Prague, Dec 19 (CTK) – A Czech NGO is making “handbikes” for legless children as the only one not just in the country, but possibly also in Europe, and it will introduce the very first child electric handbike in the world next autumn, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote on Tuesday.
Tomas Pouch lost his leg in an accident at the age of 14. Being a fond cyclist, he established the Cerni kone (Black Horses) NGO, seated in Nove Jirny near Prague, almost ten years ago as a charge-free rental of special bikes set up in order to help disabled cyclists.
However, he could not find a single producer of handbikes for children not only in the Czech Republic, but also anywhere in Europe, MfD writes.
He undertook to gather the necessary financial means and find sponsors for his endeavour to start producing these special bikes. Finally last year, he managed to produce the first prototype with his colleague Milos Cisar, the handbike’s designer. They have so far made about 40 handbikes and further orders are lining up, MfD writes.
“The production took a little less than two months. The frame was made quickly, but then there were many details to fine-tune. We wanted the bike to be not only safe, but also to look good,” Cisar told MfD, adding that the bike was made durable as well.
“It almost can’t be destroyed. It’s great advantage is that it grows with the child. The seat is adjustable, so there is no need to obtain a new bike every year,” MfD cites Cisar.
In the autumn of 2018, the NGO is about to launch the first child electric handbike, the very first prototype of its kind in the world. It is designed for children who have problems not only with legs, but also with hands. Later, it should be equipped with a remote control as well, so that the parents can assist the child in handling the handbike.
The child electric handbike is now in process of acquiring the necessary attestations.
Next year, the company is about to move from a garage to a workshop specially destined for manufacturing the bikes and plans to start delivering its products abroad.
The NGO also runs a project called Vitr ve vlasech (Wind in the Hair), which is to assist with the funding of special bikes for families who need them. Sponsors play the most significant part in the process. Special events and races are organised for the children within the project as well, MfD writes.
