Why Many Seniors Aren't Getting Proper Leg Extension on ETrikes & EBikes

Why are many seniors not getting proper leg extension on their electric trike?

Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today I'm gonna explain why many seniors are not getting proper leg extension on their electric trike. All right, I've got four of the electric trikes from Sixthreezero here. Our Easy Transit Fat Tire, Relaxed Body, Simple Glide 500 watt, and our Simple Glide 750 watt. Now, the traditional tricycle or electric tricycle has a frame a lot like the EZ Transit here. It's an upright frame, and the pedaling is directly below the rider's body. This is similar to any two-wheel bike where the pedals are directly below the seat, and you need to raise the seat up to get proper leg extension when you pedal. Now the reality of a bicycle or tricycle, and this is actually a little high for me, but you want to be, when you're seated, you wanna be up on the ball of your feet, right? So you wanna be up like this to ensure when you get on, now you can see my knees are almost straight. You want it to be a little bit bent, right? So we're not hyperextending. But you wanna be able to get the most out of that down pedal stroke. Also, you don't want your legs to be cramped, okay? Now, we do a lot of test rides here. And the one thing I notice is that many of our senior riders want the seats to be low to the ground, right? And many of them like it.

 They like having the up and down, the upright position where you pedal below your body. But they want it low for two reasons, right? One, so it's easy to get on and off. And two, because it feels safer, right? When you are in the seat and you can get your feet flat when you're stopped, you feel safe. You feel more grounded. Now, the problem with this is when you're pedaling, your legs are going to be cramped. because now you've got the seat too low for the actual pedaling position. So by lowering it, you've made yourself feel safer, and you've made it easier to get onto the seat, but you've now made your legs feel cramped. And so many times, people say, Okay, put the seat lower. Then they get on, and they say, Oh, but I feel so cramped. And I say, well, yeah, that's because on this style of electric trike, this is how you need to position your legs if you wanna have a nice pedaling stroke. If you do plan to pedal a lot and you wanna get exercise, then you have to take that into account as you're shopping for your electric trike, because if you're gonna go with a traditional frame style trike, this is gonna be an issue you're gonna run into, no matter what brand you choose. Unless they have a recumbent style or semi-recumbent, where the pedals are moved forward a little bit.

When you move the pedals forward, you can be lower to the ground but still get the leg extension because you're pedaling out in front of your body. Now, I've also heard a lot of people say, Oh, but I like the way it feels pedaling down under my body. So at that point, now you just have to choose, in a sense, the lesser of two evils, right? Which is gonna be more important to you? Is it how you feel on the pedal stroke, or is it how you get on and off the trike? Again, that's for you to decide. As I said, the way to get that proper extension, this is our big reveal here, is to switch to a trike with a forward pedaling or a recumbent design. So with a recumbent design, your seat's going to be lower to the ground, but you're going to get that leg extension because the pedals are shifted forward. You can see on both of these how the pedals are forward. You can see on the relaxed body here that these pedals are moved forward about 16 inches. So you're getting an additional 16 inches of being able to extend your leg out in front, but you can have that seat low, which makes it easy to mount and dismount, and also gives you that peace of mind for safety, right? So, here's an example of the Simple Glide Fat Tire. I sit down, and now my legs are out in front of my body, and I'm pedaling out in front of my body. So nice, comfortable position, and my knees are not too high. And on that stroke, my leg is extended. So again, this is something you, you know, I wanna point out because many people when they get on a trike for the first time, they think it's an issue with the trike.

It's not an issue with the trike; it's just the way that particular trike is set up. And on a traditional upright trike, if you lower the seat, you're not gonna get great leg extension, and this becomes really problematic if you have somebody tall. Let's say somebody 5'10 and above, 5'11, six feet tall, and maybe you have really bad arthritic hips or knees. And so getting up onto the seat is very difficult, but once you're sitting, you can pedal. So in that case, if you're going for a traditional trike, but it's hard to climb onto that seat, you have to keep it low, but by the time you get on, you're so cramped, it's just terrible to pedal. Really, you wanna look at a recumbent, something that's easier for you to get on the seat, but you still get that right leg extension. And again, ultimately it's up to you to decide what is right for your body and what feels best for you. This is just my experience, what often happens, and what I generally try to steer customers in the direction of purchasing if a traditional upright frame doesn't work for their body.

So, I hope that helps. If you have any other questions or comments about getting the right seat height on an electric trike, reach out to us,theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. All these e-trikes are linked in the description below if you wanna check them out. In addition to that, we offer a 30-day test ride of your e-trike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Also, we're gonna warrant you everything for a year. Anything goes wrong in the first year, we'll take care of it, parts and labor. In addition to that, if you wanna come out for a test ride, we're here in San Clemente, California, at 1046 Calle Rocoto Unit K. Come on out, test ride any of our e-trikes before you purchase to ensure you're making the right choice. Also, join our community. We have a Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members in the group. Join before you purchase to talk to existing riders to ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and finally download the app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience, enjoy the ride.