The Ultimate Guide to Adaptive Cycling

The Freedom and Joy of Riding for Every Body

Adaptive cycling makes the simple joy of riding possible for every body, regardless of age, ability, or confidence. It’s about customising bikes and trikes to fit your unique needs, offering extra stability, comfortable seating, gentle electric assistance, or the confidence to get back on two (or three) wheels.

What is Adaptive Cycling?

• Bikes and trikes modified for different abilities and comfort levels
• Electric assistance to help with hills and keeping up with others
• Custom seating, pedals, and controls for safety and comfort
• Solutions for balance concerns, joint pain, or reduced strength
• Options for riding solo or with companions

Who Benefits from Adaptive Cycling?

• Active seniors wanting to keep riding or return to cycling
• People with balance concerns or mobility challenges
• Riders recovering from injury or managing health conditions
• Anyone nervous about traditional two-wheel bikes
• Families where one person needs extra support

The magic happens when the right bike meets the right person. We've seen riders light up when they find they can still feel the wind in their hair and share trips with loved ones. It's not about limitations—it's about possibilities.

As Andrea Herklots from EveryBody eBikes, I’ve spent years helping people find freedom through adaptive cycling. My passion comes from witnessing how the right bike can transform someone's confidence, independence, and joy in riding again.

The Heart of Adaptive Cycling: Finding Your Perfect Ride

What is Adaptive Cycling and Who is it For?

There's something magical about the moment someone finds they can still ride. At EveryBody eBikes, we've witnessed the pure delight that comes when a person thought their cycling days were over, only to find a new chapter beginning. Adaptive cycling is beautifully simple: we adapt the bike to you, not the other way around. This might mean adding the stability of three wheels, providing gentle electric assistance for hills, or customising the seat and pedals so you feel completely secure.

The beauty of adaptive cycling is that it welcomes every body. We help active seniors who want to keep exploring Brisbane's rail trails without worrying about balance. We support riders who've taken a break after a fall or health challenge and are ready to refind that freedom with confidence. Many of our customers simply want to feel safe and supported, knowing the electric assist is there if their energy varies.

What moves us most is seeing how adaptive cycling transforms not just individual riders, but entire families. When one person finds the right bike, suddenly everyone can ride together again. This isn't just about overcoming physical challenges – it's about feeling the wind in your hair again, about independence, and the simple joy of movement.

To learn more about how we empower every journey, explore our insights on Inclusive Riding: How Adaptive Bicycles Empower Every Journey. For more on the gentle nature of this activity, you might find A guide to low-impact exercise helpful.

Sit-Down Trikes, Companion Bikes, and the Joy of a Gentle Boost

Picture gliding along a beautiful rail trail, seated comfortably with your back supported. This is the magic of our sit-down trikes—they transform riding into something wonderfully relaxed and stable.

Our Trident sit-down trike is our most beloved model. Its comfortable, supportive seat offers a relaxed position with excellent visibility, reducing strain on your back and neck. The low step-over height makes getting on and off secure, and the frame design accommodates riders of all sizes, ensuring everyone feels stable.

The Trident FT with fat tyres adds extra comfort and capability. These 4-inch wide tyres provide incredible cushioning, making rides on rail trails or country paths feel smooth and giving riders the confidence to explore new terrain.

If you prefer a more traditional cycling position, our upright trikes offer that familiar feel with the added peace of mind that comes from never having to worry about balance.

Adaptive cycling also brings people together. Our companion bikes, like the Huka Orthros and Trojan Family, are designed for shared experiences. The Huka Orthros Tandem Tricycle lets two people pedal side-by-side, while the Trojan Family Fat Tyre Electric Tricycle is perfect for one active rider and a passenger, making family outings possible for everyone.

Electric assistance is a game-changer for many. It doesn't replace your effort; it amplifies it when you need it most. Hills become manageable, longer rides become achievable, and you can easily keep pace with friends and family, ensuring no one is left behind.

We're proud to offer the largest range of trikes in Australia. We invite you to Explore our range of trikes and find our Tandem & Side-by-Side Trikes to find your perfect companion ride.

How Custom Solutions Open up Your Confidence

At EveryBody eBikes, our philosophy is simple: your bike should fit you perfectly. This belief drives everything we do in our Brisbane workshop, where every product is assembled, test-ridden, and customised to your exact needs.

Personalised fitting is key. We take the time to understand your needs, goals, and concerns to make you feel confident. This can mean adjusting handlebars, modifying seat height, or finding pedal solutions that match your strength and mobility.

Feeling secure is the foundation of confidence. Our supportive seating options, including seats with backrests, seatbelts, or harnesses, keep you steady and safe. This allows you to focus on the joy of the ride, not on staying upright.

Custom pedals can transform the ride for those with varying leg strength or mobility. Shorter crank arms can make pedalling feel effortless, while special needs pedals help keep your feet securely positioned.

Easy-to-reach controls ensure you always feel in command. We position everything within comfortable reach, adjusting handlebars and controls to suit your strength and needs, making operation feel natural.

Our commitment to customisation led to innovations like our Lightning Electric Bike, a world-first e-bike for short-statured riders. Designed in-house and now exported globally, it shows how custom solutions can open up cycling for people overlooked by traditional manufacturers.

This meticulous attention to detail is about giving you complete confidence to ride safely and enjoyably. When your bike works perfectly with your body, the real joy of cycling returns.

To understand more, explore A Practical Guide to Adaptive Trikes or See how we created a Customised e-bike for Ashley to see our approach in action.

Your Journey to Riding Starts Here

Finding Support and Community

There's something magical when cycling transforms from a solo activity into a shared experience. At EveryBody eBikes, we see how adaptive cycling becomes a bridge that connects people—not just to the joy of riding, but to each other.

The power of social connection through cycling is immense. The camaraderie, shared laughter, and satisfaction of completing a ride together create bonds that go far beyond the bike itself.

Matty C's story from Grange perfectly captures this. His rides were limited to 10km on a traditional trike. Now, with his Trojan e-trike, he confidently completes 25km rides and even participated in the Tour De Brisbane Family Ride. His e-trike gave him the chance to ride like everyone else. Although Matty cannot speak, his beaming smile says it all. His family shares, "We look forward to exploring rail trails next and riding further, on more diverse terrain than we ever thought possible."

Matty's journey reminds us that adaptive cycling is about inclusion in the broader cycling community. We're proud to be part of a network championing this cause, partnering with groups like Cycling Without Age Gold Coast and supporting MS Queensland's Brissie to the Bay ride to help more people participate in meaningful community activities.

Riding with friends and family creates shared memories while fostering connection. These shared experiences on local Brisbane bike paths or scenic rail trails become treasured moments that build confidence.

We invite you to Find our community focus and see how you can connect with others who share your passion for riding.

A Note on Funding Your Ride

We understand that choosing an adaptive bike is a big decision. As a registered NDIS Provider, we can offer guidance on funding pathways through NDIS or Aged Care. However, we must be transparent: wait times for government funding can be substantial, often one to two years. We've seen too many people miss seasons of riding while waiting for approvals.

That's why we encourage you to consider the empowering choice of private purchase. Why wait to regain your freedom? You can start riding immediately, without the uncertainty of long delays. Your wellbeing and happiness shouldn't be put on hold.

We welcome you and your allied health team to assess our range. Our bikes and trikes can be fitted with special needs pedals, safety features, and other customisations to support a wide range of physical needs. If government programs haven't provided the funding you need, we can also point you toward other options like grants from charitable foundations.

We offer onsite trials at our Brisbane workshop for you to experience our bikes firsthand. Offsite trials and custom skills training are also available for a fee to help you build confidence.

To learn more, visit our page on disability and special needs solutions.

Begin Your Adaptive Cycling Journey Today

The feeling of freedom, independence, and pure joy—these are the gifts that adaptive cycling offers every body. We believe everyone deserves to experience the exhilaration of riding.

At EveryBody eBikes in Brisbane, we're your supportive partner on this journey. Our personalised approach means we listen to your needs and goals to find the perfect electric bike or trike solution, ensuring you feel safe, stable, and comfortable on every ride.

We pride ourselves on custom-fitting e-bikes and e-trikes in our Brisbane workshop. Each one is assembled, test-ridden, and custom to your unique requirements. Our specialist workshop also services all types of e-bikes and adaptive trikes (a cleaning fee may apply for uncleaned bikes).

The world of cycling is waiting. Don't let anything hold you back from the joy of movement and outdoor exploration.

Ready to take the first step? We're here to make it happen:

• Book a test ride with us to feel the difference for yourself
• Explore our full range of electric bikes and trikes to see all the possibilities
• Contact Us for a friendly chat—we're here to answer your questions and guide you

We're confident that with the right adaptive solution, you too can experience the profound sense of freedom and joy that comes with riding. Let's get you back to enjoying life on two (or three) wheels.