[TheGarageFlower]

http://www.futurechairs.co.uk/

I likey

[Yong]

Carbon fiber. I was wondering why I didn't see more of those around. It's light...strong as heck...and you can paint them any color you want.

Great looking chairs. Does anyone know if the chairs are in production now? I didn't see a price or anything like that.

[TheGarageFlower]

Yong, on May 20 2008, 06:21 PM, said:

Carbon fiber. I was wondering why I didn't see more of those around. It's light...strong as heck...and you can paint them any color you want.

Great looking chairs. Does anyone know if the chairs are in production now? I didn't see a price or anything like that.

Yes they are in production, it's the guy who has supplied me with my Ti's for ages designed them. he told me the basic cost is approx £2500 a bit pricey being the problem though. but i know for a fact they have been under some of the most intense tests known and stood up to them all, he has always used Ti's but says this chair is ten times the chair a Ti is.

[dancin' johnny]

I also likey, you can see the tilite influence and parts but that's a good thing in my opinion.

[silone74]

It is ok if the frame has a lifetime guarantee like the tilite chairs because i have seen carbon fibre cycle frames break and it is only good for the bin when they do you can not fix carbon fibre.
They do look great though and would like to see them close up and maybe borrow 1 for a few years LOL.


Silone74

[Zammo]

I want one!

[Yong]

silone74, on May 21 2008, 07:04 AM, said:

It is ok if the frame has a lifetime guarantee like the tilite chairs because i have seen carbon fibre cycle frames break and it is only good for the bin when they do you can not fix carbon fibre.
They do look great though and would like to see them close up and maybe borrow 1 for a few years LOL.


Silone74

I would like to disagree with this. I have experience working with carbon fiber, and although as Silone says, you cannot fix the broken piece of CF, you can really easily patch it up with another piece of fabric. Then sand smooth. Hell of a lot easier than trying to weld titanium.

Being that they make racecars and race vehicles out of carbon fiber due to their low weight and high strength under stressful conditions, I'd rather have CF than titanium. Plus, it looks really cool.

[silone74]

Not if it snaps you will never get the strength back into it with the material being weaved together if you patch it it will never be the same strength again it is different with a panel made from cf but not tubing.but ye they do look cool.


Silone74.

[harry521]

TheGarageFlower, on May 20 2008, 04:45 PM, said:

http://www.futurechairs.co.uk/

I likey

Hello All

Thank you for your comments on Future Chairs.

I designed and manufacture the chairs, it all started when I worked for Williams F1, and with Frank being in a wheelchair, when he used to give his race bay talks, I used to look at his chairs and thought that I could improve greatly on the looks and function of manual wheelchairs, I hope to see Frank soon and get him in one f the chairs, fingers crossed.

I would hope that the chairs give the user a 'feel good' factor, and are pleasure to use, I wanted to design and manuafcture a chair that WAS NOT a clinical device, I want the chairs to be a pleasure to use and be seen in, and hopefully give the user a moral boost.

The chairs has been designed with comments from Mark Beesley from MB wheelchairs, Mark has been chair bound for 10 years and has huge knowledge of the worlds top chairs, Marks comments have been used to manufacture the best possible chair, believe it not some company's do not ask chair users what they like / dislike.

Mark has been 'field' testing the chairs and his comments are very positive, the chairs handle very well, and because of the geometry and weight they are very efficient to push, Marks pushes up a hill close to his house and in his previous chair he needed to stop at least once to reach the top, in a Free Spirit Mark can reach the top in one go.

Future Chairs is one of the few company that has carried out offical testing on it chairs, the chairs have gone through rigorous testing, with 100kg on the chair, they have seen 200,000 fatigue impacts and 6666 drop impacts to simulate curb drops etc, also the casters and footrest have been impacted, other tests have also been carried out, 60,000 brake applications etc.

I have the test chair in my workshops and it is in remarkable condition seeing the abuse it has seen, apart from scratched paint on the caster pots (where they impacted them, the production chairs are powder coated, not painted as the test chair) you would not know that the chair has been used, I have read on the net that the test I carried out is equivalent to 5 years use.

You may see from the pictures the bend on the main tube is shaped to be a larger profile that the rest of the tube, for 3 reasons, the bend is a stressed area and the profile is stronger, the shape gives a larger area for the users leg to rest against, helping with pressure marks etc and also it looks great and makes it stand out from a alloy, steel, Ti chair, when you bend a ferrous tube one edge compresses and one edge streches, giving an area that is not consistant, carbon allows a uniformed consistant bend.

On the website there is some infomation and graphs on the strengths of carbon against Ti, Alloy etc

If any of you came to the Naidex show, the test chair was on display, and people seem impressed by the condition of the chair.

I have been very critical in my design and risk assement, I have not used ugly and cheap plastic caps to close off open tubes, but instead there are CNC machined alloy caps to make things look neat and to do a 'proper' engineer job, were possible nut plates with radius edges have been used instead of hexagon nuts, so to give a 'clean' edge to minimize any possible scratching etc.

And they are all designed, developed and manufactured in the UK!

If you would like to know any more, please feel free to ask, I will do my best to anwser any questions.

Thank you for you positive comments.

Regards

Marcus Cunnington

This post has been edited by harry521: 21 May 2008 - 03:17 PM

[silone74]

Hi can you give me 1 of the chairs LOL LOL

I have emailed from the web site about the chairs and option for using the wheelchair service voucher as part payment for the chairs i would love to see one and try one they do look awsome,do they have a guarantee on the frames?

Do you come and measure up for the chairs or is it down to me to tell you all of the measurments?
I would like to see some pics of the chairs with the seating and back rests on and maybe prices and all of the extras that are available with the prices.

Sorry for all the questions hope you really dont mind


Silone74

[harry521]

silone74, on May 21 2008, 04:27 PM, said:

Hi can you give me 1 of the chairs LOL LOL

I have emailed from the web site about the chairs and option for using the wheelchair service voucher as part payment for the chairs i would love to see one and try one they do look awsome,do they have a guarantee on the frames?

Do you come and measure up for the chairs or is it down to me to tell you all of the measurments?
I would like to see some pics of the chairs with the seating and back rests on and maybe prices and all of the extras that are available with the prices.

Sorry for all the questions hope you really dont mind


Silone74

Hello Silone74

Can you send me your e-mail and I will send you some pictures with the seat, backrest on etc.

You can contact me direct on: marcus@futurechairs.co.uk or futurechairs@yahoo.co.uk

And I will anwser in more detail

Many thanks

Marcus

This post has been edited by harry521: 21 May 2008 - 06:11 PM

[edlee]

Nice job Marcus,,,,I'm always happy to see someone get into the market.

I'm afraid it won't work for me,,,,, not a design flaw in your work,, but in my physique. At a bit more than 100k ( a big bit) I doubt it would hold up with me in it.

Therein is the rub,,,, How do you prove to the purchasing public, that it will hold up to their abuse???
Your testing, while extensive and accurate,, says nothing unless you give absolute guarantees.

People,,myself I guess,, will have little faith in your tests unless you have enough to back them up unconditionally.

Life time warranties on the frames are becoming commonplace in this field.

I hope to see you, soon, in the American market. Style, alone, should help your sales here.

I, also, hope you'll start building them for us fat guys, too.
ed

[E-DOG]

I would need two.
One for each butt cheek.
You gonna charge me double?
My "heavy duty" chair is a tank. Unweildy and difficult to push.
Make something for the pear shaped para on the go, and I'll rob a bank to buy it.
e-dog

[harry521]

Hello

I was sent an e-mail to me about electric wheelchair questions etc.

Sorry I have lost your e-mail

Hopefully you read this and get back to me

If I can help I will

Thanks and regards

Marcus

[Jodie Lynn]

[i][size=7][font=Georgia] I want one ... Wow they look very nice.. and I am in the market for a new chair anyways.. Hmmmmmm..WInk Wink.. LOL

[Yong]

2500 quids....about 5 grand USD...a whole lot of benjamins i should say...

once i ride the wheels off of my quickie right now...i am DEFINITELY getting these... props to the design man...