Simple Glide 500W Recumbent Electric Trike Review: Hills, Reverse, an Elevator, and Dirt Trails

Meet the Simple Glide 500W: A Recumbent E-Trike Built Around Comfort

I've ridden a lot of three-wheelers over the years, and every so often one of them changes the way I think about the whole category. The Simple Glide 500W recumbent electric trike is one of those. It isn't the flashiest machine we make, and it isn't trying to be. What it does is take the things people struggle with on a traditional bike, like getting on, staying comfortable, balancing at low speed and getting up hills, and remove them one at a time until riding feels less like exercise you have to brace for and more like something you'd do just because it's a nice afternoon.

For this test I put it through a full day. I walked through every control, climbed a few neighborhood hills, rode in real traffic, squeezed it into an elevator, and took it down a dirt trail that was a lot rougher than I expected. Partway through, I handed it to a second rider who joined me for the day. She's tall, and she's had back trouble on other bikes, so her opinion carried weight I can't supply on my own. Everything in this article is what actually happened on camera, including the parts that weren't perfect.

What kind of trike is this?

The Simple Glide 500W is a recumbent e-trike with a 500-watt motor built into the hub of the front wheel. If you're new to the term, recumbent simply means you sit back in a seat with a backrest instead of perching on a saddle, and your legs reach forward to the pedals rather than straight down beneath you. Add a third wheel and you never have to balance at a stop sign. Add a motor and hills stop being the reason you skip a ride. Put all three together and you get a machine that asks very little of your body at exactly the moments a conventional bike asks the most.

If you want to see how this layout compares across the lineup, our recumbent electric trike collection is the place to start. For this article, though, I'm staying focused on this one trike, because there's plenty to talk about.

The seat: think office chair, not bicycle saddle

The first thing I always point out on this trike is the seat. I call it an office chair, and I mean that pretty literally. It has a broad base and a real backrest, and you sit in it rather than on top of it. Your weight spreads across your back and hips instead of piling onto a narrow saddle, your wrists, and your hands. For a lot of riders, saddle soreness is the quiet reason they stopped riding years ago. This seat is designed to take that problem off the table.

It also adjusts. You can bring the seat back or up, and on camera I moved it in a matter of seconds. The Simple Glide is set up to fit a wide range of riders, all the way up to 6'4". That range matters more on a recumbent than on an upright bike, because your leg extension is set by how far the seat sits from the pedals, not by how high a saddle is. If the seat is too close, your knees come up high and every pedal stroke feels cramped. If it's too far, you end up stretching and rocking to reach the bottom of the stroke.

My advice is to spend five unhurried minutes on this before your first real ride. Sit down, put your heel on the pedal at its farthest point, and adjust until your leg is nearly straight. When you switch back to the ball of your foot, you'll have a slight, comfortable bend in the knee. That one adjustment does more for comfort and pedaling efficiency than anything else you'll touch on this trike.

A handlebar you can adjust without tools

The second feature I love is the adjustable handlebar. There's a clamp at the stem, and you just open it, move the bars where you want them, and close it again. No wrench, no hunting for the right hex key. On camera I set mine and was comfortable almost immediately.

Here's why that matters on a recumbent. Because you're sitting back, the relationship between your shoulders and your hands is different from an upright bike. You want your elbows relaxed and your shoulders dropped, not reaching forward or jammed up toward your ears. Since the seat moves, the bars need to be able to follow it. And if more than one person in your household is going to ride this trike, a tool-free clamp means each of you can set it up in seconds instead of living with someone else's fit.

Once the seat and bars were where I wanted them, I said exactly what I was thinking at that moment: I'm comfortable, let's go for a ride. That's the whole goal of a good fit. You stop thinking about the trike and start thinking about where you're going.

A full-color display that's easy to read

To turn the trike on, you hold down the power button and the full-color display comes to life. Under our studio lights it looked a little strange on camera, which is normal for screens, but in person it's bright and clear. At a glance it shows your battery level (mine was full when I started), the odometer, and which pedal assist level you're in. It's also where you'll see reverse when you select it, which I'll get to in a minute.

I don't think people give enough credit to a display that's easy to read. When you're riding, you want information in a glance, not a squint. Knowing your assist level and battery at a look lets you keep your eyes on the road, and that's a safety feature as much as a convenience. So before we even rolled out, the Simple Glide had checked three big boxes for me: a genuinely comfortable seat, a fit you can dial in fast, and controls that tell you what's going on without making you work for it.

A trike can have a great seat and still be frustrating if the controls are confusing. The Simple Glide keeps things simple, and once you've used each control once or twice, it all becomes second nature. Here's how each one works and how I'd recommend using it.

Pedal assist: the motor helps when you pedal

Pedal assist is the heart of any e-trike. When you pedal, the motor adds power on top of your effort, and the level you choose determines how much help you get. You step through the levels with the buttons by the display, and the current level shows up on screen. On this ride I used everything from level one all the way up to level five.

The thing I want you to know going in is that the pedal assist on this trike is strong. There's a real jump between levels, and I noticed it most between one and two. At one point I was cruising in level two on flat ground, dropped it down to one, and felt the difference right away. I went straight back to two. That's not a complaint; it's just honest. If you're the kind of rider who likes fine increments, start low and get a feel for each step before you go exploring the higher levels.

My usual recommendation for a first ride is to begin in level one in a quiet parking lot or an empty street. Get used to how the trike responds when you start pedaling, then bump it up one level at a time. Within ten or fifteen minutes you'll know which level feels like a gentle tailwind and which one feels like you're being carried. Most riders settle into one or two for flat ground and save the higher levels for hills.

The twist throttle: power without pedaling

On the right side you've got a twist throttle. Twist it and the trike moves, whether you're pedaling or not. I use the throttle a lot for starts, especially from a stop at an intersection where I want to get moving smoothly and clear the crosswalk without a lot of effort. I also use it as a little boost on short uphills, and later in the ride I did exactly that and admitted on camera that I was being lazy. That's allowed. Being able to choose how much effort you put in on any given day is the entire point of an electric trike.

If a throttle is high on your list, it's worth browsing our electric trikes with throttle control to see how it's handled across different styles. On the Simple Glide, it's smooth and predictable, which is exactly what you want.

The kill switch: a simple safety feature I really appreciate

This is one of those small details that tells you somebody thought about real riders. There's a kill switch for the throttle. Pop it out and the throttle doesn't work at all. Push it back in and the throttle works again. I demonstrated both on camera, and it does exactly what it says.

Why would you want to turn off the throttle? A few situations come to mind. If you're parked and someone bumps the grip, nothing happens. If you're walking the trike or maneuvering it by hand in a garage, you don't have to worry about an accidental twist sending it forward. And if you want a ride that's pedal-only for exercise, you can take the temptation away entirely. It's a simple feature, but it adds a layer of control that I'd want on any trike I owned.

Reverse: the feature people don't know they need

Now, check this out. The Simple Glide has reverse. To engage it, you press the minus button on the controls until you get past the lowest assist level to the R on the display. Then the trike will back up under power. When you're done, you just press back up into level one and you're riding forward again.

If you've never owned a trike, you might wonder why reverse matters. Here's the reality: a trike is wider than a bike and you can't just pick up the back end and swing it around. Backing out of a parking space, a garage, a narrow driveway, or a dead-end path can turn into an awkward shuffle of getting off, pushing, and repositioning. With reverse, you stay seated and just back out. Later in this article I'll show you how I used it to get in and out of an elevator, which is about as tight a space as you'll ever ask a trike to handle. If reverse is a must-have for you, our electric trikes with reverse gear are worth a look.

Front and rear brakes

The Simple Glide has both front and rear brakes, operated from the handlebar levers. My advice for any three-wheeler is to get in the habit of using both together, squeezing smoothly rather than grabbing. Trikes stop with real authority when you use both brakes evenly, and you'll have better control on loose surfaces and downhills. Practice a few gentle stops before you head out into traffic so you know exactly how the brakes feel.

Gears you shift yourself

Beyond the motor, the trike has gears that you shift manually. That's a nice combination because pedal assist and gears do different jobs. The assist level decides how much the motor helps, and the gears decide how hard or easy each pedal stroke feels. My riding partner discovered this halfway through her ride, shifted up, and immediately liked the feel of pedaling more. I'll get into her full impressions a little later.

A simple first-ride routine

Put it all together and here's how I'd approach day one: power on and check the battery, adjust the seat and bars, confirm the kill switch is pushed in if you want throttle, start in level one, practice a few stops with both brakes, try reverse in an open area, and then go explore. You'll be comfortable with every control by the end of your first ride.

With the walkthrough done, I headed out. The first thing I noticed as I made my opening turn was that the wheels stayed planted. Nothing lifted, nothing felt tippy. That first turn sets the tone for the whole ride, and on this trike it felt stable right from the start.

Taking on a real hill

I used the throttle a little to get going, waited for traffic to clear, and pointed the trike at a hill near our route. It's a decent-sized little climb, the kind that would have most riders on a regular bike standing up on the pedals or getting off to walk. I put the trike into pedal assist level five and went for it.

What I want you to picture is how relaxed I was. I stayed sitting back in that reclined position the whole way up, pedaling at an easy pace, and the trike just climbed. No hunching forward, no straining, no gritting my teeth. On camera I said I was hard-pressed to think of a more comfortable trike than this one, and I meant it. Getting up a hill while staying in a comfortable riding position is exactly what a recumbent e-trike should do, and this one delivered.

Once we were at the top and back on flat ground, I made a note to myself that I didn't need to be in level five anymore. That's a good habit to build. Use the higher levels when you need them, then drop back down. You'll get a smoother ride on the flats and you'll make the most of your battery.

What a front hub motor feels like

Here's something worth understanding before you ride. The motor on the Simple Glide 500W is in the front wheel hub, so it pulls the trike rather than pushing it from behind. It takes a minute to get used to. When the assist kicks in, you feel the front of the trike leading, almost like you're being towed gently forward. It's not a bad feeling at all, just a different one, and most riders adjust to it within the first few minutes.

If you've ridden a rear-motor bike before, give yourself a short warm-up period on a quiet street. Pay attention to how the trike responds when you start pedaling from a stop and when you add throttle in a turn. Once your body learns the feel, you won't think about it again.

Strong pedal assist on flat ground

Even on flat ground I found myself happily riding in level two. It's a brisk, easy pace, and that's when it really clicked for me. I said it on camera and I'll say it again here: I like this bike. When a small uphill came along, I gave myself a little boost with the throttle rather than pedaling harder. That's the beauty of e-bikes and e-trikes. You have the ability to get yourself out of any situation. Too tired? Throttle. Steep grade? Bump up the assist. Want a workout? Drop the level and pedal.

A tight turning radius

One of the things I was most impressed with was how tight this trike turns. I made a really sharp turn without having to come to a complete stop, which isn't something every trike can do gracefully. A good turning radius matters more than people realize. It's the difference between swinging around neatly at the end of a path and doing a clumsy three-point turn. Between the turning radius and reverse, this trike handles tight spaces better than you'd expect.

Riding in traffic

Then I took it out on the road. I'll be straightforward with you: I feel very safe on these trikes in traffic. Three wheels means I'm never wobbling at low speed or putting a foot down at every light. The throttle gets me through intersections quickly. And sitting back in a stable, comfortable position keeps me calm, which makes me a better, more aware rider. As always, follow your local traffic laws, ride predictably, and make yourself visible.

Some of the best moments on this ride were the simplest ones. Rolling along a quiet stretch, the trike just glides. Somewhere along there one of us said what we were both thinking: this is the kind of ride where you'd love to just keep going all the way to the beach. It felt like paradise.

The elevator test

Now for something you don't see in most trike reviews. I rode the Simple Glide into an elevator. After making sure nobody else was inside, my first approach was to go in and then back up into position. It worked, but then I realized there was an easier option.

The simpler method is to drive in straight and reverse out. Push the call button, roll forward into the car, then press the minus button until the display shows R. Reach back, press your floor, and when the doors open, simply back right out. That was it. On camera I said it was easy to go in and out of reverse, and that's really the key. Because switching between forward and reverse is just a few button presses, tight spaces stop being stressful.

If you live in an apartment or condo, or you store your trike somewhere that requires an elevator, this is a big deal. Every elevator is different, so measure yours before you plan on it, but having reverse means you won't be stuck trying to turn a three-wheeler around in a small box. As I rolled back out, I said what I was feeling: that's nice.

I can tell you a trike is comfortable all day long, but I've been riding these for years. So partway through the day I handed the Simple Glide to another rider, and I want to share what she said, because her experience may be closer to yours than mine is.

Comfort that a tall rider could feel immediately

Within a minute of riding, she said it was really, really pleasant just biking along like that. Then she explained why it hit home for her. She's tall, and on a lot of other bikes her back starts to hurt quite a bit. On this one, she said, the seat is so comfortable.

I hear versions of that story all the time. Taller riders often end up on frames that don't quite fit, stretching to reach the bars or hunching to see ahead, and their back pays for it. A recumbent with an adjustable seat and handlebar changes that equation. You set the seat for your legs, set the bars for your arms, and lean back against support instead of holding yourself up. She didn't need to be convinced. She felt it.

If comfort is the main thing you're shopping for, browse our most comfortable electric trikes. And if you're tall, short, or anywhere in between and you're not sure what will fit, I'd genuinely encourage you to get fitted before you buy. Fit is the difference between a trike you love and one that sits in the garage.

Trying the higher assist levels

Next, she wondered what would happen in level three, so she tried it. Her reaction was an immediate, happy surprise. A moment later she said she thought this was the way she wanted to bike from here on out. That's a big statement from someone who'd just told me how much other bikes had bothered her.

She also called out how easy pedal assist made both getting going and coming to a stop. Starting from a standstill can be one of the hardest parts of riding, especially when your legs aren't warmed up or you're on a slight incline. With assist, the trike moves as soon as you put pressure on the pedals, so that first push never feels like a struggle.

Later she bumped it up to level four, and her verdict was simple: very nice, makes it very easy.

Discovering the gears

Partway through, she figured out that she could shift gears manually too, and she liked it. Shifting up gave her more resistance at the pedals and a more satisfying sense of actually riding. This is a great example of how assist and gears work together. If you like the feel of pushing a bit against the pedals while the motor still helps out, a higher gear with a moderate assist level is a nice place to be.

The way hills feel when you stop bracing for them

She liked the pedal assist on the little hill we hit, and then she put something into words that I think a lot of riders will recognize. Her instinct on a hill is to really want to work hard, to gear herself up mentally and physically and tell herself, okay, now we have to get up this. With the pedal assist or the throttle, she said, she could just relax into pedaling instead of bracing herself.

That change in mindset is one of the most underrated benefits of an e-trike. Hills are often what keep people from riding certain routes, or from riding at all. When a hill turns into just another stretch of road, your world gets bigger. You start choosing routes because they're pretty, not because they're flat.

A small detail that makes a big difference: the grips

Here's one I didn't expect her to mention, but I'm glad she did. She said it was a small thing, but the grips are really nice to hold. They're a leather-style grip with stitching, and she found them genuinely pleasant in her hands. She compared it to the last bike she'd ridden, where she ended up with stuff all over her hands and found the whole experience unpleasant.

Small touch points matter on a comfort trike. Your hands are on the grips for the entire ride, so anything that feels cheap, sticky, or rough gets old quickly. Grips that feel good make the whole trike feel better built, and they make you want to keep riding.

Her favorite hill ever

Toward the end of her ride, she turned up the pedal assist again as we approached one more climb, saying she wanted to really enjoy it. Then, laughing, she announced that it was her favorite hill she'd ever gone up. I've heard a lot of reactions to hills over the years. Favorite isn't usually one of them. That's what happens when you take the dread out of the climb and leave just the view and the breeze.

To finish the day, I took the Simple Glide off the pavement and onto a dirt trail. I wanted to see how it handled conditions that aren't perfect, because real rides rarely are.

Hard-pack trails

Hard-pack trails like the first section we rode are really no issue at all. The trike rolled over the flat ground easily, and I felt in control the whole time. If your local park has packed-dirt or crushed-gravel paths, this trike is right at home there.

Seriously bumpy, uneven ground

Then the trail got rougher. I pointed the camera at the stretch ahead so you could see it: seriously bumpy, uneven ground that I wouldn't even call ideal hard pack. There were hills coming up too, and I used pedal assist to climb them.

Here's what stood out. The Simple Glide has a somewhat elongated frame, and that length makes it feel very balanced. It took the bumps nicely, and I never felt like I was going to be bounced out of position. A longer wheelbase tends to settle a trike over rough ground, and you can feel that here.

Loose dirt: an honest note

I want to be honest about the limits too. The looser the dirt, the more of a challenge it becomes for the trike. That's true of most e-trikes, and it was true here. On firm ground it's confident; on loose, sandy, or crumbly surfaces you'll need more assist, more patience, and a steadier line. If most of your riding is going to be on loose terrain, it's worth looking at our fat tire electric trikes, which are built with that kind of surface in mind.

Cruising the straightaways

When the trail opened up into a hard-packed straightaway, it was a completely different story. I was just cruising. I could really fly through that section, and it was a blast. That's where the comfortable seat and stable frame come together: you can carry speed without feeling exposed or tense.

A coyote encounter

And then, right in the middle of that straightaway, a coyote. He was just off the trail doing his thing. I stopped, pointed him out on camera, and we gave him space. After a moment I continued on, proceeding with caution. He was probably more scared of us than we were of him.

It's a good reminder for anyone riding trails: wildlife is part of the experience. Slow down, keep your distance, don't approach or chase, and let animals move along on their own terms. A trike makes this easy, because you can stop completely and stay seated, steady, and calm without having to put a foot down and balance.

Who the Simple Glide 500W is for

After a full day of riding, here's who I think will love this trike. If comfort is your top priority, the office-chair seat and adjustable handlebar are hard to beat. If you're tall, the fit range up to 6'4" and the experience our second rider had should give you real confidence. If you live somewhere with hills, the strong pedal assist and throttle mean you can stay seated and relaxed on climbs. And if your life involves tight spaces like garages, narrow paths, or elevators, the combination of reverse and a tight turning radius makes a meaningful difference.

It's also a strong option for older riders who want stability without giving up the joy of riding. Our electric trikes for seniors collection is built around exactly that need, and if getting on and off is a concern, take a look at our easy-to-mount e-trikes too. For a look at every three-wheeler we make, you can browse all of our electric tricycles in one place.

My honest takeaway

The Simple Glide 500W did everything I asked it to do. It climbed a real hill while I stayed relaxed. It turned tight, backed up on command, rode confidently in traffic, and fit into an elevator. It handled hard-pack and bumpy trails well, and it told me plainly when loose dirt was asking a lot of it. The front-hub pull takes a minute to learn and the jump between the first two assist levels is noticeable, but neither of those took anything away from how much fun it was to ride.

Most of all, it made riding feel easy. My riding partner said she thought this was the way she wanted to bike from now on, and after watching her laugh her way up a hill, I believe her.

If you'd like to try it yourself, learn about our test ride program, or if you're near us, come visit our store and take one for a spin. I'll see you out there.