Triaid Special Needs Tricycles
Triaid is a family owned and operated business based in Glasgow, Scotland. They have been designing and manufacturing specialty bicycles for over 40 years. The founder of the company, Ian Macdonald, is an engineer and at one time was a keen racing cyclist who started Thistle Engineering in 1968 to produce small precision components for bicycles. He was approached by a local charity working with children with Spina Bifida and was asked to design and produce a hand driven tricycle for the growing number of children with this condition. These tricycles became known as Thistle Hand Trikes and were popular in the UK and beyond. In 1974 it was decided to re-name the company TRIAID Inc. (Tricycle Aids to Mobility), to reflect the company's growing involvement in the healthcare industry. In 1975 a worldwide patent was awarded for the key unique features of the Thistle Hand Cycle. Read more below!
As the company grew, new products were designed in response to requests from therapists and families. In 1983, foot propelled tricycles were introduced starting with the Terrier and TMX models and in 1985 the IMP. In 1986 the next generation of Macdonald’s began to join the company and a new division called Theraplay was created to supply play and educational equipment to schools. This name brand became widely recognized and the decision was made to change the company's name to Theraplay Ltd. In 1989, Iain Macdonald joined the company. This coincided with the establishment of Theraplay's United States office located in the Cumberland, Maryland. This office retains the TRIAID brand name and distributes products throughout North America.
Triaid tricycles are some of the most distinguished and popular tricycles for people with special needs in the world, with well over 30,000 manufactured and distributed. Each has been thoughtfully designed for the rider and their family with special attention to safety, ease of pedaling, durability and postural support, offering many accessories to customize the tricycle for individual needs. Storage of the tricycles has also been a key consideration and is the reason Triaid tricycles fold. Theraplay continues to grow and develop as an organization and they are always interested to receive feed-back as this is the fuel for their future developments.