Ridewave Platypus Review: The Semi-Recumbent Electric Trike for Balance, Comfort and Independence

Most electric trikes still ask you to sit on a saddle. The Ridewave Platypus asks you to sit in a seat. That one difference changes who can ride it.

This is the trike we reach for first when someone tells us balance is the problem, or that a normal bike seat is a deal-breaker for their back, hips or core strength. Here's what it's actually like to live with.

Getting on and off

The step-through is 35.5cm off the ground. In practice that means you walk up to it, step across with a small lift of the foot, and sit down. There's no swinging a leg over anything. The seat sits at 72cm, which is low enough that most riders can plant both feet flat on the ground while seated.

The seat itself is the headline. It's wide and padded, it has armrests on both sides, the backrest angle adjusts, and the whole seat slides forward and back on a rail like a car seat. You set it once for the rider's leg length and it stays put. For anyone who tires quickly, has limited trunk control, or just can't sit on a narrow saddle for more than ten minutes, that backrest and those armrests are the difference between a short ride and a proper outing.

Riding it

Three wheels means nothing to balance, at any speed, including stopped at the lights. You steer it rather than lean it, and most people have the feel of that sorted within one quiet session on a path.

The semi-recumbent position puts your weight through your hips and back rather than your hands and wrists, so there's less load on shoulders and less tendency to lean forward. A 65Nm rear motor with pedal assist does the hard work on hills, and a half-twist throttle gets you rolling from a standstill without having to push off. Start assist moves the trike at walking pace up to 6km/h, so pulling away on a slope isn't a strength test.

It also has powered reverse. That sounds like a gimmick until you've tried to back a trike out of a tight carport by hand. Press and it rolls backward under its own power.

Hydraulic disc brakes on all three wheels with a parking brake mean it stops confidently and stays stopped while you load the basket. A rear differential keeps the inside wheel from skipping on corners, so turns feel smooth rather than twitchy. Indicators, brake light, horn and front light are all built in and run off the main battery.

Storage and transport

The frame folds at the centre, and the stem and bars fold too, so it packs down to roughly 123 x 77 x 81cm. It'll go in a medium or large SUV with the seats down, and it's far easier to store in a garage than a rigid full-size trike. At 45kg with the battery in, it's a two-person lift into a car; the battery is removable and lockable, so you can take that out first.

Who it suits

• Riders who need back support and armrests to ride comfortably
• Anyone with balance issues, vertigo, or reduced core strength
• People who struggle to lift a leg over a normal step-through
• Riders between roughly 150 and 193cm tall, up to 150kg
• Sealed roads, bike paths and everyday urban surfaces

It is not a mountain trike, and the lower seating position means it's not the pick if the rider needs to be high up to see over traffic. For rougher ground, look at the Wallaby Plus.

For OTs, physios, support coordinators and support workers

If you're assessing a participant for an electric trike as assistive technology, the Platypus is usually the model to try first when the goals are around balance, fatigue, or getting someone back outdoors independently. We can bring it to the participant's home for an at-home test ride, do a joint visit with you, and provide a written quote and supporting information for the plan. We adjust the setup (seat position, backrest, bars, grips) to suit the rider.

We're not an NDIS-registered provider, so we work best with self-managed and plan-managed participants. Agency-managed? Get in touch anyway and we'll see what's possible.

👉 Book an at-home NDIS test ride
👉 How we work with NDIS participants and their support teams

Key specs

Full specifications, colours and current pricing: Ridewave Platypus Semi-Recumbent Folding Electric Trike.

Try it

You can't judge a trike from a photo; you judge it by sitting in it. Every Platypus we sell is built, tuned and test-ridden in our Alphington workshop before it goes out, with the first follow-up service included and warranty and parts handled here. Delivery is available around Melbourne, and freight to the door Australia-wide.

📍 2 Wingrove Street, Alphington
📞 (03) 8542 9500
📧 info@graceandpace.com.au

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