Alina's First Trail Ride on the EVRYjourney Electric Bike: Hills, Mud and Bumps

Alina's First Trail Ride on the EVRYjourney

Most of the e-bike videos you'll find online are shot by people who have ridden hundreds of bikes. They know every trick, they never wobble, and they rarely admit when something makes them nervous. That has its uses, but it doesn't tell you much about what your own first ride is going to feel like. So for this one, we did something different. We handed the EVRYjourney electric bike to Alina, who had never taken it on a trail before, pointed her down a steep, bumpy hill, and let the camera roll.

I'm Dustin, and I spend most of my days helping riders figure out which sixthreezero bike actually fits their body and the way they want to ride. I've watched a lot of first rides. What I liked about Alina's is that she talked through all of it: the moments she was having fun, the moments she was going faster than she wanted, and the moment she admitted she was worried about slipping in the mud. That kind of honesty is exactly what a new rider needs to hear, and it's why I want to walk you through her ride in detail.

Here's how I'll do it. I'll follow her ride roughly in order, from the first descent to the last uphill stretch, and pull out what she noticed about the bike along the way. Then I'll add my own perspective on what those observations mean if you're shopping for an e-bike and thinking about riding something rougher than a paved path. When I describe how the bike felt, that's Alina's experience, and I'll credit it to her. When I'm adding fit advice or riding technique, I'll make it clear that's coming from me.

Where the Ride Started

The route was not a gentle warm-up loop. Within the first few seconds, Alina was heading down a steep hill covered in bumps, and her very first reaction was that the bike was picking up speed fast. She had the pedal assist set to zero for the descent, meaning no motor help at all, and gravity was still doing plenty. You can hear her laugh, slow down, and then let it roll again. She did that several times on that opening stretch: let it go, feel it get quick, brake it back to a pace she was comfortable with.

I want to point out that this is a smart instinct, not a timid one. On a first ride, on an unfamiliar bike, on loose ground, the right speed is the one where you still feel in control. Alina said it plainly: she was going kind of slow because it was her first time on this bike. Nobody should feel embarrassed about that. In my experience, the riders who get into trouble on trails are usually the ones who try to match someone else's pace before they've learned how their own bike handles.

The terrain changed a lot over the course of the ride. There were downhill sections with bumps, short climbs, a muddy patch, stretches covered in rocks, a run of very sharp turns, and some open sections where Alina had a moment to look around. At one point she noticed what looked like a golf course off to her left as she rolled down a hill, and near the end she mentioned the pretty views. That mix makes for a good test of an e-bike, because it asks for a little of everything: braking control, climbing help, comfort over rough ground, and enough trust in the bike that you can relax and enjoy where you are.

There was also someone riding along off camera calling out directions, which is why you'll hear Alina occasionally stop and ask which way to go. I'm keeping those moments in this write-up rather than smoothing them out, because they're part of what a real first trail ride looks like. You don't always know the route. You slow down, you check, and you pick a direction.

Why a First Ride Is Worth Watching

When people call us or visit our store in person, one of the most common questions I hear is some version of "Will I be able to handle this?" They aren't asking about wattage. They're asking whether they'll feel safe, whether they'll be able to stop, whether they'll make it up the hill at the end of their street. A video of an experienced rider can't really answer that. A video of someone working it out in real time can.

Over the roughly ten minutes Alina was on the bike, you can actually hear her confidence change. Early on, it's a lot of "okay" and a lot of braking. A few minutes in, she says she's starting to feel more comfortable and that this is fun. By the end, she's calling the uphill sections her favorite part and cheering herself over bumps. That arc, from nervous to comfortable to genuinely enjoying it, is the arc I see in most new e-bike riders. It just usually plays out over a week of rides rather than ten minutes on one hill.

If you've been looking at our full lineup of electric bikes but you're not sure whether riding off pavement is for you, keep that arc in mind as you read. Nobody starts out confident on unfamiliar ground. The bike's job is to make that learning curve as short and as forgiving as possible, and Alina's ride gives a pretty clear picture of how the EVRYjourney helped her get there.

One last thing before we get into the details. This isn't a spec sheet. Alina didn't talk about motor ratings or battery capacity, so I won't either. What she did talk about was how the bike felt to ride, what she noticed about the controls, how she used the power, and what made her comfortable. For a lot of shoppers, that's the more useful information anyway, because it's the part you can't get from reading a product listing.

The very first thing Alina commented on, once she'd made it through the opening descent, was the screen. On the EVRYjourney, the display sits on the left side of the handlebar rather than straight in the middle. She called that interesting, and she brought it up again when she summed up the ride at the end, so it clearly stuck with her.

It's a small detail, but it's worth talking about. The display is the part of an e-bike you'll glance at more than any other. It's how you know what assist level you're in, how fast you're going, and how much battery you have left. Where it sits changes how you interact with it, especially when the ground under you is busy.

What the Display Shows

According to Alina, the screen shows three things she cared about on the trail: the pedal assist level, her speed in miles per hour, and the battery life. She used all three during the ride. She checked the assist level constantly as she moved between zero on the descents and two on the climbs. She read off her speed at one point, 9.1 miles per hour going over a hill on assist level two. And at the end, when she talked through what she noticed, the battery readout was one of the things she pointed to.

Those three numbers are really all a new rider needs. Some e-bike displays pack in trip meters, odometers, cadence readouts, and a half-dozen menus. That information has its place, but on your first few rides it can be a distraction. What you actually want to know is simple: what level am I in, how fast am I going, and do I have enough battery to get home? Alina's ride shows those questions being answered with a quick glance.

Why a Left-Side Display Can Make Sense

I'll add my own take here. A display mounted off to one side does a couple of useful things. First, it clears the center of the handlebar, which keeps your forward view open. When you're riding over rocks and bumps, you want your eyes up and scanning ahead, not drawn down to the middle of the bars. Second, it puts the readout close to where your hand already sits, so a short glance is all it takes.

Is it what you're used to? Maybe not, if you've ridden other e-bikes with a centered screen. Alina noticed the difference right away, and I think that's an honest, fair reaction. But notice that it didn't slow her down. She found the assist level, changed it on the fly, and read her speed mid-climb, all on her very first ride. Within a few minutes, the placement had become just another part of the bike.

If display location matters to you, and some riders do have a strong preference, that's exactly the kind of detail worth sorting out before you commit. Our 30-day test ride exists for situations like this. Living with a bike for a few weeks on your own routes tells you far more than looking at a photo of the cockpit ever will.

The Overall Riding Position

The cockpit isn't only the screen, of course. It's also where your hands rest, how far you reach, and how your body sits over the bike. Alina had more to say about this at the end of her ride, and I'll come back to it in detail later, because I think it's the most important thing she noticed. For now, the short version is that she felt she could sit a bit further back and a bit more upright than she expected, with her legs extending more fully.

That upright position matters on a trail in ways people sometimes underestimate. When you're sitting up, you can see further ahead, which gives you more time to pick a line around rocks and spot the next bump. You're also less likely to feel like you're being pitched forward on a descent. Alina spent a good chunk of the ride heading down steep, bumpy ground, and the fact that she kept coming back to how much fun it was tells me she felt reasonably settled on the bike even when things got quick.

Getting Comfortable With the Controls

One thing I recommend to anyone getting a new e-bike, whatever the model, is to spend five minutes in a parking lot or on a quiet street just working the controls before heading anywhere interesting. Click up through the assist levels. Click back down. Try the throttle at low speed. Look at the display while riding in a straight line so you learn where your eyes need to go. Alina effectively did this on the fly and adapted quickly, but she was also nervous at a few points. A little rehearsal on flat ground takes some of that nervousness off the table before the trail adds its own.

The goal is to make the controls automatic. On a trail, the decisions you want to be making are about the terrain: which way to go, how fast to take a turn, how to set up for the next bump. You don't want to be hunting for buttons. Alina's ride shows how fast that shift can happen on this bike. By the second half, she was changing assist levels in the middle of a sentence without a second thought, and her attention had moved almost entirely to the trail in front of her.

That's the real test of a cockpit layout. Not whether it matches what you've seen before, but whether it gets out of the way once you've had a few minutes with it. Based on what Alina said and how she rode, the EVRYjourney's controls did that for her well within a single ride.

If there's one thing I'd want a new e-bike rider to take from this video, it's how Alina managed the motor. She wasn't turning it on and forgetting about it. She was adjusting constantly: down to zero for descents, up to one or two for climbs, higher when a hill got steep, and a touch of throttle when she needed a push to get moving. That's the right way to ride an e-bike on varied ground, and she worked it out on her first outing.

Pedal Assist Zero on the Way Down

Right from the start, Alina had the assist set to zero for the steep, bumpy descent. She explained why on camera: the hill was steep, it was full of bumps, and the bike was already moving plenty fast. Adding motor help on the way down would only have made her job harder.

This is something I wish more riders understood. Pedal assist isn't a speed setting you pick once and leave alone. It's a tool you reach for when you need it. On a downhill, gravity is already giving you all the speed you could want, and your brakes are doing the real work. Dropping to zero keeps the motor out of the equation, so the only thing deciding your speed is you. Later in the ride, heading down another hill, Alina did the same thing again: she slowed down and dropped the assist to zero. By that point it had become a habit.

Unlocking the Throttle

One of my favorite moments in the video comes right after the muddy section. Alina was at the bottom of a climb and decided to use a bit of throttle to get going. Then she caught herself. She was still on assist level zero, so she had to click up to level one before she could use the throttle. She did, gave it a little push, and was on her way up the hill.

I kept that moment in because it's a genuinely useful thing to know. On her ride, the throttle wasn't available at assist level zero; she needed to be on at least level one. If you're coming from a different e-bike, or if this is your first, that's the kind of detail that can catch you off guard at exactly the wrong moment, like when you're stopped at the bottom of a steep, slippery hill and want a little help getting started. Knowing it ahead of time means you can click up to one before you stop, so the throttle is ready the moment you need it.

How did she use the throttle once it was available? Sparingly, and mostly to give herself a bit of force from a standstill or to help her through a change of direction. Later in the ride, after a pause to figure out which way to go, she used some throttle to pull away to the left, and on another climb she throttled up to get over the top. I think that's the sweet spot for throttle on a trail. It isn't there to replace pedaling. It's there for the moments when momentum is hard to come by: starting on a hill, getting out of a tight corner, or recovering when you've slowed down more than you meant to.

Level Two: The Sweet Spot

Once Alina got moving uphill, she bumped the assist up to level two, and her reaction was immediate. She said it was perfect and that she loved it. A little later, on another climb, she went to two again and noted that it made going up hills easier. Near the end, on what she called her favorite part of the ride, she clicked through one and then two once more.

She also gave us a real number from level two: 9.1 miles per hour going over a hill. I like that she read it off, because it puts the experience in context. Around nine miles an hour uphill on dirt is a comfortable, controlled pace. It isn't racing. It's the kind of speed where you can still pick your line, still react to a rock, and still enjoy the view, while the motor takes a meaningful amount of work off your legs.

On a couple of the steeper climbs, Alina went beyond two. You can hear her calling out "more pedal assist, more pedal assist" as she clicked up, followed by some encouragement to herself to make it to the top. She made it. That's the other side of a good assist system: when the grade really kicks up, there's more help available, and you can add it a step at a time instead of all at once.

A Workout With a Little Guidance

The line from this video I've thought about most is Alina's description of how the bike felt on the climbs. She said it was like getting a workout with a little bit of guidance. I don't think I could put it better myself.

That's what pedal assist is at its best. You're still pedaling. Your legs are still working, your heart rate still climbs, and you still get the satisfaction of getting yourself up the hill. But the motor is there to smooth out the hardest moments so the ride stays fun instead of turning into a grind. For a lot of riders, including people coming back to cycling after years away, people managing sore joints, and people who simply live somewhere hilly, that little bit of guidance is the difference between riding regularly and not riding at all.

If that idea appeals to you, our electric bikes for seniors and our comfort electric bikes are good places to start looking. Both collections are built around the same basic idea: make riding feel achievable, then let the rider decide how hard they want to work on any given day.

And here's the part I'd stress for anyone nervous about e-bikes: you're always in charge of the power. Alina showed that perfectly. Zero when she wanted control on the way down. One when she needed the throttle. Two when she wanted a comfortable climb. More when a hill got serious. The bike never decided for her. She decided, and the bike responded.

Beyond the controls, the ride threw a lot of different terrain at Alina in a short stretch of time. Here's how each piece went, and what I'd suggest if you're planning to take an e-bike somewhere similar.

The Muddy Climb

About two and a half minutes in, Alina reached the first real uphill, and it was muddy. She was upfront about it: she wasn't used to riding in mud and was nervous she was going to slip. That's a completely reasonable worry. Mud changes how a tire grips, and the first time you feel the wheel shift a little underneath you, it can be unsettling.

What she did next was smart. She clicked up to assist level one, used a touch of throttle to get rolling, and then pedaled her way up. Her verdict once she got going was that it was honestly pretty easy, and that it was going great.

My advice for mud, from years of watching riders handle it, is that smooth beats strong. Sudden bursts of power are what make a tire spin out, so a low assist level and steady pedaling usually work better than jumping straight to the top setting. Keep your weight centered, keep looking ahead rather than at your front wheel, and avoid grabbing the brakes hard. Alina's approach, a little help to get moving and then smooth pedaling, is exactly what I'd recommend.

Climbing and Leaning Forward

Partway through the ride, Alina offered a tip of her own that I think deserves a spotlight. She said it's good to lean forward when you're using the pedal assist on a climb, because the bike is going to want to go fast, and if you're not leaning in you might start going backward without realizing it.

She's describing something real. When the motor kicks in on a steep hill, the bike surges, and if your weight is too far back, the front end can feel light and you can lose some steering precision. Leaning forward over the handlebars keeps weight on the front wheel and keeps you balanced as the bike accelerates. It's a lesson most new riders learn by feel. Alina figured it out on her own and was kind enough to say it out loud for everyone watching.

There's an interesting balance between that tip and what Alina said later about the seating position. She liked that she could sit further back and more upright for comfort. On a steep climb with the motor working, though, she shifted her weight forward. Both things are true, and good riders move between them. Sit back and relax on the flats and gentle sections. Lean in when the bike is pulling hard uphill.

Bumps and Rocks

If there's a running theme in this video, it's bumps. Alina called them out constantly: here's a bump, going over this bump, that was a fun bump. Almost every time, her reaction was some version of "fun." By the end, she said that going up hills and over bumps were her favorite parts of the whole ride.

On one rocky section she commented directly on the suspension, saying it was awesome as she rolled over a stretch covered in rocks. She didn't go into detail about the suspension setup, and I don't want to put words in her mouth, but her reaction tells you how the bike felt to her. Rough ground didn't rattle her confidence. If anything, it seemed to build it.

For anyone thinking about trails or rough paths, this is really the heart of the matter. A bike that feels harsh over bumps makes you tense up, and tension makes everything harder: steering, balance, braking. A bike that takes the edge off lets you stay loose. If you know you'll regularly be riding rough gravel, dirt paths, or broken pavement, it's also worth browsing our fat tire electric bikes, since wider tires are another way to add comfort and grip over loose ground.

Sharp Turns

Later in the ride, the trail served up a series of sharp turns. Alina called out one, then another, then said the next was very, very sharp. After she got through the last of them, her reaction was simply that it felt fine.

For tight turns on any e-bike, I tell riders to slow down before the turn, not in the middle of it, and to make sure they're in a low assist level so the motor isn't pushing them into the corner. Look through the turn to where you want to end up, not at the edge of the trail. Alina was already in the habit of dropping her speed before tricky sections, and it paid off here.

Route Finding and Restarting

There were also a couple of moments where Alina simply didn't know which way to go. She slowed down, checked with the person riding along off camera, and then picked her direction. At one point she even misheard a call, asked again, and corrected course. That's good trail sense. Slowing down when you're unsure is never a mistake, and it's far better than committing to a line at speed and having to change your mind halfway through.

Restarting after those pauses is where an e-bike really helps. Stopping on uneven ground, especially on a slope, can make getting going again awkward on a regular bike. Alina used a bit of throttle to pull away once she'd decided on a direction, which made the restart smooth. Combine that with being able to get her feet down easily, which I'll cover next, and those stop-and-go moments stopped being stressful.

Easing Off at the End

The last stretch of the ride was relaxed. After one more climb, Alina said she was just going to stroll and slow down a little. It's a nice way to finish, and it's a reminder that trail riding doesn't have to be intense from start to end. Some of the best moments on a ride are the easy ones, where you roll along, look around, and enjoy being outside.

When Alina wrapped up her ride and talked through her impressions, the first thing she brought up wasn't the motor or the display. It was the seat.

A Seat That Goes Low Enough

She said the seat on the EVRYjourney could go down way lower, and that this meant when she stopped, she wasn't bobbing all over the place. She could actually step her feet down onto the ground. She said she loved that.

This is the observation I'd underline twice. Being able to get your feet flat on the ground when you stop is one of the biggest confidence factors on any bike, and on a trail it matters even more. Think about where Alina was riding: steep descents, a muddy climb, sharp turns, and moments where she had to stop and figure out which way to go. Every one of those situations is easier when you know you can plant your feet the instant you need to. If you're tiptoeing at every stop, balancing on the balls of your feet, you never fully relax.

sixthreezero describes the EVRYjourney as a foot-forward design, with the pedals placed ahead of the seat rather than directly underneath it. In plain terms, that layout is what lets the seat sit low without cramping your legs. Which brings me to Alina's second point.

Room to Extend Your Legs

Alina said that because she could sit a little further back on the bike, her legs could extend more, and she could be a bit more upright. She really liked that.

Most riders assume there's a trade-off between a low seat and a good pedal stroke. On a traditional bike, there often is: drop the seat low enough to touch the ground flat-footed and your knees end up somewhere near your chest. What Alina felt is that this bike didn't force that choice on her. She got the low, easy stop and the leg extension. For riders with knee or hip concerns, that combination can be the difference between a ride that leaves them sore and one they want to repeat tomorrow.

The upright posture is the third piece. Sitting up takes pressure off your wrists and lower back, keeps your head up so you can see the trail ahead, and generally makes a longer ride more comfortable. Alina's whole ride was only about ten minutes, but she still singled out the upright position as something she really liked, and in my experience that kind of comfort matters even more an hour in.

Who I'd Point Toward This Bike

Based on Alina's experience, here's who I think the EVRYjourney makes sense for. Riders who want a comfortable, upright e-bike for everyday riding but don't want to be limited to perfectly smooth pavement. Riders who get nervous about stopping and want to be sure they can get their feet down. Riders who want pedal assist to feel like help rather than a replacement for pedaling. And newer or returning riders who want a bike that lets them build confidence quickly, the way Alina did over the course of a single hilly loop.

I'd also say this bike suits people who want to keep their options open. Alina's ride covered a lot of ground, from steep descents to rocky stretches to a relaxed stroll at the end, and she seemed to enjoy all of it. A bike that's comfortable for an easy neighborhood ride but doesn't flinch when the path turns to dirt gives you a lot more places to go.

Different Bikes for Different People

Alina closed by saying it's nice that there are different bikes for different people and for everything you might want to do. I agree with her, and that's really how we approach fitting here. The EVRYjourney won't be the right answer for everyone. Some riders want the extra stability of three wheels. Some want a different frame shape or riding position. The goal is matching the bike to the body and the ride, not the other way around.

How to Take the Next Step

If Alina's ride has you curious, there are a few easy ways to keep going. You can get fitted with our fitting quiz, which asks about your body and your riding style and points you toward models that suit you. If you'd rather talk it through with a real person, our personal fitting consultations are with me, and I'm always happy to help. You can also browse our women's electric bikes or men's electric bikes, or narrow things down with our step-thru electric bikes and cruiser-style electric bikes. And if you want to go deeper on the big decisions before you choose, our ultimate bike buyer's guide walks through them step by step.

Whatever you pick, remember that the test ride period is there so you can try the bike on your own streets and trails, the same way Alina tried this one on hers. And if you're near Southern California, you're welcome to come by the store and ride a few bikes back to back.

The Takeaway

The best part of this video, for me, isn't any single feature. It's hearing someone go from saying she's riding slowly because it's her first time on the bike to calling the uphill her favorite part, all in about ten minutes. That's what a well-fitted e-bike should do. It should take the nerves out of riding and leave the fun. Alina found that on her first trail ride on the EVRYjourney, honest wobbles, muddy worries, and all. I hope you find it on yours.