Bicycles vs Tricycles For Senior Citizens | Bike Questions

Hey, guys. Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today we're going to answer the question, should senior citizens ride a tricycle or a standard two-wheel bicycle? Stick with us.

All right, guys. So, today we're going to answer the question, should senior citizens ride a tricycle or a standard two-wheel bicycle? But before we do, hit that subscribe button below, stay in the know about everything we're doing here at sixthreezero, including giveaways for e-bikes, bikes, and accessories. We have a lot of fun, so hit subscribe so you can stay in touch with us. All right, so let's jump in and answer the question. Should senior citizens ride a tricycle or a standard two-wheel bicycle? Now, this is a great question. As you get older, safety becomes more important. Balance becomes an issue for a lot of people. I personally deal with some balance issues as well. So, the idea of safety becomes more important. There's more risk involved with riding. If you fall off, obviously hitting your head, things like that, which is why it's important to always wear a helmet, no matter what, if on a tricycle, or standard bicycle.

So, this is really a question that you have to answer for yourself in terms of, should you ride a two-wheel bike or a three-wheel bike? Now, my suggestion is how can you assess this for yourself? Number one, think about where you're going to be riding and what type of riding you're going to be doing. If you're going to be out in crowded areas, lots of people around, anything that's going to compromise your ability to be safe on a bike. Maybe it's better you go in the direction of a tricycle, only because they're going to be more stable, there's less risk of falling off, things like that. I've heard of a lot of people that ride two-wheel bikes on roads, on the actual bike lane of roads, they've gotten hit, they've gotten nudged and they've fallen off and they've had head injuries. So, there is a big risk to riding a standard bike on the street.

Now, if you're in a more controlled environment and there's less risk for people bothering you, or affecting you. It's a private path, or a private neighborhood, or a private community, and you feel you can be relaxed and not deal with any distractions, then maybe a two-wheel bike is the right option for you. So, it could be a combination of where you're riding, plus the terrain, is that maybe, how you choose what bike. But I think the number one thing you have to ask yourself is, is my balance an issue at all? If your balance is an issue at all, you should absolutely not be riding on a two-wheel bike period. Because there's a lot of risk involved with falling and things of that nature.

And honestly, riding a tricycle, there are lots of options for tricycles. We sell tricycles. Most of our tricycles look just like our standard bikes. We have the same color options available. So, there's really no shame in it. Gone are the days of tricycles having to be some weird contraption in bad colors. You can still get good colors, a good-looking bike, and yeah, you have three wheels, but what's the big deal on that. The other benefit to a tricycle though, is the back storage, the huge basket, the ability to take more with you and ride more. So, that might be another thing to consider, as a senior is, what are you doing with your bike? Are you trying to run errands? Are you trying to commute? Are you trying to get exercise? And by the way, you can get exercise on both a tricycle and a regular bike.

And I may argue, you can get more exercise on a tricycle, only because there's going to be more resistance and it's going to be a little bit more difficult to pedal at times. But you can have derailleurs, we have seven-speed options, which can make it much easier to ride. So, it really depends on what you're trying to do. If you're trying to go out and run a couple of errands, a tricycle might be a great option. If you're trying to ride 25 miles, a two-wheeled option would be best for that. But what I would say is take yourself through an assessment, or honestly get a doctor's recommendation. If you're personally not quite sure what you should do, ask your doctor, they can at least give you a physical assessment around what they would suggest and how they believe your health is in terms of your balance, your ability to ride a bike. They can make a suggestion.

There are also electric tricycles available now and this is a great option for those that maybe can't power their trike by themselves. Getting a little assistance while pedaling can help riders build leg strength if they can't do it themselves. People able to get assistance while pedaling can enable riders with physical limitations to get out and enjoy bike rides. Also it is up to the rider how much or how little assistance they receive from the motor. This allows the rider to choose how much or little they want to work when riding.

If that doesn't work, maybe go to a physical therapist or someone of that nature that could give you an expert opinion. I think something that's important as we get older, is we don't always rely on our own opinions about what is good, or bad, or right, or wrong for us to do. Now, I know that's a difficult thing and there's very much ego involved in those choices. But when we're thinking about our health and our longevity, there is a lot of risks involved in riding a bike, especially on the side of a street, whether you're a professional rider, an amateur rider, a novice rider, if a car hits you if you hit a bump and you tip over on a two-wheel bike, breaking a bone, or hitting your head is not out of the question.

So, my suggestion is, if you're not sure what's right for you, get an outside opinion, a son, a daughter, a friend. If you can, a professional, a physical therapist, somebody that can do an assessment of you to make an honest suggestion around what they think is right for you. The other thing I just mentioned with a tricycle is, if you hit a bump, the bike's not going to tip over. If you're rolling and you hit a big pothole, you may get a jolt, you might pop a tire, but you're not going to tip over. On a two-wheel bike, there is a lot of risk for falling off, flying off, coming out of the bike. So, that's something to really, really just think about. So, to answer the question, should a senior citizen choose a three-wheel bike, a tricycle, or a standard two-wheel bike? The answer really is it's up to you. But I think the ultimate goal is to choose what's going to be safest for you, and best for you.

Now, what I was going to say is if you want to try to assess for yourself, lastly, is go out on a two-wheel bike, take it to a parking lot, but don't try to ride, just try to balance. We actually have another video about how to learn to ride a bike again. Take yourself through that video and if by the end of the video, you can't balance, or feel comfortable, well then maybe you've made the choice for yourself. Maybe it's best that you move to a tricycle or three-wheel bicycle. But that video will at least take you through the process of learning to balance again and learn to ride again. And if it's particularly challenging for you, or you have a lot of fear around it, don't do it. Don't force yourself to do it, if you have a tremendous amount of fear, because if you can't let go of that fear and you bring that into riding, that fear unfortunately may cause you to crash.

So if by the end of that video, you feel comfortable and you're ready to go, by all means, go after the two-wheel bike, but just be safe when you get out there, always wear a helmet and take every precaution possible. All right. So I hope that helps. If you have any comments or feedback, please put them below. You can also email us, theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us, 310-982-2877. And you can also browse all of our bikes on our website. Go check it out, sixthreezero.com.

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