Lets Talk Handcycles
Maybe you’ve seen me race before so you know what a handcycle looks like. Or maybe you’ve seen a few pictures of a handcycle in one of the athlete blogs. Either way many dont understand the many different aspects that go into a handcycle and how they actually work. So I thought this would be a perfect time to give people a closer look at a handcycle like the one pictured above.
When it comes to the questions I get about my handcycle ,which is clear to anyone reading my blogs but not so clear to everyone else is, the most asked is.. “You pedal that with your arms”? Most reading know a handcycle is made for those with disabilities that cannot use their legs. Then always right after that im asked how much its cost. My handcycle pictured above can run somewhere in the price range north of $20,000 brand new. Which is alot even to the seasoned cyclists. Most handcycles now are made out of carbon fibre. Being that it is lighter than aluminum but stronger it is the preferred material in most bicycle manufacturing and its no exception for handcycles. Before carbon fibre handcycles could weigh well over 30 pounds while they can weigh as low as 20 pounds. The technology has come and long way since I first started racing. That has been the new normal when it comes to cycling over the past decade. Countless new technology has come out year after year making cycling faster and more efficient. Then slowly after these new technologies make it on to a handcycle. Technologies like shifting components, power meters, wheels, tires, braking systems and many other improvements that carry over. A handcycle can have anywhere from 12-26 gears just like a bicycle, and while they use the same 700c front wheel size, the handcycle uses a 20 inch rear wheel for quicker turning and lower center of gravity in the rear. As you can see a handcycle shares alot of the same components as a regular bicycle just one is leg powered the other is arm power.
Where I think a handcycle is vastly different than a bicycle is the fit. A handcycle has to be custom fitted to its rider. No two riders are even close to the same. Reason being is those with disabilities riding handcycles suffer from many different disabilities. It can take some new riders quite a while to figure out the perfect fit. Now I know finding the perfect seat, “saddle”, can be tough on a bike but imagine that scenario ten fold. From different footrests, to fully custom seats molded to its user, the amount of patience it takes to get the perfect fit in a handcycle can not be stated enough. The better the fit, the more comfortable you are, the more you can ride. Thats why this may be the most important part of the handcycle. So now the next time you see me at a race or see a handcycle somewhere youll have a little better understanding at what youre actually looking at.
