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Hi, my name is Mike Schlappi and I'm talking to you today about hand cycles. A hand cycle
is basically just kind of a bike for people in wheelchairs that instead of pedaling with
your feet, you pedal with your hands. You sit in it, you might strap your legs on, you
put your helmet on, whatever. And there's different types of hand cycle, but a hand
cycle is just like a bike that has three wheels instead of two wheels and you just cruise
around and its just a way for people that have disabilities to get out and get in shape
and cruise the neighborhood and enjoy life, especially in the summertime. A person operates
the bike by spinning the wheel with hand cranks. And then steering also is in the hands. Hoops
hold the person's legs in position with Velcro so that they don't get caught in the gears
and the legs actually turn with the bike as well. So someone who uses this bike will be
able to move their knees or allow their knees to move a little bit. They will not be somebody
who is fixed leg. There's another bike that is more upright that can more of a sitting
position that someone who can't bend their knees can use. In the back, the wheels are
bent a little bit in for stability and so when they make the turns they don't fall over
as much. Some of the bikes actually bend from the center to create turning and this one
bends from the hand.