This article was taken from the April 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Tim Morgan is helping wheelchair users to get off the beaten track. His all-terrain Mountain Trike gives people previously restricted to smooth pavements the freedom to tackle everything from sandy beaches to woodland trails, without fear of getting stuck. "I wanted to make the equivalent of a mountain bike for wheelchair users," says Morgan (above), 30, founder and managing director of Nantwich-based Mountain Trike. In 2007, during the final year of his master's in design engineering at the University of Bath, he decided to open the countryside to all by creating a practical, off-road mode of transportation for non-walkers.
After graduating, he took a job at Bentley Motors in Crewe, but continued to perfect his design. Once he had secured manufacturing and financial support from local firm GB Engineering, Morgan founded Mountain Trike in 2008. By August 2011, he had launched his product.
The key innovation is the patented lever-drive system -- two hand-pumped levers that steer, amplify arm-power and prevent muddy hands. The trike has two large wheels at the front and a small one behind, so users can ride rough terrain and manoeuvre in a tight turning circle. The design has earned Morgan a silver medal award from the Royal Academy of Engineering, and his £3,995 wheelchair has earned the plaudits of scores of testers and users, including injured soldiers at the British Army Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey. The company has sold 150 Trikes in the UK and Europe, and the chairs are on sale in the US. New designs in the works include models with gears and adapted brakes.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
