Safety first.  How can a bike that tips over be safer than a trike?
 

It's a matter of speed and not much speed at that.  Below about 0.5 miles per hour (mph) a bike is unstable and hard to keep upright.  Between 0.5 and 1.5 mph a bike is stable but requires attention to balance.  Above about 1.5 mph a bike is stable and easily kept in balance.  Most of your biking will be done well above 1.5 mph and balance will not be a problem.

So what about starting and stopping?  Won't the bike tip over then?
 

Sure it will.  It will tip over onto the outriggers.  In the extended or down position the outriggers will let you tip just a little bit from side to side. The HandBike is very secure in this position.  With the outriggers in the retracted or up position, the HandBike will tip over about 30 degrees.  You won't fall out of the seat but will, at first, find this uncomfortable. Experienced riders can actually snap the bike back up on two wheels from this position.  The key is that you won't fall out of the HandBike when stopped or moving slowly with the outriggers in either the extended or retracted position.

A trike won't tip over either so why is a bike safer?
 

Trikes don't corner as well and the faster you ride the worse the trikes are at cornering.  Trikes with fixed front ends steer through frame articulation and have a very wide turning radius.  They are hard to turn around in the space of a residential street and impossible to turn around on a narrow bike path.  At even modest speeds a sharp corner can be tricky.  Traditional pivot steer trikes can turn sharper at low speeds but have the same steering problem at modest to high speeds.

Bikes have pivot steering also but most of the steering is accomplished by leaning into the turn and not by twisting the steering column.  With just two wheels the rider can lean very steeply into the turn.

So why not just slow down to turn?  Why is a bike safer?
 

Suppose a car pulls out in front of you, a big pothole suddenly appears, or you can't slow in time for a corner.  You need to both brake hard and steer sharp at the same time to remain in control.  It is OK to tip over onto the  detracted outriggers once you've come to a stop.  The important issue is avoiding a collision with good braking and agile steering.

Do you have better brakes too?
 

We offer the exclusive CamBrake on the HandBike.  By rotating the crank in reverse, the rear wheel caliper brake is activated.  You do not take your hands off the crank arms to operate the brake.  You can steer AND brake safely. Besides, braking via the rear wheel is safer and more efficient than braking via the front wheel.  A front caliper brake is also standard on the HandBike.

So a Bike is perfectly safe?
 

Obviously not.  Riding safely means having the necessary skill and experience to avoid hazardous situations.  The HandBike gives you a greater margin of safety. You still have a responsibility to ride with caution and prudence.

OK, OK enough lecture.  So why is a HandBike more fun?
 

It does take some skill to ride the HandBike you don't just sit in it like you would a trike.  That's what makes it fun.  If you rode a trike as a little kid you know how exciting riding a bike was.  Yeah it was a little bit scarier but once you mastered the balance thing and understood how speed helped you keep your balance, it was a new world.  The HandBike is a whole new world.

Is it easy to learn?
 

We provide detailed riding instructions and most new riders can get up on two wheels in less than two hours of practice.  Hey, don't go out on the highway yet!  Some practice is needed to ride safely.

Bike gears don't run backwards.  How do you backup?
 

The steering column rotates 180 degrees to the left.  Simply flip it around and crank backwards.  Trikes have long extended front steering columns like a chopped Harley motorcycle and won't turn around 180 degrees.  The HandBike can turn around in a 6 foot circle.  You would have to work very hard to get one stuck.

What about faster?  Doesn't that just depend on rider arm strength?
 

Hey everything else being equal, the rider with bigger arms and lungs will win. But that is the whole point; the HandBike makes it all so unequal.  First the HandBike comes in a racing version that weights less than 26 lbs. even with a chrome-moly frame.  That's light!  Second, the HandBike has less rolling resistance.  Our two high  pressure, narrow profile road tires are much more    efficient than the three tires of a trike.  Third, better braking and more agile cornering means faster speeds.  It won't be long before the best racers are competing on two wheels.

So where can I try one?
 

We might be able to refer you to a Handbike owner in your area and we will be demonstrating the bike at various shows and events.  We live in the Pacific Northwest so please stop in if you have a chance.  Unfortunately, we probably won't be getting down to Florida anytime soon.  A 30 day, no questions asked, money back offer lets you try the HandBike.  If you don't like it send it back.

You guys might lose your shorts with an offer like that!

Yeah!  Maybe your right.  But the HandBike is the best thing going.  We believe
in it.  We think you'll become a believer too.