Wooden Hand Rims for Wheelchairs - Lignorim

Hardwood Rims in Colors

Wooden hand rims - push rims - are new to contemporary wheelchairs. Lignorim - the manufacturer of this product - specifies these rims as follows.

• Made from Ash wood
• Tab mounted via 6 tabs
• Approximately 0.9 pounds per 24" rim

The idea of wheelchair hand rims made from wood is certainly not a new idea - it dates back to at least the 18th century. Present day chairs; however, typically employ metal and/or polymer materials for rims. While Lignorims are a bit heavier than hollow aluminum and titanium rims, the laminar hardwood approach does offer some advantages.

For example, these ash wood rims are substantially less thermally conductive than bare metal rims. Wood feels warmer to the touch than does bare metal. That can be an advantage when using wood push rims in cold weather. The reverse is also true though, a long-lasting high-friction downhill braking grip will result in a hotter hand than would occur if a bare metal hand rim were being used in the exact same scenario.

Then there's the coefficient of friction (to use the engineering term) difference between wood and bare metal hand rims. When wet during; for example, an outing in the rain, these wooden hand rims are not as slippery as a bare metal counterpart in the exact same scenario.

Lignorim's color options are; from left to right in the accompanying image, Natural, Dark, Intense Black, Dragonfruit, Veggie, Poppy, Piglet, Sunset, and Lagoon. Note that these hand rims are tab mounted, so if your wheels do not accommodate tab mounts, then this product will not work on your wheels.