TESTING: All Terrain Wheelchair, the Mountain Trike

[ActiveMSers]

Testing the state-of-the-art Mountain Trike, a go-anywhere wheelchair. And it does go anywhere. Since I only have the MT for a long weekend, gotta run. Hitting the trail again today. Details and article to come!

Website: http://www.mountaintrike.com/

[ActiveMSers]

I'm working on the full review of the mountain trike and expect to have it up on the site early in the new year. After some pretty extreme testing, I have to say it is a true beast off road.

[ActiveMSers]

I hope to be testing the electric version of the Mountain Trike in the coming days, as a demo will be in Albuquerque. This could be a game changer in all-terrain wheelchairs. My only issue with the MT is the lack of gearing, but this alleviates that concern. So I don't have high hopes, I have sky-high hopes!

Paul Speight from Spokes'n Motion is driving it down from his shop in Denver. He is the US distributor and his business is a leader in adaptive gear. Fun fact: he was the captain of the New Zealand Disabled Ski Team during the Innsbruck Paralympic Games in 1988!

http://www.spokesnmotion.com/

[ActiveMSers]

I've wrapped up testing on the electric Mountain Trike all-terrain wheelchair. The full write-up will come when I've got time, but here's a quick summary of my findings:

-It's fast. Maybe too fast! With sensitive steering, flipping could be an issue.
-It motors through grass. Traction in sand is an issue, as is loose gravel.
-In electric mode, I almost never used my arms. It's more either/or for the most part. The boost is NOT an assist like it is on e-bikes.

Overall, I liked it, but there are issues that give me pause. More to come!

[ActiveMSers]

In the process of testing, I also managed to get myself in dicey situations, because I'm good at that. One time, I romped up a steep hill. And at the top of said hill was a narrow pedestrian bridge over a a ditch full of water. As I aimed for the bridge, the steering got a little off and I was steering myself right into the water! And as I quickly tried to correct the error, I nearly over-corrected and flipped!

Laura pulled the plug on that portion of the test. She had wanted to film it, but I wisely told her to keep a hand on the chair if disaster struck. Which it nearly did!

[ActiveMSers]

Here is a pic of me testing the eTrike on pavement. How fast does it go? Not sure, but over 6 mph. I chickened out going any faster!