At 60, Overweight, and Arthritic—This Electric Trike Gave Me Freedom Again: My Journey on 3 Wheels

Hi, I'm Kelly, and I'm 60 years old. I am overweight, and I have gone through some pretty rough times the past few years. Three years ago, I had a hip replacement. Two years ago, I spent the entire summer in the hospital with pneumonia and then recovered from it. And then last year, lung cancer hit. So I'm glad to say that I am a lung cancer survivor, and it is completely gone now. So I am glad to be able to say that. So this year I thought, you know what? I'm going to get out and live this year. I've got to start doing some things, and I need to start taking care of myself. And so one of the things that I thought might be good for me is to go out bike riding. So I started looking at bikes. My husband mentioned e-bikes. And so we kind of started looking at e-bikes, and a lot of them had a weight restriction that was below my weight. And so I just kept looking. Also knew I couldn't balance very well on a two-wheel bike. And so I ran across the Sixthreezero website and started looking at all of their e-trikes that they had, and saw this one, and thought, this is it, this is cool, I really like this.

It's got fat tires, which make me feel more secure with my weight, to have that extra support from the tires. It also allows for smoother rides everywhere. It's got this most comfortable seat where I have armrests, and I have a back that I can lean on. So I can just get out and relax while I'm trying to ride. So it's a perfect bike for me. I'm able to go places that I haven't been able to go to before, and I really am enjoying it. And so this is why, for my age, for my weight, and the health issues that I've had recently, plus arthritis, this is the perfect e-trike for me. So let's go on a ride, and I'll show you some of the places that I'm able to go to. With the fat tires on the bike, it just makes it so easy to ride, and right now I'm on a smooth road, and so, you know, it's definitely, it just glides over the pavement easily. Um, out on country roads and stuff, it does the same thing, too. So, it's really kind of nice. Um, I don't feel insecure at all on this bike. It's very sturdy. Um, holds my weight well. Uh, the seat is very comfortable. Um, and as you can tell right now, I'm in full-throttle assist. So I'm not even pedaling right now. That's something that I'm working up to. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that soon. But until then, I just rest my feet on the pedals. Okay, you've got a footrest that you can use, also. But for me, it's just easier to rest my feet on the pedals.

One of the reasons that I wanted to get out on a bike or trike or something, and started looking for it, was because I wanted to make sure that I had a way to get outside and just get some fresh air and all. Walking is very painful for me. And so this is a way to get outside, which helps me mentally and emotionally. And that is a big part of your overall health. And so that's what I've started doing, getting out and riding. So the other day I was riding out at a wildlife refuge and riding along the trail, and got to see lots of wildlife. I would not have gone walking down that trail because it's a far trail. And I got down about seven miles because I could do that with my trike. And because of being able to go down the trail that far, I got to an area that had some benches in it that were overlooking the ocean. And it was amazing just sitting out there. It was quiet and peaceful. And I thought, you know, if I hadn't had this trike to ride out there, I wouldn't get to experience that. And so sitting there, I thought, man, the ride is great, but where it takes you is amazing. And that is the reason that I love this trike.