Customised golf carts

As golf carts are being used for many different reasons and now an everyday mode of transport it has become more and more popular for golf carts to be customized. It is a good way to grab attention when driving down the street. For people who can afford it, it is an excellent way to stay individual and be able to tell you golf cart apart from the rest. You will mostly see customised golf carts on private estates where the houses will sell for millions of pounds. As it is being seen more often you will be able to find many companies which will be able to customise your golf cart into any design you wish. There can be loads of special features added such doors, horns, windows and wheels. The customising of golf carts is becoming as popular as the customising of cars. If you can not afford to get your car customised this may make a cheaper alternative.

There are many owners that get fed up or want to trade in their golf cart for a newer model so they tend to sell the one that is no longer required. Second hand Custom golf carts for sale can fetch a lot more then the basic standard models. If you are lucky you will find a design you really like which can save you thousands of dollars getting one designed from scratch. The basic shop brought models will be white and look plastic whereas custom built and designed golf carts can look like anything you want. It is important that if you get the engine altered it is not altered to a faster speed. As most customised golf carts are to be street legal, keeping the set limit will be keeping on the correct side of the law.

If money is not an option a customise golf cart can make great gift for any man or woman. As golf carts are not restricted to a golf course a lot of fun can be had from driving them about. It can make taking the children to school a lot more fun.

New Sunnies Review

With summer coming I felt it was time to invest in a new pair of Cycling Sunglasses. The sun is stronger at this time of the year and my eyes are almost 50 years old. I remember an old cycle buddy I once rode with telling me that his two cataracts could be directly attributed to the amount of sun glare they absorbed during cycling on all those bright summer days in his mid forties.

With this in mind I started to do some research and the basic oakley type of glasses were highly recommended by my chums at the club but on investigation no one could really say for certain why they were the ones they had and it seems like they were just following each other like sheep. Back to the drawing board..

I spent some time online reading through all the cycle webs and it appeared that Polarized Sunglasses were going to be a better choice. They work differently to normal un-polarized sunglasses as the glare is simply bounced back off the lens and away from the eye. I read on that most of the top tour cyclist use these kind of glasses too and if it’s good enough for Lance and co then its got to be good enough for me too!!

With this in mind I moved onto phase three of my project and went and had a look and was surprised at the range of Polarized Sunglasses that are available. I decided to purchase a pair of Vector 99 P7007A at a modest £74.99..

Now where did I put that bike ???

International Cycling Union ( ICU )

In 2002, cycling for riders with a disability was fully integrated into the disciplines governed by the International Cycling Union. Cycling races for handicapped riders are now listed on its calendar, governed by its regulations and verified by its commissaires.

Two disciplines are open to this category of riders at present:

Track events:

- Tandem sprint race (men and women)

- Team sprint race (men) – 500 metre time trial (women)

- 1,000 metre time trial (men)

- Individual pursuit (men and women).

Road events:

- Individual time trials (men and women)

- In-line events (men and women)

The competitions comprise four groups of handicaps (blind and partially sighted riders, cerebral palsy sufferers, locomotor handicaps and hand cycle riders) and a total of 14 functional categories for men and women in all the age categories defined by the UCI. Riders are placed in the appropriate category in the light of their functional capacity which is assessed during a medical examination.

The main events are the World’s Championships (since 1994), the Paralympic Games, the Regional Championships, the Regional Cups and the National Championships.

Paralympic Games

Cycling was introduced as a Paralympic sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The Paralympic Games commenced in 1992 Barcelona following the signing of official agreements between the International Olympic Committee and the IPC. The Paralympic Games are now an obligatory part of any submission from a future Olympic bid city. They therefore benefit from the same organisational structure.

IPC Cycling

Following years of close collaboration between the International Cycling Committee (IPC) and UCI on 14 September 2006 at the Sport Forum of the IPC Cycling in Aigle, Switzerland, 25 of the 28 members attending voted in favour of a motion to the transfer of governance of IPC Cycling from IPC to the UCI, thus renaming the sport “Para-cycling”.

Paralympic cycling is not an adapted sport and the technical regulations of the UCI are used at all UCI and IPC Cycling competitions. There are specific UCI rules that allow for adaptations to cycles and equipment as necessary, for reasons of safety.

What is a handbike ?

A handcycle is a type of human powered land vehicle powered by the arms rather than the legs, as on a bicycle. Most handcycles are tricycle in form, with two coasting rear wheels and one steerable powered front wheel.

Many manufacturers have designed and released hand-powered recumbent trikes, or handcycles. Handcycles are a regular sight at HPV meets and are beginning to be seen on the streets. These usually follow a delta design with front wheels driven by standard derailleur gearing powered by hand cranks. Brake levers are usually mounted on the handholds which are usually set with no offset rather than the 180° of pedal cranks. The entire crank assembly and the front wheel turn together, allowing the rider to steer and crank simultaneously.

Thanks to modern technology, handcycles come in a variety of styles, making them accessible to people of all abilities, including many persons with disabilities. There are also hybrids between a handcycle, a recumbent bike and a tricycle.

Fork steer handcycles represent the majority of handcycles sold. They work well for both low and high-level injuries, and most have adjustable footrests, seat angle, and come with a variety of gearing, wheel and tire configurations depending on intended use: racing, recreation or touring. Manufacturers of this type of handcycle include Invacare (Top End), Intrepid Equipment, Varna, Schmicking and Sunrise Medical (Quickie).

Lean steer handcycles are another type of handcycle. In this type of handcycle the rider leans into the turn to steer. There is a longer learning curve with lean steer handcycles, and they are significantly less stable at high speed. The lean steer system feels similar to mono skiing: using your whole body to steer the handcycle. Lean steer handcycles can work well for lower-level injuries; although, some athletes with high-level disability use them as well. Manufacturers of this type of handcycle include Lighting Handcycles and Brike International Ltd. (Freedom Ryder).

Hand trike

Another type of lean steer hand trike has two steering rear wheels and one non-steerable, powered front wheel with handholds offset at 180°, similar to pedal cranks, that can be operated with only one hand, thus making it easy to ride on an up-hill, and it can be ridden in a tighter curve with the automatic rear wheels steering system.

An “off road” handcycle, designed in the Netherlands

The “off road” handcycle is a third type of handcycle. This handcycle is different from other handcycles in that there are two wheels in front and one behind, and it has a high gear ratio range. This gives the cycle the ability to tackle steep slopes and permits handcycle “mountain biking.” The addition of a fatter tyre with suitable tread makes some mountain biking possible on standard road bikes.

Handcycles have also been used for touring, and to better accommodate this interest some manufacturers incorporate mudguards and pannier cargo racks. As handcycles have evolved they have become progressively lighter, and they have better gearing for long climbs and long distance touring.

Handcycling is a great upper body workout and can provide a great sense of freedom for persons with disabilities. While the high cost of these cycles means that they are still relatively rare, they continue to grow in popularity