The GRIT Freedom Chair is an all-terrain wheelchair utilized by hundreds of riders and organizations around the globe, partially as a result of it’s a powerful chair designed, examined, and confirmed to face up to a number of the hardest rides attainable. Right this moment, GRIT Freedom Chairs are the go-to all-terrain wheelchair for parks and cities enhancing their accessibility. adaptive sports activities organizations happening steep mountain ascents, and for on a regular basis wheelchair customers trying to keep match and lively. However what makes the GRIT Freedom Chair so powerful? However what makes the GRIT Freedom Chair so powerful?
Why Make a Stronger Wheelchair?
Sadly, most wheelchairs should not designed to navigate tough terrains like grass, gravel, filth, mud, snow, sand, or something too dissimilar to pavement or concrete. Getting via these terrains may be brutal on each the rider and the wheelchair—a lot in order that many wheelchair customers have a group of damaged components and items from the tools that didn’t fairly make it.
When the mechanical engineers at MIT discovered this, they banded collectively to make a greater wheelchair. To study what higher actually meant, the staff traveled around the globe to interview wheelchair customers in a number of the most distant areas of the world. Wheelchair customers in these areas had been usually unable to depart their houses—their tools merely couldn’t deal with the setting. After years of area analysis, early engineering and prototyping on the MIT laboratory, and numerous hours studying with wheelchair customers, they created the GRIT Freedom Chair used across the globe at the moment.
Learn on to study extra about what makes the GRIT Freedom Chair the go-to all-terrain wheelchair for the large, the robust, and the outright gritty.
“This factor is STURDY! It’s constructed to take extra abuse than I’ve managed to throw at it. Sure, it’s heavier than a daily-use chair, however can you are taking your every day chair over rocks? via mud? On a seashore?”
—Cristin P.
Power on the Core
On the coronary heart of the GRIT Freedom Chair is its zinc-chromated metal body, which offers higher resistance to impression and put on than the aluminum sometimes utilized in on a regular basis wheelchairs. Examined within the hardest situations for wheelchairs, from rocky trails to sandy seashores, the Freedom Chair’s sturdy body permits it to face up to the acute forces of off-road environments. The GRIT Freedom Chair has demonstrated its sturdiness throughout a many terrains, together with impediment programs, mountain peaks, and sandy dunes.
Full-sized GRIT Freedom Chairs are available in a number of seat widths to accommodate numerous sorts of riders. GRIT presents these fashions with a steep weight capability of 300 kilos and a two-year guarantee in opposition to damages. GRIT can be creating a bariatric mannequin that may settle for wider and heavier riders than ever earlier than.
Propulsion for All-Terrain Efficiency
One of many key options of the GRIT Freedom Chair is its lever-propulsion system, which delivers superior management and effectivity for the rider. This method, which makes the Freedom Chair twice as bodily environment friendly as customary wheelchairs, works through the precept of mechanical leverage. The rider pushes the levers to propel the chair ahead, offering considerably extra energy than conventional wheelchair push rims. This design helps preserve power, making it very best for lengthy outside treks.
An important a part of the GRIT Freedom Chair’s off-road functionality is its specialised tires, that are geared up with thick, knobby treads for optimum traction. These mountain bike tires allow the chair to journey over free surfaces like sand, snow, and gravel with out sinking or getting caught. Moreover, its third wheel helps with directional stability, conserving the chair from tipping on uneven floor or steep inclines.
Impediment Course Races: Making Robust More durable
GRIT labored with Spartan Race to create the very first Para-Spartan Race Collection, through which adaptive athletes compete via 5-mile impediment course races (OCRs). These races are designed to check every kind of athletes, and infrequently characteristic steep inclines/declines, muddy traverses, difficult obstacles; additionally it is not unusual for OCRs to proceed via blizzards, scorching desert days, and all the things in between. For sure, any wheelchair utilized in an OCR must be prepared for this brutal sequence of exams.
To higher put together the GRIT Freedom Chairs for this sort of brutal occasion, GRIT strengthened the seatpan and body of the chair, redesigned the fork to endure high-speed impression and be simpler to maneuver, added rope mounts for pull help, included a hyper-responsive drivetrain, and up to date the design of the levers.
Whereas these reinforcements had been initially meant for simply the OCR mannequin of the GRIT Freedom Chair, GRIT has since integrated them into each mannequin. Right this moment, all GRIT Freedom Chairs are higher suited than ever for tough rides, powerful exercises, and the athletes who pursue them. We even carried these identical modifications over to the GRIT Junior, so younger riders and their households can benefit from these advantages, too.
“This chair is wonderful! A lot enjoyable to have the ability to journey completely different path varieties. The chair is sturdy and I really feel snug and protected.”
—Robert B.
Power and Versatility: A Essential Pair
When designing and engineering the Freedom Chair, GRIT requested: What good is energy with out versatility? An outright “tank” of a wheelchair may do superb on a path, but when there’s no cheap option to get to the path with the chair, there’s a major problem. Wheelchair customers want to have the ability to transport their chairs to the trailhead, so GRIT Freedom Chairs are constructed with this in thoughts. Click on right here to see a video of a rider disassembling her GRIT Freedom Chair in fewer than 40 seconds.
Transporting a GRIT Freedom Chair doesn’t require a trailer or a multi-person staff—most riders put their chairs proper within the trunk of their vehicles, giving them loads of room for different provides, mates/household, and the liberty of with the ability to get to the path, usually independently.
The GRIT chair, like its riders, can be versatile in that it could actually do every kind of adventures. For instance, many GRIT Freedom Chair riders are solely concerned about using on the road or sidewalk (whether or not in organized races or common exercises beginning at their entrance door). Using on the road or pavement is kind of a bit completely different than using on a path—there’s much less threat of difficult terrain like rocks and roots, however an elevated significance of pace, drivetrain responsiveness, and the mitigation of rolling resistance.
As a result of the GRIT Freedom Chair makes use of off-the-shelf mountain bike components, it’s straightforward to swap out chainrings, drivetrain assemblies, and even rear tires and wheels so you may make certain each push is environment friendly (and enjoyable), even on the pavement.
Upkeep & Restore
Whether or not you’re using a mountain bike, a GRIT Freedom Chair, or one other piece of all-terrain tools, injury can occur. Nevertheless, upkeep and repairs of this tools shouldn’t severely impression your using. A flat tire or chain or clamp ought to by no means forestall somebody from getting exterior.
Because of this we designed the GRIT Freedom Chair to be serviced by any native bike store. All the shifting components on the Freedom Chair are off-the-shelf mountain bike components, so riders can get the components and help they want via the bike store down the highway. Riders can after all order alternative components via GRIT, too, however a motorbike store will usually have all the things a rider wants.
In Conclusion
The GRIT Freedom Chair is extra than simply an all-terrain wheelchair; it’s a logo of resilience and energy. Whether or not it’s navigating on a regular basis obstacles or embarking on grand adventures, the GRIT Freedom Chair proves that accessibility shouldn’t restrict exploration. It presents a strong, well-engineered resolution for individuals who search to reclaim their independence and discover the world round them. Eager about speaking to actual GRIT riders about their expertise? Come on all the way down to Past the Pavement and ask the group!
