and a couple of pointers before she was settled in and smiling. That's typical. Most riders spend the first few minutes feeling a little odd, the next ten minutes feeling more confident, and by the end of the first ride they've stopped thinking about it at all.

So if your first ride on a trike includes an "oops" or two, don't read anything into it. It doesn't mean the trike isn't right for you. It means your brain is swapping out an old set of instincts for a new one. Give it a parking lot, a quiet street, or an empty path and ten minutes, and you'll get there.

The theme that comes up again and again in Olympia's ride is corners. Her partner tells her to go real slow around them. She asks, half laughing, what's up with the corners. A few seconds later the explanation comes: on a trike you really have to turn with the handlebars, because you're not leaning into the turn the way you would on a regular bike. The trike stays straight. It stays upright.

That one exchange is probably the single most useful thing a new trike rider can hear, so it's worth slowing down on it.

When you ride a bicycle around a corner, you lean. The faster you go and the tighter the turn, the more you lean. That lean is what keeps you from being flung toward the outside of the turn. It feels natural because you've done it thousands of times.

A trike doesn't lean. All three wheels stay on the ground, and the frame stays upright no matter how you shift around in the seat. That's wonderful for stability at low speeds and at stops, but it means the forces of a turn work differently. Instead of tilting into the corner, you and the trike stay vertical, and you feel a sideways push toward the outside of the turn. At low speeds you barely notice it. At higher speeds, especially in a tight turn, that push gets stronger, and it can lift the inside rear wheel slightly or simply feel unnerving.

That's why the advice in the video is so consistent: slow down before the corner, steer through it with the handlebars, and keep your body relaxed. Olympia's partner put it simply. You have to slow down a little bit in the curves. Once she did, she got it.

It's easy to hear "you have to slow down for corners" and treat it as a drawback. It's really just the other side of the coin that makes trikes so appealing in the first place.

The reason so many riders choose a three-wheeler is that it doesn't need you to balance it. You can roll at walking pace without wobbling. You can come to a full stop and stay seated. You can look over your shoulder, reach into a basket, or adjust your sunglasses without worrying about tipping. For riders with balance concerns, joint pain, or limited mobility, that stability is the whole point. It's what lets people who stopped riding bikes years ago get back out there.

That same upright stability is exactly why a trike doesn't lean into turns. You can't have one without the other. So instead of thinking of cornering as a weakness, think of it as the one skill the trike asks you to learn in exchange for everything it does for you the rest of the ride.

The Relaxed Body's long, low frame helps here. A lower center of gravity means the trike is less sensitive to cornering forces than a taller, more upright trike would be. Sixthreezero designed the frame specifically to cut down on that tipping feeling. But no amount of clever design changes basic physics, and the habit of easing off before a turn is still the right one. Riders who build that habit early end up feeling completely at ease within a week or two. If stability is your top priority, the electric trikes for seniors collection is built around exactly that.

Turning Olympia's experience into something you can actually practice, here's a cornering routine that works for nearly every new trike rider.

First, look ahead. Spot the corner early so you're not surprised by it. On a trike with real power, you'll arrive at turns faster than you might expect, so give yourself time.

Second, slow down before you start turning, not while you're in the middle of it. Let go of the throttle or ease up on pedal assist, and use the brakes gently while the trike is still going straight. Braking hard mid-turn is where things feel least comfortable.

Third, steer with the handlebars and keep your body centered in the seat. Resist the urge to lean like you would on a bike. Some experienced trike riders shift their weight slightly toward the inside of a turn, which can help, but for your first few weeks just stay relaxed and let the handlebars do the work.

Fourth, once you're through the turn and the bars are straight again, then bring the power back on. Accelerating out of a corner feels great and keeps the trike settled.

Fifth, practice somewhere quiet. An empty parking lot is ideal. Ride slow figure eights, then gradually pick up speed. You'll quickly learn where your comfort zone is, and it'll grow every time you ride.

None of this is complicated, and within a few rides it becomes automatic. By the middle of Olympia's ride, her partner was simply saying "there you go" and "you got it."

Once the corners clicked, the next thing Olympia noticed was speed. "It goes fast," she says. "It's very fast, this one." A little later she adds that it speeds up very quickly.

That's the 750 watt rear motor talking. For context, many electric trikes run 500 watt motors, which are plenty for flat neighborhoods and relaxed cruising. A 750 watt motor gives you noticeably more punch when you pull away from a stop, a stronger push up hills, and more reserve when you're carrying a heavier load or a full basket. Combine that with a rear-mounted motor driving the wheels behind you, and the trike feels like it's being pushed forward rather than pulled.

For a lot of riders, that extra power is the difference between a trike that handles their local hills and one that struggles on them. If you live somewhere hilly, or you're a larger rider, or you plan to carry groceries regularly, a 750 watt motor is worth the consideration. Sixthreezero has a good explainer in the Bike Advice section on how motor size relates to the way you actually ride.

But quick acceleration also connects right back to the cornering lesson. A trike that gets up to speed fast will also arrive at turns fast. That's why the best habit is to treat the throttle as something you use on the straights and ease off before bends. You'll still get all the fun of that strong motor, and you'll never be caught carrying too much speed into a turn.

If you're nervous about power, start in the lowest assist level and work your way up. You don't have to use all 750 watts on day one.

One of the funniest and most honest moments in the video comes around the middle of the ride. Olympia says she's having a blast not pedaling, and then laughs that this is how she normally rides. Her partner jokes that they'll go straight across the street, unless she wants to get some exercise.

There's no wrong answer here. The Relaxed Body works with pedal assist, where the motor adds power as you pedal, or under motor power alone. Some riders pick an e-trike precisely because they want to pedal more, just with help on hills and headwinds. Others use the throttle almost exclusively, either because pedaling hurts or because they simply want to enjoy the scenery and get where they're going.

Most people land somewhere in the middle. They pedal on the flat stretches when they feel like it, lean on the throttle when they're tired or climbing, and adjust from day to day. The forward pedaling position on a recumbent trike makes pedaling more comfortable than many riders expect, since your knees aren't working under your full body weight the way they would on an upright bike. If you'd like to see other trikes that offer throttle control, there's a full throttle-equipped e-trike collection.

A practical point: if you do use the throttle heavily, you'll use more battery per mile than you would pedaling with assist. That's not a problem for most neighborhood rides, but it's worth knowing if you're planning longer outings. Mixing in some pedaling stretches your range and gives your legs a gentle workout at the same time.

Either way, the point Olympia makes is the right one. The ride should be fun. If not pedaling is what gets you out of the house, ride that way.

About two minutes in, Olympia says something that a lot of trike owners would put at the very top of their list: she loves that you don't have to put your feet on the ground when you stop.

It's easy to overlook how big a deal this is until you've experienced it. On a two-wheeled bike, every stop means a small balancing act. You slow down, unclip or slide forward, find the ground with a foot, and steady the bike. If the ground is uneven, sloped, or slippery, or if your knees or hips are stiff, that moment can be the most stressful part of the whole ride. Many riders give up bikes entirely because stopping and starting became too risky.

On a trike, you just stop. The trike holds itself up, and you stay seated, feet on the pedals or resting comfortably. When the light changes, you roll away. No wobble, no scramble for the ground, no worrying about the curb height. For riders with balance issues, it's the single feature that makes riding possible again. For everyone else, it's just a much more relaxed way to deal with traffic lights, crosswalks, and chatting with a neighbor you've stopped to say hello to.

Combined with a step-through frame and a low seat, it means the whole experience of getting on, stopping, and getting off is designed around comfort. If easy mounting is especially important to you, take a look at the easy-to-mount e-trikes with low step-thru frames.

One small tip: when you're stopped on any kind of slope, keep a light hand on the brakes so the trike doesn't roll.

Around three minutes into the ride, Olympia's partner gives another important piece of advice: when you're riding next to curbs, remember that your wider tires are in the back, so you don't clip the curb.

This is the second big adjustment for bike riders moving to a trike. On a bicycle, your rear wheel follows directly behind the front wheel, so if your front wheel clears an obstacle, your back wheel will too. On a trike with two rear wheels, the back end is significantly wider than the front. Your front wheel can pass a curb, a post, or a parked car with room to spare while one of your rear wheels is on course to clip it.

The fix is simple once you know about it. Give curbs, bollards, and doorframes a bit more room than feels necessary, especially when you're turning. In tight turns, the inside rear wheel tracks inside the path of the front wheel, which is exactly when people catch curb edges. Taking turns a little wider helps a lot.

Those 3 inch wide tires are a real asset on rougher surfaces and add a nice cushion to the ride, but they also add a bit of width compared to skinny tires. Before you plan a route, think about narrow bike path gates, sidewalk ramps, and doorways at home or in your garage. Measuring your storage space ahead of time saves headaches later.

Within a few rides, most people develop a feel for where their rear wheels are, the same way you learn the corners of a new car. Until then, err on the side of extra room. If you're interested in wide-tire options built for mixed terrain, the fat tire electric trikes are worth a look.

Later in the ride, the pair head straight down a hill, and the advice comes again: be careful because the road curves. Be careful in the curves. Stay planted.

Downhill curves combine the two things a new trike rider needs to respect most, speed and cornering. Gravity will happily add speed whether or not you're touching the throttle, and a heavier trike with a rider and cargo builds momentum quickly. Arrive at a bend going too fast on a downhill, and you'll feel that sideways push much more strongly than on flat ground.

The approach is the same as on flat ground, just started earlier. Control your speed with steady, gentle braking before the curve, not in it. Keep your hands relaxed on the bars. Keep your weight centered and your body planted in the seat. If the hill is long, use the brakes in intervals rather than dragging them constantly, which helps keep them from overheating.

This is where good brakes earn their keep. The Relaxed Body has mechanical disc brakes front and rear, which give strong, predictable stopping power and handle wet conditions better than rim brakes. If braking performance matters to you, browse other electric trikes with disc brakes to compare.

Olympia handled the hill well, and the clips that follow are mostly quiet riding, a turn onto the next street, and a simple "that's cool." That's how it should feel once you get the hang of things: calm, steady, and enjoyable.

Toward the end of the ride, Olympia gives her verdict. She says she prefers this one to the trike with the back she had tried. It goes a bit faster, it's more of a ride, and it feels more like a bike. Her riding partner agrees.

Then she sums it up in a way that's genuinely helpful for anyone shopping. She calls the Relaxed Body a good middle ground between an e-bike and an e-trike with a back holder. It's the midway point.

That's a sharp observation. Electric trikes span a wide range. At one end are very upright, very supportive models with high-backed seats, slower top speeds, and an emphasis on comfort above all else. They're ideal for riders who want maximum support and a calm pace. At the other end is a traditional two-wheeled e-bike, which offers a sportier ride but asks you to balance.

The Relaxed Body sits between those two. You get the stability and the no-feet-down stops of a trike, but with a lower, longer stance, stronger acceleration, and a ride that feels more engaging. For someone like Olympia, who clearly enjoys a little speed and the feeling of riding rather than just being transported, that middle position hits the sweet spot.

Neither end of the range is better than the other. They're simply built for different people. If you value a seat backrest and maximum support, a more upright trike might suit you best. If you want stability with a bit more spirit, the Relaxed Body is worth a test ride. The most comfortable electric trikes collection is a good way to see the full spread side by side.

Pulling all of this together, here's who tends to get the most out of a trike like the Relaxed Body.

Riders who want stability but still want fun. If you've given up two-wheelers because of balance or stopping concerns, but you don't want a ride that feels slow or overly cautious, this is a strong match. Olympia's reaction is a good example.

Riders with knee, hip, or back discomfort. The forward pedaling position spreads the effort differently than an upright bike, and many riders find it far more comfortable over longer rides. Being able to rely on the motor when your joints aren't cooperating helps too.

Riders in hilly areas. The 750 watt rear motor gives real climbing power, so hills that used to be a reason to stay home become part of the route.

Riders who run errands. The large rear basket makes the Relaxed Body a practical everyday vehicle for groceries, library books, or a trip to the farmers market. If cargo space is your priority, browse the e-trikes with a large basket.

Riders who mix pavement with packed dirt or gravel. The wide rear tires give extra grip and comfort on rougher surfaces.

Who might want something else? If you need a very compact trike for small storage spaces or car transport, a folding e-trike may be more practical. If you'd rather keep two wheels, the electric bikes for seniors collection offers comfortable step-through options. And if you want the most supportive, upright seating, a trike with a higher backrest may suit you better.

If Olympia's ride has you thinking about a trike of your own, here are a few things that will make your first week smoother.

Start in a quiet place. A parking lot, a school lot on a weekend, or an empty path gives you room to practice turns and stops without traffic. Fifteen minutes there is worth more than an hour of nervous riding on busy streets.

Use low assist levels at first. Get a feel for how quickly the trike responds before you turn the power up. You'll enjoy the speed more once you trust the handling.

Practice cornering on purpose. Do slow loops in both directions. Notice how the trike stays upright and how the sideways push grows as you speed up. Learn where your comfortable cornering speed is, and stay a little under it for the first few weeks.

Get to know your rear width. Ride past a line of cones or water bottles and see where your rear wheels pass. It sounds silly, but it builds an instinct for curbs and gates very quickly.

Wear a helmet. Even on a stable trike, a helmet is a simple, sensible habit. Sixthreezero has helmets if you need one.

Plan easy first routes. Pick routes with gentle turns, wide paths, and minimal traffic. Add hills and busier roads once you're comfortable.

Ride with a friend if you can. Part of what made Olympia's ride go so well was having someone beside her calling out corners and curbs. A second set of eyes makes the first few rides easier and more fun.

Check tire pressure and brakes regularly. Properly inflated tires make steering feel lighter and more predictable, and well-adjusted brakes give you confidence on downhills.

The biggest takeaway from Olympia's ride is that how a trike feels to you matters more than anything on a spec sheet. She went in curious, had a moment of uncertainty in the first corner, and came out with a clear preference she could explain. That kind of confidence comes from actually riding.

If you're near Los Angeles, sixthreezero invites riders to visit the store and test ride in person. If you're not, the 30-day test ride gives you a month at home to see how a trike fits into your real routine, on your own streets and hills.

Not sure which model fits your body and riding style? The Get Fitted page connects you with a real fit specialist who can help match you with the right trike based on your height, any mobility concerns, and how you plan to ride. It's a good step to take before buying, especially if you're deciding between something like the Relaxed Body and a more upright trike with a backrest.

A few other resources are useful while you're deciding. The Buyer's Guide walks through the main things to consider. Financing options are available if you'd like to spread out the cost. You can read about shipping and the warranty, and when your trike arrives, the assembly instructions are there to walk you through setup.

If you're a larger rider, the high weight capacity e-trikes collection is also worth checking.

Olympia's test ride is short, unpolished, and refreshingly real. In under eight minutes, she goes through nearly everything a new trike rider experiences: the first-corner surprise, the lesson that trikes steer instead of lean, the thrill of a strong motor, the relief of stopping without putting a foot down, the reminder about wide rear wheels and curbs, and a careful descent down a curving hill.

By the end she has a clear opinion. The Relaxed Body is faster and more lively than the trike with a backrest she'd tried, it feels more like a bike, and it sits in a comfortable middle ground between an e-bike and a more upright e-trike. That's a useful way to think about where it fits.

If you're drawn to a stable three-wheeler but don't want to give up the feeling of actually riding, the Relaxed Body deserves a spot on your shortlist. Slow down for the corners, give the curbs some room, and enjoy the ride. As Olympia showed, the learning curve is short and the fun starts almost immediately.

For more ride videos, reviews, and practical advice, browse the Bike Advice blog, or see the full electric trike lineup to compare the Relaxed Body with the rest of the range.