The attachment was some what bulkier than I was expecting it to be. Although the plus side to that it is quite rugged. Quickie promote this as an easy five point connection system. Firstly the attachment needs to be on level ground, rather than any type of incline, to connect. You then have to pull it back so it attaches to two bolts onto the frame. Once these are clicked into place, you physically have to lift up the bike attachment to fit the other parts which then clip onto the frame. Maybe after several practices this would be easier. However I think you would need a reasonable amount of upper body strength to do so. The chap demonstrating it attached it, I did not dare risk it for myself.
It was suggested that a couple of laps around my driveway to get used to it, would be a good idea. This was quickly proved to be a non-starter as the turning circle of thing was poor. We decided to take it out on the open road instead. The first thing that became apparent it was quite scary going down hill with. Because it is an attachment, it has no control on the wheels of your chair. You need to brake going down slopes to slow the progress, power settings don't effect it in anyway. Effectively you are riding the brakes the whole time. This leads me to question how long the brake system would last for.
We followed the route as pedestrian, heading straight onto on coming traffic. Along the roads it did fine. It was quite smooth and had a nice turn of speed on it. However, for me it was quite heavy to turn. At this stage I was more impressed. That was up until we started to do the normal walk I would do with the kids, using my shopper style mobility scooter.
Across the grass and up onto the pavement. I think I will let the video do all the talking.
The biggest draw back of this attachment, is it has no reverse gear! To go backwards you have to manually self propel the chair backwards. We decided to take another run up at the slight lip, which incidentally my little scooter deals with well. It just wheel span on the damp grass. The grass is not long either.
When we got up onto the pavements the ride was unpleasant. The pavements around here are not the smooth city slicker types, they are countryside pavements. Adverse cambers and an uneven surface meant running down hill constantly breaking, was a literal pain in the neck for me. I was being thrown all over the place.
After only a few hundred yards we met our first road crossing. It failed at the drop curb. The second road crossing I decided was a good time to head back home. The rain was getting up past a drizzle, but not yet heavy. In honesty I was being thrown around so much, I had enough.
It is an uphill climb on the way back, where most of all I wanted to try it! Yes the surface was damp, but the wheel lost traction when you applied full power to get you up the hill. The guys behind kept telling me I was not keeping the power on. I wasn't keeping the power on, simply because of the wheel spinning!
Conclusion:
I wanted to love this thing. I wanted them to take my money and give me back in return a lovely bike to match ruby red chair. I can see the use of it if you live somewhere with good cycle routes, wide sweeping paths and only slight inclines. I can see the use of this if you want to use it as your daily commute or go and have fun with friends on bikes, kids, spouses etc.
However, I found it lacking. It made a ride I do on my scooter a sufferance rather than a joy. It was actually quite a scary ride, rather than being fun. Its inability to deal with the slightest demand was disappointing at best. This is not for me.
I am sure this will suit some people out there. I just wish that mobility companies would design something that deals terrains other than that found in suburbia.
