Inclusive Riding: How Adaptive Bicycles Empower Every Journey

Reclaiming the Joy of Riding for Every Body

An adaptive bicycle is a specialised bike or trike designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with disabilities, limited mobility, or specific physical challenges, enabling them to experience the joy and benefits of cycling in the open air and enjoying access to their local community.

These innovative bikes empower riders by offering:

• Improved Mobility: Providing a new form of access to local neighbourhoods in an independent or shared wayt, allowing riders to get out and about with ease.
• Physical Benefits: Promoting increased joint motion, muscle strength, circulation, core development, coordination, and balance through active movement.
• Emotional Well-being: Fostering a powerful sense of independence, boosting confidence, and offering the profound freedom of movement.
• Social Inclusion: Enabling greater participation in community activities, shared experiences with family and friends, and breaking down societal barriers and reducing isolation.

For many, riding a bike is a fundamental part of childhood and an ongoing source of pleasure and exercise throughout life. But for some, traditional bikes present impossible obstacles. This guide aims to explain adaptive bicycle solutions, showing how they pave the way for riders of all ages and abilities to re-embrace the simple, profound joy of cycling. We believe everyone deserves the chance to feel the wind on their face and the freedom of the open path.

I’m Andrea Herklots, owner-operator of EveryBody eBikes. Having seen how adaptive bicycles can transform lives, my focus shifted to ensuring that every individual, regardless of age, ability, or riding history, can access the freedom, inclusion, and joy that cycling offers.

What is an Adaptive Bicycle and Who Can It Empower?

Think of an adaptive bike as a ride that’s built just for you. It’s not your average two-wheeler—it’s specially designed or modified to suit different abilities, needs, and comfort levels. Whether that means more stability, easier controls, or extra support, the whole point is to make cycling accessible, safe, and actually fun for everyone.

Unlike regular bikes that assume a certain level of balance or strength, adaptive bikes meet you where you’re at. That could mean three wheels for added stability, custom seats, hand pedals, or simplified gear systems. Whatever works best for your body and goals, that’s what matters most. What we do know for sure is that all options are better with electric pedal assistance!

So, who are these bikes for? Honestly, just about anyone.

We’ve helped older riders stay active without the worry of falling. People living with balance challenges, mobility limitations, or recovering from injury often find adaptive bikes are a game-changer, giving them back confidence and independence.

We also support riders with conditions like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or those on the recovery path after a stroke. With the right adjustments, cycling becomes not just possible, but therapeutic and enjoyable. Returning to regular movement can keep you active between therapy sessions and enable you to build on rehabilitation activities to improve outcomes.

And for individuals with cognitive disabilities—like ASD or Down Syndrome—adaptive bikes offer a structured, safe, and joyful way to ride. With the right design, an adaptive bike can offer riders the ability to improve independence and create new routines, new confidence, and new ways to connect with the world. We have riders who are able to get to work by adaptive bike and feel more able to participate in employment and social activities.

At the end of the day, adaptive cycling is about freedom, inclusion, and possibility. And that’s something everyone deserves.

The Life-Changing Benefits of Adaptive Cycling

The impact of an adaptive bicycle extends far beyond simply getting from one place to another. We've seen how these incredible machines transform lives, offering a holistic range of physical, emotional, and social benefits.

Boost Your Physical Health and Mobility

Cycling, especially on an adaptive electric bicycle customised to your needs, is a fantastic low-impact exercise. Using the power and gearing system in combination, riding an electric adaptive bike can be gentle on joints while still providing a robust workout. Benefits to regular and sustainable bike riding can:

• Boost Muscle Strength and Joint Health: Regular pedaling is a low-impact way to get your muscles working, especially in your legs. It helps increase your range of motion, build strength, and improve overall endurance, all while being gentle on your joints.
• Ease Fatigue and Stiffness: For those managing conditions that cause fatigue, the pedal-assist options on adaptive e-bikes can provide the necessary support to enjoy longer or more challenging rides without exhaustion. The gentle, repetitive motion can also help alleviate stiffness and reduce muscle spasms, offering comfort and flexibility.
• Improves Coordination and Balance: Even with the added stability of an adaptive trike, the act of steering and pedaling works on your coordination and balancing skills. It's a great way to engage your body and mind, helping you feel more confident and stable and benefit from the regular mental well-being that bike riding offers.

Improve Emotional and Mental Well-being

The freedom of cycling brings with it a powerful emotional uplift. An adaptive bicycle can ignite:

• Renewed Independence: For individuals who may rely on others for transport, an adaptive bike offers a profound sense of self-reliance and the ability to explore their community on their own terms. It’s about doing things on your own and reaching your goals. Making fundamental decisions about where you ride, with whom you ride and for how long your ride return to being your own choice.
• Boosted Confidence: Overcoming perceived limitations and successfully navigating a ride builds incredible self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. We often hear riders say they feel like a kid again!
• Stress Relief and Freedom: The act of cycling outdoors, feeling the breeze, and moving your body is a proven stress reliever. It offers a sense of escape and pure, unadulterated freedom.
• A New Sense of Purpose: For some, an adaptive bicycle can become a vital part of their daily routine or a new hobby, providing structure, enjoyment, and a reason to get out and about.

Foster Social Connection and Inclusion

One of the most heartwarming benefits we witness is the way adaptive bicycles foster connection and break down barriers.

• Social Participation: Adaptive bikes are an extremely effective tool for promoting inclusion in recreational and social situations. They allow riders to join friends, family, and community groups, fostering interaction and reducing isolation.
• Family Activities: Our range includes options perfect for families, allowing children and adults to experience the joy of the outdoors and the simple pleasure of feeling the wind in their hair as they ride together. Riding is better together—with partners, friends, children, and grandparents, including the option of riding on passenger bikes and trikes.
• Community Engagement: Getting out on an adaptive bicycle connects riders with their neighbourhood and local community, promoting a sense of belonging. It helps change perceptions about disabilities, focusing on capabilities rather than restrictions. Riding in your own neighbourhood reinforces those connections and sense of identity.
• Reducing Reliance on Support Person: While passenger options allow for shared riding, many adaptive bikes enable individuals to ride independently, lessening their reliance on a support person for mobility. We offer solutions for independent riders, for assisted or supervised riding or for passenger or shared riding experiences.

Finding Your Perfect Ride: Types of Adaptive Bicycles

Choosing the right adaptive bicycle is a truly exciting step towards opening up new opportunities for freedom and fun. At EveryBody eBikes, we’re passionate about helping you find that perfect fit. We offer the largest range of trikes in Australia, along with other innovative solutions, making sure there’s a wonderful ride for every body, regardless of age, ability, riding history, confidence or need.

Tricycles: The Gold Standard for Stability

For many, finding the adaptive bicycle means finding the magic of three wheels. Our adult electric trikes are incredibly popular because they offer unparalleled stability and peace of mind. They completely remove the worry of balancing, making cycling accessible and enjoyable for anyone with balance issues, low muscle tone, or simply a fear of falling. Peace of mind for the rider but also peace of mind for their family.

When you look at trikes, you’ll mostly see two main designs:

• Delta Trikes: Imagine one wheel at the front and two at the back. These often feel more upright and are typically easier to get on and off. They're great for navigating tighter turns. Delta trikes can be both upright in design, with the saddle above the pedal cranks or they can be semi-recumbent or sit-down in design, where the rider has the benefit for a full seat. In both cases, the delta trike suits shorter, more relaxed rides around the neighbourhood and longer rides on the lower centre of gravity sit-down model, which helps you feel more relaxed over longer distances.
• Tadpole Trikes: These have two wheels at the front and one at the back. They usually offer a more reclined, laid-back riding position and can at times be tricky to get on and off. Once used to a tadpole trike, many riders often love them for their comfort and excellent stability. Some of our customers would find their very low ride position challenging to transfer onto and we often hear people being concerned about rider visibility with their lower ride height.

The most popular model at EveryBody eBikes is the Trident semi-recumbent trike, which has a very comfortable seat and provides a relaxed position that gives you excellent visibility and comfort. The design has a low step-over height to get onto the trike and you sit at the rear with your weight over the rear wheels. The Trident is available with standard tyres or the fatter 4" tyres, which can improve suspension and comfort on more rugged terrain. The Trident is designed for safety, stability and supportive comfort and has the best of both worlds, enabling taller and heavier riders to feel safe as well as younger riders for a long-term solution.

Alternative Propulsion and Supportive Features

Adaptive bikes and trikes can be fitted with clever features that make riding easier and more comfortable, especially if you have limited strength or mobility. It’s all about making the bike work for you.

Pedal-Assist eTrikes and eBikes Electric assist gives you a gentle boost while you pedal. It flattens hills, helps you ride further, and makes it easier to keep up with others. It’s a great option if you get tired easily or have changing energy levels. Electric power delivery can be selected by the rider to suit their abilities and confidence. The delivery can also be in response to the pedalling action alone (PAS) or in response to how hard the rider is pushing on the pedals (Torque). Both modes deliver the power in different ways and can suit people depending on their abilities, their strength and their intended use of the trike. EveryBody eBikes offers solutions so every body has the model that makes them feel fantastic.

Custom Pedals and Cranks If you have less leg strength or are shorter, we can adjust the bike to suit you. Shorter crank arms and lower gears make pedalling easier and more efficient, so you can ride comfortably, even with less effort. We can fit adaptive pedals that help you keep your feet in position even when pedalling in a prone position or if you find foot placement and retention challenging.

Comfortable Seating and Easy Controls Comfort and safety come first. Many adaptive bikes have supportive seats, backrests, and even seatbelts or harnesses to keep you steady and in the right position. We can also adjust the handlebars and fit controls that work with both or only one hand, so everything’s within easy reach. We talk to the rider about their strength and hand/leg dominance so we work out a solution that makes the riding experience as positive as possible.

At EveryBody eBikes, all these clever solutions and more are available within our range. We take pride in custom-fitting e-bikes and e-trikes to ensure they meet your exact specifications and unique requirements. Not one size fits all and EveryBody eBikes most definitely is not your average bike shop. We listen to your needs, to your fears and to your goals and work closely with you to find the right solution that makes you feel safe, stable, secure and comfortable.

Passenger, Tandem and Companion Bikes: Riding Together

Cycling is such a joyful shared experience, and our range of passenger, tandem and companion bikes is designed specifically for connection. They allow people to ride together, no matter their individual abilities. Riding is always better with company!

Side-by-Side Tandems These trikes let two riders sit next to each other, making conversation easy and natural. You both get the same view, the same experience, and the same joy. Whether you’re a couple, a parent and child, or a rider with their carer, these bikes make connection the heart of the ride. The Huka Orthros is the pinnacle of rider comfort and adaptability, designed for a pilot and co-rider with both people pedalling but only one person steering, braking and using the gears and power.

Traditional Tandems With one person in front and one behind, these bikes are ideal for riders with low vision or anyone who needs support with steering or braking. Our tandem options, like the Huka Co-Pilot, are made for stability, comfort, and shared confidence on every trip. The Trojan Family offers a tandem feel, but with only one person pedalling.

Passenger, Cargo and Attendant e-bikes These inclusive designs let a passenger choose how they ride—pedal actively, take it easy, or simply sit back and enjoy the journey. They open the door to shared adventures for people of all abilities, making family rides, community outings, or a simple spin around the park possible for everyone.

We truly believe companionship matters, and our bikes support social, recreational, and lifestyle riding for every stage of life, from 4 to 104.

Key Considerations for Choosing Your Adaptive Bicycle

Selecting the right adaptive bicycle is a big step. We understand it's not just about picking a bike off a shelf. It's about finding a solution that truly changes your life and brings back the joy of riding. At EveryBody eBikes, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

The Importance of a Custom Fit and Personalisation

We believe cycling should be possible—and enjoyable—for every body. That’s why we don’t only do off-the-shelf solutions. We sell standard bikes and trikes that may not require adaptation, but when this does not meet the needs of the customer, we look at all adaptive options. Every bike we offer is carefully assembled, fitted, and test-ridden right here in our Brisbane workshop to ensure it’s just right for you. Because comfort, safety and joy all start with the right fit.

It all begins with a friendly chat. We take the time to understand your unique needs, physical abilities, and goals. Often, we work closely with families and health professionals to make sure your bike suits you perfectly—because this isn’t just a piece of equipment, it’s your freedom on wheels.

Test rides are an essential part of the process. They let you feel the difference and we often say "the bike chooses you!". We strongly recommend test rides and have seen first hand how purchasing without test riding can end in failure. We use the test ride as a means to transfer knowledge on how to ride an adaptive bike and how to make it a successful and enjoyable experience. We also know that you alone may not be the only decision maker and we encourage family and therapists the chance to assess your preferred adaptive bike so all parties are happy that you are safe, secure and having fun. They want to see how you transfer on and off, use the controls, and operate the bike safely, whereas you may just want to focus on how it makes you feel, that sense of freedom, independence and fun.

If you're applying for NDIS or Aged Care funding, the test ride must be done with an allied health professional, like an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist. Their input ensures your bike is not only the right fit, but also meets funding requirements as safe, reasonable and necessary. We’re also expanding access to test rides across Australia so more people can find their perfect match—wherever they are.

Navigating Costs and Funding in Australia

Buying an adaptive bike in Australia can be a big investment, with prices usually starting around $3,500 for a traditional electric trike and going up to over $10,000 for an adaptive trike with rear wheel drive and fat tyres, depending on features. Costs can rise further if you need a side-by-side passenger or tandem trike or if you require individualised extras. The final price depends on factors like the bike type (adaptive trike, tandem, etc.), level of customisation or modification, and adaptive add-ons and of course assembly, training and delivery costs.

Funding support is available through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which can cover adaptive tricycles with or without power through Core Supports Assistive Technology requires a trained therapist to confirm if the device is "reasonable and necessary." EveryBody eBikes is a registered Provider for NDIS, and we also have a track record providing solutions to Government, and Community programs. If you have funding needs and the government programs have not been able to provide funds, we can also point you toward other funding sources like grants from charitable foundations. If you're unsure where to start, we’re here to guide you through your options.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Adaptive Bicycle

When people first consider an adaptive bicycle, they often have similar concerns and questions. We've been helping riders for years, and these are the conversations we have almost daily. Let's address the most common questions we hear:

How is an adaptive bicycle different from a regular bike with training wheels?

This is probably the question we hear most, and it's a great one because it gets to the heart of what makes adaptive bicycles so special.

Training wheels are essentially a temporary learning tool designed for children. They're meant to be removed once a child learns to balance on two wheels. They typically have a weight limit of around 25kg and can be quite wobbly and unstable, especially on uneven surfaces.

Adult stabilisers are designed for adults or riders up to 80kg. These larger stabiliser wheels are fixed with special mounting plates so they can offer a supportive solution for riders on folding electric bikes or even larger format 2-wheeled bikes. We refer to these bikes as stabilised ebikes rather than trikes. Riders can always rely on the stabilisers as they are not intended to be removed when people develop skills, unless the rider has this potential. Many of our customers continue to ride with the assurance that the stabilisers will keep them safe and balanced. A stabilised bike is not as stable as a full adaptive or standard trike, but it might be the perfect hybrid for the rider to build confidence and start out on a positive riding experience.

Adaptive bicycles, particularly our adult trikes, are completely different. They are not standard bikes and trikes. These are purpose-built for people living with disability or with mobility issues. Stability is fundamental from the ground up. Some of our adaptive trikes can safely support riders over 150 kg or more, even when carrying cargo, while most adaptive trikes are designed for riders up to about 130 kg. They're engineered for long-term use with robust construction, comfortable seating, and features you'll never find on a bike with training wheels.

Can an adaptive bicycle be electric?

Absolutely, and this is where things get really exciting! Electric assistance has been a game-changer for adaptive cycling, opening up possibilities that simply didn't exist before.

Our electric adaptive bicycles—both e-bikes and e-trikes—use pedal-assist technology. This means the motor only kicks in when you're pedalling, giving you that extra boost exactly when you need it. You're still getting exercise and staying active, but hills become manageable, longer rides become possible, and managing fatigue becomes much easier. We even enable most of our riders to custom set the levels of power to suit their confidence and abilities but also the local hills around their neighbourhood. Imagine having the freedom to make sure the pedal assistance is perfect just for you!

For riders dealing with conditions that cause variable energy levels, electric assistance is incredibly freeing. You can start your ride feeling great, and if fatigue sets in, the motor is there to help you get home safely. It also means you can keep up with friends and family on group rides, turning cycling back into the social activity it should be. Electric pedal assistance is a true "leveller" - it doesn't matter how strong and fit you are, everyone rides together at a similar pace, because the pedal assistance doesn't operate over 25 km/hr anyway!

We focus on pedal-assist rather than throttle-only systems because we believe in the benefits of active movement. We tend to only supply throttles where there's a genuine safety need for people with disabilities or compromised mobility, ensuring all our bikes remain legal and road-compliant.

How do I know which type of adaptive bicycle is right for me?

We start with a chat—no pressure, no judgment. What’s day-to-day life like for you? Do you need extra balance support? Struggle with fatigue, joint pain, or coordination? We’ll listen and work out what kind of support makes the most sense for you.

Then we talk goals. Are you wanting to ride with your kids again? Keen to use cycling as gentle exercise or a bit of freedom after feeling stuck inside? Just want something safe and steady for weekend rides? Wanting an adventure and ready to explore rail trails and forest tracks? Whatever your reason, that’s our north star—it helps us figure out what features and setups will best suit you. Mostly we don't offer mountain bike options as the most adventurous of our customers tend to be trekking enthusiasts, not hard core trail riders!

Next: you’ve got to try it. Specs on paper are great, but nothing compares to getting on the bike and seeing how it feels. That’s why we offer test rides at our Brisbane workshop—and we’re working on making that more accessible across Australia too. We often bring our bikes and trikes nearer to you, so always call us just in case we are about to head in your direction, even when you are not in Brisbane.

We know the whole thing can feel a bit overwhelming at first. But you’re not in it alone! We’ve helped thousands of people find the bike that clicks and we’re here to do the same for you. We’ll answer every question, take it at your pace, and make sure it’s a bike that works with you.

Your Journey to Freedom, Independence and Fun Starts Here

At EveryBody eBikes, we believe in getting Every Body riding, whether you're looking to start riding, return to riding, or keep on riding as your needs evolve.

Because every rider is unique, a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't work. That's why we assemble, test-ride, and help you find the perfect fit for your needs and goals, drawing from the largest range of trikes in Australia and innovative eBikes designed for comfort, safety, and joy.

Your next great trip on wheels is just a conversation away. Explore our range of inclusive e-bikes and trikes and let's find the perfect ride that brings freedom, independence, and fun back into your life.

We’re also proud to once again partner with MS Queensland for this year’s Brissie to the Bay, helping more riders with neurological conditions experience the joy of this special event. Find out more about our involvement here.

Because at EveryBody eBikes, we believe cycling should be for every body—including yours.