Recumbent - Which Recumbent Delta?

I wanted to get some views on what i am looking for. I am limited what i could ride. I am a c5/c6 incomplete quadreplegic. Ok upper body strength, good grip and movement in my right hand and not as good in the fingers on my left. I have an incomplete injury. I have read untill i am crosseyed and alot of good information. I understand being lower to the ground, the better but then i have a transfer problem going to wheelchair to trike. A mobility place mentioned an Invacare Excelerator XLT PRO Hand Cycle with the Bionx ast electric motor. He felt this was a good setup but my problem, i would never be able to get in and out by myself. Someone else mentioned the cheaper Invacare delta. I have a Quckie wheelchair and one dealer that sold them said no to it and thought parts was harder to get fast and the Invacare was better but i see Quckie has more delta choices. One mentioned Hase was good but another mentioned the handcycle Hase was not.

I would love to have a gas motor with electric start and the little Robin Subaru 4 stroke engine on it. Work out some and then take off on a 20 mile cruise with the motor. Things that are very important for me.

1.Safe and stability. I see where one delta trike that is heavy and wide and claim is really safe for long hauls is a Lightfoot Roadrunner and i think they make a smaller but still big Greenway. This trike looks like i could get in and out by transferring. This company does elect or gas motor ast but chain driven.

2.For me to be able to hand pedal the trike. To steer it freely and ok.

3.A motor is high on my list and i have read about chain drives with a gas motor, hub drive like the Bionx, chain drive electric, Belt driven with the Golden Eagle and a small motor. I like the looks of the belt drive and a small gas motor but it needs to fit over one of the tires and i would rather it work off the back than front but i see this would probably have to work off front tire with a trike. I know the trade offs with belt, hub and chain driven and to me the easy carefree looks like belt or hub. Electric, i woud get tired of buying batteries and having to charge and my range be less than a 200mpg small gas motor. Maybe electric is better than i know, fill me in.

4.Comfortable with a good seating system and a seat that moves up/down, left/right. Harness to tie down in. Maybe flip down armrest. My mission is to never trail ride, never power ride, never get off the roads much. Smooth nice roads, maybe some smooth gravel or smooth dirt road at times. More long and comphy hauls.


As you can see it would be more to cruise around in and can they make a trike that combines handcycle, with motor, with safe and easy steering? I could get a delta and never burn energy and have the motor on all the time but i know it would be good for me to work out what i could.

What i keep going back to that looks to fit my needs more is a company called Lightfoot Cycles. The Roadrunner or Greenway and the Roadrunner is long and wide but looks stable. Can these companies make their trikes work as easy and as good as an Invacare with the handcycle? The bad i see, Lightfoot is heavy and adding a motor, even more heavy and will this affect me propelling the trike as if i get a lighter Invacare or even Hase? It seems like it is trade offs, in either direction.

Any suggestions please let me know and have any of you tried a Hase, Lightfoot, Invacare, Quckie or other's with it being a handcycle and how did you like it? Can a handcycle that sits down low, can it be modified where it would have a seat lift in it to raise up about 21 inches to transfer back to wheelchair and then let back down? I have never been on a recumbent by the way, only electric, bumpy, no suspension, slow scooters. I use a manual chair. Thanks for any info.

Check out these web sites
http://www.planetmobility.com/store/handbikes/index.html
http://secure.srginc.biz/search_list.php?brand=sa&strID=78#source=google
Hand Cycles<=Wheelchair Cycling & Racing - Wheelchairs & Accessories
They have some different Special Needs Hand Bikes

One other thing i left out and should have mentioned. I am 155lbs and 5'10". If weight is a factor on a recumbent and with somekind of motor ast. I know most like a motor ast to help you pedal easier but in my case i would like to hand pedal and get a work out and not any or very little ast and then after i work out an hour or two with my hands and arms only, then i want to cool down, flip a switch and go with a motor.

You might also do an Internet search on e-bikes (electrified bikes,) as well as contact Kelvin at Angletech Cycles. (http://www.angletechcycles.com/) Kelvin does a lot of work with special needs cyclists.

I've come across two people riding Varna handtrikes. The Varna is probably the premier hand trike for non-racers. One of the two was riding while the leg he broke on his regular recumbent healed and the other was a lady from Canada who had come to Las Vegas in January to get some riding in. She was a parapalegic and could do quite well on the Varna compared to my regular trike. Look carefully at the weight of the setup you are considering. It's a no brainer that a lighter trike is going to be easier and a lot more fun for you to ride. You might also try contacting Mick Sims at Greenspeed via their website. GS has a long history of providing special-need adaptations for their excellent trikes (I own a GS GTO). Now that they have a delta trike it might be possible to get one adapted for your use.

Thanks for the help and i am looking and comparring.

Have you checked out Lightfoot Cycles. I'm looking at them right now. They carry a large selection of bikes to fit almost any need. Including power assist. Gas / Elec.