Simple Glide Low Seat 750W Recumbent eTrike: A Hill Test Built for Tall Riders

A Trike Built for the Tall Rider

Most electric trikes are designed around an average-height rider, and anyone who stands well over six feet knows how that usually goes. The seat runs out of adjustment, the knees come up too high on every pedal stroke, and the whole ride ends up feeling cramped. The Simple Glide Low Seat 750W was built to fix exactly that problem, so we took it out to a steep local hill to see whether the tall-rider design holds up once the road tilts upward.

Our rider summed up the first impression in a few words before even rolling: this one sits low to the ground, and it is made for really tall people. sixthreezero recommends it for riders between 6'0" and 6'8", which puts it in a small group of trikes that actually take long legs seriously. Rather than simply raising a seat post, the Low Seat version drops the rider closer to the pavement and stretches the frame forward, so the legs extend out in front of the body instead of dropping down beneath it.

If you have been browsing the recumbent electric trike lineup and wondering which model actually suits a taller frame, this ride test should give you a clear picture. We cover the seat, the climb, the descent, the brakes, and what it feels like to cruise along at 18 miles an hour while lying back in what is basically a lounge chair on three wheels.

The Simple Glide family already has a reputation for comfort, with its high-backed seat, armrests, and fat tires. The Low Seat model takes that same idea and changes the geometry. The seat sits closer to the ground and the frame is extended, which lets you pedal in a forward-reclined posture. sixthreezero describes it as a true recumbent, and once you see someone riding it, the description fits. You are not perched on top of the trike; you are sitting in it.

That out-in-front pedaling motion matters for more than looks. When your legs push forward rather than down, the load spreads differently across your hips, knees, and lower back. For a tall rider, it also means the full length of the leg can actually be used. Instead of short, choppy strokes with bent knees, you get a longer, more natural extension that feels closer to how a long-legged person wants to move.

The lower seat brings another benefit that is easy to overlook: getting on and off. A low, step-through frame means you are not swinging a leg over a high top tube or climbing up onto a perch. You walk in, sit down, and settle back. That combination of low entry and long leg reach is uncommon, and it is the main reason this model exists alongside the standard Simple Glide.

Underneath it all is a 17-inch aluminum step-through frame, an adjustable stem for dialing in reach, and swept-back comfort handlebars that bring the grips toward you so you are not stretching your arms forward while your legs are stretched out too. It all works toward one goal: a relaxed, supported position you can hold for a long ride. If easy mounting is high on your list, the easy-to-mount eTrike collection is worth a look as well.

One of the first features our rider pointed out was the sliding seat. It moves back and forth along the frame, which is how you match the trike to your leg length. Slide it forward and the pedals come closer; slide it back and you get more extension. On a recumbent, this adjustment matters more than seat height does on an upright bike, because it controls how much your knee bends at the bottom of each stroke.

The goal is a near-full extension without locking the knee. If you find yourself reaching with your toes at the far end of the stroke, the seat is too far back. If your knees are rising toward your chest on the top of the stroke, it is too far forward. It takes a few minutes and a couple of trial laps around the driveway to find the sweet spot, but once you do, the difference in comfort and pedaling efficiency is obvious.

Because this model is aimed at riders in the 6'0" to 6'8" range, the slide gives plenty of room to work with. Two people of different heights could share the trike and still get a good fit by moving the seat a few notches. That flexibility is useful in households where more than one tall person plans to ride.

If you are on the borderline of the height range, or you have a long torso and shorter legs (or the other way around), it is worth running through the sixthreezero fitting process before ordering. Inseam tells you more than overall height when it comes to recumbent fit, and a few measurements up front can save you from guessing.

Our rider kept coming back to one thing throughout the ride: the back of the seat. It is so comfortable that it became the running theme of the test. That is not surprising once you look at how it is built. The seat is wide and low, with a full backrest and armrests, so your weight is supported across your back and shoulders instead of balanced on a narrow saddle.

On a traditional bike, most of your weight sits on a small patch of saddle, with your hands and wrists picking up the rest. Over a long ride, that adds up to sore spots, numb hands, and a stiff neck. A recumbent seat spreads that load out. Your spine is supported, your arms rest naturally, and your hands only need to steer and work the controls. Later in the ride, our rider demonstrated just how little hand pressure was needed by barely holding the handlebars at all.

The armrests deserve a mention too. They give your forearms somewhere to settle when you are cruising, and they add a sense of being held in place, which helps with confidence on corners and descents. For riders who deal with back pain, shoulder issues, or simply want a ride that feels more like relaxing than working, this seat changes the experience completely.

Comfort is the reason many people move to three wheels in the first place. If that is your top priority, our collection of the most comfortable electric trikes pulls together the models built around supportive seating and relaxed positions, with the Simple Glide family right at the center of it.

To see what the 750W motor could actually do, we picked a hill that most riders would think twice about. Our rider estimated it at around an 11-degree grade, which is steep enough that plenty of people on regular bikes would be standing on the pedals or walking. It is the kind of climb that tells you quickly whether an e-trike's motor is up to the job or just marketing.

Before starting up, our rider set the pedal assist to level three. The Simple Glide uses a pedal assist system, which means the motor adds power in proportion to the level you choose while you pedal. Lower levels give you a gentle push and save battery; higher levels give you more help and more speed. Starting at three left headroom to go higher if the hill turned out to be too much.

There is also a throttle on the right grip. It is a twist throttle, so rolling it toward you sends power to the rear motor whether or not you are pedaling. That is useful for getting started from a dead stop on a hill, when pushing the first pedal stroke takes the most effort. If throttle control is a must-have for you, browse our electric trikes with throttle to compare options.

Finally, the gears. The Low Seat model uses a Shimano Tourney 7-speed drivetrain, which gives you a range of gearing for different grades and different speeds, depending on how much of your own leg power you want to contribute. On a climb, shifting to an easier gear lets you spin comfortably while the motor carries most of the load. On flat ground, a harder gear lets you add real effort and push your speed up.

From the moment the trike started up the hill, the reaction was pure enjoyment. Our rider said it felt like a low rider, like lying down and riding a bike up a hill. That is exactly what it looks like from the outside too: a rider stretched back in the seat, legs moving easily, while the trike climbs steadily up a grade that would leave most cyclists out of breath.

Halfway up, the display read 14 miles an hour. On an 11-degree grade, with the assist set to only level three, that is a strong number. Our rider made the point clearly: there was more than enough power to get up the hill, with two higher assist levels still unused. For anyone worried about whether a 750W trike can handle the hills in their neighborhood, this was a reassuring result.

The most telling moment came a little later, when our rider noted that they were not even pedaling hard, just moving their legs. That is how a well-matched pedal assist system should feel. The motor senses that you are pedaling and adds the power, so your legs are going through the motion while the trike does most of the work. You still get some movement and circulation, but you are not grinding or straining.

Stability on the climb was another highlight. Three wheels, a low center of gravity, and fat tires mean there is no wobble at low speed, which is where two-wheeled bikes struggle most on steep hills. You can climb slowly if you want to, without worrying about tipping or having to put a foot down. Our rider described the whole thing as very stable, with plenty of power, and that pretty much captures the climb.

It is also worth thinking about what that climb means in daily life. A hill like this one is often the reason people stop riding altogether. They enjoy the flat stretches but dread the one steep street between home and the park, or the overpass on the way to the store. When a trike can take that hill at a steady 14 mph without a struggle, the route that used to feel off-limits becomes just another part of the ride, and that tends to change how often people actually get out.

The Simple Glide Low Seat uses a 750W rear-mounted motor powered by a 48V 15Ah battery. A rear motor pushes the trike from behind, which helps with traction on climbs because the rider's weight sits over the drive wheels. On a recumbent, where your body is already positioned low and toward the back, this setup feels planted and predictable.

750 watts is a meaningful amount of power for a trike. Lower-powered models can handle gentle hills, but on steeper grades they often slow down to a crawl or require hard pedaling to keep moving. The hill test showed the difference: 14 mph uphill on a middle assist setting is the kind of performance that makes steep neighborhoods, overpasses, and hilly park paths realistic for everyday riding.

sixthreezero rates the battery for up to 50 miles per charge, though actual range depends on terrain, rider weight, assist level, and how much you use the throttle. A ride that includes long climbs on high assist will use more battery than a flat cruise on level one or two. As a rough rule, pedaling along with moderate assist and saving the throttle for starts and steep sections will stretch your range the furthest.

The battery charges with a 48V 2A charger. If you plan longer rides or want a backup for weekend trips, spare batteries and chargers are available, which is a simple way to double your range without changing anything else about how you ride.

What goes up has to come down, and a heavy trike rolling downhill at speed puts real demands on the brakes. Our rider said it plainly before starting the descent: they had a lot of confidence in the brakes because they are disc brakes, and very efficient ones at that. Once the trike was rolling, the brakes backed that up.

The Low Seat model uses a hydraulic braking system with three rotors, one at each wheel. Hydraulic brakes use fluid rather than cables to press the pads against the rotors, which gives you strong stopping power with very little hand effort. Our rider noted that they barely had to squeeze the levers to slow down or stop. For riders with reduced grip strength, arthritis, or tired hands at the end of a long ride, that light lever feel is a real safety benefit.

Three rotors also means braking force is spread across all three wheels rather than concentrated at one or two. That helps the trike slow down in a straight, controlled line without the rear end feeling loose. On a steep descent, you want to be able to scrub off speed smoothly and predictably, and that is what the setup delivers.

Of course, our rider also admitted they did not really want to slow down. The ride was too much fun. But it is the confidence in the brakes that makes it possible to enjoy the descent rather than worry about it. If strong stopping power is high on your checklist, our electric trikes with disc brakes collection is a good place to compare models.

On the way down, the speed climbed to 15 and then 18 miles an hour. On some trikes, that is where things start to feel nervous, with the handlebars twitching and the trike wanting to wander. On the Simple Glide Low Seat, our rider showed the opposite. Hands barely on the bars, no wobble, and the trike tracking straight down the road.

There are a few reasons it feels so settled. First, the center of gravity is low. When you are sitting close to the ground, the trike is much harder to upset, and side-to-side forces in corners have less leverage. Second, the 4-inch fat tires put a wide footprint on the road, which adds grip and soaks up small bumps that might otherwise get transmitted to the steering. Third, the long, extended frame gives the trike a longer wheelbase, and longer wheelbases tend to track more calmly at speed.

Our rider also took the trike through a corner at the bottom of the hill, and described the tracking as very stable. On an upright trike, cornering at speed can make you feel like you are being thrown toward the outside of the turn. Sitting low and supported by a backrest and armrests, you feel held in place, which makes corners feel controlled rather than tippy.

It is worth a practical note here: sixthreezero's recommended riding speed for this model is between 1 and 20 miles an hour. That range covers everything from walking pace to a brisk cruise. You do not need to ride at the top of it to enjoy the trike, but it is good to know the trike stays composed when a descent pushes you toward the upper end.

Spec sheets do not capture what was most obvious in this video: how much fun the ride is. Our rider said it more than once. It is a really cool bike. It is so much fun. They did not want to slow down. At one point they joked about the cars going by, imagining the drivers wishing they were out riding instead.

Part of that fun comes from the position. Being low to the ground makes speed feel more exciting than it is. Eighteen miles an hour feels quick when the pavement is close and the wind is in your face. It is the same reason go-karts feel fast at modest speeds. You get the thrill without needing to push the trike to its limits.

The other part is how relaxed it is. Our rider put it well near the end of the ride: because you are basically lying down, you get to just enjoy the ride. You are not hunched over, not clenching the handlebars, not thinking about balance. You can look around, take in the scenery, and let the trike do the work. That kind of relaxed enjoyment is what turns an occasional rider into someone who goes out every day.

The view changes too. From a low recumbent seat, you see more of the sky and the road ahead, and less of your own handlebars. Some riders say it feels a bit like sitting in a convertible with the top down. It is a different way to experience a familiar neighborhood, and it makes even a short loop around the block feel like an outing.

There is something to be said for a vehicle that makes you smile. Plenty of mobility products are practical but joyless. The Simple Glide Low Seat manages to be practical and a genuine pleasure to ride, and that matters if the goal is to get you outside more often.

Beyond the ride itself, the Low Seat model comes with features that make it work as everyday transportation. There is a rear basket behind the seat, with room for groceries, bags, or even a small dog. If you plan to run errands regularly, add-ons like bags and panniers can add more organized storage.

The trike is also equipped with a hitch mount. sixthreezero offers a hitch ball, a rear subframe, an additional seat, and a basket designed to fit the Simple Glide, so you can expand it into a cargo hauler or even add a passenger seat. That makes it more versatile than most recumbent trikes, which are usually built for one rider and not much else.

Up front, a bright color LCD display shows your speed, distance, battery level, and assist level at a glance. LED headlight and taillights help you see and be seen in low light. The handlebar grips are designed to reduce hand fatigue, which pairs well with the light braking effort to keep your hands comfortable on long rides.

A few numbers worth knowing: the trike weighs about 98 pounds and carries up to 400 pounds of total weight, which includes rider and cargo. That capacity is generous, and it is one reason this model shows up in our high weight capacity eTrike lineup. The weight also means you will want a garage, shed, or ground-level spot to store it, since carrying it up stairs is not realistic.

The obvious answer is tall riders. If you are between 6'0" and 6'8" and have struggled to find a trike that fits, this is one of the few models designed with your proportions in mind. The extended frame and sliding seat give long legs the room they need, and the low seat keeps the trike stable even with a taller rider's weight up top.

It also suits riders who want maximum comfort and support. The backrest, armrests, and reclined posture take pressure off the back, wrists, and shoulders. That makes it a strong option for seniors, people managing joint pain, and anyone who finds upright bikes uncomfortable after a few miles. Our electric trikes for seniors collection includes this model alongside others built for comfort and stability.

Riders who want to explore beyond smooth pavement will appreciate the fat tires. The 4-inch tires grip on gravel, dirt, grass, and even sand, so park paths and beach trails are on the table. If off-pavement riding is a priority, our fat tire electric trikes are designed with that in mind.

On the other hand, if you are shorter than about six feet, the Low Seat version is probably not the right fit. The standard Simple Glide models are sized for a wider range of riders, and other styles in our full electric trike collection may suit you better. Riders who want a more upright, traditional position, or who need to carry the trike up stairs, should also consider other options.

If you have never ridden a recumbent before, there is a short adjustment period. Steering feels a little different when you are sitting back, and judging the width of a trike takes a few rides. Start in a quiet parking lot or empty street, and give yourself time to get used to turning, braking, and reversing out of tight spots.

Begin on a low pedal assist level. Levels one and two give you a gentle push so you can learn how the motor responds before moving up. Our rider used level three on a steep hill and found it more than enough, so there is rarely a reason to start higher. Save the throttle for starting from a stop, especially on an incline, until you are comfortable with how quickly it delivers power.

Practice braking at low speed before you take on any big descents. The hydraulic brakes are strong and need only a light squeeze, so get a feel for how much pressure brings you to a smooth stop. On longer downhills, brake in steady, controlled pulls rather than holding the levers all the way down.

Use the gears even with a motor helping out. Shifting to an easier gear before a climb lets you spin comfortably and makes the motor's job easier, which helps your battery last longer. And as with any ride, wear a helmet. A properly fitted one from our helmet collection is a small investment that matters a lot.

Ordering a trike online raises a few practical questions, and sixthreezero has answers for most of them. The trike ships to your door with free shipping, and arrives mostly built. Final setup takes a little time, and step-by-step assembly instructions walk you through it. Our mechanics are also available to help if you get stuck.

If you are not sure whether a recumbent is for you, the 30-day test ride gives you time to ride it on your own streets, up your own hills, and in your own routine. That is a much better test than a quick spin in a parking lot. And if you would rather try one in person first, you can visit our store to test ride models before deciding.

For peace of mind after the purchase, review the warranty coverage, and if spreading out the cost would help, financing options are available. If you are still comparing styles and features, our buyer’s guide breaks down what to consider before you choose.

After a full climb and descent, our rider's verdict was simple: plenty of power going uphill, plenty of stability coming down, and brakes you can trust. Add a backrest that kept coming up in conversation and a seating position that turns every ride into a chance to relax, and you have a trike that is both capable and genuinely enjoyable.

What makes the Simple Glide Low Seat stand out is that it solves a real problem. Tall riders have been underserved by most trike designs, and this model gives them a fit that actually works, without giving up stability, power, or comfort. It climbed a steep hill at 14 mph on a middle assist level, cruised at 18 mph downhill without a wobble, and stopped with a light touch on the brakes.

If you are a tall rider looking for a comfortable, stable way to get around, or someone who simply wants to enjoy the feeling of riding laid back and low, this trike deserves a close look. For more ride tests, reviews, and guides, browse the rest of our Bike Advice articles and the Video Blog.