The Health Benefits of Handcycling.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Handcycling can provide Most Paras and some Quads great health benefits. It provides an excellent Aerobic workout and plus gets you out of the chair and outdoors.

I have been riding for three years now and look and feel better with all the excercise that I get.

I do have a friend who is a high level Quad who has designed a handcycle that is attached to a Bicycle behind it and his wife pedals the bike providing most of the power, while his hands are strapped to the hand pedals and he helps out as much as he can. It is a pretty ingenius contraption and I haven't seen my friend looking so happy as he is now in a long time. It is just so great to get out on a bike path with the wind blowing in you're face.

Anyhow, anyone who wants more info feel free to e mail me or check out www.challengecycling.org (http://www.challengecycling.org) or www.bike-on.com (http://www.bike-on.com)
http://www.handcycle-friends.org/

Check out Quinns cycle page also listed on the links at challenge Cycling he is a friend of mine who started challenge cycling originally and is a C-7 Quad.

[This message was edited by Curtis on July 26, 2001 at 01:17 AM.]

[The Human Cannonball]

Here is 2 pics of my 98 Freedomryder stage 2 lava mist color. I call it Black beauty.

http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/znop/vwp?.dir=/My+Photo+Album&.src=ph&.dnm=John.JPG&.view=t&.done=http%3a//y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/znop/lst%3f%26.dir=/My%2bPhoto%2bAlbum%26.src=ph%2 6.view=t

http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/znop/vwp?.dir=/My+Photo+Album&.dnm=John4.JPG&.src=ph&.done=http%3a//y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/znop/vwp%3f.dir=/My%2bPhoto%2bAlbum%26.dnm=John.JPG%26.sr c=ph

[Curt Leatherbee]

A Freedom ryder. Those are cool the way they lean. I have a lot of friends who ride those. One thing I don't like on the earlier models like you'res is the way the foot rests allow the feet to just hang out in the open. If you were to bump anything you could break a foot, plus I had a friend get a sore on his leg from the pressure of the way the legs hang on the brackets. The solution is simple get a bracket or fabricate it from the newer design that is used on the Super bikes and put the new wrap around style foot rests on the bike. One thing that is real scary is to always make sure you're legs are strapped to the foots rests well. I have seen people break legs by having them bounce off when going over bumps. I use velcro straps for this reason.

I ride a Action Excellerator XLT and love it. I have a 12 speed internal Sachs hub and a Mountain Drive hub on the upper sprocket, gives me a real wide range of gearing and there are no derailers to screw around with.

I am surprised nobody thought of Handcycles earlier, I believe it was not until the mid 90's that they started gaining popularity, they are a lot of fun.