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With the internet and our connections in the bicycle industry, we've gotten a good deal of press.The most valuable is that written by an objective journalist who is also an expert handcyclist. We have Bob Vogel, New Mobility Magazine, and Sourcehealth.com to thank for those articles. What we really want, and what handcycling needs, is a comparison test with all the different brands of handcycles side by side. Car, motorcycle, bicycle and trade magazines of all sorts do "comparison tests" every month. Their readers become more informed consumers, and their sport/industry evolves more quickly. There is no substitute for reading the opinions of experts. Motorcyclists call them "moto journalists". Those of us in the wheelchair industry do without. Coming from the bicycle industry, where I grew to rely on the magazines, it's hard for me not to complain. Thankfully, there is the internet. We have an amazing new way of informing our potential customers: we ask them to do a search. Go to your favorite search engine and type in "all terrain handcycle" or maybe, "handcycle rough climbing". As of June 2001, we are on the web sites of The Smithsonian Institution, Outside Magazine, Inventor's Digest Magazine, Sourcehealth.com, Remote-ability.com, and many others. The following pages are a small sampling, mostly from bicycle magazines.
Sports 'n' Spokes Magazine November 2001 Volume 27, Number 7
"[Mike] Augspurger came up with the innovative design that many of the world-class wheelchair racers in the world use today. In this design, the cycle allows the rider's legs to be folded back and strapped into supports. The rider's upper body can then lean forward, with arms extended down to reach the hand cranks and the chest resting on a pad. There are handlebars in front that can be used for steering when the cycle is going downhill; on uphill or flat terrain, arms must be used for cranking. Additionally, the sternum pad, which pivots and is connected by cables to the steering mechanism, can be turned left or right by moving the chest. Brakes and gearshifts are located on the handlebars. The near-prone position of the rider allows body weight to be used more effectively, and hand cranks, which are connected to the gears and chain, are mounted so that when the rider pushes down with one arm, the other can pull up, maximizing the rider's muscle power. Also, handlebar and sternum steering solves the dilemma of cranking versus steering." October 2001
"High performance hand-cranked machines tend to fall into two categories these days: thoroughbred road racing machines, or all-out downhill machines with full suspension--relying on the ski lift to get them back to the top. Mike Augspurger's patented 'Handcycle' hoped to fill the gap, by making a vehicle analogous to the all-purpose mountain bike. He takes the comparison further: whereas most hand-cranked machines put the riders in a seated position, like a recumbent bike, his machine has the rider upright--perhaps less comfortable but, he argues, a better position to apply the power, especially uphill. He finds that by having the cranks 'opposed', he gets far better power transfer than with the usual 'cranks together' position. Mike's company, One-Off Titanium Inc., is working with
several competitive handcycle athletes on the development of the machine.
Pictured is Terry Ball of Massachusetts, who was paralysed from The machines are currently made to order, and Mike appreciates feedback to help him improve the design. His background is more in conventional cycling: after co-founding titanium specialist Merlin Metalworks in 1996, he started One-off Titanium in 1989 to allow him build his own exquisite custom frames--including, on one occasion, a titanium Moulton. His wife Leni Fried offers artistic finishes for his handiwork, or for any frame whose paint is past its prime." Bike Culture, July 1998 "Combining Mike's innate design ability and testing by world class disabled athletes, One-Off has come up with a real all terrain vehicle 
that opens up entirely new possibilities for access and exploration, and
of course, fun.
...So, does it work? In August of '98, One-Off debuted its creation to the largest possible audience of the cycling community--the NORBA National Championship Finals in Mount Snow, Vermont... Terry, being the most experienced One-Off pilot, could maneuver with tremendous ability and control, carving those gnarly g-turns in a cloud of dust. This is the new frontier of handcycling,a true all terrain vehicle. And the possibilities are just being discovered, as test-athletes Chris Waddell, Bob Vogel, John Davis, and T-Ball put the One-Off Handcycle through its paces, pushing the limit, giving the feedback to the ever-tinkering Augspurger. Mike should be proud, what with all the late coffee evenings and crushing problem-solving induced headaches. His hard work is flowering into a thoroughly developed product. Did you see Terry go over that rock?! For more information and a great product video, contact: One-Off Titanium, Inc., 221 Pine Street, Florence, MA 01060. Phone: 413.585.5913." Dirt Rag, May 15, 1999 #72 |
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the chest down in a hang-gliding accident. A heavy fall of snow before
the photo-shoot necessitated the fat tyres--with 20" (406) wheels,
there are plenty of street tyres available, too.