E-trike for relatively short trips with some cargo capacity for 70+ year old

[Dave P]

Thanks for your post. Since you’ve been riding electric trikes for awhile, do you notice any problems with them being “tippy” or unstable when riding normally?

The Liberty Trike is more tippy primarily because it is only 24 inches wide. When crossing angled driveways or rough terrain one has to be more careful with the Liberty Trike. The Addmotor trikes I own are wider and less likely to tip. I have ridden these trikes over 2000 miles over the last year on soft and hard sand, rocky roads, grass, black top etc and I haven't tipped or even came close to tipping using any of these trikes. You have to use common sense when riding any bike or trike which is especially true when you first start riding these trikes so as to get the hang of each of them. Overall trikes tend to be more stable which is why old folks such as myself tend to purchase them.

 

[Dave P]

Since I am the one poster who "wrongly described by one poster" the trike being a "chopper" design, I thought I would ask a question about the design of this trike:

Is the front wheel forward of the handlebars?

Here is the definition of a "chopper" from Merriam Webster:

": a customized motorcycle specifically : one that has the front wheel forward of the handlebars."

So ya, it is a chopper design trike. Not as radical as some, but nonetheless...

There ya go. No need to pick nits.

I was not nitpicking but simply clarifying. The M-360 is not a chopper under any circumstances. It appears that you may have overlooked the first Webster definition listed of "chopper" which was "customized". As stated in Wikipedia under "Bicycle Chopper", "....a bought 'chopper' is not a 'chopper' at all, because no chopping was done—only a commercial transaction." The point is that "chopper" referred to being "chopped" or customized after you purchase the factory trike/bike etc. You have simply misinterpreted the definition you used. Also, all three of my trikes have the wheel in front of the handlebars which has absolutely no relation to the definition you used as chopper. If we used your interpretation of Webster's definition all recumbent trikes would be "choppers" but they are not choppers...they are recumbent trikes. Addmotor does not use that term to describe the M-360 and when Court did his review of the Trivel E-fat Azteca which has virtually the same design as the M-360 he did not use the term "chopper" at all in his extensive report to describe the Trivel.

I would agree with you that the M-360 is not your normal trike design for a delta trike especially with the longer fork but both Addmotor and Trivel describe their trikes as "recumbent" trikes so why throw in a description which is misleading and not reflective of the companies' descriptions. Anyway, we can agree to disagree but I just don't think the term "chopper" should be used to describe these trikes.

 

[Gfmucci]

Different definitions of the same word most often stand alone and are typically not modified or dependent upon other definitions. My use of the term was in the sense of the final design of the trike as defined, not the process of creating it. "Design" or "style" are the key words intended.

I am convinced that most people looking at a trike or motorcycle with a steeply raked front end with the front wheel protruding in front of the handlebars would think of it as a chopper style bike or trike.

Someone on another forum raised an objection to the use of the term "delta" to describe any trike with 1 front wheel and 2 rear wheels. They wanted that word reserved only for recumbent deltas. I thought that was counterintuitive as well.

I have to admit, though, that I am not deeply steeped in the terms of art of bike officianados. Consequently I use terminology based on common sense and usage (as applied by those outside the industry and hobby) to describe what I observe and not the more politically correct terminology evoled by more devout adherents.

 

[Dave P]

Okay, however you want to define it for yourself using your own personal definitions. I'll use Court's defining experience and the company's description and intent. So let's just leave it there.

In any case, it is a new design promoted initially by Trivel and reviewed by Court for EBR in October 2018. As Addmotor states, "it is the newest design of Addmotor of the Motan series. The new electric recumbent trike..." It was Court's review of the Trivel E-fat Azteca which intrigued me to purchase the M-360 which was crowdfunded by Addmotor at a low price..." It is loaded with electronics which I have not seen before on trikes or bikes for that matter and most of these were not even listed by Addmotor as accessories. Usually, turn signals are an aftermarket purchase as well as low and high beam front light. Having both a bell and a loud horn is innovative. In addition, all of these are mounted on the handlebar and easily accessible. They run off the trikes 48volt 14ah battery except for the bell which is attached to the left handbrake and is used manually. Having all of these electronic items mounted and easily accessible on the handlebar frees up considerable room for any other attachments such as mirrors etc.

As Court noted when reviewing the Trivel Azteca there is spin out with this type of trike if you are not careful when starting out with the throttle and since Addmotor placed a 750W motor compared to the Trivel Azteca's 500W motor there is considerable power. The wide Kenda tires create a comfortable ride with minimal bumpiness.

I would not have considered the M-360 or the M-330 if not for the Kenda 4X20 inch tires allowing for riding through soft sand to reach the beach at low tide and riding along the beach for miles on end. I live near the beach and until I purchased Addmotor's trikes I was unable to ride on the beach since I couldn't plow through the soft sand to get to the hard sand for riding. I have met other electric trike owners who don't ride on the beach simply because their tires are too thin. So, for me the 4" wide tires are a must and so are 20" tires which lowers the height of the trike making it more manageable. I wrote off other electric trikes simply because of their tires...too high or too thin. They had to be 4X20" tires or I didn't consider them. From what I have read tires need to be at least 3.8 inch wide to be considered "fat" tires although manufacturers use the word "fat tire" loosely when defining the tires on their bikes/trikes.

Most people walk their bikes through the soft sand but usually individuals who ride trikes are older and limited in their balance or have other limitations so walking the trike through the soft sand is not an option. For me, if I can't ride the trike through the sand then I am out of luck. The beauty of riding down the beach on low tide is not only the beauty of the ocean, birds, etc but there are no cars to watch out for and few obstacles such as angled driveways or crossing intersections. Riding an electric trike on the beach provides a new found freedom. In addition, Addmotor provides strong baskets with their trikes so if I wanted to haul a tent or fishing gear etc it would be no problem to ride to a spot on the beach, stop and put out a chair and tent to block the sun and read etc.

 

[Dave P]

Since I am the one poster who "wrongly described by one poster" the trike being a "chopper" design, I thought I would ask a question about the design of this trike:

Is the front wheel forward of the handlebars?

Here is the definition of a "chopper" from Merriam Webster:

": a customized motorcycle specifically : one that has the front wheel forward of the handlebars."

So ya, it is a chopper design trike. Not as radical as some, but nonetheless...

There ya go. No need to pick nits.

I was not nitpicking but simply clarifying. The M-360 is not a chopper under any circumstances. It appears that you may have overlooked the first Webster definition listed of "chopper" which was "customized". As stated in Wikipedia under "Bicycle Chopper", "....a bought 'chopper' is not a 'chopper' at all, because no chopping was done—only a commercial transaction." The point is that "chopper" referred to being "chopped" or customized after you purchase the factory trike/bike etc. You have simply misinterpreted the definition you used.

I would agree with you that the M-360 is not your normal trike design for a delta trike especially with the longer fork but both Addmotor and Trivel describe their trikes as "recumbent" trikes so why throw in a description which is misleading and not reflective of the companies' descriptions. Anyway, we can agree to disagree but I just don't think the term "chopper should be used to describe these trikes. On the other hand you started out this post so call them whatever you want. I think I gave you a good description so you can determine which trike you want if any.

I do wish that the Addmotor trikes had a brake on the hand brakes but I haven't found it to be a significant issue. I think in your case at 5'7" you might not be able to adequately pedal the M-360 so I would recommend the M-330 although it is an upright it would be more suitable for your height. It comes with two baskets (front and back) as well. I have looked extensively at the bikes you mentioned in your opening post and found Addmotor to be the most desirable for my purposes. As I have noted previously I have put 1500 miles on the M-330.

As I noted, I looked at the other trikes you mentioned. The GoPlus is no longer available on Amazon nor anywhere else at this time and it has some nice features to include the fenders front and back and the 8 reviews are mostly positive. I preferred the M-330 mainly because I liked the low step and as I have noted the price at the time on the Addmotor M-330 was difficult to pass up. I would have preferred the electric trike bike (mainly because of their service) except it had a 24" front tire and I didn't like the step through. I have a lIberty trike and they are top notch in customer service and made in the US. However, Addmotor has been responsive to all of my questions but it is mainly through email. I rejected the Epontech for the same reason of the 24" front tire. I like the 20" tires front and back which keep me lower to the ground.