Handcycle Product

Overview

A handcycle is a recumbent three-wheeled vehicle propelled by hand cranks instead of foot pedals. The seated pilot steers a front wheel while pedalling with both arms, making it accessible to riders with lower-limb disabilities or injuries. The mechanical design mirrors a bicycle drivetrain—chainrings, chain, derailleur, and multi-speed cassette—but transfers all power through the arms.

The Frame Structure is a triangulated tube chassis with a central boom supporting the Seat Assembly. Propulsion begins at the Drivetrain Assembly, where two hand cranks rotate a Chainring(s) that drives a chain to a rear-hub cassette. The pilot steers via the Handlebar, which rotates the Steering Fork and thus the front wheel. Braking System includes a front Front Calliper Brake and a sealed rear Rear Drum Brake. The entire assembly rides on [[handcycle-wheel-set|three wheels]] with pneumatic tyres.

The Seat Rail System allows rapid fore/aft and height adjustment so different riders or varied riding positions (upright for power, reclined for endurance) can be dialled in without tools.

How it works

Power input begins at the Crank Set, a pair of 150–170 mm cranks bolted to a common hollow steel axle 180° apart. As the pilot rotates them in a reciprocal pattern—one arm extending while the other retracts—each [[handcycle-crank-set|crank]] is engaged for roughly half the cycle. The Chainring(s) (38–52 teeth) is bolted concentrically to the crank axle. A Chain Run (9- or 10-speed bicycle chain) meshes with the rings and is driven to the rear Sprocket Hub, where it then tensions across a Rear Derailleur.

The derailleur uses cable tension (pulled by a friction shifter on the handlebar) to move the chain sideways across 7–11 sprockets on the cassette. Gear selection ranges from low (easy, high torque) to high (fast, high cadence), allowing the arm-powered drivetrain to maintain a comfortable pedalling rate whether climbing or accelerating on flat ground.

Steering is direct: the pilot pulls the Handlebar left or right, which rotates the Steering Column through bearing cartridges in the Steering Head of the frame. This in turn rocks the Steering Fork, pivoting the front wheel toward the intended direction. The [[handcycle-wheel-set|wheel assembly]] consists of three 20-inch pneumatic wheels: one in front (for steering), and two at the rear (for stability and weight distribution). All three are sealed hubs with spoked rims and knobby or slick tyres, rated for typical street and light-trail conditions.

Braking is dual-circuit: the front Brake Lever pulls a cable to activate the Front Calliper Brake, a side-pull mechanical brake that squeezes the front rim. The rear lever operates the Rear Drum Brake, a sealed hub-integral brake whose internal shoes press against an iron drum inside the rear axle hub. This provides ~70% of braking force on the heavier rear, while the front calliper adds modulation. Both leverage independent hand levers, offering the pilot fine control over pitch and stopping distance.

The Seat Assembly is a contoured bucket with foam padding, angled for a recumbent position. It bolts to the Seat Boom, which slides on the Seat Rail System—a precision-ground tube with [[handcycle-linear-bearing|sealed slide blocks]]. Quick-release [[handcycle-adjustment-knob|knobs]] lock the position fore/aft (to adjust reach to the cranks) and vertically (to adjust seat height and torso angle). A Position Scale Plate marks absolute position for repeatable setup between riders.

Variants and customization

Seat comfort is the largest variable; bucket shapes, recline angles, and lumbar support all affect long-distance viability. Some handcycles use adjustable backrest angles to shift between sprint (upright) and cruising (reclined) positions. Others equip fully fairing systems (windscreen and side covers) for weather protection and aerodynamic drag reduction. Most permit field swapping of chainrings and cassette sprockets to tune final drive ratios to the terrain and rider strength.

Hand-cyclist communities often retrofit racing bars (drop bars or aero bars) for long-distance endurance events, where reduced frontal area and arm position matter more than casual control. Hydraulic disc brakes are also swapped in on performance builds, though they add weight and maintenance complexity beyond the mechanical simplicity of rim calipers and drum brakes.