Wheelchair Push Rim (Handrim) Types: Which One Fits Your Hands?

What a Handrim Does — and Why It Deserves a Choice

A handrim — also called a pushrim — is the ring bolted to the outside of each rear wheel that you grab to push, steer, and brake your chair. If you never self-propel, it can simply be removed, which makes the chair narrower and easier for a carer to handle.

For everyone else, the handrim is the part of the chair your hands touch hundreds of times a day. A rim that is too slippery, too rough, or the wrong size quietly taxes your hands on every push, while a well-matched one feels like an extension of them. Yet most buyers accept whatever rim came on the chair and never learn there were options. The good news: handrims are usually swappable, and knowing the types helps you ask the right question the next time you order or refit a chair.

The Seven Types, One by One

Here is the full lineup, based on Mobility Basics' wheelchair guide — with a one-line verdict for each:

- **Chrome.** Mostly history now: you will mainly see chrome rims on institutional chairs. They are made of steel and simply too heavy for daily self-propelling. *Verdict: only worth keeping if they are already on your chair and you are not pushing far.* - **Aluminum anodized.** The default on most chairs today. The anodizing treatment stops the metal oxidizing and leaving black dust on your hands. *Verdict: the solid all-rounder; if you have no complaints, there is nothing to fix.* - **Composite.** Has a plasticky feel and shows up on the cheapest chairs; the side facing the wheel is often open. *Verdict: fine on a budget chair, but most daily users outgrow it.* - **Vinyl coated.** An aluminum rim wrapped in a plastic coating. The coating's friction makes it noticeably easier to grip, and the diameter runs slightly larger. The downsides: the coating can peel and leave raw aluminum exposed, and controlling speed on downhills heats the rim through friction. *Verdict: excellent grip for weak or slippery hands; check the coating regularly.* - **Foam covered.** Wrapped in thick, soft foam that is easy to grab. It can peel too, but exposed foam is far less harsh than exposed vinyl-covered metal. *Verdict: the gentlest option for tender hands.* - **Projection family.** Instead of a smooth ring, roughly a dozen short posts (3/4"–2") stick straight out from the wheel; the oblique variant uses longer 1"–3" posts angled about 45° outward. Both are rare and built for people who cannot grasp a rim at all and push with their palms. *Verdict: niche, but for the right person it is the difference between propelling and not.* - **Natural-Fit.** An ergonomic aftermarket rim with a thumb-fit zone and an oval cross-section, shaped for both pushing and braking. Wheelchair makers do not fit it as standard — it is a retrofit. A peer-reviewed study (PMC) examined how this ergonomic design relates to upper-limb symptoms and function in wheelchair users. *Verdict: worth discussing with your clinician if hand or shoulder comfort is your limiting factor.*

How to Choose — and Who Fits Them

Start with your hands: how strong is your grip, how sweaty do your palms get, and do your hands or shoulders ache after a long day? Grip problems point toward vinyl-coated or foam-covered rims; comfort problems point toward a conversation about ergonomic options like Natural-Fit.

Then think about your braking. If you control speed on slopes with your hands, remember that coated rims heat up with friction — a real factor, not a footnote.

Handrims are a dealer- or therapist-level change, not a do-it-yourself one. Your supplier or occupational therapist can order the right size and fit it properly, and aftermarket rims like Natural-Fit are only available that way. If possible, try before you commit: a short roll around the showroom tells you more than any description.