Celebrating 10 Years of Loopwheels for Wheelchairs!
Ten years on from launching Loopwheels for wheelchairs, our business and global reach is expanding so we can help more people get to more places more comfortably and easily! Thanks to all our customers and backers, and to the wonderful Loopwhels team past and present for bringing shock-absorbing Loopwheels to the world!
Independent Pittsburgh Uni study concludes Loopwheels can improve health and comfort
A second, longitudinal study found that participants using Loopwheels reported less pain and a smoother ride. It concluded that by reducing shock and vibrations, Loopwheels can improve both comfort and health for wheelchair users. Find out more here.
Lacquered, iridescent springs for Urbans and Extremes
At Rehacare 2024, we first showed 3 new gorgeous iridescent colour options on our Urban and Extreme springs: Crimson Red, Ocean Blue and Midnight Purple (from left to right).
Classics discontinued
We announced that the first generation of Loopwheels would be discontinued at the end of 2024, as they were now less than 15% of our total production. Customers prefer the sleeker lines , lighter weight and and better performance of Loopwheels 2 over the Classic design.
A completely independent study proves Loopwheels reduce shock and vibration!
Publication of a study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the USA found that using Loopwheels in-wheel suspension on wheelchairs significantly reduced vibration and shocks compared with other wheels. Find out more here.
Loopwheels LT
New in 2023 is the LT: our softest suspension, for customers who weigh between 40 and 60kg, or those who simply prefer a softer suspension. In black, or black with lime green anodised highlights.
Crash Test passed
Loopwheels are tested for seated use in a vehicle. This is the standard road safety test for a vehicle passenger to remain seated in a correctly tethered wheelchair fitted with Loopwheels. (Transferring into the vehicle seat is always recommended for long journeys and high speed).
Loopwheels Urban and Extreme colour options
Loopwheels Urban and Extreme available with blue, red or purple anodised hubs and rim hinges, as well as the standard black. Major eye-candy!
Loopwheels Co-founder Gemma Pearce awarded a CBE
It was announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2022 that Loopwheels Co-Founder Gemma had been awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to Innovation and Diversity. The award was presented by HRH the Prince of Wales on 7 March 2023.
The Loopwheels team 2020
This photo is our small team of 6, in March 2020 (we were missing our marketing director Ian that day). Less than two weeks later, the Covid 19 pandemic hit the UK, and life took a strange turn for so many people and businesses.
Launch of our second generation wheelchair Loopwheels, Urban and Extreme!
We began developing and testing the second generation of Loopwheels for wheelchairs in 2019. The first of these wheels were shipped to customers in February 2020. These are the Loopwheels we make today: lighter than the Loopwheels Classics, and designed specifically for use with power devices as well as manual propulsion.
Loopwheels Carbon
All Loopwheels springs have always been made from carbon but the carbon wasn’t visible in our first wheels. We introduced the model Loopwheels Carbon in 2019 as stiffer spring than the Loopwheels Classic, with improved lateral stability and a gorgeous carbon finish. It was an evolution of our original wheelchair wheel design, but not as revolutionary as the 2020 second generation of Loopwheels.
So what’s the problem with vibration?
In a survey in 2017, customers told us they felt that Loopwheels reduced vibration, fatigue and pain. We’d designed Loopwheels to help get over obstacles – but we soon realised they do a lot more! We learned about the ISO standard on Human Body Vibration – ISO 2631. It is used to test and measure the effect of vibration on the human body and allow assessment of the injuries risk for workers, exposed to constant vibration.
Promo video for Loopwheels Classics
We made a promo video in our local Newark area. Sherwood Pines is where Loopwheels inventor Sam did many miles testing Loopwheels off-road, around the Red Route MTB trail!
No more 20″ wheels
By early 2017 we stopped making wheels for bikes and trikes. As a tiny company, we needed to focus on excelling at one thing, and it was already clear that our wheelchair wheels were what more people wanted most.
Loopwheels becomes the UK distributor for CarboLife push rims
We started our partnership with CarboLife Technologies to provide better push rims with Loopwheels in 2016. These ergonomic hand rims are designed to suit every size, hand strength and grip function.
Classics introduced in COLOUR in 2016
The international trade fair for Rehab and self-determined living REHACARE in 2015 showed the first Loopwheels in bright colours, not just black. Because so much disability equipment at that time just came in black, our colourful stand made a good impression.
Designs of the Year 2015, Naidex Best in Show and Innovation showcase in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2015 we were really proud to be nominated and shortlisted for the Design Museum London’s Designs of the Year.
We won the “Best in Show” award at the UK Mobility products show Naidex, our UK launch for our Loopwheels for wheelchairs!
The same year, our wheels were chosen to be part of a UK Trade Mission to Japan, showcasing British innovation. The campaign title was BRITAIN IS GREAT, INNOVATION IS GREAT!
Loopwheels Classics: our first Loopwheels for wheelchairs
People who use a wheelchair began asking us if we could make Loopwheels for wheelchairs, right from the first launch of our bike Loopwheels.
People told us they NEEDED Loopwheels on wheelchairs to help them get over obstacles such as kerbs. So we set about experimenting again with different designs and materials, and the first Loopwheels for wheelchairs were born in 2015. This was our first generation of wheelchairs for Loopwheels, which we now call “Loopwheels Classic”.
Trike wheels
We added 20 inch wheels for recumbent trikes in 2014, within a year of launching the commuter bike wheels. We stopped production by late 2016.
The first ever Loopwheel shows in public – at the Bristol bike show Bespoked!
The first ever Loopwheels were small wheels for folding commuter bikes. We were just two people in the company, Sam and Gemma, when we launched these in Bristol at the hand-made bike show Bespoked, and started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to get these first wheels into production. 173 backers pledged £61,217 to help bring this project to life, and we are grateful to all of them for their support.
We continued making 20 inch wheels until early 2016. This image is courtesy of Bristol-based Samantha Gilraine Photography.
Reinventing the Wheel? Really?
People laughed at the idea of reinventing the wheel. Here is an early rough by cartoonist Neil Bennett (NB) from ideas he sketched for us for our Kickstarter rewards. Loopwheels were always design for a smoother ride!
Why reinvent the wheel? Were we the first?
1917 is the date of the earliest patent we found for a wheel with integral suspension. People have long wanted to put suspension or springs inside a wheel to reduce jolting, vibration and discomfort.
Back in the early 20th century, the right materials just didn’t exist to enable these designs to be made into real-life wheels that worked effectively.
With the Loopwheel, we came up with a design AND the right materials to work effectively.
