Help people with disabilities around the world connect and experience “able bodied” adventures.
Our primary offering is electric assist handcycling currently
1. Positive vibes and happiness. Our goal is to feel good and share our happiness with others.
2. Share and open source our knowledge base with people and organizations around the world
3. Keep costs low. Frugality → affordability → accessibility for all. Get the cost of an electric assist handcycle below $2,000
1. Free in person electric assist handcycling lessons
2. Our Get 1 Help 2 program
3. Our open source map / travel guide / wiki to find handcycling places around the world
We are a diverse set of life/adventure loving world travelers and DIY tinkerers. Click here to learn more about our board of directors.
You can find out about our events by following our Facebook page or checking out our blog
Electric assist handcycling allows disabled riders to keep up with anybody and enjoy an “able bodied” experience with their friends and family. It is also a sport that can be easily done independently and directly from your house. You could easily hop on a handcycle and bike 50 miles, even if you are severely disabled (see our quad bike review).
We offer free in person and virtual lessons on electric assist handcycling as well as 1:1 mentorship through our Get1Help2 program. Our goal is to introduce you to electric assist handcycling and then show you how you can find grants and other funding sources to help you purchase a handcycle of your own.
Free 1:1 lesson on an electric assist handcycle. There is a special ramp to make transferring easier. We have two delta style handcycles and one wheelchair attachable Stricker Tetra Lipo Smart handcycle that is optimized for quadriplegics.
Free 1:1 lesson on an electric assist handcycle. There is a special ramp to make transferring easier. There is a front wheel drive Top End Force 3 and a dual motor full suspension Lasher. Unfortunately none of the handcycles are designed for quadriplegics in this location.
Book a video call to ask any questions about e-assist handcycling. Happy to accommodate different time zones so feel free to e-mail us.
Our Get 1 Help 2 program is our “Pyramid Scheme for Good” strategy to help people around the world get into electric assist handcycling. We will
1. Help you figure out what kind of handcycle is best for your needs (find a local handcycle organization on our wiki)
2. Help you apply for grants and also host tax deductible fund raisers to help finance your handcycle
3. Host monthly virtual meetings with other aspiring handcyclists to discuss progress and get inspired/motivated
All we ask for in return is that you become an #AbleBodiedAmbassador and recruit at least two people to join our program.
We put together an open source wiki at wiki.ablebodied.org that is meant to be the ultimate guide on where you can find a handcycle to ride on. There is a handcycle style guide as well as list of handcycle manufacturers you can peruse and improve by updating and improving the information (as it is meant to be an open source resource). Click on the map below to find a handcycle location near you or close to where you might want to travel.
A key challenge we have found is getting out into nature while traveling. Taking your own handcycle is possible, but requires extensive planning of transportation and storage. With this in mind we are hoping to seed a community of fellow adventurers and put together “open source” travel guides that others can add to and improve. Our guides are written with the wheelchair bound traveler in mind with tips on hotels, where to rent a handcycle, and where to eat (good food makes every trip better).
Amazing food and massive mountains.
Italy is not only the birthplace of the Roman empire, the Renaissance, and pizza, it has some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe.
Our guide covers the best places to eat, how accessible the hotels we stayed at were, and where you can rent a handcycle.
Amazing food at amazing prices plus scenic country roads.
In Poland you can eat like a king and pay between 1/3 to 1/2 of what you would pay in the US. Warsaw is one of the most accessible cities in Europe with elevators at every metro station, excellent public transit on wheelchair accessible buses and trolleys, and wide sidewalks with curb cuts. Wroclaw is another awesome city with rentable handcycles.
Amazing natural beauty with limitless trail systems
California offers many different playgrounds with adaptive programs all over the state. Whether it’s Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, or just the Bay Area, there are plenty of options to rent a handcycle and get off the beaten path.
Amazing food and massive mountains.
We highly recommend a flight to Lyon, the epicurean capital of France, where you can rent a minivan on Turo and go check out Chamonix and the French riviera. Our guide has an extensive list of places you can rent either handcycles or off-road quadtrixes that you can use to explore some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in the world.
Great beer, innovative handcycles, and ancient castles
Germany has a long history of engineering, manufacturing, and great beer. It is home to several handcycle manufacturers including Stricker the oldest wheelchair attachable handcycle. It is also home to some interesting towns, castles, and fun trails to go handcycling on
Or help us write one
All our guides are written in a simple Google doc that is available for anybody to read and/or edit. Feel free to copy one and follow the format to create your own guide and share it with the community. Or request one. Either way, take our quick survey to let us know..
We have completed three different types of handcycle ebike conversions. Buying a manual handcycle and adding electric assist is by far the least expensive way to get into the sport. We have purchased a used Top End Force 3 on Facebook marketplace for $500 and added a motor to it for under $1,000, which is significantly less than new electric assist handcycles, which frequently go for $10K+..
Excellent beginner bike.
Easiest to build and operate.
Go 50 miles+
The goal of this e-bike conversion was to minimize cost and deliver a bike that could be reproduced in Ukraine (project details). This build is not only less expensive, but a lot easier to put together and operate. It is not hard to find a used handcycle for $2,000, making the total cost of this e-assist handcycle ~$3,000. We recommend you get a handcycle with at least a disc brake in the front to have enough stopping power.
Perfect road bike
Regen braking & quad friendly
Go 60 miles+
This is a great option for someone interested in going on long road bike rides that may have long climbs and descents. It is simpler than building the all-wheel drive bike and will provide regenerative braking to maintain your speed on descents. You can trigger regen by pedaling backwards, which is an awesome feature for quadriplegics or users with limited hand function that prevents them from being able to squeeze a regular brake lever.
Off-road dream machine
Get off the paved roads!
Go 70 miles+
This bike will ride up steep sandy fire roads and even snow covered ski slopes. It has two 1500W motors in the back and hand powered propulsion in the front, so is basically all wheel drive.
San Jose, CA 95124
Sebastopol CA
By appointment only
Able Bodied Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 99-3439521) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
