Turning 74 on Three Wheels: Ken Test Rides the EVRYjourney Rickshaw

A Birthday Ride Worth Remembering

Most people celebrate a 74th birthday with cake, a card or two, and maybe a quiet dinner. Ken spent his at the sixthreezero shop, surrounded by a good group of people and a lineup of three-wheelers, and he picked the biggest one in the room to take out on the road: the EVRYjourney rickshaw. By the time he rolled back in, he had a grin on his face and a short, clear verdict. He liked it. A lot.

This article follows that ride from start to finish. Ken climbed steep grades, crossed busy intersections, hopped up and down curbs, rolled along narrow sidewalks and bounced down a pathway that, in his words, really needs to be repaved. Along the way he talked through what he noticed, what surprised him, and what he would want anyone else his age to know before trying one.

What makes his ride useful is that Ken is not a professional tester and he did not show up with a spec sheet. He showed up as a curious rider who grew up on bicycles, wanted something stable and fun, and wanted to see whether a large electric trike could still feel easy to handle. If you are considering an electric rickshaw for yourself, or a passenger trike for rides with a spouse or grandkids, his observations cover nearly everything you would wonder about on your own first ride.

We have kept his words close to how he said them, trimmed out the chatter that comes with filming on the move, and added some context where it helps. The speeds quoted here are the ones Ken read aloud from the display as he rode, so they reflect a real rider on real streets rather than a number from a brochure.

Before he even left the lot, Ken explained what drew him to this particular trike. It was the back seat. He pictured the grandkids riding along behind him, or his wife, or whoever happened to want to come. For him, that turned a solo ride into something shared, and he said it made the whole idea even more fun.

That is the core appeal of a rickshaw-style trike. A standard electric tricycle gives you stability and a basket for errands. A rickshaw adds a proper passenger seat, which changes how the bike fits into your life. Instead of riding while your partner waits at home, you can bring them along. Instead of watching the grandkids from a lawn chair, you can take them on a slow loop around the neighborhood. If that kind of riding appeals to you, sixthreezero groups these models together in its trikes for passengers collection, which is a good place to compare layouts side by side.

There is a practical side to it too. A rickshaw is a big machine. It is longer than a typical trike and carries more weight at the back, so a fair question for any first-time rider is whether it will feel cumbersome. Ken admitted he was curious about exactly that. He wanted to know if the motor could handle a long, heavy frame on a climb, and whether all that size would make tight spots stressful. Those two questions, power and handling, ended up shaping most of his ride.

He also brought the perspective of someone who rides for enjoyment rather than speed. He was not looking to set records. He wanted comfort, control and confidence, which are the same priorities most riders his age list when they start looking at electric trikes for seniors. Keep that in mind as you read his impressions: he is judging the rickshaw on how relaxed and secure it feels, not on how fast it can go.

The first thing Ken noticed happened before the trike moved an inch. The brakes were locked. On many trikes, including this one, the brake lever has a locking position that works like a parking brake. When it is engaged, the trike stays put, which matters on a three-wheeler because it can roll if you park it on even a slight slope.

Releasing it was simple. Ken pulled the brake lever back, it popped up, and he was ready to go. He made a point of saying he liked both halves of that experience. While the brakes were locked, he could not move the trike at all, which gave him confidence that it would stay where he left it. And when it was time to ride, unlocking took a single motion with no fiddling.

This sounds like a small detail, but it is worth thinking about if you have never owned a trike. Getting on and off is when a lot of riders feel least steady. If the bike shifts under you as you swing a leg over or settle into the seat, it can be unnerving. A parking brake that genuinely holds the trike still takes that worry away. You can climb on, adjust your mirror, get your passenger buckled in and only then release the brake and roll.

Ken summed it up with a phrase he would come back to throughout the ride: he likes the simplicity of these bikes. There was nothing to learn here beyond pull the lever and go. For riders who are a little anxious about electric bikes being complicated, that first interaction sets the tone. If you want to go deeper into how trikes stop and hold, the disc brake electric trikes collection is a useful comparison point when you are shopping.

Once he was rolling, Ken commented on the seating position right away. The rickshaw sits up high, and he liked it. He compared it to being in a car, and later in the ride he got more specific, saying it felt like sitting in his SUV.

That comparison is more meaningful than it might sound. A higher seat gives you a better view of what is ahead, whether that is traffic, a crack in the sidewalk, or a dog wandering out from a driveway. It also makes you more visible to drivers, which matters at crosswalks and intersections. Many riders who come from driving find that an upright, elevated position feels natural, because it matches the vantage point they have used for decades behind the wheel.

There is a comfort element too. Sitting tall and upright takes pressure off the wrists and lower back compared with leaning forward over the handlebars. You are not craning your neck to look up, and your weight sits mostly on the saddle where it belongs. For a relaxed ride around town, that posture lets you enjoy the scenery instead of thinking about your body.

When Ken wrapped up the ride, the seating position was the first thing he mentioned. He said he felt really high in the seat and liked the control and visibility that came with it. If you are comparing models and the riding position is one of your priorities, it is worth trying a few different frames. Some riders prefer a lower, step-through setup, which you can find in the easy-to-mount eTrikes collection, while others, like Ken, love sitting up where they can see everything.

Ken did not ease into the ride. Right out of the gate, his companion Lisa pointed him up a hill, and he was happy about it. He said he was anxious to test the acceleration and see how the electric system would handle a climb with a long, heavy trike.

It was a pretty steep upgrade, by his description, and the rickshaw held a steady 8 miles an hour. He liked that. A few moments later he called out that they were getting up to nine and a half, and then the trike settled into a nice steady nine all the way to the top.

The word steady comes up again and again in Ken's description of the climb, and that is the part that matters most. Plenty of electric bikes can produce a burst of speed. What makes a climb feel comfortable is a motor that holds its pace as the grade continues, so you are not slowing to a crawl halfway up or wondering if you are going to make it. Ken was not straining, and he did not describe any moment where the trike seemed to struggle.

For riders who live in hilly neighborhoods, this is often the deciding factor. A hill you would have walked your old bicycle up becomes just another part of the route. And because a rickshaw is designed to carry a passenger, the motor has to be able to manage more weight than a solo trike would. Ken rode this hill without anyone in the back, so a loaded climb would naturally be a little slower, but the steady pace he saw is a good sign of how the system is tuned. If carrying weight is a big part of your plans, browse the high weight capacity trikes as well, so you can compare limits before you buy.

After cresting the hill, Ken mentioned the mirror for the first time. It let him see what was happening behind him without turning around, which is especially helpful on a long trike where looking over your shoulder means twisting a fair way. Then he said simply that they were moving along now, and the ride opened up.

With the climb behind him, Ken settled into a smoother stretch and his commentary got shorter and happier. Very smooth. Comfortable. Then he glanced at the display and laughed: fourteen miles an hour, and it felt like he was walking.

That is one of the more telling remarks of the whole ride. Fourteen miles an hour is a brisk pace for a three-wheeler, and on a lot of bikes it would feel quick. The fact that it felt calm to Ken says something about the stability of the platform. A longer wheelbase and three points of contact with the ground keep the trike planted, so speed does not translate into twitchiness. You notice the scenery moving faster, but you do not feel like you are hanging on.

It is worth adding a note of common sense here. Just because a speed feels relaxed does not mean it is right for every setting. On shared paths and sidewalks, a slower pace is kinder to pedestrians and gives you more time to react. Ken himself kept things to a comfortable range most of the time and only opened it up where there was room. The nice part is that the rickshaw gives you the choice.

He also mentioned the grips on this stretch. He said they were nice and smooth and felt like leather, and that they were comfortable. Grips are one of those components nobody thinks about until they ride with bad ones. Hard, slippery or poorly shaped grips can leave your hands sore after half an hour, especially if you have arthritis or tend to hold the bars tightly. A soft, textured grip makes a longer ride far more pleasant. If your current bike or trike leaves your hands aching, swapping grips or upgrading your seat is one of the easiest comfort fixes there is.

After crossing a street, Ken and Lisa headed downhill. This is where many first-time riders get nervous, especially on something as large as a rickshaw. Ken came away impressed. He said the ride was really comfortable and really smooth, and that he liked the deceleration because it was very easy to control.

Then he said something that every rider should hear. Acceleration is important, he noted, but deceleration is even more important. He liked the control and precision he had when slowing down.

He is right, and it is a point that gets lost in a lot of conversations about electric bikes. Shoppers tend to focus on top speed and how quickly a bike gets going. But the moments that actually test your confidence are the ones where you need to slow down: a steep descent, a sudden crosswalk, a car backing out, a child stepping onto the path. A trike that sheds speed smoothly and predictably lets you stay relaxed in those moments. A trike that grabs or feels vague under braking keeps you tense the whole ride.

On a three-wheeler, braking also behaves a little differently than on a bicycle. You do not have to worry about balancing as you slow down, so you can come to a complete stop in a controlled way without putting a foot down. That is a big part of why riders who have stopped using two-wheelers often feel at home on a trike. Ken's comment about precision suggests he could modulate his speed in small increments, which is exactly what you want when easing down a hill rather than stopping hard at the bottom.

He repeated his SUV comparison on this stretch, adding that it felt very comfortable as they went straight across the next intersection. A rider who feels like he is in his own car while going downhill on a trike is a rider who trusts the brakes.

Not every part of the ride was a straight line. At one point Ken had to reposition the trike, asking how to set it up for the next move, and then making his way across and to the left. He noted that the rickshaw does not have a reverse gear, so maneuvering in a tight spot takes a little thought.

Here is where the ride got fun. Ken joked that he was getting dangerous with this thing. When Lisa asked what he meant, he explained: it was very easy to start figuring out the little nuances, and half an hour earlier he could not have pulled off the move he had just made. He was learning the rickshaw's dimensions and turning circle in real time, and it was clicking quickly.

He followed that up with the advice that might be the most valuable takeaway from the whole video. If somebody is nervous about riding one of these, he said, a test drive like the one he was doing makes all of that go away. You stop thinking about it.

It is worth being honest about the reverse question. Some riders, especially those who park in tight garages or need to back out of narrow spaces regularly, find a reverse function genuinely helpful. If that describes you, sixthreezero has a dedicated collection of electric trikes with reverse gear that is worth a look. For Ken, the lack of reverse turned out to be a minor point. He later mentioned that backing up was pretty easy when he stopped to press a crosswalk button, so for normal riding he managed without it.

The broader lesson is that a big trike has a short learning curve, but it does have one. Give yourself a few laps of a quiet parking lot or an empty street before heading into busier areas. Practice tight turns in both directions, practice stopping where you want to stop, and practice nudging the trike backward a foot or two. By the end of your first ride, you will likely feel the way Ken did.

A good chunk of Ken's route involved the everyday obstacles you run into on any real ride: curb cuts, crosswalks, and sidewalks of varying widths. Early on, Lisa asked whether he wanted to go on the sidewalk, and later the two of them went back and forth about road versus sidewalk at an intersection before choosing the sidewalk.

After going up and down a curb on the street, Ken said it was very simple and very easy to handle. The key, he explained, was being able to control the speed and go super slow while going up and down. That kind of fine control at low speed is underrated. On an electric trike, the ability to creep forward gently rather than lurch is what makes curbs, driveway lips and ramps feel manageable instead of jarring.

At crosswalks, he described the process as nice and simple. He pulled up, pressed the button, backed up slightly when he needed to, waited, and crossed. Then, as he put it, right up onto the curb and away they went. He added a thought that captures how these features feel in practice: the safety features become very natural and you stop thinking about them, because they just happen. Then he corrected himself with a smile. You make them happen.

Later in the ride they came to a narrow sidewalk. Even with a vehicle as wide as a rickshaw, Ken said it handled the space just fine, and he kept it right down the middle. That said, it is worth checking the width of the paths you plan to ride regularly, since a trike takes up more room than a bicycle and you want space to pass pedestrians comfortably.

A quick note on where to ride. Rules about riding electric bikes and trikes on sidewalks vary a lot from city to city. Some places allow it, some prohibit it, and some limit speed. Before you make sidewalks part of your regular route, check your local regulations, and when you do share space with people on foot, slow down and give them plenty of room.

No test ride is complete without a stretch of bad road, and Ken found one. He announced they were on a bumpy road, then a bumpy pathway, and said the trike handled them just great. A little later he added, with some feeling, that they really needed to repave that path. Anyone who has ridden an old neighborhood trail will recognize the sentiment.

Once they found smoother ground, Ken said the pathways were really nice and that you could move right along at your own pace. They were cruising at nine to ten miles an hour, which he described as nice and comfortable and safe, even on a bumpy little path like that one.

There are a few reasons a rickshaw handles rough surfaces well. The extra weight and length help it settle rather than bounce. Three wheels mean that a bump under one wheel does not threaten your balance the way it might on a bicycle. And sitting upright lets your body absorb jolts more naturally than leaning forward does. None of that turns a cracked path into glass, but it does mean the bumps stay bumps rather than becoming scary moments.

Then came a comment that made the whole ride feel personal. All that bike riding experience from when we were kids, Ken said, comes right back to you on these things. Many riders in their sixties and seventies have not been on a bicycle in decades, and they worry that they have forgotten how. On a trike, the parts that made bicycles hard, like balancing at low speed, are taken care of. What comes back is the good part: the breeze, the sense of moving under your own steam, the feeling of being out in the world rather than looking at it through a windshield.

If your local routes include a lot of gravel, broken pavement or packed dirt, it is worth also looking at fat tire electric trikes. Wider tires add cushioning and grip on loose surfaces, and some riders prefer them for that reason alone.

Ken had mentioned the back seat at the very start, but it was midway through the ride that he discovered a feature he had not expected. Heading uphill at ten miles an hour, he noted that the rickshaw was doing well, and then he pointed out that there was storage in the back. Underneath the rear seat, there is a compartment.

He came back to it a few minutes later, clearly pleased. In addition to the back seat, he said, there is storage underneath, which makes the trike really convenient. That combination solves a common problem with passenger bikes. On many models, adding a passenger means giving up your cargo space. Here, you can bring someone along and still stash a jacket, water bottles, a picnic lunch or a few groceries out of sight.

Further along, Ken spotted another detail he appreciated: the seat belt on the back seat. He said his grandkids are big enough now that they might not need it, but when they were younger, it would have been ideal. Any parent or grandparent knows that kids wiggle, lean, turn around and reach for things. A belt gives you peace of mind so you can focus on the road ahead instead of glancing back every few seconds.

A few practical thoughts if you plan to carry passengers. Make sure everyone riding in the back wears a properly fitted helmet; sixthreezero carries helmets if you need to outfit the whole family. Check the weight limit of the trike and remember that it covers the rider, the passenger and any cargo combined. Take your first few passenger rides on quiet streets so you get a feel for how the extra weight changes acceleration, braking and turning. And talk to your passenger beforehand about sitting still and holding on, especially if they are young.

For sunny climates, a canopy can also make passenger rides much more comfortable. The sixthreezero canopies collection is worth browsing if you picture long afternoon rides with someone in the back.

The second half of Ken's ride had more climbing, and by this point he was clearly enjoying himself. Heading back uphill, he said they were moving right along, then called out thirteen miles an hour. He described the rickshaw as having a lot of zip, and made the point that for such a big bike, it handles uphills just fine.

Still climbing, he checked again and they were holding eleven miles an hour. Really good strength, he said. Really good electricity. Then he added that they were just zipping right along, and that this was an enjoyable bike. He could tell you that much.

Then Ken started pedaling. He said he was getting a little exercise in, helping the trike along. He was quick to add that the rickshaw did not need the help, but he needed the exercise. That is a great way to think about pedal assist. The motor makes the ride possible on days when you are tired or the hills are steep, but you can always contribute as much effort as you want.

What surprised him was how much his pedaling added. That little boost, he said, had them picking up speed going uphill, and he called it impressive. In his wrap-up, he quantified it: once he started using pedal assist, the trike picked up two or three miles an hour. On a climb, that is a meaningful difference, and it shows how the motor and the rider work together rather than one simply replacing the other.

For riders who want to stay active, this is one of the strongest arguments for an electric trike over a mobility scooter. You can ride with zero effort when you need to, and you can pedal as hard as you like when you feel good. Over weeks and months, that steady, low-impact movement adds up. If you want the option to ride without pedaling at all, check whether the model you are considering has a throttle; the trikes with throttle control collection makes that easy to filter.

The ride ended on a high note. Ken let out a cheer and said, simply, what a great ride.

Back at the shop, Ken gave a quick summary of what he had learned, and it lines up neatly with everything he said on the road.

He liked the bike. He felt really high in the seat, and he liked the control and visibility that came with that. He liked the mirror. He liked being able to take somebody in the back, seat belted in, while still having storage underneath. He was surprised that a bigger bike could accelerate uphill and hold its speed as well as it did. And he was impressed that pedaling on top of the motor added two or three miles an hour. Good bike, he concluded.

What stands out about his verdict is how practical it is. He did not talk about specs or technology. He talked about what it felt like to ride, what made him comfortable and what made the trike useful. Those are the things that determine whether a bike gets ridden every week or sits in the garage.

It is also worth noticing what he did not say. He did not describe any moment where he felt unsafe, overwhelmed or out of control, even on a steep climb, a downhill stretch, a narrow sidewalk or a bumpy path. The closest thing to a complaint was the lack of a reverse gear, and he found a simple workaround. For a 74-year-old rider trying a large electric rickshaw for the first time, on his birthday, with a camera rolling, that is a strong endorsement.

His one-line reaction near the end of the ride said it all: sign me up.

Based on Ken's ride, a rickshaw-style trike is a strong fit for a few kinds of riders. The first is anyone who wants to share rides. If you have a spouse or partner who does not ride, grandkids who would love to tag along, or a friend with limited mobility, the back seat opens up a kind of outing that a solo trike cannot. Ken's first comment about this bike was about bringing people along, and that is its real reason for existing.

The second is riders who value stability and a commanding view. If you liked the idea of sitting up high like you do in an SUV, and you want three wheels under you so that slow speeds, stops and starts never threaten your balance, the rickshaw delivers that. Riders who have given up two-wheelers because of balance concerns often find this combination liberating.

The third is riders in hilly areas who still want to get exercise. Ken's climbs held steady at eight to eleven miles an hour, and he could add a few more by pedaling. That means hills stop being reasons to stay home.

There are also a few things to think through before choosing a rickshaw. It is a big trike, so measure your garage, shed or storage area and the doorways you will need to roll it through. If you need to back out of tight spaces often, you may prefer a model with reverse. If you will rarely carry a passenger, a standard trike with a large basket might be lighter and simpler. And if you want something that stores away in a car or closet, a folding electric trike is a different direction entirely.

If you are torn between styles, the sixthreezero fitting process is designed for exactly this kind of decision. It matches you to a bike or trike based on your body, how you ride and what you want to use it for. The buyer's guide is another good place to compare options at your own pace.

Ken's biggest piece of advice was to take a test ride, because that is when the nerves go away. Here is how to make yours count, drawing on what he experienced.

Start with the parking brake engaged and get comfortable on the seat before you release it. Adjust the mirror so you can see behind you without twisting. Then find a quiet, open area and spend a few minutes on low-speed control: starting gently, stopping exactly where you want, and turning in both directions. Practice nudging the trike backward a little, since you will need to do that at crosswalks and in tight spaces.

Next, find a hill. Ken went straight for one, and it told him more about the trike than anything else. Pay attention to whether the speed stays steady and whether you feel relaxed on the way up. Then, just as importantly, ride down. Notice how easy it is to control your speed. Remember his point that slowing down matters even more than speeding up.

Try a curb cut or a driveway lip at a crawl, and get a feel for how the trike handles the transition. If your regular routes include rough pavement, find some on your test ride as well. And if you plan to carry passengers, take one along before you buy, so you can feel how the extra weight changes things.

If you cannot get to a store, sixthreezero offers a 30-day test ride, which gives you a month to try the trike on your own streets. If you are near the shop, you can visit in person and ride a few models back to back, the way Ken did. Either way, give yourself time. Half an hour into his ride, Ken was handling moves he could not have done at the start.

A rickshaw is a bigger purchase than a basic bicycle, so it is worth looking at the support around it as well as the trike itself. Read through the warranty details so you know what is covered, and check the shipping information to understand how your trike will arrive. Sixthreezero bikes ship largely pre-built, and the assembly instructions walk you through the rest.

If spreading out the cost would help, there is information on available financing. It is also worth keeping a spare charger or battery in mind for long-term ownership; the batteries and chargers page lists replacement parts.

Finally, think about the accessories that will make your rides more enjoyable. A comfortable helmet for you and your passengers, a water bottle holder, a bag or pannier for extra cargo and a bell for shared paths all make a difference. You can browse the full range under accessories.

Ken's birthday ride is a good reminder that age is not the barrier many people think it is. With the right machine, a rider in his mid-seventies can climb steep hills, cross busy intersections, handle curbs and rough paths, and come back smiling. The EVRYjourney rickshaw gave him height and visibility, steady power on climbs, smooth and precise braking, a seat-belted spot for a passenger and storage hidden underneath, all wrapped in a design simple enough that he was confident within half an hour.

More than any single feature, what Ken found was that the trike let him enjoy the ride. He noticed the beautiful day. He chatted with Lisa. He pedaled for the fun of it. He talked about bringing the grandkids along. That is what a good trike should do: get out of the way so you can enjoy being outside.

If you are curious, start by browsing the rickshaw collection, explore the wider range of electric tricycles, or read more rider stories and test rides on the video blog. And if you get the chance, take one out for a spin yourself. As Ken found out, all that riding experience from when you were a kid comes right back.