Having Fun at 81: How David Stepped Up From an Adult Tricycle to an E-Trike

Meet David: Active, Curious, and Having Fun at 81

A lot of the e-trike conversations I have start the same way. Someone is already riding something, maybe a regular bike, maybe a stationary bike at the gym, maybe an adult tricycle that lives in the garage, and they're starting to wonder whether it's time for a step up. David Smith's story starts right there. I like it because he tells it so plainly, without any sales pitch, and because it answers a question I hear all the time: am I too old for this?

David's answer is pretty clear. He introduces himself as a man who is having fun at 81.

Who David is

David lives on the central coast of California, where, by his count, it's sunny about 300 days a year. That's a lot of good riding weather, and he clearly takes advantage of it. He describes himself as active and says he exercises regularly. I want to underline that, because it changes how you should read the rest of his story. David didn't come to an electric trike because riding had become too hard. He came to it as someone who was already riding and wanted more out of it.

Last year, his exercise was an adult tricycle. No motor, just pedals and three wheels. If you've ridden one of our standard adult tricycles, you already know the appeal. You don't have to hold your balance at a stop sign. You can sit at a red light with both feet on the pedals. You can pull up to the curb, stop, and not think about tipping. For a lot of riders, that alone is what gets them back on a bike after years away.

But a pedal trike asks you to supply all the power yourself, every hill, every headwind, every trip home with a bag of groceries in the basket. That's great exercise. It can also put a ceiling on how far you go and how often you go. David doesn't spell out exactly what pushed him to look for something new, so I won't put words in his mouth. What he does say is that he was considering a step up in his ride. That's the moment a lot of people are in when they first start browsing electric tricycles.

Meeting Sako

The turning point came when David met Sako Kalbat. Sako invited him over to his house to try out three different e-trikes. Not one. Three.

David doesn't name the models in his video, so I'm not going to guess which ones he rode. What I want to point out is the approach, because it's exactly what I'd tell anyone to do. Riding one trike tells you whether you like that trike. Riding three back to back tells you what you actually care about. You start to notice things you'd never think to ask about on a spec sheet: how easy it is to swing a leg over, how the seat feels after ten minutes instead of two, how the trike responds when you start rolling from a stop, how it feels in a turn. Those are the things that decide whether you'll still be riding six months from now.

For riders in David's age range, that hands-on comparison matters even more. Mobility, flexibility, and comfort needs vary a lot from one rider to the next, which is why we put together a dedicated collection of electric trikes for seniors. Two people the same age can need completely different trikes, and the only way to really know is to sit on one and ride it.

The safety lecture came first

Here's the part of David's story I appreciate most. Before he rode anything at Sako's house, he got a safety lecture. That's David's word for it, and he makes a point of saying it happened before the test rides, not after.

Sako reminded him of all the things to do. David doesn't list every item in the video, and I'm not going to invent a checklist for him. But the fact that it happened at all is the lesson. An e-trike is still a trike. Adding a motor doesn't change the basics of riding safely; it just means you'll be covering more ground, more often, and probably sharing the road with more traffic than you did on a pedal trike around the block.

Then Sako made one specific suggestion: put a radar tail light on the trike. It's a unit that warns the rider when bikes or cars are coming up from behind. David took the advice, and he mentions it right at the top of his story, which tells you he thinks it's worth passing on.

I think that's a smart call. Looking over your shoulder is something every rider should do, and it never stops being important. But a warning that something is closing in from behind gives you a second set of eyes on the part of the road you can't see while you're watching what's ahead. If you're planning to ride on neighborhood streets, run errands, or share a bike lane, that kind of awareness is worth a lot.

Sako's lecture is also a good reminder that safety gear isn't something to sort out later. If you're setting up a new trike, put a good helmet on the list from day one, and look into a rear radar light like the one David uses. It's a lot easier to build those habits on your very first ride than to add them after you've already gotten comfortable.

So here's where David landed. He now rides an e-trike, and he's clear about what it does for him. He rides it for exercise, to run errands, and for fun. Three reasons, one trike.

That combination is the whole case for an electric trike in one sentence. Last year, his trike was his workout. This year, it's still his workout, but it's also his ride to the store and the thing he takes out just because it's a nice day. The motor didn't replace the exercise. It widened what the trike is useful for.

Coming along for the ride

The heart of David's video is simply a ride around his neighborhood. He invites you to come along, and he warns that you might catch a glimpse of Sako, who was the one filming him. Then he lets the ride speak for itself. There's no narration for most of it, just David rolling through his neighborhood under that central coast sun.

Somewhere along the way he passes someone and they trade a quick hello. How's it going? Great weather. That's it. It's a tiny moment, but I love that it made the cut, because it's honestly what riding a trike around your own neighborhood is like. You're out at a pace where you can say hello to people. You notice things. You're part of the street, not sealed off from it in a car.

The ride wraps up the way most good rides do, with the bikes being put away inside. Then David sums it up himself. Whether it's a quick trip to the grocery store, a pleasant ride around town, or a workout for exercise, an e-trike can do that for you. And then the line I keep coming back to: it did for him.

He isn't speaking hypothetically. That's a rider who lived with the decision and is telling you how it turned out.

What I'd take from David's story

If you're in the spot David was in a year ago, already riding and wondering whether it's time for more, here's what I'd pull out of his experience.

First, ride before you decide. David didn't pick a trike from a photo; he rode three. Not everyone has a friend like Sako with a garage full of trikes, which is exactly why we offer a 30-day test ride. If you're near us, you can also visit our store and try a few in person. The goal is the same as David's: find out what you actually like, on your own body, before you commit.

Second, get the fit right. Trikes are not one-size-fits-all, and the details that matter most, like how high the step-over is, how upright you sit, and where the handlebars land, are personal. You can get fitted with us before you buy, and if getting on and off is a concern, start with our easy-to-mount e-trikes with a low step-thru. If long, relaxed rides are the priority, our most comfortable electric trikes are a good place to begin.

Third, set the trike up for how you'll really use it. David's grocery runs are a big part of why his e-trike earns its keep. If errands are on your list, look at electric tricycles with a large basket, or add one from our basket collection. It's the difference between a trike you ride for exercise and a trike you actually use every day.

Fourth, think about control. Starting, stopping, and holding your speed are what make you feel confident on a new trike. Some riders put stopping power first and browse our e-trikes with disc brakes. Others like having the option of a throttle to get rolling from a stop without pushing hard on the pedals, and you can find those in our electric tricycles with throttle control. Ride a couple of different setups and you'll quickly find out which one feels right to you.

Fifth, take safety seriously from the very first ride, the way Sako made David do. A helmet, a radar tail light like David's, and a refresher on the basics before you head out. None of that slows you down. It's what lets you keep riding.

Age isn't the barrier you think it is

The thing I want people to hear in David's story is this: he's 81, he's active, and he's having fun. He didn't step up to an e-trike because he was slowing down. He did it because he wanted to keep going, to keep exercising, keep running his own errands, and keep enjoying a sunny afternoon on his own terms.

If that sounds like where you are, take his advice and Sako's. Ride a few. Get the safety basics right. Then go for a ride around your own neighborhood and see if it looks like fun. For David, it did.