Riding an E-Bike With an Office Chair: Deb's Honest Test Ride on the Relaxed Body 20-Inch

An E-Bike Built Around a Real Office Chair

I have spent a long time fitting people to bikes, and the conversation almost always comes back to the same place: the seat. People will forgive a lot about a bike if they are comfortable sitting on it. They will forgive almost nothing if they are not. Sore sit bones, a tight lower back, numb hands and aching shoulders end more riding habits than hills or weather ever do.

That is the thinking behind one of the most unusual bikes we make. The sixthreezero Relaxed Body 20-inch takes the traditional saddle off the equation entirely and replaces it with an office-chair-style seat. Not a slightly wider saddle. Not a saddle with a little backrest bolted on. A real chair shape, with a supportive back and armrests that fold down so you can rest your forearms while you ride.

When we first showed it around, the reaction was usually a laugh, followed quickly by a question: does that actually work? It is a fair question, and the best way I know to answer it is to put a real rider on the bike and let her tell you exactly what she feels, good and not so good. So that is what we did.

Who Took It for a Spin

Our rider for this test is Deb. She has ridden a number of our bikes on camera, and what I appreciate about her is that she does not sugarcoat anything. If something feels great, she says so. If something is not quite right for her body, she says that too. For a bike as different as this one, that kind of honesty is exactly what you need.

Deb rode the Relaxed Body 20-inch out from our location in Southern California, through town streets, up a hill, over a few bumps, and back again. Everything you read below comes from what she said and did on that ride. Where I add my own perspective as a fit specialist, I will tell you, and I will keep Deb's experience as hers.

I hear the same stories over and over. A rider loved cycling for years, then a back problem, a shoulder injury or simply getting older made the saddle unbearable, and the bike ended up in the garage. Many of those people do not need more power or more gears. They need a different way to sit.

Why a Chair Instead of a Saddle?

A conventional bike saddle is a compromise. It is narrow so your legs can move freely, which means your weight sits on a fairly small area. On a performance bike, much of your weight goes into your hands and feet, so the saddle is only carrying part of the load. On a comfort bike, where you sit upright, the saddle carries far more of you, and that is where discomfort starts to build.

A chair changes that math. Your weight spreads across a broader seat, your lower back has something to rest against, and your arms have somewhere to go besides gripping the handlebars. The bike stops feeling like something you balance on and starts feeling like something you sit in.

That idea is not new in the bike world. Recumbent and semi-recumbent designs have used reclined seats for years, and if you like the sound of a laid-back position you can browse our recumbent electric trikes to see how that approach looks on three wheels. What makes this bike different is that it keeps the familiar two-wheel layout and the low, compact feel of 20-inch wheels, then drops a genuine chair onto it.

What Kind of Bike This Is

The Relaxed Body 20-inch is an electric bike, so you get motor assistance while you pedal. Deb mentions the assist several times on the ride, and it is a big part of why the chair concept works. When you are leaning back in a seat rather than standing on the pedals, you are not generating the same kind of leverage you would on a traditional bike. The motor fills that gap, so you can sit back and still move along comfortably.

It also has gears, and Deb rode much of the test in fifth gear before shifting up to work her legs a bit more. Our live product listing shows the bike as a 7-speed, and it sits within our step-thru electric bike collection, which tells you a lot about who it is designed for: riders who want to get on and off without lifting a leg over a high frame.

The 20-inch wheels matter here too. Smaller wheels bring the whole bike closer to the ground, which lowers the center of gravity and makes it easier to steady yourself when you stop. Deb showed this off at the end of her ride, and I will come back to it, because it is one of the most practical benefits of the whole design.

If you are browsing more broadly and want to see where this bike fits among everything else we offer, our full electric bike lineup is a good place to start. But for the rest of this article, I want to stay focused on this one bike and what it was actually like to ride.

The first few minutes on any new bike tell you a lot, and Deb's first minutes on the Relaxed Body 20-inch included a small discovery that I think every new owner should hear before they ride.

Lesson One: Sit All the Way Back

A couple of minutes into the ride, Deb stopped and explained something she had just figured out. When you get on this bike, you need to sit right toward the back of the seat. Not perched on the front edge. Not halfway. All the way back, so your lower back is against the backrest.

This sounds obvious once you hear it, but it is not how most of us are trained to sit on a bike. Years of riding traditional saddles teach you to sit forward, over the pedals. On this bike, that habit works against you. If you sit forward, you lose the support of the backrest, your arms do not line up with the armrests, and the whole position feels a bit cramped.

Once Deb shifted back, she said it was very comfortable, and she repeated the advice later on the ride for anyone watching: remember to sit all the way to the back. I would add one practical tip of my own. Before your first ride, sit on the bike with the kickstand down and wiggle yourself back into the chair until you feel the backrest pressing evenly against you. Get used to that position while standing still, so it becomes automatic when you start pedaling.

Lesson Two: Use the Armrests, or Don't

The armrests are the feature that makes people smile when they first see the bike, and they are genuinely useful. Deb pointed out right at the start that they let you relax on a long ride and put your arms down. Later she described it simply: put the armrest down if you like.

That phrase, if you like, is worth paying attention to. The armrests are there to give your arms and shoulders a break, not to change how you steer. You still have your hands on the handlebars. What the armrests do is give your forearms somewhere to settle instead of hovering in the air, which is where a lot of upper-body tension comes from on a long ride.

Some riders will want them down the whole time. Others will flip them down only on longer stretches. Either way, having the option is a real advantage, especially for anyone who finds their shoulders creeping up toward their ears after twenty minutes on a regular bike.

Lesson Three: The Handlebars Are Close

Deb also noticed early that the handlebars are much closer to the rider than she was used to. On a traditional upright bike, you reach forward to the bars. On this bike, the bars come back toward you.

That closeness is part of the design. If you are sitting back in a chair, the bars need to come to you, otherwise you would have to lean forward and leave the backrest behind, which defeats the whole purpose. With the bars close, you can keep your back supported and your arms relaxed at the same time.

It does take a moment to adjust if you are coming from a bike with a longer reach, and it is one of those things that feels unusual for the first few minutes and then simply feels natural. Deb did not mention it again for the rest of the ride, which tells me it stopped being something she thought about.

A Candid First Note on Leg Position

Very early on, Deb was honest about one thing: her legs felt a little higher than she would like. She said she prefers a full extension in her legs when she pedals, and on this bike, sitting in this chair, she was not getting quite as much extension as she normally aims for.

I want to be clear about this, because it is the kind of detail that gets smoothed over in a lot of product videos, and we chose to keep it. Deb did not say it was uncomfortable. She said it was not her personal preference, and then she said, let's just see. She kept riding, kept evaluating, and at the end of the ride she came back to it with a balanced verdict, which I cover in detail later.

For now, the takeaway is this: the riding position on this bike is different from a standard saddle bike, and part of that difference is where your knees end up. Some riders will love it immediately. Some, like Deb, will notice it and weigh it against everything else the bike offers. Knowing that ahead of time helps you set the right expectations.

Getting Moving

Once Deb was settled back in the chair, armrests sorted and hands on the close-set bars, she started pedaling in earnest. Her first impression of the chair itself was simple and immediate: very comfortable on the seat. That would turn out to be the theme of the entire ride. Nearly every few minutes, unprompted, she came back to how comfortable it felt.

Comfort is easy to claim and hard to prove. A seat can feel great in the first thirty seconds and terrible after half an hour. What I found most convincing about Deb's ride was how consistent her comments were from start to finish, across different kinds of riding.

No Strain on the Wrists, Shoulders, or Elbows

A few minutes in, while riding in fifth gear, Deb made a point that I think is the heart of this bike. She said she was not feeling any strain on her body, and she named the specific places: her wrists, her shoulders, her elbows.

Those three spots are where a lot of riders struggle. On a typical bike, especially one where you lean forward even slightly, your upper body carries part of your weight through your arms. Over time, that load builds up in the wrists and travels up through the elbows into the shoulders. People with arthritis, old injuries, or simply less upper-body strength feel it fastest.

The combination of a backrest, close handlebars, and armrests takes most of that load away. Your torso is supported by the chair, so your arms are not propping you up. They are just steering. That is a big difference, and it is exactly what Deb felt.

Lower Back Support and Hip Position

Later in the ride, Deb went into more detail about the chair itself. She said it was incredibly comfortable, and then explained why: it supports your lower back as well. She also mentioned the nice cushioning on the seat and said the positioning of her hip was great.

From a fit perspective, those two comments go together. When your lower back is supported and your hips are sitting in a stable, cushioned position, your pelvis stays steady while your legs move. That stability is what lets you ride longer without the gradual ache that builds when your lower back is working to hold you upright the whole time.

If you are someone who has given up on regular saddles and gone looking for a better seat, our range of sixthreezero seats covers a lot of options for standard bikes. The Relaxed Body 20-inch is a different answer to the same problem: rather than improving the saddle, it replaces it with a chair.

Bumps, Rough Ground and Those Thicker Tires

About three and a half minutes into the ride, Deb talked about the wheels. She noted that the bike has thicker wheels, and that they cushion you when you go over rocks and similar obstacles. Moments later she rolled over a bump and said it was very, very comfortable.

Wider tires run with more air volume, and that volume works like a cushion between you and the ground. Combine that with a padded chair and a supported back, and a bump that would jolt you on a narrow saddle becomes something you barely register.

Deb also mentioned that the bike suits town riding and that you could take it off the road into some terrain. I would read that as her impression from the ride, and a fair one given how the tires soaked up the bumps she hit. Before planning anything rougher than park paths or packed trails, check the product page for the intended riding surfaces. If wide tires are a priority for you in general, our fat tire electric bikes are worth a look as a category.

Climbing a Hill

Deb took the bike uphill early in the ride. Her comment while climbing was not about effort at all. It was about the chair, which she said was definitely very comfortable, adding that you could go on a nice long ride on this bike.

That says something about how the assist and the seating position work together. When you climb on a traditional bike, the natural instinct is to stand up or lean forward to push harder. On this bike, you stay seated and let the motor help. Deb was able to stay in her comfortable, supported position all the way up.

Gears, Assist and Choosing Your Effort

One of the things I liked about Deb's ride was watching her adjust how hard she wanted to work. She spent a good portion of the ride in fifth gear, and at one point said she would like to work her legs a little harder. Later, she shifted into a higher gear because she wanted to pedal a little harder along with the assist.

That is the beauty of an electric bike with gears. You are not stuck at one effort level. On days when you want exercise, you can shift up and push. On days when you just want to cruise, you can ease off and let the motor carry more of the load.

And there were moments when Deb simply wanted to enjoy it. At one point she said she was tempted to just not pedal because it felt so good. A little later her advice was to just lean back and enjoy the ride. That sums up the personality of this bike better than any spec sheet could.

The Coffee Moment

Near the end of the ride, Deb joked that it felt so relaxing she could imagine riding with a cup of coffee in her hand. Then she immediately corrected herself: no coffee, she had to concentrate on the road. I love that we kept that in. It captures how relaxed she felt, and it is a good reminder that a comfortable bike is still a bike. Keep both hands available and your attention on the road.

Every bike involves trade-offs, and the honest reviews are the ones that name them. Deb's ride gave us a clear picture of what this bike does brilliantly, and one area where fit matters a great deal.

Stopping and Putting a Foot Down

As Deb rolled back in at the end of the ride, she showed one of the most practical features of this bike. She came to a stop and put her foot down, just like that, and pointed out that there was no reaching.

If you have ever stopped a tall bike and had to tip to one side, stretching a toe toward the pavement, you know how unsettling that moment can be. For newer riders, older riders, and anyone with balance concerns, it is often the moment they fear most. A low seat and 20-inch wheels put the ground right where your feet expect it to be.

That ease at stops pairs naturally with the step-thru design. Getting on and off is simple, and stopping does not require any acrobatics. For riders who are shorter, our collection of electric bikes for short people is built around the same idea of keeping the ground within easy reach.

Parking It

Deb finished by putting the kickstand down and joking that here was your office chair. Bring your computer, she said, and just go to the office. It got a laugh, but it also makes a point. When the bike is parked, the chair looks and feels like a seat you could sit in for a while, and that is exactly how it rides.

Deb's Final Verdict on Knee Position

At the end of the ride, Deb came back to the one fit detail she had noticed at the very beginning. She said the bike is very comfortable, but that she did feel the position of her knee was a little higher. Then she gave the most useful summary of the entire test: if you are okay with that, this would be incredible for you.

I think that is a perfectly balanced way to put it, and I want to unpack it a bit, because it will help you decide whether this bike is right for your body.

On a standard saddle bike, many riders aim for nearly full leg extension at the bottom of each pedal stroke. That is what Deb prefers, and it is a common preference, especially among people who ride for fitness and like to feel their legs working through a long, full stroke.

On the Relaxed Body 20-inch, the chair puts you in a more seated, relaxed posture, and in Deb's case that meant her knees came up a little higher through the stroke than she is used to. She did not describe pain or discomfort. She described a difference from her preferred position.

Whether that matters depends entirely on you. Here is how I would think about it as a fitter:

• If you ride mainly for relaxed cruising, errands and enjoyment, a slightly higher knee position is usually a small trade for the level of back and upper-body comfort this bike delivers.
• If you are a rider who really values a long, fully extended pedal stroke, pay close attention to how the position feels to you before committing, exactly as Deb did.
• If you have any knee concerns, it is worth talking through your situation with us before you buy, so we can help you judge whether the position suits you.

This is exactly why we offer fitting help. Our get fitted page walks you through matching a bike to your body, and it is the quickest way to get a recommendation based on your height and how you like to ride.

A Long-Ride Bike

Even with that note on knee position, the overwhelming thread through Deb's entire ride was comfort over distance. She said several times that you could go a long way on this bike. Early on she called it a bike you could take on a nice long ride. Near the end she said she felt like she could just go on and on because it was so comfortable.

That repeated theme matters. It is one thing for a seat to feel nice on the first block. It is another for a rider to keep saying, minute after minute, that she could keep going. That is the real test of a comfort bike, and the chair passed it.

What We Did Not Measure

I want to be upfront that this ride was about feel, not numbers. Deb did not time a top speed, check battery range, or weigh the bike, so I am not going to put figures in her mouth. If you want the current specifications, including motor, battery, weight capacity and rider height range, the live product page has the details, and our team is happy to walk you through them.

After watching Deb's ride and thinking about the people I talk to every week, I have a pretty clear sense of who a chair-style e-bike makes the most sense for, and who might be better served elsewhere.

Riders Who Will Love a Chair-Style E-Bike

The obvious group is anyone for whom a traditional saddle has become the barrier to riding. If sitting on a regular bike seat leaves you sore, if your lower back aches after a short ride, or if your wrists and shoulders flare up from leaning on the bars, a supported, chair-style position directly addresses those complaints. Deb's comments about zero strain in her wrists, elbows and shoulders, plus solid lower back support, speak to exactly that.

Older riders are another natural fit. Many of the people I fit who are returning to cycling later in life want two things above all: comfort and confidence at stops. A low, supported seat delivers both. If that describes you, our electric bikes for seniors collection groups the models designed with those priorities in mind.

Then there are riders who simply want riding to feel like relaxing rather than exercising. Deb's lean back and enjoy the ride moment is the whole point for these people. The assist does the heavy lifting when you want it to, and the gears are there when you want to work harder.

Riders Who Should Think It Through

If you are a fitness-focused rider who loves a long, fully extended pedal stroke, take Deb's knee comment seriously. It does not rule the bike out, but it is the main trade-off she identified, and you should weigh it based on your own preferences.

And if you want a sportier, more forward riding position, this is not that bike, by design. Our broader comfort electric bikes collection and the full lineup give you plenty of other directions to explore.

If you want even more stability than two wheels provide, it is also worth looking at three. Our electric tricycles offer a different kind of confidence for riders who are nervous about balance.

Try It Before You Decide

The single best piece of advice I can give is the same thing Deb did on camera: ride it, pay attention to how your body feels, and be honest with yourself. A bike that is this different from what most people know really benefits from real-world time in the seat.

You can do that two ways. If you are near us, you can visit our store and sit in the chair yourself. If not, buying direct comes with our 30-day test ride, which gives you time to ride it on your own streets, settle into the sit-all-the-way-back position, and decide whether the knee position works for you.

What to Pay Attention to on Your First Ride

When you take your own first ride, borrow Deb's approach and check in with your body at a few specific points. In the first minute, make sure you are sitting all the way back, with the backrest supporting you evenly. Once you are rolling, notice where your knees come up at the top of each pedal stroke and decide whether that feels natural or cramped to you.

A few minutes in, check your wrists, elbows and shoulders, the same places Deb mentioned. Are they relaxed, or are you still gripping the bars out of habit? Try riding with the armrests down for a stretch and then up, and see which you prefer. Roll over a bump or two and pay attention to how much of it reaches your back.

Finally, practice a few stops. Put a foot down, then the other, and notice how close the ground feels. Those small checks tell you far more about whether a bike suits you than any spec sheet, and they are exactly what Deb did on camera.

My Takeaway

What stayed with me after watching Deb ride was not a feature. It was how relaxed she looked. She leaned back, rested her arms, rolled over bumps without flinching and kept saying she could go a long way. Her one reservation was specific and fair, and she framed it exactly right: if you are okay with your knees sitting a little higher, this bike could be incredible for you.

For a lot of riders who have quietly given up on bikes because they hurt, that is a trade worth considering. Sit all the way back, put the armrests down if you like, and enjoy the ride.