Worksman Adult Port-o-Trike Lightning Electric Tricycle

Lets start this review properly as a running narrative.===12/11/13: I just ordered it today. I have looked into these powered trikes for some six months here an elsewhere. This had the best overall specs and reviews. Today I noticed a price break from $1300 to $1000. I had compared this to the unpowered version plus the electric conversion kit and found it over priced. $1000 is commensurate with the unpowered plus conversion price so it was a no brainer. And it was price competitive with others at $1300.Why did I buy it? Years ago I realized I went out so little that the cost of cab fare was less than the cost of just the car insurance. But the down side was a serious lack of freedom or at least the feeling of freedom without a car. I figure the savings on cab fare just for grocery and drug store runs should pay for it in less than 18 months. So even if I don't use it for anything else but get just the feeling of freedom I won't be out any money.===12/14/13, Saturday: It arrived Friday the 13th on two day Prime. You would not think there is so much to assembly. It isn't hard just more than expected. Apparently there is no standard electric system so read the rather scanty brochure on it.Tools needed are Phillips screwdriver, 5 and 3 mm hex wrenches and at least a 12" crescent wrench to attach the seat and the top retaining nut on the steering fork.Missing information: tire inflation pressureThis version comes with a battery charge meter for handlebar mounting, a power shutoff hand brake, and a thumb and forefinger rotating ring for speed control quite like a motorcycle not a thumb control.These three mount on the handlebars either left or right side. IGNORE the pictures and think about how to mount them to your liking BEFORE putting on the rubber grips which, after getting them on, are unlikely to come off without a fight. For the battery meter, if you intend to add a front basket do not put it where the picture shows.Overall materials and construction are excellent. At the lowest part of the frame where the crank fits and is the highest stress region there is a cross brace just above it reinforcing the "U" shape. It can be seen in the picture. It is exactly what all step-thru designs need.Bad News: It doesn't work. The volt meter indicates the controller isn't working for power to the wheel. I will be emailing Worksman this evening.===12/16/13, Monday: Reply email from Worksman. The reply " For the best resolution suggestions, contact eBike directly. They can help you troubleshoot the issue much more specifically than we can being that you tested the battery already. [...]" A very inauspicious beginning. I bought from Worksman not e-bikekit. Anyway I found their website contact page and reported the problem.===12/17/13: No reply from e-bikekit. Additional search under maintenance on their website found support@ as an email adder. Reply from Worksman sent there.===12/20/13, Friday: A back and forth and problem sort of solved. Solved in that it is working. Sort of because the problem was the motor connectors. Aligning it first and then pushing them together did not work. Putting the together and then rotating them until aligned and pushing together does work. I just report it. I do not explain it.But considering it is Christmas season the company response time was excellent and the help worked. Tomorrow I ride it up and down the block to get used to it and see if it keeps running.Also thinking about the lack of parking brake. Seems to me a loop of something that would hold the parking brake closed would do the job. Then simply slide it off towards the center to release the brake. A left over zip tie should do.===12/21/13, Saturday: After not being on a bike for forty years I didn't do half bad. Yes, you do forget how to ride a bike. I rode around about an hour and still did not back pedal to brake without thinking about it first. As the brochure said it pulls to the left and that took a while to get used to.And I assume if I stick with it a while I will get used to the seat but I chickened out and ordered a cushioned seat immediately. The seat is padded much better than any bike I have ever rode before as is. Obviously it is me.But the good news, this motor pulls 160 lbs of me plus the bike with a very healthy acceleration. I learned to start off slow else the wheel spins. And at worst a very modest pedal push to prevent spinning and it is off and running. And it will go much faster than I am ready for at this learning level. Fast enough that the helmet I bought will be used. At this point I have no concerns about its performance. It will take a few more hours learning before testing it for endurance.===1/4/14, Saturday: Here in Tampa, Florida, immune from the snow and ice of the rest of the country, I have been able to ride it almost every day. When riding on side streets where there are so few cars it is safe to ride in the street it is an effortless ride. I am confident I traveling over 10 mph but have yet to find a way to measure it.Where I ride on sidewalks it is a bit different. Unlike a 2-wheeler this tilts with all the driveway cuts in the sidewalk. Even without thinking of it I lean away from the tilt of the cut keeping my body vertical. Given certain medical issues a year ago a couple miles of this is actually a welcome amount of exercise. For comparison so is a grocery store trip using the shopping cart as a walker. It is welcome enough that I am eager to do it again the next day and never enough to want to stop riding because I am tired. So if you can do your own grocery shopping there should be no problem with riding.When it comes to pedaling the wheel size and gearing makes it feels like riding a child's bike. On the good side, should I start using them for exercise I can get a lot of it in a short distance.And that feeling of freedom I was hoping for? It is here in spades. I have seen more of the neighborhood in these couple weeks than I saw in the previous eighteen years. I have visited shops like dollar stores just to look around which I would never have done using a cab. That hole-in-the-wall Chinese carry out still makes the best BBQ ribs I have ever tasted. Don't tell my doctor but I have even had clog your arteries fast food.So far only two essential additions. The obvious is a Kryptonite bike lock which sells three years of theft insurance for $20. Check to see if your insurance would cover its theft. Probably not. The other is a net made of bungee cord to hold in whatever is in the basket. Both are available on Amazon. Still needed, a security solution for the nearly $400 battery pack better than carrying it inside the shop with me.===1/20/14: The solution for battery security is a 36" safety chain for towing and a padlock both of which available here at Amazon.

Bought this for my elderly Dad, he loves it. The quality is nice; it's made from good steel components, not a lightweight racing bike and not the crappy imported stuff we see too much of. Very stout and sturdy. The motor provides a LOT of power, and my Dad was pleased to find that ordinary pedaling is very easy as well.Assembly was simple and easy with basic tools and common sense.Only negative would be the documentation; a few poorly photocopied sheets, and one manual for the motor was missing entirely so I had to get the .pdf from the manufacturer's website.

I got this bike for my wife after she had a stroke and lost the ability to balance on a 2 wheel bike. She also has limited control of her right leg, although she does have some but she often can't provide enough force to get up the hills in our neighborhood. This bike allows her to pedal as much as she can and supplement it with electric power, which is great. It allows her to once again enjoy riding with the family.I was rather disappointed with the lifespan of the battery. I bought it only about 8 months ago and the battery is unable to hold a charge now. She didn't use it a "lot" and maybe charged it only a 5-6 times in that period so I'm a little irritated that it's dead already. I plan to call the manufacturer to see if they'll replace the battery but I also found I can buy the individual cells for about $80 and solder the connections myself. I found a few replacement "packages" but they are ridiculous prices. A friend of mine mentioned that it's probably because the same packs are used for scooters that are often covered by insurance. Anyway, I'd give it 5 starts except for the battery problem.

I have been riding the bike daily for over a month now. I use it to go to the park every day for my walk. I am in my 80's and can no longer ride a regular bicycle.Let me start with a few negatives.1. It has many parts and needs to be assembled. I had someone else do it and it took 3-4 hours2. Be careful when you first ride it. If you ride a bicycle, this is counter intuitive. I shot out into the road into traffic and luckily missed passing cars. After an hours of practice in a parking lot it was fine. Practice.3. The E bike kit is an addition so the battery sits in the basket which means you have less room there if you plan to use the bike for shopping and so forth. It would be OK for smaller purchases. There are trikes on the internet with the battery built into the frame but they cost about $200 more.It says it will get 15 miles per hour. I have timed it against one of those roadside speed signs and get about 13. I don't know what the final range would be,All that said I like the trike a lot. The city in Florida where I live is flat and has lots of wide sidewalks which I have no problem using. I enjoy riding it and it seems to be stable and well constructed. I recommend it fully with the few caveats mentioned above.

Because of extensive foot surgery, I can't use a regular bike any longer. I'm very happy with this trike. It peddles much easier than a regular bike. We live in the mountains so even the parks have elevation variations. If the hill is too steep, I just use the motor. We camp and travel a lot, and I'm about to take it on our first trip. I can bike around the campground with my husband, etc. I added a small basket to the front and put the battery pack in it. I put a pillow in the back basket, so our small dogs can ride with me. The low cross-through and smaller tires makes it easy to get on and off. When a friend saw my trike, she ordered one also. She really likes hers too.

I love my electric trike. I love riding it around the campgrounds with the grandchildren. It allows me to remain active. The front brake is a little less than I would have expected. It would be nice if the battery and controller box were located somewhere else, freeing the rear basket up to use for other things. The size is very comfortable and compact. I would recommend this trike.