To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Electric Bike Technologies. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Electric Bike Technologies products.
After covering so many bikes at Electric Bike Review, over time, they can start to blend tougher somewhat…So it is always fun and refreshing for us to see our 3 wheeled friends, the trike. Today we are checking out the Electric Eco Delta trike from Electric Bike Technologies. The Eco Delta is named so for its economical price and 2 wheels in the back, 1 wheel in front delta trike design. I say economical, because the MSRP for this electric trike is $2,108 as tested but can get as low as $1,898 which is not bad for a recumbent electric trike. Now of course, there are some cost saving measures to get it at that price, but that is not at the expense of comfort or adjustability. Seating is done in a recumbent style position and that is thanks to this full chair style seat (rather than a bicycle seat) and long curved sweeping handlebars to come meet you in the seating position. Because the handle bar is so long and curved to meet you, you don’t so much turn them as you ’sway’ them from side to side to turn the trike. Normal turning works out just fine, but if you attempt to make a sharp turn, you would likely have to let go with one hand as it would rotate the handlebars so far with one in the air and one near your lap. I tried to show this in the review video, but truth be told, it is not a big deal. Most people don’t make tight turns on a trike since trikes can tip over at high speeds while turning. In the front, there is a small rigid fork and they house the 20” x 1.5” Kenda Kwest tire. In the rear there are 2 more of the same 20” Kenda Kwest tires brought together by a solid axle. I love that the rear part of the frame has a lot of added strength, this you can see from that axle as well as additional strength tubing throughout. There are even seat brace mounts in the back of the frame. While the trike may only come in 1 size, it does come with a lot of adjustability as mentioned before. The frame itself is telescoping on the main tube, so you can adjust your pedal extension range. Additionally, those long handlebars are adjustable and so is the seat. It has a quick release and can be slid forward and backward just like a seat would in a car. I love that I was able to dial this all in for my ride and it made the experience feel tailored to me. Most people will be using the throttle, but I do enjoy the recumbent pedaling here. The chain is extra long since the system is in the rear of the trike, but they do protect your clothing and legs by putting tubing around the chain on both the top and the bottom. You also get a chain ring guard too, which I appreciate. The pedals here are plastic, which is a shame as I do enjoy metal pedals, but this was probably done to keep cost down. That cost savings keeps the trike simple, which is not necessarily a bad thing as it can make maintenance and service easy.
Driving the trike is a front hub-drive motor rated at 500 watts. This is a versatile motor as the guys at Electric Bike Technologies tell me it can work with and be upgraded to either 36v or 48v battery setup. It uses cadence based pedal assist via this 8 magnet sensor at the pedal crank that counts rotations of the pedals. I love that there is a throttle here, and that is what I used for the majority of my ride. It also makes use of an air cooled controller which keeps battery replacement costs down and maintenance easy. Mechanically, the trike is driven by a SunRace 7 speed system. It has a 13-32 tooth freewheel in the back with a 38 tooth chain ring in the front. Shifting is done through grip shift on the right. I did notice the derailleur is plastic… this is new to me, and I do worry about the longevity of that, so I guess time will tell. Stopping the Eco Delta is a Promax cantilever brake in the front, somewhat simple, but that is normal for the front of the trike. The rear however has a single Promax 300 160mm rotor mechanical disc brake. At first I was a little worried by having just a single rotor to stop both wheels in the back, but it seemed to work just fine, thanks to the motor inhibitor built into the brakes cutting power to the motor when you squeeze the brake lever. The brake levers are long and easy to reach, they even have a parking brake on the right side. This is a nice touch, trikes don’t need kickstands so I like that they still put something on there to keep it grounded and centered.
Powering the trike is a 36v 10ah lithium ion battery pack. I love that this one has a metal enclosure to keep it protected. I am told that they do offer a 9ah version if you want to save money, but it comes in a bag rather than the metal case here. They also tell me they have a 20ah version you can upgrade to that is just amazing if you want to kick up the range of the trike. As mentioned earlier, the trike has the ability to be upgraded to a more powerful 48v system. In my opinion, tries are more for a slow, easy going ride, so I found the 36v here was just perfect. Anyway, the battery here has a handle and mounts securely on a sturdy metal plate. The battery is pretty lightweight so having it mounted in the rear makes turning easy. It is secured by lock and key and the key is also what turns the trike on in an ignition style. To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells. Try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry.
Operating the trike is simple. Once the battery is mounted, start by turning the key in the on position. From there, the display will come to life and give you the read outs. The battery is shown across the top in 16 ticks. These ticks are in an infographic that somewhat resembles a ruler. Shown below that is you speed in MPH and the various levels of pedal assist you might be in, 0-5. To change the pedal assist, simply hit up or down on the arrow controls mounted on the left handle bar. Keep in mind, the pedal assist level controls the throttle too. This is great so if you are in a parking lot, or need to take it slow, you can have it… let’s say at level 2, and the throttle will go nice and easy without fast acceleration and keeps the top speed limited. Similarly, if you want to go full out, you can put it in level 5 and the throttle will act accordingly. Anyways, there is an odometer readout below that and pressing the mode button will change that to display max speed, average speed, and trip set. Hold the up and down arrows together for a moment and that will unlock the deep drive menu. Here you can mess with top speed as well as other electrical power configurations to really get the setup how you want it.
Overall I found the Electric Eco Delta a lot of fun. I enjoyed the slow and easy going ride but also had fun at higher speeds as shown in the video. The trike may not be for everyone however, so let’s go over the tradeoffs here to see if it is a good fit for you. I noticed there was a lot of plastic on the trike to keep cost down, but I was more worried about the derailleur than anything. I have never seen a plastic derailleur before, and this many be a non-issue, but I do wonder about the longevity of such a part. Also, as with any trike, high speeds can be dangerous, so I would not recommend a 48v version. Similarly, I would not recommend taking any sharp turns at higher speeds simply because it can possibly tip the trike. Even with those tradeoffs considered, there is a lot of adjustability and it is hard to argue with a great price point. At $2,108, this recumbent trike will likely appeal to many of the right people. A big thanks to Electric Bike Technologies for letting me try out the Delta!
As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own a previous version of the bike, have taken a test ride, or are brand new to the space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also join the Electric Bike Technologies Ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
Pros:
- A value priced recumbent style electric delta trike with a lot of adjustability, possible configurations, and thoughtful considerations
- Economical because the MSRP for this electric trike is $2,108 as tested but can get as low as $1,898 which is not bad for a recumbent electric trike, now there are some cost saving measures to get it at that price, but that is not at the expense of comfort or adjustability
- Seating is in a comfortable recumbent style position and that is thanks to this full chair style seat (rather than a bicycle seat) and long curved sweeping handlebars to come meet you
- I love that the rear part of the frame has a lot of added strength, this you can see from the solid axle as well as additional strength tubing throughout, there are even seat brace mounts in the back of the frame
- The frame itself is telescoping on the main tube, so you can adjust your pedal extension range, also, those long handlebars are adjustable and so is the seat since it has a quick release and can be slid forward and backward just like a seat would in a car
- I love that the extra long chain has tubing around the chain on both the top and the bottom to protect your legs and clothes, you also get a chain ring guard too, which I appreciate
- The front hub-drive motor rated at 500 watts, this is a versatile motor as the guys at Electric Bike Technologies tell me it can work with and be upgraded to either 36v or 48v battery setup
- Stopping the Eco Delta is done through a front cantilever brake, rear mechanical disc brake, and motor inhibitors, it even has a parking brake for loading or mounting!
- Electric Bike Technologies offers a number of configurations electrically, the battery can be upgraded or downgraded to get more range or save more money
- The display has a deep dive menu for configuring settings even more like max speed or pedal cadence output, really a lot of choices
- I love that the battery is metal yet light weight, this keeps it protected and also keeps weight low for turning the trike
- It’s nice that the throttle is controlled by pedal assist level, meaning you could dial down the throttle for riding around a parking lot or places with children or animals around and you won’t pose a danger to them
Cons:
- The derailleur is made of plastic, this is new to me so I cannot attest to the longevity of such a product, hopefully, it does not make much of a difference
- A lot of plastic throughout the trike like the chain tube or the pedals, I know this is to keep cost down, but I do appreciate aluminum alloy pedals as opposed to plastic pedals
- Other cost saving measures include the brake system as it has only 1 disc brake in the rear for the axle of 2 wheels, however, on my test ride it seemed to work fine, likely due to the combined motor inhibitors
- As with any trike, high speeds can be dangerous, so I would not recommend a 48v version, the 36v version seemed to do just fine
- I would also not recommend taking any sharp turns at higher speeds simply because it can possibly tip the trike
Resources:
Eric Koster
5 years agoI see on your specs on the review that the motor only has 21 nm of torque but on the electric trike website they have the spec as 84 nm. Do you know which is the actual correct spec? I would need to climb some hills with the trike and would need to know if it would be capable of doing that. Thanks.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoHi Eric, thanks for the heads up! I followed up with Mikey, who conducted this review, and it sounds like there was a mistake and the torque is 84nm not 21nm. Thanks for noticing this and calling it out. Sorry for the slow reply, wanted to make sure before chiming in ;)
ReplyKen
5 years agoI think these would be in high demand for a traveling circus.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoOh man, I’m working on another review right now for a super tiny folding ebike that reminds me of those circus bikes :D
ReplyJulius Hjulian
5 years agoI am 83 years old & weigh 250 lbs. I take my dog on a 2 mile ride every day & am very tired when done. Will the Electric Bike Technologies Electric Eco-Delta Trike start up with out my peddling to start? I presently own a similar non electric trike.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoHi Julius! Yes, I believe it will. Not only does this trike have pedal assist (which does require some pedal motion to activate the motor), it also has a trigger throttle. This allows you to activate the bike motor without pedaling at all… you just have to have it switched on and the battery charged enough to move you and your dog :) sounds like great fun, I hope whatever bike you choose works out well and I invite you to share your experiences back here with a comment or in the Electric Bike Technologies ebike forum.
ReplyJon
4 years agoCourt,
I think it’s high time to update at least one part of your specifications layout.
The “GEOMETRY MEASUREMENTS” are just awful to read.
The layout could look something like:
Overall Length:_________ Stand/Step Over Height:___________
ReplyWidth:__________________ Wheelbase:__________________
Overall Height:_________ Bottom Bracket Height:______
Seat Height:____________ Track Width (Trikes):_________
Court
4 years agoHey Jon! That’s a great idea, I just created a mockup and shared with my programmer friend. We are overhauling the entire site and forums right now, so I’ll try to organize the geometry stats AND include a bike with some lines and labels to show what each measurement means. Thanks for raising this great point!
ReplyJon
4 years agoThanks Court! Your site is a valuable centralized source of ebike info, so making that info more easily understood is always a good thing. Cheers!
Rosemary
1 year agoI have a 3 wheel recumbent bike now that I love for outdoor exercise. I am 77 and like to look around and enjoy the view while I ride on Trails. It’s called Sun EZ-Tri classic. I ride usually 5- 10 miles and pedal all the way. I believe I could go farther with a pedal assist feature and especially get a nice boost going up hills with your Eco Delta Trike. Can I pedal totally independent of the pedal assist feature to get my exercise and just kick in the pedal assist easily to climb hills?
ReplyCourt
1 year agoHi Rosemary! Yes, you can pedal the Eco-Delta electric trike without assist or throttle. It works just like a regular bicycle, only heavier because of the battery and motor. Actually, this is how all ebikes work, they add assist or throttle power as needed but you can always use them with the system turned off if you wish. I hope this helps, and you find the perfect recumbent or get a kit to electrify the one that you have! Usually, you’d get a kit to replace the front wheel with one that has a hub motor spoked in and then mount the battery pack somewhere on the frame. This would allow you to keep your bike going. Here are a few kits I’ve reviewed that might work for you, just find the correct wheel size.
Reply