GRANT ALLEN: Here Comes the Bowhead Revolution

Words and Photos: Jack Fletcher

Every now and then a new bike, or a new technology comes along that completely revolutionises the sport. These days however, it's mostly marketing spin, although both the Trinity V4 and Vasstech Veli featured in this issue are pretty interesting. The Bowhead Reach however, is a complete game changer for adaptive mountain biking.

Imagine this, you're at the top of your game, you’ve competed at Red Bull Rampage and the world is at your fingertips. You are one of the best freeride mountain bikers in the world. Then you're not. A life changing accident leaves you with no use of your legs and you're confined to a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Your whole identity is gone, everything you thought you were, and planned to be, has changed. This is the reality for Grant Allen.

Grant being Grant, he just re-invented himself into a Paralympic rider. Taking on the world with the most amazing positivity, as self-pity goes nowhere. In 2020 the guys at Trek built him a two wheel sit in, eclectic Downhill bike. He was back, kinda.

'I guess the big thing with the two wheel bike was that there were some aspects of it that were great,' explains Grant. 'But for the most part, it kind of was really a deathtrap, you couldn't really go out and ride it on your own. You know, you need mates, you needed people to help you and people to spot you. And if you fall, like tipped over, you needed at least two people to sort of get you back up. Or if you're on your own, then you're really screwed.'

'I can remember being out on it riding with my kids and having the gears jamming and falling off and literally having to climb up a tree, to then have the kids hold it so I can get back in it. And I managed to do it and everything but it's just like, you know, like 99 people out of 100 wouldn't be able to do it.'

And here lies the biggest problem up until now; it takes a team to just go ride basic singletrack. For most of us mountain biking is an escape. That after work hack or weekend mission into the bush is what keeps us sane. We can just jump on our bikes on our own or meet up with a bunch of mates and ride our own pace. Adaptive riders don’t have this option, and it's just another thing in the list that they “used to do”.

'The Bowhead bike, anyone can basically take the bike out on their own, load it independently onto a rack or into the back of a car or van and things like that, and go out to a riding spot or ride it from home unsupported without having their friends or people to help them.'

'You can just do everything independently and it's incredibly social. The fact that I can go out and ride with mates and you're just part of it like you're not feeling like a handbrake or a burden or anything because you're looking for a spot to lean and stop because your biks only has two wheels and you can't put your feet down. You've got to find a fence or a tree to lean against that, hopefully won't tip over. The big thing with it is the ability to be able to do what you want on your own terms, and be actively involved, just part of the group without being a burden, really. So it's cool.'

So what is it about the Bowhead Reach that has changed the game? Why this bike?

'The big thing with the Bowhead bikes that sets it apart from anything else and makes it the only bike to have, the class leader, the pinnacle of the sport and the best piece of equipment out there is the articulation of the front end of the bike. The bike can basically lean and articulate through the two front wheels and then the single rear wheel follows. With that articulation, it allows you to lean the bike over or ride on like a 27 degree slope without it tipping over or anything like that. So it allows you to be able to ride on the side of a hill or on slow uneven or off camber trail and still stay upright' 

This is a huge step for capability for adaptive bikes, meaning the performance window can suit a lot more trails – ones that aren't flat and smooth.

'None of the other bikes have that sort of functionality or feature. And the biggest issue with other bikes not being able to lean or tilt is that the rider is stuck sort of in the middle and then you literally just tip over, you can't stay upright. Also with the bowhead bikes they are just over 720mm wide. So, you know, it's under the width of a handlebar of a modern mountain bike. So riding on any trail is easy.'

Having watched Grant tear around our local trails terrorising the local groms and hitting A lines faster and smoother than 95% of riders here, the thing that stands out for me, above the ability to be completely independent, is the way the bike rides. It's no longer a modified downhill bike, a worse version of a sport he once loved. The Bowhead is a sport in itself, the thing rips. Grant is no longer limited by his disability, the only limiting factor is how hard he wants to go. Which in Grant's case, is pretty damn hard!

'I was out with a mate at Fox Creek only the other week, and I was riding and hitting things and I just stopped at the top of the hill. He just literally said, “you realise that you're hitting stuff that people on normal bikes don't even hit and making it look better”. And it's just like, I’m just happy to start doing my thing, you know, but it totally does feel like I’m pushing the boundaries. When I'm out riding with people in a group people are fighting over getting to ride behind me. All my mates are always wanting to ride behind, because they know it's about to get loose.'

The Bowhead bike creates a lot of interest, and as such ends up as a platform to show that a disability doesn't have to change what you want to do.

'A week ago I met these kids and they didn't really know anything about the bikes or whatever. I explained to them that I'm a wheelchair user and this is my bike. They were totally blown away and wanted to follow me. So I literally jumped in front of them and I can just hear them yelling from behind, like a combination of slow down and just laughing and swearing. We came into a section where there was a jump and I hit the biggest line and I can just hear them in the back. Coming into it, they probably thought that I was not going to do it or wouldn't have thought that I was going to do it. I think it's like it's such a good thing for them to see and just normalise it.'

The bike is one thing, but access is another. And as Grant points out, we are in a privileged position in Australia.

'I love helping people out with the bikes to get them back to doing you know something that they used to do. But also people that have never ridden a bike or never experienced it or anything like that, giving them what I already know exists. I guess we're really fortunate here in Australia, just like in terms of NDIS and funding, seeing bikes funded that what people do often have access to, you know, funding compensation. I guess people can afford things and all that type of stuff. So I think it is,a revolution for sure. These bikes are becoming more and more mainstream and it's also really cool to see people out riding who have never seen a Bowhead in the flesh, but they know exactly what it is right away because they've seen it on the internet and on social media and things like that. I get people come up to me and they're like, “oh, you're that guy, the wheelchair guy on the bike like from Instagram” or whatever. I think it definitely is a revolution, so sweet, isn't it?”

This bike has truly been a life changer for Grant, and based on the numbers heading out the door (2 per week!), it's going to change a lot of others' lives too. This really is a revolution for adaptive riding. It's taken it from a poor man's version of mountain biking, to a version of riding that has very little to do with disability. It has given back freedom and choice, allowed him to access trails that he hasn’t seen for 15 years, and get back to being Grant the freerider. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing viral videos of Grant blowing people's minds very soon.