CURB CLIMBERS

From Europe, across the Atlantic, to North America, wheelchair users face a common obstacle: Curbs. While mid- and front-wheel-drive powerchairs handle curbs similarly on both continents, rear-wheel-drive curb-climbing ideology doesn't transcend the deep blue divide, with "curb climbers" the norm for Europeans, and virtually unheard of by most Americans.

For over three decades, curb climbers have been standard technology on European rear-wheel-drive powerchairs. Whereas front-wheel-drive powerchairs had large front wheels for rolling up 4" curbs, the small front casters of rear-wheel-drive powerchairs limited such rolling up obstacles. As a result, the curb climber - a foot in-between the front casters that impacts the curb, and pivots reward, lifting the casters up the curb as the user powers forward - became the industry standard on rear-wheel-drive powerchairs.

When it comes to the effectiveness of curb climbers, the application is somewhat subjective. On powerchairs with small front casters, curb climbers allow controlled surmounting of obstacles. However, on powerchairs with larger casters - 9" and 10" - the casters are large enough for a skilled user to power them up a 3" or 4" obstacle with properly harnessed torque, so there's a question as to a curb climber's effectiveness on modern, high-performance powerchairs?

Beyond the question of whether large casters obsolete curb climbers, the foremost downside of curb climbers is that they ride in the middle of the casters, low to the ground, and forward. In non-climbing situations, when straddling obstacles or traveling on uneven terrain, curb climbers can make unwanted ground contacted. Also, because of required positioning of curb climbers near the user's feet, they may restrict the use of foot platforms and tight leg angles.

Still, curb climbers perform as advertised, lifting the casters up small curbs, with little effort or jolting. Remember, though, that no matter how tall of curb climbers may surmount, the rear wheels must power up it, too - that is, curb climbers are only half of the equation to successful surmounting.

Cultural Divide
The question, then, remains: Why don't Americans use curb climbers? The answer, I believe, is found in ideology and infrastructure. The population centers in North America are strikingly recent developments compared to European infrastructures, and as such, it can be argued that because American architecture is required to have accessibility, users see less of an acceptance of climbing curbs. After all, given the choice between curb climbing or curb cuts, most will choose the later. Of course, Europe has long striven toward accessibility, too, but pragmatically speaking, you're more likely to find a curb cut in Las Vegas than Luxemburg. Culture for culture, there trend has been that Europeans have adapted to older infrastructures, while American's have demanded accessibility as theirs is built - and this influences market demand of powerchair features.

With the ongoing trends of higher-performing powerchairs and increasingly-accessible infrastructures, unquestionably curb climbing methods are changing, whether via powerchairs that intrinsically climb, or ramped environments. And, when you combine the two, there's a suggestion that the mechanical curb climbers may show age like the 500-year-old stone curbs they're intended to climb. Indeed, curbs are an issue that spans the Atlantic, but with advances technology and accessibility, they continue having less impact on our lives, slowly dissolved by universal solutions and access for all.