Which EBike Will They Pick? Riders w/ Neuropathy, MS, & Parkinson's Test Ride EBikes & Pick a Winner

We have three riders, one with Parkinson's, MS, and neuropathy. We're gonna have them test these e-bikes and see which one is their favorite. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today I'm joined by three different riders, each battling a different chronic illness. One with neuropathy, one with Parkinson's, and one with MS. And today they're going to test ride these e-bikes and see which one suits their body and lifestyle best.

Dustin: All right, so on my left here, I have Nikos. He's 74. He's 6'1", and he deals with neuropathy and just... Pain and numbness in your legs and lower extremities. And right here I have Abby and she has MS. And to my right, I have Andy who is dealing with Parkinson's. So each has their kind of situation. Nikos, do you want to explain a little bit more about what goes on with you and your legs and whatnot?

Nikos: Just with neuropathy, I used to be an athlete but I thought I had pain in the hips and mobility issues and I used to do marathons, and now I have trouble walking more than a mile. So it's mostly pain management and a little bit of balance.

Dustin: Gotcha. All right. And Abby, how about you?

Abby: So for me, with my MS, I notice a lot of muscle weakness, pain, pretty much chronic pain. But the issues for me are just having the energy, a lot of fatigue. So a lot of energy difference from the start of the day to the end of the day for me. So I kind of have to think about those things and energy output, things like that. So, yeah, it's just, you know, sometimes my left side doesn't work very well. So it just is a matter of figuring out the right thing, you know.

Dustin: Got it.

Abby: Yeah.

Dustin: All right. And Andy, how about you? How does it affect your normal life on a day-to-day basis?

Andy: Parkinson's every day is a little bit different. Some days your medication works better than others. Other days, not so much. It affects everything from tremors to difficulty walking, slowness, sleep issues, and extreme fatigue at times. So, like, I never knew if I was going to go biking somewhere. You want to be able to get back.

Dustin: Yeah, yeah. Fair enough. Okay, well, we just got all three of them on e-trikes. And that was the first time any of them had experienced an electronic bicycle or tricycle in any way, shape, or form. So, we're going to try moving on to two-wheel bikes now. If anyone's not comfortable at any point balancing on two wheels, then opt out. And we will... Let's start, we can start right here. So this is our 20-inch Simple Step-Thru. So this one has a really low step-through height, which makes it easy to get on and off. Everything is the same as the controls on the e-trikes. There's a power button right here. This is a twist shifter for the gears instead of a trigger shifter. The trigger shifter is when you push it with your thumb. This one is you would twist the dial here. And I'll put this into first gear for you guys. Now, this one is a 500-watt rear hub motor. So I think my suggestion to you guys when you try these is to go a little easier on the acceleration because these are lighter. So if you came from the Trikes, now you're going to get a lot more power. So let me just go ahead and shift this one. Alrighty. So this one's pretty zippy because it's very light. So when you're coming out of the gates here, I recommend starting with pedal assist. Does anyone want to go first? Andy, you want to go first? So yeah, go try, do pedal assist. And then once you get going, you can use the throttle. Oh, there's a car coming. Be careful. Oh, he's pulling in straight.

Abby: There he goes. Round in the corner.

Dustin: Yeah, he seems to be, um, a two-wheel bike seems still to be possibly a good option for him. Especially with the electric assist, you know, it's great because yeah, if you don't have that muscle strength as you learn to use it, it's so beneficial.

Andy: Doing the trikes and the bikes. I know I'm gonna love the unicycle.

Abby: That kind of fits. I think I'll try this one.

Andy: It's like riding a bike.

Dustin: What do you think?

Andy: Like riding a bike without having to do the work.

Dustin: Okay, yeah.

Andy: It handles great.

Dustin: All right, so let me lower the seat down for you.

Abby: Thank you.

Dustin: And I recommend the same thing. Start with the pedal assist. See if that's good for you.

Abby: Oh, that's a nice kickstand. It's easy.

Dustin: Is that too low? It might be a little too low. Are you too cramped? Or do you like it at that height?

Abby: I think it's probably okay. I kind of like being lower to the ground.

Dustin: Okay. Yeah.

Abby: So we'll see.

Dustin: Whatever you're comfortable with.

Abby: Oh, yeah. Look at that. 

Dustin: So what did you, the first time on an e-bike, different from the trike?

Andy: Much different than the trike. Much more like a traditional bike.

Dustin: What did you think of that one? Pretty quick, right? Pretty zippy with the motor. Comfortable?

Andy: Yeah.

Dustin: All right, here she comes.

Abby: I love it. I feel like on an awesome day, this would be amazing. It's just, it's like, yeah, all of the best, right? Just, and I love that it only takes like one thing around, and then that motor kicks in.

Dustin: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Abby: I think I could always manage one thing around, you know? And when I feel like I can rely on both sides of my body, this would be wonderful. Can you see if this is locked or something to the throttle?

Dustin: Oh, the gears?

Abby: Or the, oh, oh, sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Yeah, I was, yeah, okay.

Dustin: Do you want to try to do it again? Don’t try to get it, don't press it while you're sitting here though.

Abby: I'm not going to press it.

Dustin: Do you want to try?

Abby: Just the pedal assist, like, was plenty of, like, power for me, so can I try it one more time?

Dustin: Yeah.

Abby: Okay, awesome. Thanks.

Dustin: Just start it by using the pedal assist.

Abby: Yeah, I think I very rarely use the throttle because it's so, like, it just kicks right in and it's great.

Andy: And there's full self-biking mode.

Dustin: Autonomous?

Andy: Autonomous crashing.

Abby: Woooo, love it.

Dustin: There she goes.

Nikos: That was a good one. I haven't been on a two-wheel bike in over a decade. And I realize I lost it. Incredible amount of muscle strength, you know yeah so I gotta get back in there back in the gym and do, you know, build it back up again.

Dustin: That's the good thing about the e-bike, so, to be honest with you, it is like you can use that assistance.

Nikos: Right.

Dustin:  To, like, as you get more, you know, stronger, either use less or use more.

Nikos: Right. Well that's what interested me, and then, and, uh, I wanted to, I'm excited about learning more, and, and I got to get outdoors, and okay moving again, and also get back in the gym, and, get my strength back.

Dustin: Yeah. Yeah. Do you want to try one or are you good?

Nikos: I think I'm good. I don't want to go through leg cramps and all this stuff. I recently got on some hikes and then paid for it the next day.

Dustin: No problem. No problem.

Nikos: It's just been a good learning experience.

Dustin: Yeah.

Nikos: And good motivation.

Dustin: Cool.

Abby: I like the throttle, but for me, the pedal assist is enough. It's perfect.

Dustin: It's enough. Cool.

Abby: Yeah. Here, I'll go around. I think I've got it in two. I probably need to put it back to one. Okay.

Dustin: Yeah, it's zippy in the tight spaces on this one.

Abby: Yeah, it's very different from the trike. Like I said, on an awesome day, this would be just perfect. And I love the low step. That's a great design, especially for me.

Dustin: Yeah. Let's try. All right. Let's see.

okay. All right. I think this one may be too big for you, Abby, but do you want this one? Do you want to give it a shot?

Andy: The Husky model.

Dustin: So this one's even more powerful than the last one.

Andy: This is the smokey and the bandit version.

Dustin: Yep. Is that seat height okay?

Andy: Yeah. Okay.

Abby: Take care.

Dustin: So, power on you got to put this into one, if you want the assistance. And it's a twist throttle, so it's on your right hand. What'd you say?

Abby: This is kind of scary watching him. He's just so, is it brave? I, maybe.

Dustin: He seems to be pretty athletic.

Andy: I was going to say, I think he's pretty confident in his ability when he's feeling okay. So that's wonderful. I think that confidence is something that kind of goes with MS. You just can't rely on your body to do what you expect it to do anymore. But that's okay. At least you know what to expect.

Dustin: How long ago did you find out about your diagnosis?

Abby: I got my diagnosis in 2022. 

Dustin: Oh right, you told me that, yeah.

Abby: Yeah, it's been a long time before that I had been feeling symptoms, just nobody put it together.

Dustin: Got it.

Abby: Nobody gave it the name, so yeah, I’m very relieved that we have a name now. Even though it's not a good name, at least it’s something you know. Something to know.

Dustin: Yeah. What do you think?

Andy: I like the other one a little bit better.

Dustin: Okay.

Andy : This one has a little bit of a lag, when you twist before it kicks in.

Dustin: Oh, okay.

Andy: And the seat's a little bit hard.

Dustin: Got it. And do you like, just, that one's a little bit more compact? I don't know, lower to the ground. Did you like that or not?

Andy: It was just a more comfortable seat.

Dustin: Okay. Same seat.

Andy: I like the throttle, and thumb throttle better.

Dusty:  Thumb throttle. It's the same seat, but this one may have had a worse angle or something.

Andy: It's the angle.

Dusty:  Yeah. All right.

Andy: It's just a little less comfortable.

Dusty: If you can try this one, I think you should. You may like this one. This is our EvryJourney, and it's got a unique frame that has a forward-pedaling design, which makes it comfortable.

Abby:  Yeah, that seems like it would be comfortable.

Dusty: Yeah, go ahead and give it a shot. Can you step through there okay? Yeah, it does.

Abby: It's a very pretty color. Love this. How did you know? Oh, thank you. Okay left throttle right gears pedal assist is on?

Dusty: Yep.

Abby: Okay, perfect. Wow you're right I do love. It's more comfortable for me.

Dusty: So you think you'd consider getting an e-bike?

Andy: There's a good chance. I'm torn between the trike and the bike.

Dusty: I think it would be fun where you guys live. A golf cart would be fun too.

Andy: I thought of that.

Dustin: Did you? Oh really?

Andy: Always let you drive the golf cart on the sidewalk.

Dusty: Oh really?

Andy: I’m excited, yield to pedestrians, you’re allowed.

Dustin: That's awesome.

Andy: Take it to supermarket.

Dustin: Is there a supermarket on the premises?

Andy: Not on the premises but just outside.

Dustin: Got it.

Andy:  And there’s golf cart parking.

Dustin: That's awesome.

Andy: Like Stater Brother if you know where. I don't know if you know.

Dustin: I don’t know but... Yeah, it makes sense. That's cool. I mean, I imagine they cater to that sort of thing, you know.

Abby: Yeah, this is pretty awesome, too. I love it. This one is more comfortable for me than that one. And I love that it kind of feels more like a cruiser.

Dustin: Feels like a what?

Abby: It feels kind of like a cruiser to me.

Dustin:  Yeah. Comfortable, isn't it?

Abby:  It's like everything is in the right place again. Yeah. And I love the wide handlebars and the seat down. I like it a lot.

Dustin: Yeah?

Abby: Yeah. And you're right. I love everything about it. So, very cool. 

Dustin: Cool. Well, we got to…

Abby: I love it, too, I just wanted to tell you, like, the brakes are very... Sometimes I worry about renting bikes and stuff like that because... I don't know how hard the brakes are going to be to like how I guess how tension how much tension there's going to be and how hard they're going to be to use. And that scares me a lot because like my fingers are sometimes the first things to start getting weaker. And this just takes like two fingers. So like, I feel like that's a great thing because I wouldn't have to worry. And this is also, it's very responsive, but it's smooth. So it just feels very safe.

Dustin: That's awesome. Glad to hear.

Abby: Yeah. I love it. Love it.

Dustin: Okay. Okay. Andy, are you ready?

Andy: Sure.

Abby: I think you're going to like it too.

Dustin: Now it comes in other colors, so don't judge it by the sparkle.

Andy: I'm a sparkly guy.

Abby: Can you make the others sparkly too? That's an order.

Andy: Is it in the right mode?

Abby: He looks like he's used to being athletic probably his whole life.

Dustin: Yeah, yeah.

Abby: Well, thank you for thinking of us.

Dustin: Yeah, no, it's great. I mean, honestly, this, these kinds of videos touch other people in terms of, you know, there's so many people out there.

Abby: Break, break, break. He's got it.

Dustin: What do you think?

Andy:  It's a nice one.

Dustin: Comfortable?

Andy: Yeah. The handlebar position is nice having it.

Dustin: Uh-huh.

Andy: Neutral grip.

Dustin Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Andy:  As opposed to being out here.

Dustin: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It comes into the body a little more.

Andy: It's very comfortable for me.

Dustin: Cool. Your favorite so far, would you say?

Andy: So far, I'd say this is the favorite. Same with you, Abby?

Abby: I think so. For the bikes, yes.

Dustin: Okay.

Andy: I'm betting this is going to be the one, though. 

Dustin: That one.

Abby: And I was looking at the blue one.

Dustin: Yeah, let's try. Let's have Abby do it. I don't know if this one's got a higher-top tube. I don't know if you're going to like that.

Abby: Just for me, I probably wouldn't be able to get over that very often.

Dustin: Yeah, no.

Andy: You got to mount it like an old Western horse. You run up from the back, and you jump, push, and jump.

Abby: If only I could.

Andy: All dodging Indian arrows.

Dustin: All right, give this one a try. I think you're going to like this one too because it's got the really low step through.

Abby: Yeah, I love that part. And it's set up the same, which is great. It's very comfortable too. Oh yeah, the brakes, are nice. Very stable. It's almost like you made it for me.

Dustin: I'm glad to hear that. 

Abby: Oh gosh.

Dustin: Now is your wife still in good health?

Andy: Yeah.

Dustin: So were you a marathon runner?

Andy:  Yeah, I did a lot of marathons and ultra-marathons. 30 marathons in one year.

Dustin: 30 in one year. Wow. So wait, that's three a month?

Andy:  I did several backtracks like I did a race that was a relay race, three legs around, not Ragnar, but all around Lake Tahoe. Three marathons in three days.

Dustin: Wow.

Andy: I ran a 305 marathon in Death Valley on Saturday and ran 325 in Huntington Beach the next day.

Dustin: So when did the marathons have to stop for you? Like the late 40s, or early 50s?

Andy: No, it was Parkinson's. The last half marathon I ran, I won in Fountain Valley.

Dustin: Wow. And how old were you at that point?

Andy: 50.

Dustin: 50. That was the last one.

Andy: It just happened to be the last one. I was more in a CrossFit, less running. I'd done all my running goals.

Dustin: Got it, got it.

Andy:  And I had pulled a hamstring in a marathon.

Dustin: Sure. 

Andy: Which is part of Parkinson's, and gives you tight muscles. I didn't know it at the time, but I never had injuries. And he said I had weak hamstrings, so I needed to do something to strengthen it. I wasn't going to do this stupid exercise of pulling my heel in a chair across the room. So I took up CrossFit. I got hooked on CrossFit.

Dustin: A lot of people do. And how long were you able to keep doing CrossFit?

Andy: Even in Parkinson's, I was still setting PRS for two years.

Dustin: Wow.

Andy: My deadlift PR is 400.

Dustin: And then it just got to a point, was it too painful?

Andy: I got injured. I tore my bicep. Then six months later, I tore this bicep, like 50% tear. Herniated my back.

Dustin: Jeez.

Andy: I used to do crazy pull-ups. I was trying to set the world record for pull-ups in 24 hours.

Dustin: Oh, really? Break David Goggins' record?

Andy: At the time, the record was only 4,321. It's now like 9,000.

Dustin: Is it someone else?

Andy: It's a kid.

Dustin: Wasn't someone just recently trying to break that record or something?

Andy: I saw it on TV years ago. This was about seven years ago when I was working on it. And I would do 1,100 pull-ups in three hours at the beach on Saturdays. I'd do 600 on Wednesdays, and 600 on Thursdays.

Dustin: That is crazy.

Andy: I just found that I could do six a minute. Every minute.

Dustin: And you would stay there for three hours. 

Andy: Yeah. I always had intensity and endurance. I'd go out for runs. I'd go out for an eight-hour training run in the mountains. I'd run from here to Elsinore.

Dustin: That's crazy. What did you think?

Abby: Oh, my gosh. I love this one, too. I better get a big trailer. Because, like, I just want all of them. Although this one, I think this is probably... Maybe... My favorite over that one, or was that the last one I rode?

Dustin: Yeah.

Abby:  Okay, yeah, that one. I'm not sure what the difference is, but it feels a little bit more stable, which is a little strange. I'm not sure why, but it feels... I, for a minute, forgot that I was riding a knee bike. And it was just like so... And I didn't even pedal. I think I pedaled four times, like all the way around. So until I could kick it in... That was the only time that I was like, oh, yeah, this is an e-bike. So it felt very much like this, you know, being on a regular bike.

Dustin: That's cool.

Abby: And with the assistance, it's just amazing. So.

Dustin: All right. So now you have your new favorite.

Abby: Oh, yeah. And actually, it's stable enough that I think especially once you're going, I think I could probably actually do a bike instead of a trike because of the way you've built it. It's so stable and it just really feels safe and it feels like it doesn't take a lot of energy to balance it. And so it's like not a lot of work. So I feel like this is something that I could do, which is a good surprise. I didn't think I could ride a regular bike anymore.

Andy: This is where in the afternoon, my left side doesn't work.

Abby: And I love the color. Bright and happy.

Dustin: Bright and happy, that's right.

Dustin: Alright. Verdict?

Andy:  They're pretty close.

Dustin: I mean, they're very similar bikes.

Andy: Yeah.

Dustin: Minus the step through. That one has a little bit more pedals out in front.

Andy: It's hard to say between the two.

Dustin:  Okay.

Andy: This one looks more like a girly bike.

Dustin:  Well, different colors, you can get it in.

Andy:  No, I'm talking about, for some reason.

Dustin: Oh oh the curvature?

Andy: The double curvature versus the single.

Dustin: Yep, and that comes in that black, too.

Andy: But that is the more normal masculine version.

Dustin: So you want to try this one?

Andy: I'd like to try that one.

Dustin: Yeah. All right. Yeah Abby I think this one's not a good fit for you.

Abby: Yeah.

Dustin: So.

Abby: I love the bright color, though, but I think I just wouldn't be able to get over it, which is fine because you have the other options for me, so. Oh. Yeah, he's still got a lot of power through his legs that's beautiful for him.

Dustin: Yeah, you can tell he's got strong legs.

Abby: Yeah. I do it for a while in the morning, most mornings.

Dustin: So for MS, are you on medications?

Abby: I'm in a clinical trial right now.

Dustin: Oh, okay.

Abby: So that's good. I was having trouble with medication, like with my insurance and stuff. It's kind of, for some reason, a lot of people go through that. So it's kind of crazy. But so, yeah, I'm sort of still early. So it was a good chance to kind of give back a little bit at the same time as try so mething new. That maybe will be wonderful. So, yeah.

Dustin: Have you seen any benefit thus far? Or too early to tell?

Abby: I'm not sure yet.

Andy: The three are very close. This is my slightly favorite.

Dustin: This one is?

Andy: Yeah.

Dustin: What about it? The sitting position?

Andy: Yeah, the styling.

Dustin: Do you like the style?

Andy: It rides about the same.

Dustin: Yeah, the motor. So these are all 500 watts. Battery sizes are the same, so the top speed is 20 miles an hour with the throttle, 22 in pedal assist, up to 50 miles. So actually, all these were 500 watts, and then this one was 750 watts. So if you had to pick one, Abby, what's your ultimate winner?

Abby: I think I like this one. I think I like... this one, it was just a little bit different than that one in terms of comfort and stability and things like that for me.

Dustin: Yep.

Abby: And I do love the colors. That's very happy.

Dustin:  So that's the Simple Step-Thru. This is the Evryjourney Simple Step-Thru 20 inches. That's a 26-inch. This is called the Around the Block and that's the Zip and Fold. And you're going to go with the Around the Block. Cool. All right. Sounds good. Well, there we have it. We've got Andy's choice. And Abby's choice. And you can see if you're someone with Parkinson's or MS, e-bikes could be a good option for you. And also, you can check out Andy and Abby in our e-trike video. So again, if you're someone with Parkinson's or MS and you're thinking about getting an e-bike, just know that it is possible and there are some options out there that can work for your body. Now, if you have any other questions at all, please reach out to us at the team@sixthreezero.com, or call us at 310-982-2877. And don't forget, 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. We're also gonna warranty everything for up to one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of its parts and labor. Now lastly, we've got a Facebook group called sixthreezero Pedalers with thousands of members in there. Join the group and talk to existing riders before you purchase to ensure you're making the right choice. Then when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and then download our app to track your rides and compete on our leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.