Tricycle
Object number2024.45.1
Manufacturer
Top End Sports, LLC
Manufacturer
Corima
Manufacturer
Sun Rims
Manufacturer
Panaracer
Datec. 2009
OriginFrance
MediumMetal; Rubber; Foam; Fabric; Nylon; Velcro; Plastic; Paper; Ink; Adhesive; Electronics
Credit LineGift of Rory Cooper
DescriptionYellow and black handcycle. Recumbent hand-powered tricycle has yellow metal frame with black details and text. Two wheels in the rear and one wheel in the front; each wheel has black rubber tire and silver metal spokes; rear wheels are slanted inward at the top. Hand-operated pedals with connected gears are above/in front of black foam seat and back cushions; brake control and gear shift are on proper right handcycle pedal arm. Black fabric (nylon?) foot slings flank front wheel. Back of frame has red plastic reflector zip-tied to center. Below handcycle mechanism is small bike computer. Stickers applied to frame and back of back cushion.DimensionsHeight x Width x Length: 24.5 x 27.25 x 82.75 in. (62.2 x 69.2 x 210.2 cm)InscriptionsBlack stickers on frame above/behind front wheel has yellow text “ARMY / STRONG. / ARMY”.
Sticker on the back frame between the back wheels has blue and red text below a flag “PVA / PARALYZED VETERANS / OF AMERICA / Proud Member”.
Sticker on the back of the back cushion has white text “U.S. ARMY”.
Red reflector on the horizontal frame member at the back of the handcycle between the back two wheels has white text “UPMC HEALTH PLAN”.
MarksFrame beneath back cushion has black text on both sides “TOP END / force”.
Front tire has text on both sides including “CORIMA AERO”, “CORIMA / MADE IN FRANCE”, “WARNING! …”, and “AE941271”.
Brake mechanism over front wheel/tire has black text “SHIMANO / ULTEGRA”.
Computerized device beneath handcycle controls has text on the front at bottom “elite / MODE” and on the proper left side “turbo”.
Each back tire’s central hub has black sticker with red and yellow text “SUNRIMS / DESIGNED IN THE USA”.
Each back tire’s rim has sticker with red and white text “SUN / RIMS / DESIGNED IN THE USA / M14A / 6061 alloy – 571 x 18.9mm / SUN / RIMS / DESIGNED IN THE USA”.
Back tires have text on side "Panaracer Stradius Elite 26x7/8 / 23-571".
Historical NotesThis handcycle was used by Rory A. Cooper when he won the 2009 P3R Pittsburgh Marathon. Label TextDr. Rory Cooper, a bronze medalist in the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games 4x400 wheelchair relay and captain of a U.S. National team, has competed in every Pittsburgh Marathon since the inception of the race. He also implemented the handcycle assistance team--H-CAT--for the race, which supports racers’ medical and non-medical needs. A multisport athlete, Cooper has amassed more than 200 medals at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. While serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1980, a bicycle accident left Cooper paralyzed from the waist down. After returning home to recuperate, he enrolled at California Polytechnic State University. Frustrated by the weight and lack of mobility of his 80-pound wheelchair, Cooper modified it in his family’s automotive workshop. As he pursued an undergraduate, then master’s degree, in electrical engineering, Cooper’s interest in adaptive technology grew. With a PhD in electrical and computer engineering, innovating in that field became his life’s work. Dr. Cooper founded the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) at the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. He has directed the efforts to research, prototype, design, and share adaptive technologies that improve the health, mobility, and social inclusion of people with disabilities and older adults. Dr. Cooper, who holds more than two dozen patents, has received numerous awards recognizing his innovative work including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Biden in 2023, and has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame®.
Previous owner
Dr. Rory A. Cooper
(born 1959)
Related institution
P3R
Related institution
United States Army
Related institution
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Related institution
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Related institution
Human Engineering Research Laboratories
On View
Not on view
1900-1905
Moviola Manufacturing Company