“Give us the need, we will find the concept.”
For 30 years, this tagline has pushed our engineering and manufacturing teams at Freedom Concepts to create adaptive bicycles that go beyond our standard models — we call these our “Custom-Custom Bikes”. Sometimes these include custom designs to meet medical needs, or sometimes they are custom racing tandems, like models we have built for the Pease brothers.
Inspired by the Pease brothers, the Regent brothers Thomas, 18, and Baptiste, 16, from Maringues, France dream of completing an Ironman Triathlon together, however, the tandem they were using wasn’t built for long distances. Through a connection at The Kyle Pease Foundation, they reached out to Freedom Concepts in the fall of 2020 inquiring about a custom racing tandem.
Freedom Concepts’ on-staff engineering team designed a custom racing tandem from the ground up that not only took Thomas and Baptiste’s racing to the next level but also accommodated Baptiste’s needs. Baptiste is 80% disabled due to a rare genetic disease and needed a bike that would keep him safe, secure, and comfortable during their long rides.
The bike frame was designed to accommodate triathlon bars for Thomas while allowing Baptiste to sit comfortably upright while still taking in all the action in the front seat. To allow Baptiste to sit fully supported while still having the freedom to shift the position of his feet, an adjustable foot platform with an integrated wheel guard was added.
The tandem’s frame is lightweight and strong thanks to the chro-moly steel used. Another unique feature on the bike is the dual rear drive axle: a cassette driver made by TryKit in England was incorporated, which transmits the pedal force to both rear wheels. The tandem also uses Freedom Concepts’ standard cable steering system, which gives the rear driver control of the front wheel through an unobtrusive cable and pulley system.
We also worked with Cannon Cyclery to complete the assembly of the bike with carbon wheels, custom handlebars, a carbon fork, and a finely tuned drive and braking system.
Since receiving the bike, Thomas and Baptiste have completed three triathlons with it, accompanied by their father Raphael and Thomas’ girlfriend, with their mother Carine proudly cheering them on from the sidelines.
The racing duo’s next adventures include a 70 km bike race in July, and later this summer they will compete in an Olympic distance triathlon, which includes a 0.93-mile swim, a 25-mile cycle, and a 6.2-mile run.
Click here to learn more about Freedom Concepts adaptive bikes.