Back in the Saddle: Engineering the Future of Adaptive Adventure
We are bridging the "Activity Cliff."
When a rider suffers a life-changing upper-limb injury, the clinical world focuses on "daily living." We focus on living. Based in the heart of Wales’ best mountain biking and motorcycling, Ride Adapt is a specialist R&D lab developing the world’s first high-grade, high-performance upper limb interfaces for adaptive cycling and motorcycling.
We are moving from a "Barn-Scale" prototype to a global "Gold Standard." We invite you to join the journey.
Our
Story
From the Welsh valleys comes a story of resilience and innovation that resonates with any rider who's faced a challenge. This is the story of Ride Adapt.
In 2011, competitive mountain biker Tom Wheeler crashed during a downhill race. The impact left his right arm paralysed. For many, this would have ended their riding career. But Tom wasn't like most riders.
He set out to find a way back to the sport he loved. With support from friends and family, he began developing a brace for his paralysed arm. This initial prototype, refined over several years with features like a Fox damper, allowed him to ride again. However, it wasn't perfect. Crashes often led to further injuries due to the lack of a secure connection to the bike.
Tom then collaborated with NHS Wales specialists, experimenting with materials used in custom splints to create custom bike attachments. This proved the concept and allowed for rapid prototyping.
This led to a partnership with Dominic Eggbeer, a specialist in custom medical device design and professor at Cardiff Metropolitan University's design research department, PDR. Using 3D printing, they worked to redesign the brace and develop a quick-release bar attachment. Evenings and weekends were spent prototyping, testing, and iterating.
As word spread, Tom received requests from other riders with similar injuries.
Recognising the need, he and Dominic teamed up with upper limb physiotherapist Marc Lloyd to form Trinity Creative Ltd. in 2019. Their initial products reached riders worldwide, often customised to individual needs using 3D printing.
The demands of development and customer service soon became too much for a side project. After a period of R&D exploring new materials and processes, Tom and Dom relaunched and rebranded as Ride Adapt.
The new name reflects the current product line and hints at the future of adaptive riding, whatever your discipline. Whether you're tackling technical trails, gravel roads, or backcountry adventures, Ride Adapt is about empowering riders to adapt and keep riding.
You can also check out Tom's journey on the RideAbleNow YouTube channel here.
Join the Ride Adapt journey.
