Designing an Adaptive Mountain Bike

The Horizon Adapts to Your Riding Style

An adaptive mountain bike is no simple design puzzle. There are a handful of things that make it complex; pedaling drive-train, steering integration with pedaling, front and rear suspension, leg position, seat angle, seat height etc.  At Outrider, we’ve ridden or researched just about every handicap mountain bike available and found that while each bike or trike offers a particular benefit, there wasn’t a singular adaptive mountain bike that rolled all the benefits into one simple package.  That’s where the Horizon fits in.

The Horizon is an adaptive mountain bike that’s designed to be modular.  In other words, you choose the components that work best for you.  Don’t want foot pedals?  Choose the foot-rest.  Have a strong upper body and want to use it?  Choose the handcycle.  Don’t need pedals at all?  Go for the standard or tri-pin hand controls without any pedaling drive train and just ride is as electric only.  Looking for an easy transfer?  No sweat, we included a rising and lowering seat.  In one configuration it’s a mountain bike, in another it’s a paraplegic mountain bike, in another is a quadriplegic mountain bike.  The choice is yours.

Here’s some examples of configurations for the Horizon:

• Foot pedals with “standard” tiller-style hand controls
• This could be set up to be operated only by right hand/arm, or only by left hand/arm, however, full strength would be needed in the arm that was being used due to steering needs
• Foot pedals with tri-pin hand controls
• If you have reduced upper body function/strength this is a great option
• Foot Rest with standard hand controls
• This would be all electric, no pedaling
• Foot rest with tri-pin hand controls
• This would be all electric, no pedaling
• Foot rest with Handcycle
• Wide gearing range for awesome versatility

 

Remember!  All Horizon’s come with electric assist - just one more way the Horizon is modular to meet your needs.  If you want the electric assist, you use the throttle.  If you don’t want the electric assist, you don’t use the throttle.  It’s always there and ready, but it’s up to you how much you use it and when you use it.  We know some people can be a little wary of the electric assist, but don’t worry, it’s not going to give you less of a workout or take a away from your riding experience.  Actually, it just gives you the option to go farther on each ride, have more speed when you need it, and in some cases - even the playing field so that a ride with your buddies is actually a ride WITH your buddies, and not a game of catch-up.