Draft racing handcycle

Tuesday 24th February 2009 I went to  and collected my new racing handcycle.

It is very different to my Top End XLT PRO. The most obvious thing is how much lower it is to the ground. The main tube is only inches off the ground and you get a very different impression of being close to the ground. Another aspect of the bike that cannot be seen in pictures is how it has been made just for me. If you look here at some photos taken while building handcycles at Draft, you are seeing a batch of three bikes being built. In some of the photos it is obvious they are each unique. Not only is the size of the bike specific to me, but there are things like clips to hold my walking stick in, and extra padding for my shoulders.

When I went to collect my bike it took several hours to go through adjustments and minor changes before everything was just right, and both Draft and myself were happy with the bike. Draft say once you become one of their customers, you will always be one. With the level of service I have received I can see why.

There is one other difference between this bike and my Top End bike I have not mentioned - SPEED! I go faster on this handcycle than many cyclists with two wheels. There is a slight difference between the position of the cranks on my Draft and Top End bikes. This means I will use some different muscles to turn the cranks. The more I get used to my new bike, the more my different muscles will get stronger, and therefore the faster I will go. Or to put it another way, I am not going my fastest yet!

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