Are Electric Bikes Safe for Senior Citizens | E-Bikes Questions

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today we're going to answer the question; are electric bikes safe for senior citizens? Stick with us.

All right. So today we're going to answer the question are electric bikes safe for senior citizens, but before we jump in, don't forget to hit that subscribe button below. Stay in the know about everything we're doing here at sixthreezero, especially our weekly, monthly giveaways. We give away bikes, e-bikes, accessories, everything. So you want to be a part of that, hit subscribe. All right, let's jump in now to answer the question. Are electric bikes safe for senior citizens? The short answer is yes. Now, with that said, electric bikes do carry with them more risk than a standard bike because of the fact that they do come with a motor and power and throttles. And there's a lot more risk when you've got a motor involved that can power you to speeds beyond what you can power a normal bike under your own... under your own power, to use the word power several times over.

So, there have been in the news things about people crashing electric bikes and also crashing electric scooters. So, electric bikes are safe, but there's one caveat, which is number one: don't jump on an electric bike. If you haven't written a standard bike in years, the first thing is to get on a standard bike and get yourself comfortable again balancing, on how to break and how to stop. Electric bikes and standard bikes are very much similar. Most electric bikes are just standard-looking bikes with a motor. Now there are some variants, but you can practice on your regular bike. Get comfortable riding an electric bike again or if you get an electric bike practice riding it without utilizing the motor. Sixthreezero electric bikes and a lot of electric bikes out there, you can ride them like a standard bike with or without the motor engaged.

My recommendation is if you haven't ridden a bike in a long time and you buy an electric bike, just practice riding it normally, practice breaking, practice stopping. I know it sounds kind of silly and people may think, "I got this." but I've seen so many people accidentally hitting the wrong throttle or hitting the throttle at the wrong time, pulling the throttle instead of the brake at the wrong time, it's kind of like a car. If you're not used to moving your foot back and forth and you accidentally hit the gas over the brake, that's going to be a problem. The same thing can happen on an electric bike. Secondly, ease yourself into using the pedal assist modes. Usually, on the pedal assist there are different levels. One, two, three, four, five. Familiarize yourself with what kind of power output each level gives you start in level one, get comfortable.

Don't go to level two till you're comfortable in level one. I believe that all the issues that are related to electric bikes are because people are not properly trained or they don't take the time to work themselves through how to learn to ride an electric bike. It sounds simple in theory, and I think most people want to do it, but sometimes overconfidence is the thing that comes back to bite us. So, going back to it, I do believe electric bikes are safe for senior citizens, without a doubt. Now, familiarize yourself with the pedal assist, using the level five pedal-assist I would suggest unless you have needs for the absolute highest speeds, maybe just stay away from levels four and five. Those levels can get you going 20, 25, 28 miles an hour.

Sometimes that's too much, 20 miles an hour on a bike is really fast. So, as you start to go higher in the miles per hour, things get more dangerous, obviously, if you lose control, things like that. Do not go up to speeds that you're not comfortable going at, that is very important, just because the bike can do it doesn't mean you should do it. And I think the same is true for cars; cars can go 120, 130 miles an hour just because the car can do it. Don't do it. Now with bikes, with electric bikes. The one issue is they're not regulated as much as cars are. So there are not things that are as much illegal as there is in cars. So this is why it's important that we each take personal responsibility when we ride an electric bike to keep ourselves safe, it's like anything else, an electric bike is safe, but it's important that the owner, the user knows how to fully understand it.

We're going to make an actual video on how to familiarize yourself with an e-bike, how to properly get used to riding an e-bike. And I think those tips will help a lot. So summarizing, yes, electric bikes are safe for senior citizens. The last thing I'll say is if you have any sort of balance issues or you're not totally comfortable on a bike, don't get an e-bike, look at an electric tricycle. You can also get a tricycle as an electric. So if you have balance issues, go in that direction. I think at the end of the day, just know your limits, know what you're comfortable with, but there is an electric bike out there for every senior citizen that I think they can safely ride so long as you're properly trained and the type of bike fits to what your type of needs are. So with that said, if you want suggestions around what electric bike would be good specifically for you as a senior, please comment below.

We'd be happy to answer or shoot us an email. The team@sixthreezero.com or call us (310) 982-2877. Also, don't forget we have a huge electric bike selection on our website, check it out. We also have electric tricycles. That's another great option for senior citizens. And take our body fit quiz on our website, you're going to answer some questions about your body, your lifestyle, and your riding habits, and our proprietary algorithm is going to recommend a bike that's perfect for you. And we have a 365-day return policy. So if you don't love your bike within 365 days, send it back. No questions asked and no money out of your pocket. Lastly, download our app sixthreezero Pedaling available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. You can join our community, track your rides, and be a part of all the weekly leaderboard giveaways we're doing on there. It's super fun, I highly recommend it. All right, thanks for sticking around today. And don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.

Take our Free Body Fit Questionnaire