Mono-Mano Cycling - an organisation on a mission!

Theres' nothing more refreshing than coming across an organisation trying to make a positive change to the life's of others. The guys at Mono Mano are on a mission to help individuals with unilateral weakness participate in the sport of cycling, opening a new avenue to physical activity. 
The MonoMano control system is a detachable and adjustable handlebar that allows complete control of a recumbent tricycle with the use of only one hand.  The attachment allows users to steer, brake, and shift gears easily, intuitively and effectively with the use of a single fully functional arm.  An aluminum handlebar clamps to the crossbar of the existing handlebar.  On the new handle, a rubber grip is centrally placed for the hand.  On either side of the rubber grip is a twist shifter, allowing the rider to control both front and rear derailleurs without removing his hand from the control system.  Above the grip is a single brake lever that activates both front and rear brakes when compressed.
We were fortunate enough to grab a few minutes with one of Momo Mamo's co-founders David Narrow. Read on after the jump. Please retweet and support these guys, it's an amazing project with a great moral objective behind.  
Follow @MonoManoCycling and support on FacebookWhat is this project about?

Today, in the U.S. alone, more than 7M people live with some form of unilateral weakness. Each year this number grows by half a million people. The majority of folks are either stroke survivors or amputees who have lost the ability to participate in common physical activities such as cycling. MonoMano was started to help these people regain the level of autonomy they once had. To do this we have created a detachable and adjustable one-handed control system that can be installed onto most cycles for riders who have the use of only one arm.

How does the device work?

To ensure the ease of one-handed use, we have designed all controls to mimic those currently existing on most standard bicycles. For steering, our device clamps onto the existing steering handlebar and allows users to control the bike from a centralized location, where a rubber handgrip is positioned for comfort. This means that the front wheel will be steered in the same manner as any standard cycle. For braking, we have outfitted our device with an adapted brake lever that simultaneously activates the front and rear brakes with the depression of the single lever. For gear shifting, we have incorporated two commercially available twist-shifters, in use on most mountain bikes, and oriented them in a manner such that the user can comfortably control both sets of gears without moving his/her hand.

How is the device installed?
To install or remove our device from the tricycle, the only tool necessary is a Phillips head screwdriver. The gear system can be switched between our one-handed and the original two-handed system quickly, by using a turnbuckle junction system that we have created. The brakes can be switched between the two systems by pulling the cables out of the existing levers and attaching them into our integrated lever, or vice versa. Finally, the handlebar can be removed loosening the clamp that secures our system onto the existing handlebars with a screwdriver. To further ease the installation and/or removable process, we have created a detailed user manual with our device. All together, either process should only require 5-10 minutes to complete.

The device has received stellar feedback from stroke survivors and able-bodied individuals alike, which has motivated Team MonoMano to provide this one-handed cycling system to all of those who need it.
MonoMano is passionate about developing affordable adaptive technologies for individuals with unilateral weakness, and they want to know what YOU want to see them develop next!  If you have an idea for something you would like to the guys develop next, email them your idea at contact@monomanocycling.com. Use the subject line “What’s next”. 
Learn more at http://www.monomanocycling.com/