Is the Easy Transit the Perfect E-Trike for Seniors? Seniors Try It for the First Time!

Diane: Hi, I'm Diane. I am at Sixthreezero in San Clemente, and this is the Easy Transit e-Trike. I brought some friends with me here today, and they are going to test ride this e-Trike for the first time.

Daniel: Hi, my name is Daniel. I'm 67 years old, and I'm a beginner with electric bikes. I'm really excited and thrilled to be able to ride one of these.

Diane: Cool.

Deb: And I'm Deb Wald, and I'm 66 years young, and I feel really excited to get back on a bicycle again and try this because it's been a little while, but I'm really looking forward to trying this one out.

Linda: And I'm Linda, and I am 66 years old, compared to Deb's young. And I do ride bikes, but I do not ride an e-bike. And I'm really looking forward to this because I've been thinking about one of these.

Diane: I love it. Well, let's take it for a ride. Ready?

Riders: All right.

Test Riding with Daniel: Front-Wheel vs. Rear-Wheel Drive

Diane: Let me know when you're ready to roll. Are we starting in pedal assist? Look at you. It's in one. So what do you think about this one so far?

Daniel: Oh, I'm in pedal assist three. Let me click down.

Diane: All right. I'll keep up with you. Are you going to keep up with me this time?

Daniel: Yeah. So what do you think about this? This one looks like it has the fat tires on it.

Diane: Yeah, it does.

Daniel: It's smooth. It reacts. Let's see how the pedal part of it works.

Diane: Are you doing the throttle?

Daniel: I'm just doing the pedal alone.

Diane: What pedal assist level are you on?

Daniel: I'm in one. Watch out for this car up here.

Diane: Oh, and one more. Okay, it's going to let us go. Go ahead.

Daniel: Oh, they're going that way? Okay. Oh, this is a front-wheel drive.

Diane: Yeah. So, different, right? Do you think you have a preference?

Daniel: Yeah, because I felt it burn rubber. When's the last time you were burning rubber?

Diane: I know, huh?

Daniel: I used to have to be on gravel to do that.

Diane: Exactly. Now you can do it on your e-trike. Does it feel like it's comfortable for you?

Daniel: Oh, yeah. These are all comfortable and easy to work with, and you don't need a ton of room. The maneuverability is good. I feel that they're very safe.

Diane: I do, too. Really stable, right?

Daniel: Yeah, very safe. They are stable. Nothing to it. A child could do it.

Diane: Do you think you have a preference between the front drive and the rear drive?

Daniel: Honestly, I like the rear drive.

Diane: You prefer the rear drive?

Daniel: Yes, that's only because I'm kind of a car guy, uh-huh, and I'm a fan of Rear Wheel Drive as far as cars go.

Diane: So that makes sense then.

Daniel: But, you know, the other thing about the front-wheel thing—if you're not over the front tire, the front tire will spin. And you're always over the back tire, so they're not likely to spin. But anyway, it's a half dozen, one or the other. None of us are going to go so fast that we need to worry about burning.

Diane: I don't know. I was chasing you for a while. Well, thanks for letting me go with you today.

Daniel: Thank you. I enjoyed it.

Test Riding with Deb: Evaluating Comfort & Responsiveness

Deb: Okay. Why do I feel nervous on this one?

Diane: Oh, okay. Okay. So we're starting in pedal assist or not?

Deb: Um, okay. It just kicked in.

Diane: Okay, perfect. It makes it, see, now you're spoiled.

Deb: I am spoiled. You're spoiled now. I've got to kick it up because you're a fast rider. I feel like the wicked witch.

Diane: So you said you were a little nervous. Is the trepidation gone now? Or?

Deb: Yeah, no, no, it's gone. It's totally fine.

Diane: How does this one feel on your hip? Because this does not have...

Deb: It's not as comfortable. Because the hip is underneath, you know.

Diane: So now that you're evaluating, you know that probably a priority for you is more of a bike like this where you've got the forward pedal system, where your leg is more extended.

Deb: Whoa! Wow.

Diane: It's a good thing the brakes are very responsive here, huh? Thanks for the heads up back there. So your legs are a little bit more extended forward as opposed to the up and down that you have.

Deb: Yeah, I think the seat is not as comfortable as that one. Just where it's hitting. But it's still great.

Diane: You made some great points, though, for anyone else who's maybe had hip surgery that, you know, maybe these are important.

Deb: There's just more pressure on them. Yeah.

Diane: Good to know.

Deb: Also good to know that the brakes are very reactive, right? Oh my god, that was close. That was a little close. We nearly got run over.

Diane: Really?

Deb: Yes, but we're still here. We made it, though. Sign my life. Oh, they really are reactive.

Diane: Yeah, so it's a great feature. All right, so you learned something that you probably prefer more of a back support, and you like the forward pedal.

Deb: I do.

Diane: Okay, good to know.

Deb: But I like the position of that one in relation to what you said. It's much more comfortable, but you know, everything in time. It's good.

Diane: That's why we test ride! You know, because you never know what you may like or what doesn't work for you.

Deb: Yeah, no, definitely.

Diane: Sounds good. All yours.

Test Riding with Linda: Ergonomics & Throttle Styles

Linda: All right. Some fourth gear. Okay. Are you ready? I got to put the seat back. I'm too far forward.

Diane: You're too far. Oh, so it's a different kind of bike. The pedals are more below you as opposed to the bikes that you've ridden so far, where you've got the forward pedal position.

Linda: Yeah. Yeah, I'm down too low.

Diane: Do you want to start with using pedal assist, or are you going to start...

Linda: I'm going to start in the pedal assist. She's got it on one from before, so I'll go there. Off we go. Okay. Curious to see what you think about this one. So this is going to have your front motor, which I think you prefer.

Diane: Yes. I'm curious, what gear are you going into on the flat?

Linda: So right now, they've got this in four. I'm gonna take it down. Down to three?

Diane: Three, yeah. All right, I'll do that.

Linda: Oh, I went up. All right, let me go down to three.

Diane: Does it feel smoother to you now?

Linda: Yeah, the difference with this one for me is, you know, I'm so used to riding a road bike that my knee should not be bent this far back behind when you're pedaling. It's a little different, right?

Diane: So I think you prefer this more forward pedal as well.

Linda: I mean, maybe the seat even needs to be a little higher.

Diane: I think that bike accommodates someone who's like 6'4 with the double post.

Linda: Yeah. I'm going to go slow around this curve to make sure there's not a car. And there isn't.

Diane: Should we kick it up? Okay. Where do you want to go? Or let's use the throttle. Let's just use the throttle. That one has a thumb throttle.

Linda: Oh, it does. Oh, okay. Wow. So that's a different...

Diane: Off you go. You're leaving me in your dust.

Linda: I know. And then you just do the brake, right? And it cuts the throttle. That's wild.

Diane: Exactly. So what are your thoughts on the twist throttle and the thumb throttle?

Linda: The thumb throttle is much easier.

Diane: You think so?

Linda: Yeah, for me.

Diane: Okay. So you're building your bike: you want more of a forward pedal, and you want the thumb throttle.

Linda: Yes.

Diane: Got it. We'll keep a checklist going. All right, and now I'm going to get into the right spot.

Wrap-Up & Final Thoughts

Diane: So we just finished our test ride on the EZ Transit. What are your thoughts?

Linda: So this was the first time I used the throttle. You know, it caught me off guard, that unbelievable amount of energy. But you felt so stable. You didn't feel like there was any worry in starting to go that fast. I liked the fit of the other two in that I felt like—we were talking about this—when you're used to riding a road bike, you don't want your knee to be going too far over. And with this, it was, so I don't know if I put the seat up higher, if that might change it, but I do like the Front Wheel Drive ones a lot.

Diane: You really do?

Linda: Yeah. That's interesting.

Diane: What are your thoughts, Deb?

Deb: My thoughts are that I found it a little uncomfortable only because, as I said, I had a hip replacement and I could feel the pressure under my hip where the prosthetic is. But it was still fun to ride. And I'm just getting used to that speed thing because I'm like, am I going fast? I loved it. But as I say, the seat was just a little bit uncomfortable for me, and the leg position.

Diane: That's good to know for anybody else who might have had hip surgery. What about you, Daniel?

Daniel: I've enjoyed these. I've done the pedal assist, I've enjoyed that. I've done the throttle part of it, and I enjoy just basically letting go and letting the throttle do it like a motorcycle. They've definitely got the power. When you want power, it's got power. It's very comfortable, it's stable. You don't have to worry about anything with it. You don't fall over or anything like that.

Diane: Yeah, that's a big part of it. So you made an interesting point, and you said that you prefer the rear-driven aspect of it. Do you want to explain why?

Daniel: Well, I'm kind of a car guy. I like the rear-driven cars a little bit more than the Front Wheel Drive. And basically your weight's over the rear more than it is the front. So I like the rear-wheel drive. It's just something about that feeling to me.

Diane: I love it. Well, and that's the beauty of test riding, right? Because now you get to try all the different features of the different e-trikes. And again, we're at Sixthreezero in San Clemente. Come out, take a test ride for yourself, and you'll learn to see which bike best fits your lifestyle and your comfort. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great afternoon.