Help me afford an Adaptive Mountain Bike

Hi, My name is Matt and I am fundraising for an adaptive mountain bike called the Bowhead RX.

In my teens I would cycle everywhere, I had a nice bike which I worked hard to modify for my style of riding. I was particularly fond of mountain biking and my favorite place to go was painswick beacon . In 2008 I was enjoying another ride along the beacon, but that day I took a different route to normal and had a nasty accident where I fell 15 feet and broke my back, leaving me permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Despite what happened, it didnt deter me from my passion of cycling and in 2010 bought myself a low end manual handcycle. This was a basic handcycle, fine for cycling along the road, however the lack of a motor makes climbing hills tricky and it can be unstable on rougher terrain.

I have always loved getting into the great outdoors, especially being in the scouting movement from beavers and staying on as an adult to become a cub leader for the past 15 years. Whether its with my cub group, my family or even just on my own, being able to get into the countryside gives me a sense of freedom and adventure, but as you can imagine being in a wheelchair I am limited as to where and how far I can go. To be able to follow my cub group on their walks during summer camp and to be able to go out indepedently on various cycling trails would mean the world to me.

In a wheelchair the world feels limited, on a bike it feels virtually limitless.

This is where the Bowhead bike comes into play...

The Bowhead RX is an adaptive e-bike specifically designed to take on the varying terrain of mountain biking such as rocks and roots. It has an electric motor to provide varying levels of assistance, full suspension as well as being able to lean side to side for both turning and riding on side slopes with less risk of tipping over. It also has a large battery capacity allowing for many miles of riding without having to worry about running out of battery in the middle of a ride.

Unfortunately, as is the case with nealry all equipment for disabled people, it doesnt come cheap at around £12,000 and fiancing isn't available as its built in the USA. I know this is a lot to ask for and I can't exactly offer much in return, but any and all donations will help me towards my goal and are very much appreciated.

If you want to know more about my accident: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pAqGYPmVC08nDLLqTrNiahgymOxIRGv91KIAzS02fWo/edit?usp=sharing

Thankyou

Matt Lathan