A Hand Powered Trike? The Sun HT-3 and the UTCustom Hand and Foot Cycle

Hello and welcome back to another Utah Trikes article. We here at Utah Trikes are all about pedal power but sometimes pedaling with your feet just isn’t cutting it that’s what brings us to our topic today Handcycles. Handcycle trikes are very similar to any normal three wheel trike but with one difference, you pedal with your hands instead of with your feet.

Handcycles are perfect for people who can't typically pedal with their feet, someone looking to increase their mobility, or for people who just want a better upper body workout. In today's article we’re going to feature three awesome Handcycles that we sell here at Utah Trikes, the first one being the Sun HT-3 Handcycle.

SUN HT-3 HANDCYCLE TRIKE

The design of the HT 3 is pretty straight forward. It's an adjustable, delta trike that is powered by your arms and upper body instead of your feet like you would see with a typical trike.

The HT-3 comes standard with a hand powered shimano 3- speed hub if you want a little more power that can be upgraded to an 8 - speed shimano drivetrain. The Ht-3 has an adjustable crank height and independently adjustable foot rests so that you can adjust the fit until it’s just right for you! The cambered rear wheels and a long wheelbase gives this trike amazing stability.

It also comes with a front parking brake for added safety when transferring out of the trike if you have a wheelchair. You can also brake by rotating the cranks backward. There's also a spring attached from the frame of the trike to the fork to keep the front wheel from wobbling as you turn the hand cranks. The spring also helps to make smoother turns while you ride.

The crank height on the HT-3 is adjustable and can be moved up or down depending on the rider's height. Keep in mind, if you do need to raise or lower the cranks you'll need to adjust the chain length accordingly. The upright seat has a permanent seat angle of 7 degrees, but it can be adjusted forward and backward by pulling a small lever underneath the right side of the seat.

The foot rests can also be adjusted up or down to maximize the rider's comfort. Simply loosen the set screws and lower or raise the foot rests to your preferred position. It has 24 inch wheels all around and the two cambered rear wheels, in addition to the long wheel base, help make this trike incredibly stable.

When Sun designed this trike they made it with people with disabilities especially in mind. The ability to hand pedal these trikes makes it perfect for riders who are looking to get an awesome upper body workout which can be nice if you have a foot pedal powered trike as wheel so you can get arm and leg day in.

The HT-3 is one of our most accessible trikes because we have tons of custom adaptations for it that allow for different combinations of hand and foot pedaling. At a standard configuration the Sun HT-3 Handcycle stands at $1449 and $1699 with shipping.

We also offer a version of the HT-3 that includes pedals. It's the UT Custom Sun HT-3 hand and foot cycle.

UTCustom Sun HT-3 Hand and Foot Cycle

The Sun Ht-3 Hand and Foot Cycle is perfect for anyone looking to increase their mobility or looking to get a great upper body workout. Why offer a hand and foot cycle? Well we have a handful of customers who need to be able to exercise their legs but don't quite have the leg strength to ride a conventional bike or trike.

The hand and foot cycle allows them to use their upper body strength to power the trike while also getting much needed exercise for their legs. Based off of the 8-speed Sun HT-3, this hand and foot cycle adds another drivetrain and can be powered by the hand cranks, the pedals, or both! Like the HT-3, its long wheelbase provides excellent stability, it can be pedaled without experiencing any wobble, and the 22 inch seat height makes it ideal when transferring from a wheelchair.

The boom and the seat both maintain their adjustability as well. The added drivetrain uses an eight-speed Shimano Alfine hub and we mount the shifter for that on the left side of the seat unless otherwise specified by the customer. The hand and foot cycle still uses 24-inch wheels, but the rear wheels on this version are not cambered. However, the trike is still incredibly stable thanks to its long wheelbase. The hand and foot cycle still has the rim brake and the small spring that helps keep the steering a little bit more stiff.

One upgrade we have added to the hand and foot cycle is our UT Custom posi-differential which means this trike is two-wheel drive. You'll benefit from increased traction and power to the wheels. One of the main questions we get is "who are these trikes for?" We've had customers from all different backgrounds. Riders with limited use of their legs find increased freedom and an excellent workout through the use of a hand cycle.

A lot of our customers who already have traditional recumbent trikes will purchase a hand cycle because of the upper body workout that it provides. Both of these trikes are stable, quick, and have a weight capacity of 300 pounds. It's probably a good idea to add a headlight and tail light to your trike for safety.

Compared to the HT-3 Handcycle the Hand and Foot cycle requires more customization fabrication which is why this model starts at $3299 and the stock handcycle starts at $1449. When making the Hand and Foot Cycle we have to weld a new frame, making it longer than the standard HT-3 and to compensate for that additional length we make a new boom so the rider can still reach the hand cranks.

Extending the frame allows us to bolt on a bottom bracket. We've made it so you can move that bottom bracket forward or backward to accommodate the x-seams of different riders. If you do need to adjust the pedals forward or backward, you will need to resize the chain accordingly.

If you're in the market for a hand cycle, We hope this article has been informative. Maybe the HT-3 will be your next ride or maybe you'll opt for two times the pedal power and go with our custom hand and foot version. If we missed something or if you have any questions, leave us a comment down below.