The GRIT Freedom Chair

Meet the all-terrain wheelchair designed at MIT.

We spent eight years rigorously engineering the most versatile all-terrain chair on the market. We went through dozens of prototypes, continuously improving and perfecting the design with the help of hundreds of wheelchair riders and outdoor enthusiasts. It features everything you need to move beyond the pavement.

Easy to push - Less shoulder strain. More fun.

Our MIT-designed patented lever drive is easier to push than regular wheelchairs, but is way more powerful. We use the properties of levers to give you the benefits of shifting gears on a bike. This means that the GRIT Freedom Chair lets you cruise faster than walking speed on smooth ground, but also gives you the power you need to climb over hills and roll through grass, dirt, and sand. Ready for a break? Pulling backwards on the levers applies the brakes.

• King of the hill - Grabbing the top of the levers gives you a lot of torque, making it easy to overcome obstacles.

• Win the race - Grabbing the bottom of the levers lets you cruise efficiently on sidewalks, bike paths, and roads.

Built for the trail - Finally, a chair that can keep up with you.

The GRIT Freedom Chair was designed by our world-class team of MIT engineers to handle any terrain. The 26” mountain bike tires give you superior traction, especially compared to regular wheelchair wheels. Coupled with our lever drive, it’s an unstoppable combination. The GRIT Freedom Chair’s lightweight steel frame is extremely strong and provides a smooth ride over bumpy terrain. The big front wheel doesn't get stuck and the three-wheeled footprint is stable like a tripod.

• Roll over anything - We designed the custom 8.75” rubber front wheel to absorb shocks, distribute your weight, and never get stuck. Best of all? It’s solid rubber, so punctures are a thing of the past.

• The right tread for the job - The GRIT Freedom Chair tires (in the middle below) offer great off-road traction without slowing you down on the pavement. At 1.75" wide, they are almost twice as wide as standard wheelchair wheels (on the left below). While the regular GRIT Freedom Chair tires do fine on soft ground like sand and snow, if you're a beach bum or snow bunny, you'll want to check out our Sand/Snow tires (on the right below). At 2.25" wide, they float over the soft stuff.

Take it anywhere - With quick-release everything, the GRIT Freedom Chair packs light.

The GRIT Freedom Chair is the first all-terrain wheelchair that’s just as easy to get to the trail as it is to use on the trail.  The wheels, seatback, and footrest are all quick release, enabling the GRIT Freedom Chair to fit into the trunk of a small car. We designed it to disassemble in less than a minute, and the more you disassemble the lighter it gets (as opposed to folding chairs, which stay the same weight regardless). The weight of the heaviest part to lift into the car is just 25 pounds.

A mountain bike, for your arms - Easy to use and even easier to own.

Every moving part on the GRIT Freedom Chair is an off-the-shelf bike part. This makes maintenance, customization, and repairs easy and inexpensive. Taking care of your GRIT Freedom Chair is as simple as keeping the tires inflated and occasionally greasing the chain. Feeling adventurous? Standard bike interfaces make it easy to install custom tires or change the gearing. Need to make an adjustment? Your local bike shop will know just what to do.

Intelligently Designed - Eight years of MIT R&D at your fingertips.

We came up with the initial concept for the GRIT Freedom Chair in 2008, while we were students at MIT, and we’ve been working on it ever since. We designed it with the help of hundreds of wheelchair riders around the world, and tested it in some of the harshest conditions imaginable: the plains of East Africa, rural Nepal, and Haiti.

• The levers store on the frame, allowing you to move just like in a regular wheelchair. This helps with transfers and using the GRIT Freedom Chair indoors.

• The adjustable height footrest helps you ensure a comfortable fit in the GRIT Freedom Chair. Slots are included to accommodate optional foot straps.

• The easy-to-use parking brakes keep you locked in place when transferring into and out of the chair.

• The pad supports your back, so you can push hard, even without trunk strength.

• Pulling backwards on the levers activates the powerful friction brakes, slowing you down.

In-wheel suspension - The GRIT Freedom Chair Forward, featuring SoftWheels

The highest performance off-road wheelchair we've ever built, the GRIT Freedom Chair Forward combines the world-renowned SoftWheel in-wheel suspension system with our award-winning MIT-designed lever drive. It's a match made in heaven and fit for the roughest trails. The Forward is built on the GRIT Freedom Chair platform and shares all of its popular features and accessories. It's an incredible off-road experience for our most demanding riders. Learn more.

• SoftWheels suspension - In-wheel suspension arms are soft when you need them and stiff when you don't. Unparalleled performance. Learn More.

• Top-shelf components - ACS BMX freewheels mean more power and precision. It's like riding the GRIT Freedom Chair in HD. Learn More.

• Paying it Forward - We're contributing 10% of each Forward sale to our to help low income riders move beyond the pavement. Learn More.