A 50-Year Cyclist Rides a 4 Wheel E-Bike for the First Time: The ANYterrain Quad Test Ride

A 50-Year Cyclist Meets His First Quad

When most people picture someone riding a four-wheel e-bike, they don't picture a guy with half a century of road and mountain biking in his legs. That's exactly why I wanted to write about this ride.

Diane from our team met Jamie at our San Clemente location to put him on the ANYterrain quad for the very first time. Jamie is 62. He's been cycling for 50 years and has logged tens of thousands of miles on road bikes and mountain bikes. He is, in other words, the kind of rider who already knows what a bike is supposed to feel like, and who isn't going to be impressed by something just because it has a motor.

Riders like Jamie are the most useful test of any bike we make. A first-time rider tends to judge a bike by whether it feels scary. An experienced rider judges it by whether it feels right: how it handles a turn, how it brakes, whether the power comes in smoothly or lurches, whether the riding position works for a body that has put a lot of miles behind it. Jamie came in excited, but he also came in with a lifetime of reference points.

Why a lifelong cyclist would even consider four wheels

Before the ride, Diane and Jamie talked about something a lot of long-time riders deal with but don't always say out loud. Jamie tends to get strains in his lower back. Later in the ride he also mentioned a familiar pain in the center of his knee that shows up from time to time. Neither has stopped him from riding, but both shape every ride he takes. Swinging a leg high over a road or mountain bike frame, hunching forward over the bars for an hour, grinding up a hill because there's no other way home: those are the parts of cycling that start to cost more as the years add up.

That's the real conversation behind a ride like this. It isn't about whether a strong cyclist can still ride a traditional bike. Jamie obviously can. It's about whether there's a way to keep doing the thing he loves, on longer rides and more days of the week, with less wear on the parts of his body that complain. If you've been browsing our 4 wheel e-bikes or our broader lineup of electric tricycles and wondering whether they're only for people who can't ride anything else, Jamie's experience is worth reading closely.

What Jamie was comparing against

Throughout the ride, Jamie kept measuring the quad against two things. The first was his own mountain bike, which is what he'd normally take onto the kind of dirt trail Diane led him down. The second was a three-wheel e-trike he'd tried earlier in his visit, which gave him a feel for how much extra stability a fourth wheel actually adds. Both comparisons came up again and again, and both turned out to be revealing.

One comparison he made at the very end is the one I keep coming back to. On his mountain bike, a 25-mile ride leaves him wiped out. On the quad, he said, he could easily do 50. That isn't a small bump in comfort. That's doubling the distance a fit, experienced cyclist feels good about taking on, and it says a lot about what pedal assist and a stable platform can do for someone who still loves to ride but wants to ride smarter.

Experienced riders and the "mobility bike" myth

There's a stubborn idea out there that three- and four-wheel e-bikes are a step down, something you settle for. Spend twenty minutes watching Jamie on that trail and the idea falls apart. He wasn't settling. He was grinning, calling out pedal assist levels, using the throttle up a steep pitch and laughing about it. The stability didn't make the ride less fun. It took away the things he'd normally have to manage so he could focus on the fun part.

At one point Diane asked him whether he ever thought the two of them would be riding these trails together. Jamie, who by his own admission would normally bomb a descent like this one, was rolling alongside a rider who prefers to take every downhill slowly. That's a different kind of value, and it's one you won't find on a spec sheet.

How this article is organized

I'm going to walk you through the ride in the order it happened, because that's the most honest way to show what a first ride on a quad feels like. First comes the walkthrough Diane gave Jamie before he turned a pedal, which covers every control on the bike. Then we head onto the street, into the bike lane, and up onto the trail, where Jamie worked his way through the pedal assist levels. After that comes the part that surprised him most: riding with no assist at all, then on the throttle alone. I'll finish with braking, cornering, battery management, and an honest look at who this kind of bike is really for.

Before Jamie got on, Diane walked him through the controls. If you've never ridden an electric quad, this is the part worth slowing down for. A quad has a few features you won't find on a traditional bike, and knowing them before you roll makes the first ride far more relaxed.

Seven gears and five levels of pedal assist

The ANYterrain quad has seven gears. Those are your mechanical gears, the same idea as on any multi-speed bike: lower gears make pedaling easier for starting and climbing, higher gears let you go faster on flat ground. Separately, there are five levels of pedal assist, controlled with an up button and a down button on the handlebar.

Pedal assist is the motor helping you as you pedal. Level one gives you a gentle nudge. Level five gives you the most help. You can also drop all the way to zero, which turns the assist off so you ride under your own power. Gears and assist work together. Jamie spent most of his ride in fourth gear while moving up and down the assist levels, which is a perfectly natural way to ride. If you want to compare gearing across three- and four-wheel frames, our multi-speed electric tricycles are a good place to start.

A thumb throttle that works like a gas pedal

This quad uses a thumb throttle. Diane's description is a good one: you push it down with your thumb much the way you'd press a car's accelerator. Press a little and you get a little power. Press more and you get more. The throttle moves the quad with no pedaling at all, which turns out to be handy for getting rolling from a stop, climbing short steep pitches, and getting yourself out of an awkward spot. Jamie ended up using it for all three. You'll find more bikes built around this feature among our electric trikes with throttle control.

Drive and reverse

Here's one that surprises people. The quad has a forward and reverse selector, so you can switch between drive and reverse. On a two-wheeler you'd just walk the bike backward. On a wider four-wheel frame, being able to back out of a parking spot, a driveway, or a tight corner of the garage without climbing off is a genuine convenience. If that matters to you, browse our e-trikes with a reverse gear.

A horn and a rear turn indicator

The quad has a horn, which Diane openly admits she thinks is very cool, and which is useful on shared paths where a bell might not carry. As a safety feature, there's also a turn indicator on the back. You switch it left or right as you'd expect. The one difference from a car is that it doesn't cancel itself after the turn. You move the switch back to the center to turn it off. Easy habit to build, but worth knowing on day one so you aren't signaling a left for the next mile.

Storage front and back

There's ample storage in the back and ample storage in the front. Later in the ride, Diane and Jamie were already talking about packing a lunch and turning a ride into a picnic. If carrying things is a big part of why you ride, take a look at our electric tricycles with a large basket as well.

Fat tires

The quad rolls on fat tires. Out on the trail, Diane pointed out that the wider tire means you don't have to worry much about catching a crack or crevice, because the tire handles a lot of that for you. Together with four contact points on the ground, it's a big part of why the bike felt so planted on dirt.

A low step-through and a seat with back support

For Jamie, this was the feature that mattered before the ride even started. The frame has a low step-through, so there's no big leg lift to get on. Diane reminded him how different that is from swinging a leg over a road or mountain bike, which is exactly the kind of movement that can aggravate a sore lower back. Once seated, his first reaction was that it felt nice and that he didn't have to lean way over.

The seat also gives you back support. If you want to ride in what Diane jokingly called "plain Jamie manual mode," you can push back into it so the pressure isn't all on your lower back muscles. Jamie leaned on it during the ride and appreciated not being bent over. Riders who put easy mounting first can see more options in our easy-to-mount e-trikes with a low step-thru.

The parking brake

The quad has a parking brake, which matters on a bike that doesn't lean on anything and could otherwise roll on a slope. To set it, you pull the brake lever in and turn the lock. To release it, you turn it back to horizontal, which deactivates the parking brake. Even with it off, Diane had Jamie hold the brakes while they talked, because they were parked on a slight decline and she didn't want him rolling before he was ready. That's a good habit for any first ride.

Power button and display

One small moment from the walkthrough is worth mentioning because it will happen to someone reading this. Jamie asked whether the bike was on. It wasn't yet. There's a dedicated power button, and once it's pressed the display wakes up. The display always shows your battery level and an approximate time left on the battery, along with your pedal assist level, your mileage, and how far you've gone since the trip was last reset. There was one icon neither of them could identify on the spot, and Diane said she'd look it up when they got back. If something on your display isn't clear, check your manual or ask us. Knowing beats guessing.

Jamie started in pedal assist one and fourth gear, and rolled off down a gentle slope toward the street. Diane gave him one piece of advice before they set off, and it's advice I'd give anyone on a first quad ride: take your turns a little slower than you think you need to. She knew Jamie, a lifelong rider who likes speed, would be tempted to push it on the trail. More on that in the cornering section.

First impressions: smooth and stable

Within the first minute Diane asked how it felt. "This is nice," Jamie said. "It's more stable than the other one." A moment later he put it more precisely: a little more stable than the trike he'd tried, and noticeably more stable than a normal bike. That's a fair, measured way to describe it. A fourth wheel doesn't completely transform the experience compared to three, but it adds another layer of settled, planted feel. Compared to two wheels, it's a different world.

Diane, meanwhile, was taking the descent slowly. She's upfront about it: she rides the brakes on the way down and isn't comfortable going fast. Jamie joked that if it were up to him, he'd be going 50. That contrast between the two riders turned out to be one of the nicest parts of the day, because the quad let both of them ride the same route at their own comfort level.

Into the bike lane

At the street, Jamie turned right and waited for a turning car even though he was headed into a bike lane, which is exactly the patience you want on a wider bike. Once rolling, his feedback was simple. The ride was really smooth, and the brakes worked nicely. From there they moved onto a bike path, keeping an eye on the traffic lights ahead, and then onto the trail itself.

On the trail

The trail had bumps, bends, short descents, and some real climbs. Jamie rolled over the first set of bumps and said again how nice it was. When Diane asked whether he felt in control, he didn't hesitate: "I sure do." The only caution either of them raised was the same one you'd raise on any shared trail, which is to watch for riders coming around blind corners.

This is where the stability argument becomes concrete. On a mountain bike, a loose descent or an uneven turn asks you to manage your balance constantly. On the quad, the bike handles most of that job. Jamie could look at the trail ahead instead of at his front wheel.

Climbing the pedal assist ladder

Partway in, Diane asked which assist level he was in. Pedal assist one, fourth gear. So they started working up. He clicked into two, and the reaction was instant: "Oh, such a difference." Then three. Diane suggested four for the next stretch, and that's when Jamie said something that captures the whole appeal of pedal assist for an experienced rider. Ordinarily, he said, he'd be struggling to get up a hill like that. On the quad, it felt like riding on flat ground.

If you've never ridden with pedal assist, this is hard to explain until you feel it. The motor doesn't take over. You're still pedaling, still choosing your gear, still picking your line. It just takes the edge off the hill so the effort feels the way flat riding feels, and every click up the ladder shaves off a bit more strain. For a rider who knows precisely how a climb should feel in his legs, the difference was obvious. If fitness is a big part of why you ride, our page on choosing an electric trike for exercise goes deeper on using assist to shape a workout.

The mountain bike comparison

Diane asked the obvious question. He probably wouldn't take a road bike out there, but how did the quad compare with his mountain bike? Jamie's answer had two parts. It's a lot easier. It's more stable, for one, and for another, he was barely pedaling and still moving along nicely, nice and smooth.

Diane added a point that's easy to overlook. When you stop on a quad, you don't have to put your feet down. You're essentially sitting on a stationary platform. For anyone with sore knees, a stiff hip, or a back that doesn't love sudden weight shifts, that's a real benefit. Every stop on a traditional bike is a small balancing act. On four wheels, stopping is just stopping.

Jamie also noticed the fat tires earning their keep, the same reason many riders look at fat tire electric trikes for mixed surfaces. With wider tires and four wheels under him, he could roll through the rougher sections without bracing. When Diane asked whether he felt any pressure on his knee or back, his answer was flat: "Nope. None." Then he added that it was fun, and that he felt he could do 50 miles easily.

The eye-opener: pedal assist zero

Next, Diane had Jamie try something I'd recommend to every new e-bike rider at least once. She had him click all the way down to pedal assist zero, so the motor wasn't helping at all. She called it the eye-opener. Now they were riding as if they were on mountain bikes.

Jamie felt it right away. Even on flat ground, he said, he was really pedaling now. You aren't meant to ride a quad that way all day, but trying it for a few minutes is the best way to understand what the motor is actually doing for you. It also happened to be a good moment to lean on the back support. Diane asked whether he was using it, and he was. Even working harder, he wasn't bent over, and he liked that.

Then back up the ladder

Then Diane had him click into pedal assist one. That's where you see the beauty of the world of e-bikes, she said, and she was right. Just that first level took some of the pressure off his legs. Then two, because they'd hit a slight incline. Then three.

At that point it clicked for both of them. Diane said that if they'd been riding manually, she'd already be thinking about turning around, convinced she'd never make it all the way back. Jamie said a long 25-mile ride on his mountain bike is really tough. On this, he felt like he could go 50 and barely break a sweat.

Diane added the counterpoint that matters for fitness-minded riders: you can still get a good workout if you click the assist down. That's the whole idea. The motor doesn't decide how hard you work. You do, one click at a time. A few minutes later, Jamie bumped up to three for a big hill and said he hardly felt it. That's three separate moments on one ride where a cyclist with 50 years of experience described a climb he'd normally struggle with as something he barely noticed.

Choosing your effort, ride by ride

Near the end of the trail section, Diane summed it up. The beauty of pedal assist is being able to decide, at any moment, how much exercise you want. She reminded Jamie about the pain he sometimes gets in the center of his knee. On a traditional bike, when that flares up mid-ride, your choices are to push through or cut the ride short. With pedal assist, you can ease off by bumping the assist up and extend the ride instead. "Exactly," Jamie said.

That's one of the most practical points in the whole video. Pedal assist isn't only about making riding easier. It's about making riding adjustable to how your body feels that day, and even that hour.

Throttle only: no pedaling at all

Then Diane suggested they stop pedaling completely and use only the throttle. Jamie hadn't touched it up to that point. His reaction: "That throttle's really nice. Look at how this thing moves." He wasn't pedaling at all. He said he hadn't needed it before, but it was very nice to have, especially if he got tired on the way out.

Diane pointed him at a steep section and told him to try it there. He did, and called it super fun and super easy. She immediately thought of the hill by his house, the one that's always a grind at the end of a ride. That's the real-world use case. Not everyone wants to ride on throttle the whole way, but having it ready for the steepest pitch or the last mile home changes how willing you are to set out in the first place.

When Jamie later asked about Diane's assist level, she explained she'd been in one, but since she was using the throttle it didn't really matter. The throttle drives the bike on its own.

The catch: keep an eye on the battery

Diane was careful to add the caveat, and it's an important one. The thing to watch when you lean on the throttle, especially uphill, is your battery level. They were a fair way from where they'd started, and throttle-only riding is the hungriest way to use the battery. Her advice was to be smart about it. On the way back uphill she moved up to pedal assist three rather than relying on the throttle, so she wasn't spending much of her own energy but wasn't draining the battery as quickly either. Jamie, in one, felt it in his legs and went up to two. On the next descent, both of them could simply coast.

That's how practiced e-bike riders manage a ride. Use the throttle where it earns its keep. Use moderate assist for the long middle. Coast when gravity is doing the work. And glance at the battery indicator regularly, especially on out-and-back routes where the hard part comes at the end. If long days in the saddle are your goal, our electric tricycles with a long-range battery are worth a look.

The home-to-beach ride

Diane floated an idea: with enough energy saved, Jamie could finally do the ride from home to the beach. He laughed. Getting to the beach isn't bad, since home is high up on a hill and the route is mostly downhill. Coming back is the tough part. Diane's answer was the same principle again: be mindful of whether you'll have enough battery for the return. Jamie agreed. Just keep an eye on the battery indicator.

It's a good template for planning any ride. The display shows battery level and approximate time left, so you can make decisions in the moment. On an out-and-back with a climb at the end, save the throttle and the higher assist levels for the trip home.

Brakes that respond without drama

Jamie liked the brakes from the first minutes in the bike lane. On the trail, when Diane asked what he thought of the braking system, his answer was short: really easy. Diane described them as super receptive and pointed out that even on days when your hands are tired or stiff, you don't need to worry.

Jamie then raised a point any road or mountain biker will recognize. On a two-wheeler, if you grab just the front brake and slam it on, you can go right over the handlebars. On the quad, that isn't going to happen. You can use the left brake, the right brake, or both, and you're fine. Jamie said he always uses both anyway, which is still the right habit. But knowing that a panicked grab of one lever won't pitch you forward takes a lot of anxiety out of riding, especially downhill.

Take corners slower than you think

The one area where a quad asks more of you than a two-wheeler is cornering, and Diane was clear about it from the start. Before they set off, she asked Jamie to take turns a little slower on the trail. During the ride, she slowed them both down ahead of a turn. Later she said it plainly: on a quad you need to be a bit more careful than you would on a regular e-bike or a mountain bike. She also noted that she sits a little higher up on the quad.

That's the honest trade-off of a wide, stable platform. A two-wheeler leans into a turn. A quad stays upright, so carrying too much speed into a sharp corner is the thing to avoid. Brake before the turn, roll through it calmly, then accelerate out. It becomes second nature quickly.

Sharing the trail

Near the end, they reached a short uphill left turn just as another rider came through. Diane stopped to let him pass and found herself stalled at the bottom of the climb. Her fix was the throttle, which got her moving again from a standstill on the incline without any fuss. A friendly word with the passing riders, and they were on their way. Anyone who has tried to restart a bike on a hill knows how much easier that makes things.

A few other habits from the ride are worth copying. Wait for turning cars even when you're in a bike lane. Watch for oncoming riders on blind trail corners. Confirm your route with your riding partner before each turn. None of that is unique to quads, but on a wider bike it matters a little more.

Jamie's verdict

Back at the start, Diane asked what he thought. "I love it," Jamie said. He went straight back to the comparison that stuck with him all ride: he could easily do a 50-mile ride on the quad, while on his mountain bike he'd be wiped out after 25. He called the four-wheel setup very stable, said you don't have to worry about falling over, and said both the throttle and the pedal assist were great for hills.

Diane asked whether he could have made the hill they hit during his no-assist stretch without pedal assist. His answer was honest: on his mountain bike, maybe, but it was much, much easier on pedal assist. And when she suggested a ride like this would make him want to go back out tomorrow, he didn't hesitate. "Oh, absolutely."

Who a quad like this makes sense for

Based on this ride, the ANYterrain quad fits a few kinds of riders especially well. Experienced cyclists who want to keep riding long distances but are starting to feel it in their back or knees. Trail lovers who no longer want to manage balance on loose, bumpy ground. Couples and friends with different comfort levels who want to ride the same routes together. And anyone who values an easy step-through, a supportive seat, real storage, a reverse gear, and the reassurance of four wheels and a parking brake. If you're still weighing your options, our electric trikes for seniors cover several stable designs built around the same priorities.

Try one for yourself

Diane closed the video the way I'll close this article: come out, test ride a few, and see what fits you and your lifestyle best. You can visit our store to ride a quad, e-trikes, and e-bikes in person. If you can't make it in, read through our 30-day test ride details, or use our bike fitting tool to narrow things down from home.

Jamie showed up as a 50-year cyclist curious about four wheels. He left talking about 50-mile rides. That's about as good a test as any bike can pass.