Jodie - Mountain Trike, UK

After a hiatus of many years, I wanted to get back to something I’d really enjoyed doing when I was younger – music festivals. However, being a wheelchair-user now, I knew it would be a very different experience this time around. After a few years of struggling to get around festival sites in unsuitable wheelchairs, I eventually got myself a Mountain Trike and wow…what a difference! No more difficulties getting to certain areas due to the ground conditions or the weather, being stuck in the tent if it was too muddy or almost being tipped out of my wheelchair if I hit a small stone or bump in the grass. With my Mountain Trike, I can access whole festival sites, whether it be uphill/downhill, whether the terrain is flat, bumpy, grassy, stony or muddy. Propelling with levers, rather than wheel rims, keeps my hands mud-free too. I don’t need as much help either, usually managing all but the steepest hills by myself, which gives my husband a break. I no longer have to miss out on things in formerly difficult-to-reach areas, and have enjoyed festivals such as Bearded Theory, Beat Herder and our favourite, Green Man.

The Mountain Trike is often a conversation starter and gets noticed by other wheelchair users as well as non-wheelchair users, who are impressed by the engineering behind it.

The Mountain Trike is great for getting out and about in the countryside and woodlands; something I love to do. The shock absorbers take away the discomfort and difficulty of getting over tree roots, ground undulations and rocky terrain. It gets me to places that my everyday manual wheelchair can’t.

Following a recent test-drive of an eTrike (thanks to Roger), I’ve now ordered the MT eKit to upgrade my Mountain Trike with electric assist, and I’m really looking forward to getting out and about and exploring more places with that extra power behind me.