THE DEVELOPING COUNTRY HANDCYCLE

Here is what it is not:

- It is not me making a cheaper version of the bike to send to developing countries.
- It is not having them made and sold overseas for developing countries.
- It is not about me traveling the world to show people how to make it.

All of the above, since they involve me, are very limited in scope and only helpful to a small number of people. 

Here is what it is:

- It was made to use as a tool to help other people make their own. 
- It is about finding a motivated individual who wants to make one for his/her own use.
- I can provide assistance using plans and video footage. (see below)



- It is an easier/cheaper to build version.
For example we hope to show how one can be built using a hack saw instead of a band saw, a file instead of a milling machine, a regular bicycle wheel instead of the $130. custom front hubs, using dry wall buckets to make the seat support because they are almost everywhere and cost very little.

- The  DC bike is utilitarian, not recreational like the one we have been building.
Of course it can be both, but the DC one has front and rear racks for carrying water ,firewood, or even people.

What I want:

I would love to get video footage of the bike being made and used. I think this footage would be a useful tool to help spread the word.

It would be great to see more people making and using my design where it is truly needed, i.e. places with unpaved roads where a regular wheelchair would struggle. There is also the potential for more disabled folks to become more mobile even those with very few resources. There are thousands of handcycles in the world. Some say there are just as many wheelchairs as handcycles. This is because wheelchairs aren't very useful on rough terrain. Click on these links to see the handcycles being built of the following design.
> Cairo Hancycle and Bread Bike
> India Hancycle
Maybe these folks would be happier in a One-Off copy. 

Why are we doing this?

The original name for the first prototype of my handcycle was "The Afghanistan model" because in 1989, when the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, I heard on the news that there were multiple thousands of new double amputees who "need a wheelchair". When I heard that, I thought, " With the rough terrain there, a wheelchair won't be much use, they need an off-road handcycle."

So far, all we have are videos to open source the steering geometry and some of the details.
We can see that the videos have been viewed, but we don't know of any efforts to actually use them to make a bike.
 We are looking for even just one individual in a developing country who would like to make one and has access to a support crew to help. We are ready to communicate via e-mail, videos, etc. in case we can be of help.