Lasher ATH

The Lasher ATH is here!  Bill Lasher and his team have done an amazing job of getting this bike built and shipped very fast.  In not even three weeks the bike was at my front door.  When I opened the box I could see that there was some work to be done before I could saddle up.    

The first step was getting the fork attached to the frame of the bike.  This was a little challenging but with the help of my friend, we got it done.  I think anybody would need a second set of hands to accomplish this.  Everything else was pretty simple it just took some time.  It took my friend and me about 2 hours to put the bike together.

The next step was getting the bike fit for me.  This took a few hours, but I will say that this was my first time setting up a hand cycle.  Once I had it mostly fitted I got to take it out for its first ride.

I rode about 15 miles on the ATH.  I will say it’s a lot different than the Top End Force R that I was training on before, but that was to be expected.  The first thing that I noticed was how much more of my trunk I use for every pedal.  On the Force R I am so reclined that I am really only using my arms and shoulders.  I could feel all the other muscles in my sides and back firing every time I pedaled.  It felt amazing and I know that this bike will strengthen the areas of my trunk that are working. 

The next thing that I noticed was how much more clearance the ATH has.  The Force R only has about three inches ground clearance, the ATH has about 6 inches.  You would be amazed at how much the extra clearance helps, not to mention how much more you can see.  There are some curb cut outs that the Force R bottoms out on but the ATH tackled them with no problem 

The gearing on the ATH was the next big change.  Since this is a mountain hand cycle it is designed for going up a lot steeper hills.  There are plenty of big hills around my house here in St.Paul, MN.  When riding the Force R I would have to put the gears in there lightest setting, and some of the steeper hills would still be very hard to climb.  On the ATH I found myself having three or even four more gears while climbing the same hills.  This gave me a huge boost of confidence for what the Going to the Sun Road has to offer.  I do have a slower average on the ATH but that is the difference of going from a road hand cycle to a mountain hand cycle.

The last big change that I noticed was me wanting to get off the pavement.  Everything in my life right now is designed for the road.  The ATH is meant for the dirt, and for me that means back country.  After my ride in Glacier National Park is completed my next goal is a night of back country camping with Amy.  I think the ATH will do the trick.

All in all the Lasher ATH is exactly what I am looking for and I am really happy with it.  The next review will be about the ATH on trail.