Riding the Simple Glide Recumbent eTrike: A Full Walkthrough of the Controls, the Comfort, and the Ride

Meet the Simple Glide, a Recumbent eTrike Built Around Ease

Some electric trikes try to impress you with a long list of features. The Simple Glide standard model goes the other way. The whole point of this machine is that it should be easy to understand the first time you sit in it, and comfortable enough that you want to keep sitting in it. In this video walkthrough, Maria from sixthreezero shows exactly how the Simple Glide 500W recumbent eTrike works, from turning the battery on to parking it back at home with the brake locked.

What makes the walkthrough useful is that it isn't a spec sheet read out loud. Maria explains each control, then takes the trike out on real streets and talks about how it feels: when the throttle helps, what happens when you bump up a pedal assist level, how it handles a little hill, and how the seat treats your back after a while. If you are trying to figure out whether a recumbent trike makes sense for you, that kind of first-person detail is often more helpful than numbers.

This article follows the same path as the video. We'll start with the controls, move on to braking and seating, then ride along through the parts of the video that show the trike in action. If you want to see the rest of the recumbent lineup while you read, the recumbent electric trike collection is a good place to keep open in another tab.

One quick note before we start. A recumbent trike is a different kind of ride than an upright bicycle or even an upright tricycle. You sit lower, you lean back into a real seat, and your legs reach forward to the pedals instead of pushing straight down. For a lot of riders, that change alone is what turns cycling from something they used to do into something they do again. Keep that in mind as we go, because nearly every design choice on the Simple Glide comes back to it.

Getting the Simple Glide going takes two presses. The first one is on the battery itself, which sits low on the trike. You press the battery button until it lights up green. That green light tells you the battery is on and ready to send power to the motor.

Maria points out that you can simply leave the battery switched on if you ride often. Battery life on this trike is long, so you aren't going to drain it by leaving it on for a day. Her habit, though, is to turn the battery off when she stores the trike overnight. It is a small step that saves a bit of power and gives you peace of mind that nothing is drawing current while the trike sits in the garage. It also builds a nice routine: battery on when you head out, battery off when you're done for the day.

The second press is on the handlebar. Once the battery is in what Maria calls go mode, you press the power button on the control pad and the display comes up. At that point you are ready to ride. There's no app to open, no pairing, no menus to scroll through. Battery on, display on, go.

That simplicity matters more than it might sound. Plenty of people who are new to electric trikes worry that the technology will be the hard part. On the Simple Glide, it's two buttons. If a display ever needs replacing down the road, sixthreezero sells replacement eBike displays and batteries and chargers as parts, so you aren't stuck if something wears out after years of riding.

A good habit for new owners is to do this power-up sequence a few times in the driveway before your first ride. Turn the battery on, turn the display on, look at what the screen shows you, then turn it all back off. It takes a minute and it means the first time you do it for real, your hands already know where to go.

Once the display is on, the main thing you'll interact with is pedal assist. This is the system that adds motor power while you pedal. The more assist you choose, the more help the motor gives you, and the faster and easier the trike moves for the same effort from your legs.

The controls are as plain as they get: plus to go up a level, minus to come down. Maria's advice is to go one level at a time until you get comfortable and find the pace that suits you. That's worth repeating, because the most common mistake new eTrike riders make is jumping straight to a high assist setting. The trike will do it, but the surge can feel like more than you expected if you're still learning how it steers and stops.

Starting at level one gives you a gentle push that makes pedaling feel lighter without changing much about how the trike behaves. From there you can try level two, see how it feels, and step up again when you're ready. Later in the video you'll see Maria do exactly this on the road, and she's honest about it: going up to level two gives a little bit of a jump, and she drops back to one for a while before going up again.

Think of the assist levels less as speed settings and more as effort settings. On a flat, quiet path, a low level keeps the ride relaxed and stretches the battery. On a longer outing, or on a day when your legs are tired, a higher level lets you cover the same ground without wearing yourself out. You get to decide how much of the work you want to do, and you can change your mind at any point during the ride with a single press.

That flexibility is a big reason people choose electric trikes in the first place. You can still get real exercise, and you can still pedal the whole way if you want to. But the hard parts, the headwinds and inclines and the last mile home, no longer decide whether you go out at all.

On the opposite side of the handlebar from the main control pad, the Simple Glide has a second set of controls. Maria describes these as a backup for the speeds. In practice that means you have another way to change your level without reaching across, which is handy when one hand is busy or when you simply find one side more natural to use.

Redundant controls like this sound like a small thing, but they make a difference on a recumbent. Your hands rest on the bars in a relaxed position, and being able to adjust things with whichever hand is free means fewer awkward stretches while you're moving. It's one of those details you stop noticing after a week, which is exactly what good design should feel like.

The same side also has a kill button. This cuts the motor if you want to stop what the trike is doing. Maria is quick to say you'll rarely use it, and that's true. Under normal riding you'll slow down with the brakes and the assist levels. But it's reassuring to know there's a dedicated way to shut off power instantly if you ever need it, especially while you are still learning the trike.

A good way to get familiar with both sets of controls is to sit on the trike while it's parked, battery off, and simply practice reaching for each button. Find plus and minus on the main pad, find the backup speed buttons, find the kill button. When you do turn the power on and head out, you won't have to look down to find them. Keeping your eyes on the road ahead is always the goal, and muscle memory is how you get there.

Maria calls it the fun throttle, and it's easy to see why. Pedal assist only adds power while you're pedaling. The throttle is different. Twist or press it, and the motor moves the trike on its own, whether or not your feet are turning the cranks.

Her first example is the one most riders will use constantly: hills. Say you're coming up to an incline and you want a little extra help. You can keep pedaling and add some throttle on top, which gives you a boost right where you need it. Later in the video you see this in action when she uses the throttle to get herself up off a small hill and again to get over a threshold on her route. In both cases it's not dramatic. It's just a smooth push that turns a hard moment into an easy one.

Her second point is the bigger one for a lot of people. If you don't want to pedal at all, you can use the throttle all the way. That makes the Simple Glide a realistic option for days when your knees are sore, when you're recovering from something, or when you just want a relaxed cruise to the store. Maria says it plainly toward the end of the ride: if she were ever tired, she could use the throttle for the whole trip.

Not every electric trike includes a throttle, and for some riders it's the single feature that decides the purchase. If that's you, sixthreezero has a full collection of electric tricycles with throttle control so you can compare models that offer it.

As with pedal assist, the throttle rewards a light touch while you're learning. Give it a little and feel how the trike responds before giving it more. Practice in an empty parking lot or a quiet street. After a few rides you'll know exactly how much throttle you need for a given hill, and using it will become second nature.

When it's time to slow down, the Simple Glide uses two hand brake levers, one on each side. Maria describes them as really comfortable, and that's an underrated quality. A brake you can reach easily and squeeze without strain is a brake you'll use confidently, which is what makes a ride feel safe.

On a recumbent trike, your hands sit in a natural, relaxed position on the bars, so the levers are right where your fingers already are. You don't have to shift your grip or lean forward to reach them. Squeeze gently and the trike slows down; squeeze more and it stops.

Because a trike has three wheels, you also don't have to think about balance when you stop. On a two-wheeled bike, coming to a halt means putting a foot down and holding the bike upright. On the Simple Glide you just brake, and the trike sits there steadily on its own. For riders who have had a fall in the past, or who simply never felt sure-footed at stops on a bicycle, this can be the single biggest confidence boost of switching to a trike.

If braking performance is high on your list as you compare models, the electric trikes with disc brakes collection is worth a look. Whatever you ride, the habit is the same: brake early and smoothly rather than late and hard, especially with motor assist on, and you'll always feel in control.

Maria shows off one more braking feature that riders tend to appreciate the first time they need it: a brake lock. There are moments when you stop and the trike might want to roll backwards, like when you pause on a slope, wait at an intersection that tilts, or park on a driveway that isn't quite flat. The brake lock holds the brake engaged so you don't have to keep squeezing the lever.

Think of it like a parking brake on a car. You set it, take your hands off, and the trike stays put. That's useful when you're stepping out of the seat, loading groceries into the basket, or just taking a break mid-ride to enjoy the view.

At the very end of the video, when Maria arrives back home, she sets the brake lock as one of the last things she does. It's a smart routine to copy. Get home, set the brake lock, turn off the display, and turn off the battery if you're storing the trike overnight. Then, the next time you go out, remember to pop the lock off before you start moving.

If you're new to trikes, practice setting and releasing the lock a few times while parked. It takes seconds to learn, and once you have it down you'll find yourself using it far more often than you expected.

Once the controls are covered, Maria says that's really all there is to running the trike. Then she moves on to the part that riders feel the most: the touch points.

The handle grips are, in her words, super comfortable, and she adds that they're stylish too. They are coordinated with the seat, which gives the whole trike a finished, put-together look. It's a small thing, but plenty of riders care about how their trike looks parked outside a café, and the Simple Glide doesn't look like medical equipment. It looks like something you'd choose to ride.

The seat is where the recumbent design really shows its value. Maria compares it to an office chair, and that's a fair description. Instead of a narrow saddle that you perch on, you get a full seat with a backrest that supports you as you ride. Your weight is spread across your back and seat rather than concentrated on a small saddle, which is why recumbent riders so often say they can ride longer without the soreness they remember from bicycles.

Comfort is a recurring theme in this video, and it's a recurring reason people buy recumbent trikes. If seat comfort is the deciding factor for you, browse the most comfortable electric trikes to see how the different designs compare. And if you ever want to swap or upgrade a seat on another model, sixthreezero also sells replacement seats.

The practical upshot is simple: a seat that supports you is a seat you'll keep sitting in. Rides get longer, you stop cutting trips short because something hurts, and riding becomes something you look forward to.

One of the features Maria highlights quickly but that deserves extra attention is how you get on and off. The Simple Glide has an armrest that flips up. Lift it, and the side of the seat opens up so you can simply sit down into the seat. Then lower the armrest and you're ready to ride.

Her description is easy in and easy out, and that's the whole story. There's no leg to swing over a frame and no tall top tube to clear. You approach the seat much like you'd approach a chair, sit, and settle in.

For a lot of riders this is the feature that decides everything. People with stiff hips, limited flexibility, knee trouble, or balance concerns often find that getting on and off a traditional bike is the hardest part of riding. Once you remove that obstacle, the rest of the ride is easy. A trike that you can sit down into like a chair opens up riding to people who might have assumed it wasn't for them anymore.

If ease of mounting is your top priority, take a look at the easy-to-mount eTrikes with low step-through frames. And if you're shopping for a parent or grandparent, the electric trikes for seniors collection gathers the models designed with exactly these needs in mind.

A tip when you're starting out: set the brake lock before you get in or out. With the trike held still, you can take your time sitting down or standing up without any chance of it rolling.

With the walkthrough done, Maria heads out. The first thing she does is use the throttle to get herself up off a small hill, and almost immediately she says how comfortable she feels.

Her next comment is the one that matters most for anyone nervous about electric power. The Simple Glide is very responsive, she says, but it's not jumpy at all. Those two qualities can sound like they contradict each other, but they don't. Responsive means the trike reacts when you ask it to, so you're never waiting for power to arrive. Not jumpy means it doesn't lurch or surprise you when the motor kicks in. You get the help smoothly and predictably.

She's also honest that there is a short learning curve. You'll get used to it, she says, and that's realistic. Any electric trike feels a little new for the first ride or two. You learn how much throttle a given hill needs, how the assist levels feel, and how the trike steers at different speeds. After that, it starts to feel natural.

Then she makes the comment that sums up why people buy these trikes in the first place: this is going to take you so many places. That's not just about range or motor power. It's about having a ride you trust enough to actually use. A trike that feels steady and predictable is a trike you'll take to the store, to the park, and around the neighborhood without thinking twice.

A recumbent trike that only goes for pleasure rides would be nice. One that runs your errands too is far more useful. Maria points to the front basket on the Simple Glide and lists the ways she uses it: trips to the farmers market, picking up groceries, and general errands around town.

Then comes the detail that dog owners will love. If you have a small dog, you could put it in the basket, and it won't escape because there's a little cage over the top. That turns the basket from a simple carrier into a way to bring a small pet along for the ride, safely contained, instead of leaving it at home.

Having a basket in the front also means you can see what you're carrying the whole time. Your bag isn't bouncing around behind you out of sight. You know your eggs are fine and your dog is happy without turning around.

If carrying capacity matters to you, the electric tricycles with a large basket collection is worth browsing, and for even more hauling room, there are cargo electric trikes built for it. To add storage to the trike you already have, sixthreezero sells baskets and bags and panniers as accessories.

Using your trike for errands is also one of the easiest ways to ride more often. A ride for its own sake is great, but a ride that also gets the shopping done is one you're more likely to take on a busy week. Short trips that once meant starting the car become a pleasant ten-minute outing.

Partway through the ride, Maria comes back to seating with a point that's easy to miss but important. On the Simple Glide, the pedals are forward of her body. Because of that, she says, she isn't really putting any strain on her lower back.

This is the heart of the recumbent design. On an upright bike, you sit above the pedals and push down, often leaning forward toward the handlebars. That position loads your lower back and can leave it tight and sore after a long ride, especially if you already deal with back problems. On a recumbent, you sit back into a supportive seat and push forward with your legs. Your back rests against the seat instead of holding up your upper body, and the work shifts to your legs, where it belongs.

For riders with back trouble, this alone can be the difference between riding and not riding. Many people who gave up cycling because of back pain find they can ride comfortably again on a recumbent, sometimes for longer than they ever managed on an upright bike.

The forward pedal position also means you're pedaling in a way that feels natural and smooth, similar to pressing on a footrest. Combined with pedal assist, it makes for a ride that's easy on the joints. You still get movement and exercise, but without the pounding or awkward angles that can make other types of riding uncomfortable.

If you're unsure whether a recumbent position is right for your body, sixthreezero offers a personal fitting to help match you with the right trike for your height, flexibility, and riding goals.

A fair concern with any recumbent is whether sitting lower will make it harder to see. Maria addresses this directly. She says she has a lot of visibility and can easily see over the top of the handlebars. As she rides out onto the street, she talks about looking in all directions before pulling out.

That's reassuring for anyone who pictures a recumbent as a low-slung racing machine where you're staring at the sky. The Simple Glide places you upright enough to look around comfortably. You can check for cars, glance down side streets, and look over your shoulder without contorting yourself.

Visibility goes both ways, of course. You want to see traffic, and you want traffic to see you. On any trike, it's worth wearing bright clothing, using lights when the light is low, and making eye contact with drivers at intersections. Riding at a calm, predictable pace, which the Simple Glide encourages, also helps drivers understand what you're going to do.

While you're thinking about safety, a good helmet is always worth it. sixthreezero carries helmets along with bells, which are a simple, friendly way to let pedestrians on a shared path know you're coming.

Maria also points out the tires. They're nice and wide, she says, and that makes the ride really smooth. You're not going to feel a lot of the bumps and potholes, wherever you live.

Wide tires do two things at once. They spread contact over a larger patch of road, which adds stability, and they hold more air volume, which acts like a cushion. Cracks in the pavement, small potholes, rough patches, and the edges of driveways all feel softer than they would on narrow tires. Combined with the supportive seat, it means the trike soaks up a lot of what the road throws at you before it reaches your back.

Real roads aren't perfect. Neighborhood streets have patches, bike paths have tree roots, and parking lots have speed bumps. A trike that handles those calmly is one you'll use for everyday trips instead of saving it for the smoothest routes.

If you like the idea of even more cushion and grip, sixthreezero also has a range of fat tire electric trikes. And when your tires eventually wear, you can find replacement tires and tubes in the parts section. Keeping tires at the recommended pressure is one of the easiest ways to keep any trike riding smoothly and efficiently.

As she rides, Maria mentions that everything on the trike is adjustable. She notes that she's 5 feet 5 inches tall and finds the Simple Glide really comfortable, and that riders with longer legs can adjust it to suit them too.

Adjustability matters a lot on a recumbent. Because your legs reach forward to the pedals, the distance between the seat and the pedals needs to match your leg length. Too close, and your knees come up uncomfortably high. Too far, and you're stretching at the bottom of each stroke. When it's set right, your leg should be nearly straight at the farthest point with a slight bend in the knee, and pedaling should feel smooth and natural.

Getting the fit right is worth a few minutes the first time you set up the trike. Take a short ride, notice how your knees and hips feel, and adjust if needed. Small changes can make a real difference to comfort on longer rides.

If you're not sure where to start, the Get Fitted page connects you with sixthreezero's fit specialist for honest advice on which trike suits your body. You can also read through the ultimate buyer's guide for a broader look at how to choose.

And when your trike arrives, it comes mostly assembled. sixthreezero's assembly instructions walk you through finishing the setup, which is also a good time to make your first fit adjustments.

Later in the ride, Maria makes a turn and comments on how the Simple Glide handles it. She says it has really nice suspension for turning and that it turns on a dime. You can get it around tight spaces.

That's useful in everyday situations that don't make it into product photos: turning around at the end of a driveway, maneuvering into a spot at the market, navigating a narrow path, or making a U-turn on a quiet street. A trike that turns tightly means fewer awkward three-point turns and less hopping off to push it around.

As with any trike, it's smart to slow down before a turn rather than during it. Ease off the throttle, drop an assist level if you need to, and take corners at a comfortable pace. Three wheels give you excellent stability when you're upright and moving straight, and a little patience in the corners keeps that stability working for you.

Practicing turns in an empty lot is a great way to learn the trike. Try wide turns, then tighter ones, both directions. You'll quickly get a feel for how sharply it can turn and what speed feels right, and that confidence carries over to the street.

Toward the end of the ride, Maria plays with the assist levels again. She thinks she's putting it back into level two, then realizes it's actually three. That level, she says, gives you a little bit of oomph, and she could even go faster if she wanted.

Her reaction captures the ride nicely. Higher levels are there when you want them, and they feel energetic without being out of control. But nobody is pushing you to use them. Her message is to go at your own pace, and that's really the philosophy of the whole trike.

Some days you'll want to cruise along at level one, enjoying the scenery and getting a gentle workout. Other days you'll want to cover ground, beat the weather home, or tackle a longer route, and the higher levels make that easy. Being able to change on the fly, one tap at a time, is what makes the Simple Glide work for so many different kinds of rides.

A practical note: higher assist levels use more battery. If you're planning a longer outing, starting at a lower level and saving the higher ones for hills or headwinds will help you get the most from each charge. On short errands, use whatever feels good.

Maria saves the bigger picture for the last stretch of the ride. That's what these eTrikes are all about, she says: giving you the mobility and the choices to go places you didn't think you could go.

It's worth sitting with that idea for a moment. For a lot of riders, the obstacle to getting outside isn't motivation. It's a body that doesn't cooperate the way it used to, a hill between home and the store, worries about balance, or a back that complains after twenty minutes on a saddle. A recumbent eTrike quietly removes those obstacles one by one. The seat supports your back. Three wheels handle the balance. The motor handles the hills. The throttle handles the days you're tired.

As she uses a bit of throttle to get over a threshold on her route, she describes the feeling as a sense of power and freedom at the same time. That's a good way to put it. You feel capable, and you feel free to go where you want.

That freedom has real effects. Riders who can get out easily tend to get out more. They see neighbors, visit the park, run their own errands, and stay active in a way that feels like fun rather than exercise. For older riders especially, keeping that independence can matter a great deal.

For more stories, tips, and rides like this one, the video blog and the wider Bike Advice section are full of them.

The ride ends where it started. Maria pulls back home and pops the brake lock on, keeping the trike in place. It's a simple closing step, but it's a good one to build into your own routine.

Here's a sensible end-of-ride checklist based on the video. Set the brake lock so the trike can't roll. Turn off the display. If you're storing the trike overnight, turn off the battery so nothing is drawing power. Unload the basket. Then, before your next ride, check that the battery has enough charge for where you're going.

If you'll be storing the trike outdoors, or you want shade and weather protection while you ride, sixthreezero offers canopies designed for trikes. Keeping the trike covered and dry helps the components last.

Habits like these take seconds and keep the trike ready to go. And since the whole point of the Simple Glide is that it's easy, keeping your routine simple fits the spirit of it perfectly.

After watching Maria ride, a few types of riders will probably recognize themselves.

If you have back trouble, the supportive seat and forward pedal position are hard to beat. If balance is a worry, three wheels and a chair-like seat take that worry away almost entirely. If getting on and off a bike has become difficult, the flip-up armrest and easy in, easy out design solve that. If hills keep you from riding, pedal assist and the throttle handle them. And if you want a trike that can actually run errands, the front basket takes care of groceries, farmers market finds, and even a small dog.

On the other hand, if you prefer sitting high and upright, enjoy standing on the pedals, or want a trike with a more traditional feel, an upright model might suit you better. There's no wrong answer. It comes down to how your body feels and how you plan to ride.

To compare options side by side, start with the full electric tricycle collection. If you're curious about three-wheel designs with the two wheels up front, look at the tadpole and front wheel eTrikes.

Buying a trike online can feel like a leap, so it helps to know the safety nets. sixthreezero offers a 30-day test ride, and if the trike isn't right for you, they cover return shipping. Trikes ship free nationwide, there's a warranty to back it up, and if you'd like to spread out the cost, financing is available.

Drawing on everything Maria shows in the video, here are some practical ways to get comfortable quickly.

Start with the power routine. Battery on until it shows green, then the display button on the handlebar. Practice it a few times before you ride so it becomes automatic. When you're done, reverse it, and turn off the battery if the trike will sit overnight.

Learn the controls while parked. With the power off, practice reaching for plus and minus, the backup speed buttons, the kill button, the throttle, and both brake levers. Set and release the brake lock a few times. Knowing where everything is without looking makes your first ride far more relaxed.

Begin at pedal assist level one. Follow Maria's advice and go up one level at a time. Notice the jump between levels, and come back down if something feels like too much.

Use the throttle gently. Give it a little at first and learn how the trike responds. Try it on a small hill so you can feel how it helps.

Practice in a quiet place. An empty parking lot or a calm residential street is perfect for trying turns, stops, and starts before heading into traffic.

Dial in your fit. Adjust the seat-to-pedal distance so your legs are comfortable at full extension. A few minutes spent here pays off on every ride afterward.

Plan a short errand. Once you're confident, take the trike to the store or the farmers market. Using the basket for a real errand is the moment the Simple Glide stops feeling like a new gadget and starts feeling like part of your routine.

The best thing about this walkthrough is how ordinary it makes everything look, in the best sense. Maria turns on the battery, turns on the display, picks a pedal assist level, and rides off. She uses the throttle when a hill shows up, enjoys the seat, waves through a tight turn, bumps up a level for some extra oomph, and comes back home to set the brake lock. Nothing about it looks complicated, because nothing about it is.

That's the Simple Glide's real promise. It removes the things that keep people off bikes, like back strain, balance concerns, hard mounting, hills, and fatigue, and leaves the good parts: fresh air, getting around on your own, a basket full of groceries, and the feeling of power and freedom Maria describes near the end of her ride.

If you're ready to explore, browse the recumbent eTrikes, book a fitting if you want help choosing, and remember that the 30-day test ride gives you time to make sure it's the right fit. As Maria says at the end of the video, thanks for riding along.