People Were So Amazed By This Off-Road “Wheelchair” This Man Designed For His Wife, He Started Mass-Producing Them

Back in 2018, YouTuber and tech reviewer Zack Nelson built a one of a kind motorized off-road wheelchair for his then-girlfriend Cambry by splicing together two electric bikes. The unique bike allowed the woman to go to places where she never even dreamed of going in a regular wheelchair and has introduced her to a new level of freedom. And now, a little over a year later, Zack has significantly improved the design and has started mass-producing these off-road wheelchairs in a project called Not-a-Wheelchair.

Image credits: zacksjerryrig

The couple recently shared an introduction video for the off-roader

The couple says that when choosing an adaptive off-roader, there’s little to choose from and they’re extremely expensive, sometimes costing as much as a car. This fact inspired them to build something that is both quick and long range – although it wasn’t so easy. “The toughest challenge when developing ‘Not-A-Wheelchair’ is the price,” said Zack in a recent interview with Bored Panda. They wanted to create something that is affordable for everyone but finding quality components and a simple enough design at the cheapest price possible took some work. “But I think we have something now that everyone will be able to enjoy, at a fraction of the cost of other ‘off-road wheelchairs’ currently on the market,” said Zack.

Image credits: notawheelchair

Cambry still uses a regular wheelchair to get around every day, and uses The Rig when the couple goes hiking. Zack says that The Rig is quiet and they can all talk when she’s riding next to the group.

“We have taken The Rig to Hawaii twice for testing. The bike has to be shipped with a freight company before we go, but we ship The Rig about a week before we fly out ourselves, and it’s waiting there for us when we arrive,” explained Zack. “All this travel was before COVID was a thing. Luckily, we also live near mountains and snow with long wide flat trails to try the bike out on.”

Zack warns that in essence, Not-a-Wheelchair is still just a bike that requires regular maintenance am is not a “fine-tuned, polished, medical device”. But even despite that, the couple hopes that everyone will enjoy The Rig as much as Cambry does.

Not-a-Wheelchair is an electric adaptive off-roader

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The bike can reach speeds of up to 12mph

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The Rig has a range of 10-20 miles with a single battery, and 25-35 miles with two

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The couple says that their goal is to “provide something that is capable and affordable”

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The Rig has a rear rack mounting system so you can attach wheelchairs, coolers, and camping gear

Image credits: notawheelchair

The off-roader is built using bike parts, meaning that maintenance and repairs are relatively easy

Image credits: notawheelchair

The Rig has an aluminum frame, a detachable bumper, and four-inch off-road bike tires

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The Not-a-Wheelchair is 5 ft long and 32 in wide without the bumper

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

This means that it can easily fit  in shortbed pickups and wagons

Image credits: JerryRigEverything JerryRigEverything

As The Rig is pretty narrow, it can get through most doorways

Image credits: notawheelchair

It handles rough terrain with relative ease

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Although it can lose grip on sand and snow, much like a regular bike

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

The weight limit of The Rig is 225lb

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

You can also purchase the base model with no suspension and one battery for $3,750

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: JerryRigEverything

Image credits: notawheelchair

Image credits: notawheelchair

Image credits: cambrykay

People loved this nimble off-roader