A Hill That Used to End the Ride Before It Started
I'm Dustin, and a big part of my job at sixthreezero is listening to riders explain what's holding them back. Very often it isn't the distance, the weather, or even the cost of a new ride. It's a hill. One particular hill, usually close to home, that turns a pleasant afternoon into something they'd rather skip.
Diane, who works with us at sixthreezero, put this better than I could in a recent video. She was getting ready for a ride that included a climb, and she said plainly that going up a hill was scary for her and, candidly, impossible on a regular bike. Not hard. Impossible. She's over 60, and she was honest that she just doesn't have that kind of climbing in her legs anymore.
What I appreciated was that she didn't stop at the physical part. She talked about the anxiety. Before a ride on a traditional bicycle, she'd find herself planning a path around every incline, mapping out the route so she wouldn't get caught at the bottom of something she couldn't get up. Anyone who has done that knows how much it drains the fun out of riding. You end up riding the map instead of riding the day.
That's the problem Diane set out to solve on camera, and the machine she brought to do it was the Simple Glide dual motor, a recumbent model from our lineup of electric tricycles. In this article I'm going to walk through her ride from start to finish: the controls she used and how she used them, the speeds she saw at each level of assistance on a very steep hill, how she handled the descent and a busy street crossing, and the small mistakes she owned up to along the way. Those last ones matter. A real ride has real moments, and they're often the most useful part.
What “Dual Motor” Means on This Trike
Diane explained the core idea in one line: on the dual motor Simple Glide, power is driven into both the front and the back wheel. Most e-trikes put a single motor in one place and push or pull the whole machine from there. With two motors, the work is shared between the front and the rear. According to the product page, that's a 750-watt front hub motor paired with a 750-watt rear motor, which lines up with the roughly 1,500 watts Diane mentioned when she was estimating the total during the ride.
Why does that matter on a climb? Steep hills punish anything that loses traction or bogs down under load. When both ends of the trike are pulling, the effort is spread out, and the machine doesn't have to rely on one wheel to haul everything up the grade. Diane's reaction once she got going summed it up better than any spec sheet could. Having the power in the front and the back, she said, was insane.
Why a Recumbent Trike Made Sense for Diane
The Simple Glide is a recumbent design, which means you sit back in a supportive seat with your legs out in front of you rather than perched over the pedals. If you browse our recumbent electric trikes, you'll see that this seating position is the common thread. For a rider like Diane, it does two things. It takes pressure off the wrists and lower back, and it places the rider low and centered between three wheels. That goes a long way toward the calm, planted feeling that makes a hill less intimidating before you've even started climbing.
Three wheels also remove the balance question entirely. You don't have to hold the machine up at low speed, and you don't have to worry about tipping when you slow down halfway up a grade or stop to check traffic. For many of the riders who shop our electric trikes for seniors, that one change is what gets them back out the door.
There's a quieter benefit, too. When the machine is stable on its own, your attention is free. You're not managing balance, so you can watch the road, look at your display, and make decisions about assist levels without feeling rushed. As you'll see, Diane made a lot of small, smart decisions on this ride, and that kind of calm is what allows them.
Diane framed the whole outing simply: she wanted to show how she uses this trike to take rides she wouldn't be able to take on a traditional bicycle. Not rides that are a little easier. Rides she would otherwise skip entirely. That's the standard I'd want any reader to hold this trike to, so let's look at the tools she had to work with.
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Pedal Assist: Five Levels at the Push of a Button
On the display, Diane pointed to the letters PAS, which stand for pedal assist. A simple click of the button moves you through five levels. Pedal assist works while you're pedaling: the motor adds power to your effort so you don't have to push as hard to make it up a hill. Level one gives you a gentle hand. Level five gives you a great deal more.
The way I explain pedal assist to riders is that it doesn't replace pedaling. It changes what pedaling costs you. You're still turning the cranks and moving your legs, which is a good thing for anyone who wants to stay active. But the motor meets you partway, and the higher the level, the more of the job it takes on. Diane would go on to show this very clearly on her climb by holding the same cadence at each level and watching her speed rise.
One practical note she made later in the ride belongs here, because it affects how you use everything else. On this trike, the throttle only works when pedal assist is on, at level one or higher. Turn PAS off completely and the throttle stops responding. Diane's habit is to stay in at least level one whenever she might want the throttle, and it's a habit I'd recommend to anyone.
The Twist Throttle: A Gas Pedal for Your Right Hand
This model uses a twist throttle. Diane compared it to the gas pedal on a car, and that's exactly the right mental picture. Twist it, and the motor moves the trike without any pedaling at all. As she put it, the motor gives you the power you need to get where you want to go.
She described two situations where she reaches for it. One is starting at the bottom of a hill, where getting moving from a standstill is the hardest moment of the whole climb. The other is crossing a street when she wants to get across quickly. If you're shopping specifically for that kind of control, our collection of electric trikes with throttle control is a good place to compare options.
I want to underline why a throttle matters so much for riders in Diane's position. Pedal assist responds to your pedaling, which means there's a moment at the start where you have to get the cranks turning on your own. On a steep grade, from a full stop, that first push can be the hardest one of the day. The throttle removes it. You twist, the trike moves, and you begin pedaling once you're rolling and the pedals turn more easily.
Traditional Gears: The Part People Forget
The third tool sometimes gets lost in the excitement about motors: the gears. Diane pointed out that the Simple Glide also has the kind of traditional gears you'd find on a regular bike, a mountain bike, or a road bike. The product page lists a Shimano Tourney 7-speed system.
Gears and motor assist do different jobs. Pedal assist changes how much the motor helps. Gears change how hard each pedal stroke feels to your legs. When you combine a lower gear with a moderate assist level, you can keep an easy, comfortable cadence and let the motor make up the difference. On the flat, a higher gear lets you cover more ground with each stroke. Using the two together is what makes a ride feel smooth instead of choppy.
A simple routine works well for most riders. Before a climb, shift to an easier gear while you're still rolling, then choose your assist level. At the top, shift back up and click the assist down. Doing it in that order means you're never grinding against a hard gear on a steep slope, and you're never carrying more motor power than you need once the road levels out.
Why Having All Three Changes the Equation
Here's the point Diane kept coming back to, and it's the heart of this ride. Between pedal assist, the throttle, and the gears, the difference in what you can tackle on your rides is, in her words, just insane. Each one helps on its own. Together, they give you options at every moment of a ride, and options are what take the anxiety out of a hill. You're no longer asking whether you can make it. You're simply deciding which tool to use.
That's also why comfort deserves as much attention as power. A rider who feels settled and supported is far more willing to attempt the climb in the first place. If seat support and an easy riding position are high on your list, browse our most comfortable electric trikes alongside the feature-specific collections.
","id":"c3b0bcdc-9a5d-419a-b1d1-af2737d74ada"},{"layoutId":"full-width-image-with-out-bleed","variants":{},"image":{"assetId":"4icmGj6ubXMmbcEXHgAdgp","options":{"backgroundSize":"cover"},"mobileAssetId":"","mobileOptions":{"backgroundSize":"cover"}},"id":"007cfe93-75f8-4b3f-8ff5-e4e343f20e3f"},{"layoutId":"paragraph-section","variants":{},"heading":"The Climb: Diane's Speeds at Every Pedal Assist Level","body":"Diane didn't ease into this. She started her ride on a steep hill, exactly the kind she said she'd normally plan her route to avoid. She began with the throttle to get moving and then brought in pedal assist.
Her honesty about the start was useful. She was on the throttle with pedal assist one, and the hill was steep enough that she was already moving up to pedal assist two. That's how I'd want a new rider to think about it. There's no prize for staying at the lowest level. Pick the level that makes the hill feel manageable and adjust from there.
Pedal Assist 2: Already at 7 MPH
In pedal assist two, on a steep grade, Diane was already going 7 miles per hour. That's when she said out loud that the power from the front and the back was insane. For context, on a traditional bicycle many riders would be in their lowest gear on a grade like that, working hard and moving slowly. Diane was seated, pedaling at a comfortable rhythm, and climbing at a steady pace.
Pedal Assist 3: 9 MPH at the Same Cadence
This is the part of the video I'd point anyone to if they want to understand pedal assist. Diane clicked over to level three and made a point of keeping the same cadence. Same legs, same rhythm, same effort. Her speed went to 9 miles per hour. Nothing about what she was doing had changed. The motor was simply contributing more.
Pedal Assist 4: 10.6 MPH and Holding On
At level four, she was cruising up the hill at 10.6 miles per hour, and she laughed that she was literally holding on to the handlebars because she was going so fast. I appreciate that comment because it tells you something true: the upper levels on a dual-motor trike are not subtle. If you're new to this, work your way up through the levels rather than starting high.
Pedal Assist 5: 12 MPH Up a Steep Grade
In pedal assist five, Diane reached 12 miles per hour, still climbing. Her reaction was that there was crazy, crazy power behind this trike. For a rider who opened the video calling a hill like this impossible, that's a remarkable turn. She wasn't just surviving the climb. She was choosing how fast she wanted to take it.
What the Numbers Actually Tell You
I want to be careful with how anyone reads these speeds. They're what Diane saw on her display, on that hill, on that day, at her own cadence. Your numbers will depend on the grade, your weight, your pedaling, the gear you're in, and conditions on the day. What matters more than any single figure is the pattern. Each click of pedal assist gave her a clear, noticeable step up in speed without asking anything more of her body. That predictability is what builds confidence.
It's also why dual motors earn their place on a grade like this. With the front and rear both pulling, the trike shares the work instead of loading everything onto one wheel. Traction and power tend to go hand in hand, which is one reason it's worth looking through our fat tire electric trikes if you ride on varied surfaces. And for riders who carry more weight or simply want plenty of headroom, our high weight capacity e-trikes are built with that load in mind. The product page lists a 450-pound weight capacity for this model.
The Mistake at the Top of the Hill
Now for my favorite moment, because it's the kind of thing you only learn by riding. When Diane reached the top of the hill, she started pedaling again but was still in pedal assist five. Her speed kept building toward 13 miles per hour, and she caught it on camera. She hadn't remembered to click down. She corrected it right there and turned it into a tip for everyone watching.
Here's the lesson in plain terms. When the hill ends, the motor doesn't know that. If you're still in a high assist level, your normal pedaling on flat ground or a downslope will produce a lot more speed than you probably want. Make it a habit to click down as you crest a hill. Diane went straight back to pedal assist one, because she was about to head back down and cross a busy street.
I love that she left this in. It's honest, and it's a better teacher than a perfect run would have been. Almost every rider who's new to a powerful e-trike makes some version of this mistake once. Better to hear about it from Diane than to discover it yourself at the top of your own hill.
If you want a simple rule to carry with you, try this one: the assist level should match the hill you're on right now, not the hill you just finished. Climbing? Click up. Leveling out? Click down. Heading downhill? Stay low and let the brakes and gravity do the work. It's a small piece of discipline that pays off every single ride.
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Crossing a Busy Street With the Throttle
On her way back, Diane had to cross a fairly busy street. Whenever she does that, she uses the throttle. Her reasoning was simple and smart. She wants to get across quickly and safely, and the throttle gives her more control over how quickly she crosses than pedaling on her own would.
Think about what a street crossing really involves. You're waiting, often from a dead stop, watching traffic, and then you need to commit and clear the lane without hesitating. Pedaling from a stop means a moment of effort before you're moving well. The throttle gives you immediate, steady movement that you can control with your wrist, while your eyes and attention stay on the road.
Here's the detail that ties back to the controls. Diane stayed in pedal assist one during the crossing, because if she turned pedal assist off altogether, the throttle would no longer work. If you remember one technical point from this article, make it that one. Level one is your safe default whenever you want the throttle available.
Braking on the Way Down
Diane was candid that she's not a fast downhill rider. She started using the brakes early because she doesn't like to go faster than about 9 or 10 miles an hour down a hill. That's her safety margin, and she said so without apology.
She added a story from home that puts this in perspective. She lives on a fairly large hill, and she's seen some cyclists come down it keeping pace with her car, on a road where the speed limit is 45 miles an hour. She was clear that she's not one of those people. I think that's a healthy attitude, and it's one I share with riders all the time. Your comfort sets your speed, not the hill and not what other riders are doing.
Good brakes are what make that kind of control possible. The product page lists a hydraulic braking system with three rotors on this model. If confident stopping is a priority for you, you can compare options in our collection of electric trikes with disc brakes.
A few braking habits pair well with Diane's approach. Start braking before you need to rather than in a hurry. Use steady pressure instead of sudden grabs. And keep pedal assist low on a descent so the motor isn't adding speed you're trying to shed. That last point is the lesson from the top of the hill, applied in reverse.
Slowing Down Into Turns
Diane also tends to slow down a lot as she approaches a turn. Again, she called it her comfort level. But she made an observation worth repeating: on an e-trike with the extra wheels, turning really isn't a big issue. She leaned ever so slightly into the turn and rolled through it without any drama.
That matches what I see with riders moving from two wheels to three. On a bicycle, cornering is a balancing act. On a trike, the machine stays upright on its own, so a turn becomes about speed and steering rather than balance. A slight lean of your upper body toward the inside of the turn helps you feel settled, and taking the corner at a modest speed keeps everything calm. Later in the ride, Diane also mentioned that the trike has a great turn radius, which makes tight corners and narrow paths easier to handle.
After the turn, she simply went back into pedal assist and pedaled her way home. No fuss and no awkward restart, just a smooth transition back into cruising.
Riding at Your Own Pace Is the Point
What strikes me about this stretch of the video is how much of it is about restraint. Diane had a trike that had just carried her up a steep hill at 12 miles an hour, and she chose to come down slower than that, brake early, ease into corners, and use the throttle only where it made her safer. That's not timid riding. That's a rider who knows exactly what she wants from the machine and uses it on her own terms.
None of this replaces basic protective gear. A well-fitting helmet is the simplest step you can take, and you'll find options in our sixthreezero helmets collection. Combine that with habits like Diane's, slowing for turns, using the throttle at crossings, and braking early on the way down, and you've got a ride that is both enjoyable and controlled.
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Back on a flat road, Diane wanted to show how much power the dual-motor setup carries even when there's no hill to fight. She mentioned that she'd slipped into pedal assist two, which she didn't need on the flat, and the trike responded immediately. She was going 8 miles an hour, and her description was striking: the energy she was personally exerting was zero. She was pedaling, but the trike was pretty much doing it on its own.
That matters for anyone who wants to ride longer or more often. You get to decide the balance between exercise and ease. On days when you want a workout, drop the assist level and let your legs do more. On days when your energy is low or you just want to enjoy the scenery, let the motor carry more of the load. The same trike serves both kinds of day.
The Unassisted Test, and the Small Hill
Then Diane did something I wish more product videos did. She clicked pedal assist off altogether so viewers could see what it was like with only her pedaling. Moments later the road tilted into a little hill, and she laughed and admitted she couldn't do it. She went right back into pedal assist one.
I'm glad that moment stayed in. It shows the honest gap between riding with and without assistance for someone in her position. Without the motor, that small hill stopped her. With one click, it was nothing. In her words, she went from a point where she was really pushing and could possibly strain a knee or an ankle to being back in cruise mode, able to keep going.
That's the real value of an e-trike for many riders. It isn't about going fast. It's about not having to choose between pushing through discomfort and turning around. The help is there the moment you need it, so you don't have to plan your whole ride around avoiding the hard parts.
Know Your Assist Level Before You Push Off
Diane closed out the ride with one more practical reminder. Always be aware of which pedal assist level you're in when you start pedaling, including when you're coming to a stop. Even in level one, she pointed out, this is a powerful trike, and if she'd been in a higher level while trying to slow down, she would have taken off quickly. Glance at the display before you push off. It takes a second and saves you a surprise.
A Note on Tires and Fit
Near the end, Diane mentioned that the trike has a smaller tire in the front, and said she wasn't sure whether it was a fat tire and would check once she got off. For the record, the product page describes 4-inch wide all-terrain tires on this model. If tire size, seat height, or reach matters to you, the product page and spec sheet are the best places to confirm details, and our personal fitting consultation can help you match a trike to your body.
Getting on and off matters as much as riding. If mounting is a concern, our easy-to-mount e-trikes with a low step-thru collection gathers models designed around that need.
Single Motor vs. Dual Motor: Feel It for Yourself
Diane's final message is the one I'd most want you to take away. Test ride. Come out to sixthreezero, look at the different trikes, and ride them yourself, because there's a huge difference between the dual motor and the single motor when it comes to the amount of power and what the ride simply feels like.
I agree completely. Specs tell you what a trike can do. A test ride tells you how it feels to you: whether the power at level two is reassuring or a little much, whether the throttle feels natural in your hand, and whether you'd be happier with the extra muscle of two motors or the gentler character of one. You'll find our location on the visit our store page, and if you can't make it in person, our 30-day test ride policy explains how to try one at home.
Any Terrain Is Possible
Diane started this video calling a hill scary and, for her, impossible. She ended it having climbed a steep grade at 12 miles an hour, crossed a busy street with confidence, taken turns at her own pace, and laughed at a small hill she couldn't pedal without help, knowing one click was all she needed. Her conclusion was that any terrain is possible when you're riding an e-trike that offers pedal assist and a throttle.
That's the thought I'd leave you with. The goal isn't to become a faster rider or a braver one. It's to have the tools that let you say yes to the ride you actually want. If a hill has been deciding your routes for you, it may be time to see what changes when it doesn't. Come test one, find the one you like, and enjoy the ride.
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