Handcycle

Stephan Farffler was a Nuremberg watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled bicycle.

While Farffler's carriage emerged from his background as a clockmaker, mid-nineteenth century designs would be produced by mainstream bicycle manufacturers such as The Singer Cycle company of Coventry.

By the end of World War I, metal tube handcycles with chain drives became more common to meet the needs of soldiers who lost their legs.

They commonly follow a delta design with front wheels driven by standard derailleur gearing powered by hand cranks.

They work well for both low and high-level spinal injuries, and most have adjustable footrests, seat angle, and come with a variety of gearing, wheel and tire configurations depending on intended use: racing, recreation, or touring.

Manufacturers of this type of handcycle include Invacare (Top End), Intrepid Equipment, Varna, Schmicking and Sunrise Medical (Quickie).

Racing handcycles tend to be extremely low to the ground to minimize air drag and maximize the lateral acceleration that can be generated in a turn without rolling over to the outside.