3 Tips for Seniors Starting to Ride an Electric Bike: Follow These Tips for SAFE EBike Riding

Three tips for seniors when you first start riding an e-bike. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today I've got three tips for seniors when you're first starting to ride an e-bike. I've got some really great e-bikes right here for seniors. Now, I do a lot of first-time test rides with seniors on e-bikes, and I've witnessed a couple of things firsthand that are challenging or confusing to senior riders when they start riding an e-bike for the first time. You've got your controls up here, your pedal assist levels, sometimes you have gears on the bicycle, and many times it can be overwhelming, right? Especially if you're someone getting back into bicycling, period, and now you're getting an e-bike to get you back on two wheels and out and riding. So I've got three tips to just make it a little less stressful and hopefully a little safer for your first time out on an e-bike. Okay, now, number one is to ride your e-bike for the first time without using the electric. Now, it seems possibly logical, but whenever I do a test ride with someone, I want them to at least get a feel for that bike without the electric assist. Can they handle the weight? How does it feel? How does pedaling feel for them? Because in a worst-case scenario, something happens to the electric. You want to know that you can pedal it without using the electric. So I wanna see, can they balance on it? Can they control the weight of it? If you're 100% reliant on electric, it makes me a little nervous because let's say your battery dies or for whatever reason, the motor just stops working, and now you have to control that e-bike without assistance. So just wanna see that they can do it.

Once they can do it, I say, go ahead and turn on the electric from there. This takes me to my second tip, which is your first time out, two things. One, start in a lower pedal assist. And two, don't change the pedal assist while you're riding for that first time out. So on the pedal assist levels, you typically have one, two, three, four, five. I would start it in a one or a two. Get a feel for what that assistance feels like. But in addition to that, when you're out riding, don't increase or decrease the assistance level. Put it into a level, ride it out, do your full ride, complete it, and get comfortable by feeling the assistance. Then once you're very comfortable during your rides, you can shift the assistance as you see fit. That way, you don't have to complicate things and get yourself confused, and worry about too many things at once. This segues into my third tip: if you have gears on your bicycle or your e-bike, Don't shift those either during your first rides. Now, there are pedal assist levels and there are gears. The gears or speeds are what you would have on any bicycle that can be shifted with a shifter on your right hand. There are either trigger shifters you push to shift, or there are twist shifters you twist to shift. Now again, you can see many elements can be overwhelming to your first ride. So when you get on, don't worry about the gears.

Put it into a speed or gear, same thing, that will work for you. Let's say you have a seven-speed bicycle, put it maybe into three or four, or if it's difficult for you to pedal, keep it in the lowest gear possible, like a one or a two. Typically, when I have first-time test riders on an e-bike, I will always shift it down into gear one, so it's easy to pedal, they can get up and moving and get a feel for it, and just cruise in that gear. As you get more comfortable, you can layer in, changing your pedal assist levels on rides and also changing your gears on a ride. But trying to take on too many things at once can create confusion and ultimately can cause accidents if you're trying to push all these buttons and do all these things. Trust me, if you get out and practice, get a feel for it, and take your time. It is easy over time. You'll get used to it. Just don't try to do too many things at once. E-bikes are powerful. They have motors, and there's a lot of function to them. So tip number one, ride your e-bike without the assistance for the first time. Tip number two: set your pedal assist level. Don't change it while you're riding for the first few times you're out. Number three, don't change your speeds or gears on the bike either. Get used to it, get riding. As you move on, you can move into the more advanced levels of utilizing your electric bike.

Now, if you have any other questions or comments on the topic, reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. In addition to that, we offer a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love your e-bike in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we warranty everything. For one year, if anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of its parts and labor. And lastly, join our Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members in the group. Join the group before you purchase to talk to existing riders and ensure you're making the right choice. Then when you have yours, post in the group, and make friends. It's a lot of fun. And finally, download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.