ENCYCLEOPEDIA
For the love of bikes
Encycleopedia Home  >  Archived > Encycleopedia 04  >  Mobility  >  Trice Conversion
Product
Photos
Agents
A broken neck would mean immobility and despair for some, but not for Peter Carruthers. For him, adversity was the mother of invention. He builds wheelchairs. Not just ordinary wheelchairs, but the sort that pirouette around basketball and tennis courts, tackle rugby pitches and win medals. Bromakins have become fiercely competitive wheelchairs, the choice of top-level athletes worldwide. At the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, David Holding set a new world record for Britain, winning the 100m in a time of 14.45 seconds (see picture, right). He was in a Bromakin, and so was the man who came second.

All this started in a garage, welding together bits of bicycle tubing and moulding fibreglass seats. If that sounds like the way many recumbents got started, it's no coincidence. Peter Carruthers soon turned his mind to recumbent trikes, and started with the proven Crystal Engineering Trice. The task of converting it to hand-drive was not easy: the modified crankset must transmit the power of possibly Olympic-strength arms, and let the rider steer, change gear, and brake. The adaption unit is fitted with ankle-loops and bumpers to protect the protruding lower legs. Since the photograph was taken, the three chainrings and front changer have been replaced by a single ring and the Sachs 3x7 hub gear system, and detail changes have been made to the braking and gear systems. Handling and braking are still excellent.

Peter's attitude is that when he cycles, he leaves the world of disability behind and becomes a cyclist, albeit (he says) slightly on the lunatic fringe. We agree with the first half of that sentiment, and vehemently disagree with the second.


Author
The Editors
All text, images and web design on these pages are copyright © 1995-2005.

Encycleopedia Ltd. has made a reasonable effort to ensure that all products featured in Encycleopedia are of high quality, from respectable sources, and are accurately described. Not every product has been tested extensively. It is the responsibility of the purchaser of a product to ensure that the product is safe and appropriate for the purpose intended. We cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of transactions between readers and producers and/or distributors of the products described in Encycleopedia. Encycleopedia Ltd. has made every effort to ensure that the shops listed in Encycleopedia are reputable, efficient and sympathetic to the aims of Encycleopedia. However, we cannot bear responsibility for the actions of shops, nor the consequences of transactions between readers and shops.

Please note that any published price information is merely a guide towards the likely cost of the product in the country of origin. The same product could cost half as much again in another country. For-up-to date pricing information, we recommend always checking directly with the manufacturers or their agents. Many of the product features on this website were first published in an edition of Encycleopedia which is now relatively out of date and it is extremely unlikely that specific details remain accurate. We continue to list these products purely as an archive reference, and we have therefore attempted to delete all references to their prices and contact details. We suggest you use your internet search engine should you wish to pursue more information about them.