Uphill struggle

Self-propulsion by levers means you no longer have to grip your wheelchair’s wheels. That’s cleaner – but does it work? David Bourroughs finds out

Having been an active wheelchair-user for over 15 years, I was given the opportunity to test what has been described as a revolutionary piece of equipment.

The NuDrive is a new lever-drive accessory aimed at providing more mobility to wheelchair-users, while reducing self-propelling by up to 40 per cent.

NuDrive has been designed to help you get around more easily – whether to the shops, at work or around the house.

When the idea of testing the NuDrive was put to me, I thought that anything that reduces the amount of self-propelling effort must be a good thing, particularly when you’re told it will reduce the energy you need to get up and down hills and slopes by almost half.

With NuDrive, you don’t propel your chair by gripping the wheels; instead, you propel yourself forwards, backwards, left and right, as well as braking, simply by pushing and pulling the levers.

The NuDrive is fitted by a technician attaching two adapters, one to each wheel. Once the adapters are in place, the drive units (levers) can be easily attached to (and removed from) the centre of each wheel.

Once the levers are attached, you grip each handle and push forwards. To go left or right you pull the left or right lever in, which causes that side to brake, and push forwards on both levers. I found going forwards great and manoeuvring left and right quite easy. I was now ready to try a hill.

When going up and down hills you have to remember not to pull the levers in and activate the brake. I couldn’t get to grips with this, as I have one arm that is slightly stronger than the other. But with a lot more practice, I would have got used to it.

Going downhill was easier, although I remember thinking that I was using more energy than normal because I couldn’t get used to the braking mechanism.

I also felt that I was no longer in control and that the wheelchair was guiding me instead of the other way round.

The big test of getting back up the hill was tough, even though I was sure I wasn’t holding the levers in, but I managed it in the end.

Because I have manual dexterity difficulties, I was also unable to take the drive units off, because you have to use your thumb and push a button.

At nearly £350, this is a hefty amount for little reward. Yes, on the flat, it’s great and it does improve hygiene. But going backwards and turning is difficult. If you struggle getting up and down hills, ask for a free, 21-day trial and test it out for yourself, but I won’t be buying one any time soon.

INFORMATION

The NuDrive costs £349. Visit www.nu-drive.com or tel 0845 0542 930