In issue 13 of the Cycling Electric print mag our family reviewed an electric trike and commented that the appeal of trikes in general is much broader than you might assume. With that in mind, a further review of a vanRaam Easy Rider trike held high appeal for all of us.
Having now tried vanRaam’s Easy Rider Compact electric trike I’d double down on our prior comments. Whilst the Easy Rider Compact looks like a much more specialist machine, at the end of the day it’s still an electric trike – it’s just that, in my opinion, it’s one of extremely high and user-friendly design standards.
Despite the tech-heavy appearance, vanRaam’s pitch for the Easy Rider Compact is a simple one – to produce a ‘compact tricycle on which you can cycle very easily and is suitable for small adults and large children.’
By the way, if you’re here out of curiosity about the electric trike and disability electric bike sector in general, then we have a buyer’s guide for that.
Pros
Gentle but capable motor assist adds confidence
Super comfortable
Many practical options, including indicator lights and armrests, to name just two
Very tight turning circle
Reverse gear
Rear wheel inner tubes can be changed without removing the wheels
Low-speed throttle option
Cons
Very heavy
More carrying capacity would be nice
vanRaam website doesn’t make the specification options available at a glance
Features
Semi-recumbent riding position for an easy learning curve
vanRaam’s own design of motor system, the Silent
Underseat suspension
Choice of single speed or eight hub gears
Puncture-proof tyres option
Indicator lights option
Huge range of other customisation options
Specifications
Motor: vanRaam Silent gearless, hub drive design
Battery: 522Wh with larger 846Wh option
Range: Estimated 20 miles in moderately hilly conditions
Weight: 51.2kg
Brakes: Front cable disc brake, rear hydraulic disc brakes (x2)
Saddle: Full mesh seat with optional arm rests
Tyres: Schwalbe with SmartGuard puncture-proof option
Suspension: Underseat suspension option
Frame material: Aluminium
Gearing: Single speed or Shimano Nexus eight-speed hub gears
VanRaam’s recent history means they are true specialists when it comes to making e-bikes for those with mobility issues. For more than 35 years they have developed outstanding knowledge of how the to make the best bikes and e-bikes possible for those with mobility problems, with designs that suit a huge range of riders from the severely disabled to those who simply don’t feel happy riding a standard two wheeled design, for whatever reason. Their success has been mirrored by regular moves by the Dutch-based firm to ever larger production facilities to keep pace with demand.
As you might guess, all this means premium specifications and the prices that go with it but you end up with a truly unique bike that should last a lifetime and is designed to put your ease of mobility front and centre. A case on point was the fact one of the test riders – my sister Beth – had tried a trike before and found the Easy Rider Compact the easiest to use and most comfortable e-bike she’s tried yet. Beth has had a replacement knee and so is not confident of having enough movement in the knee to confidently control a two wheeler. She’s probably typical of many, many thousands of people across the country who are far from being classed as disabled but don’t have full mobility and – just as importantly – full confidence that they can regain former riding abilities.
I was also keen to hop on the Easy Rider Compact myself, as a test rider interested in the purely technical aspects of the bike; having seen many hundreds of e-bikes as I’d never had a chance to have an extended ride on something with this much tech on it that is totally different to the vast majority of e-bikes I test.
Perhaps the most striking thing about the frame of the Easy Rider Compact is its laid back semi recumbent style and the extended chopper style handlebars. The idea is the produce a trike that is easy to get on and ride with ultra-smooth, predictable handling so that so those not used to cycling in any form are able to get on it and ride as easily as possible. It’s a delta design – two wheels at the back and one at the front – again aimed at making a bike that is easy to ride as it will turn on a sixpence.
Whilst Compact appears in the name it’s still a pretty big and hefty trike – not on paper as the 1.733m l x 1.097m h x 0.728m w isn’t that much bigger than a regular bike with panniers – but with a large mesh seat a metre wide rear axle it just takes up a fair bit of room (though note my comments at the end of this article about how relatively easy it was to store it). It’s actually aimed at smaller riders – children and adults with an inner leg length of 63 cm to 81 cm which corresponds to a body height of about 1.40m to 1.70m.
Over and above that interesting frame design, it’s worth noting the attention to detail as it has a number of features you won’t find on more standard designs of trike. Most notable are the anti-tipping wheels at the back; if you find yourself rolling backwards on a hill and apply the back brakes you may be glad of these – OK, not a likely scenario but it shows that vanRaam seem to have thought of just about everything.
There are also two quick-release skewers on the chair-style seat to slide it forwards or backwards to quickly adjust the pedal reach for different sizes of rider and an enclosed chain run, all features you won’t find on that many trikes. Another nice touch is the option of both a carrying basket and a pannier rack for a single pannier on the rear of the seat. I’d like to see more carrying capacity on many trikes I encounter and it has to be said that the Easy Rider Compact has quite a bit less than some other designs, though still enough for a medium-sized shop.
vanRaam say the Silent motor system is of their own design and it’s a hub style motor, though in the Easy Rider Compact’s case it sits under the rear seat and is not spoked into a wheel. The optional eight hub gears sit alongside it and the whole affair uses a series of chains to drive the rear wheels via a differential for smooth and easy cornering. The fact it is a gearless motor means it’s an easy matter to make it run in reverse making the Easy Rider Compact super manoeuvrable.
The battery also sits low down behind the seat and is easily removable at the push of a button for charging off the bike. So he whole power system sits nice and low down and towards the middle and rear of the trike for superb stability and more of that lovely predictable handling.
The handlebar layout on my test bike featured a plethora of controls, many of them optional and if you get ‘the works’ specification like I did then it may take while to learn to navigate around them. There is a very clear colour display, gear grip shift, power level buttons, slow start throttle and light and indicator buttons and a walk assist button (not really needed if you get the more user friendly slow start throttle).
All the above means a heavy trike – even compared to many other three wheelers – but one of supreme quality and one designed ergonomically around the rider that few other designs can rival. I’ve commented in the section below on whether this weight may or may not be a barrier to use and concluded that in many cases it may not.
I rode the Easy Rider Compact along with my older sister Beth; whilst I’m happy on two wheels Beth isn’t, as a replacement knee has meant balance and reaction time when putting feet down on a two wheeler are just too challenging. She’s also commented in the past that some e-bike motor systems seem aggressive or just not that easy to control for her.
The first thing to note is that the laid back geometry of the Easy Rider Compact makes it a much easier machine to get on and ride straight away as you are lower down and the handling characteristics of the design mean you won’t find yourself pointlessly and rather comically leaning around corners as you might on more conventional upright designs. It’s feels slightly strange at first on cambers but if you just keep your torso upright all will be well.
Beth really loved the luxurious ride after hopping on the Easy Rider Compact and riding straight off with only a cursory tour of the controls and before long she was taking moderate hills in her stride and spinning around within the width of a traffic-free railpath.
The comfort and support of the chair style mesh seat (including tiltable armrests) was hugely popular with us both as it gave almost car like comfort. I also rode on some longer, faster road rides and once I had adjusted the spring support under the seat found it helped even out smaller potholes though it wasn’t as effective as a full air system.
The silent motor system was simply superb – Beth loved the soft start throttle as you hear it engage with a soft chunk a second or two before the power starts to ramp up very slowly and even in the top power level which took us up moderate hills with ease the rider always felt its gentle but often strong support. It’s the total opposite of a high end Bosch motor tuned to the max which can feel like the bike is shooting forwards from a standing start before your body has chance to follow it. And as the name suggests, it is totally silent.
Beth’s knee operation has meant reduced leg power and the throttle allowed her to get going up to the max throttle assist speed of around 4mph before her pedalling, in combination with the motor assist, could take over – this was doubly the case on hill starts. She was also reassured by the fact the long levered parking brake control was within easy reach and very easy to use and allowed her to stop and take a breather whenever she wanted.
Talking of hills, I managed to complete my hilly commuting run of eight miles featuring some pretty steep hills and several hundred feet of climbing though I am a fairly active nearly-sixty year old and needed to put in some reasonable pedal effort on some of the climbs; I would guess if a more typical trike user took on this kind of terrain they would be better suited my the HT (high torque) motor option though note this adds a few kg of weight.
As expected, the delta design plus the reverse gear mean the bike actually has a smaller turning circle than many two-wheelers, which is handy not just for weaving through traffic jams (where the narrow 73cm width is also very useful) but also for turning back on yourself on traffic-free paths. In typical UK cycling conditions, very restrictive access controls and big kerbs are likely to be the two main obstacles. Brownie points to Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) as the access controls on the Ossett to Dewsbury greenway we went exploring on presented no obstacle to the Easy Rider Compact where its tight turning radius paid dividends.
I did some riding in pretty heavy traffic too and found the trike very controllable, with the brakes powerful and progressive and that predictable motor control again very useful for weaving through queues of cars. Overtaking vehicles tended to give me a wide berth, probably due to the bike’s wheelchair appearance from the rear and although I continued to use hand signals I think the indicators were also a useful safety addition as they were much more visible than most other designs I have tried. And at speed around corners the trike felt safe and never felt tippy despite its fairly narrow track, though I didn’t push it too hard to find out at what speed you would get wheel lift.
Is that 50kg plus weight a problem? It all depends on how you would use it and where you live. If you have somewhere to keep it (the Easy Rider Compact will fit through many doorways, especially if you can open the door right back on itself) getting it in and out of storage may not be as tricky as you imagine, especially if you opt for a throttle. vanRaam say it will fit in lifts too though they would have to be fairly capacious. I stored the trike in a fairly small security shed with several other bikes and found it wasn’t too awkward to get it in and out using the throttle and reverse gear when needed.
Transporting the bike elsewhere, on holiday for example, could be trickier; you are likely to need something more van-sized than average car-sized, or you may opt to put it on a trailer. Even then, you might need boards or planks to wheel it up and in / on.
Who would use the Easy Rider Compact and where? Really it’s for anyone not happy on two wheels with the caveat it suits smaller riders. I found it equally at home in easy off-road conditions as well as on roads. In particular if there are riders who struggle with the learning curve of riding a more upright trike or ones who have reduced leg power and / or suffer from limb or back discomfort then this bike stands out as an attractive choice. It also comes with the longevity that such outstanding quality brings and is backed up by a UK dealer network.
With accessibility for all ‘wheelers’ now a hot topic in the cycling and micromobility world expect more and more trails to be opened up to trikes and similar non-standard machines through removal or alteration of the dreaded access controls – though with its tight turning ability and narrow track the Easy Rider Compact may well get you to more places more easily than you imagined.
How about the competition?
The vanRaam Easy Rider Compact really is in a class of its own when it comes to an easy to ride high quality trike but you might also like to take a look at our feature on bikes and trikes for the less mobile or check out the following:
Jorvik Elite JET E-16 – £1,959
Chris Keller-Jackson
Read our Jorvik JET E-16 review.
Cube Trike Hybrid – £3,999
Geoff Waugh
Read our Cube Trike Hybrid review.
Powabyke Revom T2 – £2,899
