"Pipin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Are there any bikes designed to be powered by arms and/or legs? I think this would give the most
balanced workout possible, depending on a person's body type, the terrain (uphill or downhill) and
our fatigue state. I am much weaker in the upper body, so I would like to develop strength.
However, precisely because I am weaker in the arms and shoulders, I couldn't maintain propelling
myself with those muscles exclusively. I'd like to go back and forth and sometimes use both legs
and arms. How would this work? Two ratchets? How would they be connected so that they could be
engaged and disengaged while peddling at any speed?
Margaret
Bikes or trikes that are propelled exclusively by arms are called "handcycles". Any search engine
will reveal some of these machines- which can be really sophisticated.
For ratcheting cranks, you could use Powercranks: powercranks.comhometext.htmlOpen ↗
There's a local lady who has a has an old Tatch Manuped hand & foot cranked recumbent *bicycle*.
It's got the cranks synchronized- it doesn't look like the rider's hands would clear her knees if
they were arranged any other way. It's got a Shimano 4-speed internal hub with a coaster brake, so
the rider doesn't have to remove her hands except to shift.
(BTW: It's a moving-crank front-wheel-drive bike, similar to a Flevo. Add the handcranks and you've
got a bike that *looks* totally uncontrollable. It's fun to watch- but I've never ridden it myself.)
I've put up old photos of the original Tatch Manuped, taken in the '70's:
ftp://www.ihpva.org/incoming/Manuped1.jpg ftp://www.ihpva.org/incoming/Manuped2.jpg
Jeff
