Mobility aids in the spotlight: A review of the byACRE Carbon Ultralight
Josephine (left) and Hannah (right) with the byACRE Carbon Ultralight in Amsterdam
This blog post has been written as part of a collaboration with byACRE.
Mobility aids come in all shapes and sizes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from using a rollator in my twenties, it’s that having the right walking aid suited to your needs opens up your world.
Since writing about the Rollz Motion and Alinker several years ago, I’ve been keen to review other mobility aids for Able Amsterdam. This led me to contacting the award-winning Danish design company, byACRE, about a blog post proposal. I was drawn to byACRE due to their modern-looking mobility aids and focus on maintaining an active lifestyle for rollator users of any age. After speaking to the byACRE team, we agreed I would review the Carbon Ultralight rollator. This model is perfect for exploring a city like Amsterdam. As I no longer use mobility aids myself, I collaborated with Hannah – a 27-year-old Dutch rollator user from Rotterdam – to review the Carbon Ultralight based on current experience.
I met Hannah in May 2024 thanks to her response to a story on the Able Amsterdam Instagram page. Eager to show an often underrepresented group of mobility aid users, I’d sought out a young adult rollator user living in The Netherlands. Hannah was the first person to respond to the post. Hannah loves being active, going to festivals, and spending time with friends. She also lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a condition that affects connective tissues and causes hypermobility in her joints. As a result, Hannah uses a variety of mobility aids on a daily basis. The following review is based on Hannah’s experience using the Carbon Ultralight rollator for two months.
An introduction to byACRE
byACRE is a Danish design company that aims to break down the stigma attached to reduced mobility by selling “stylish, functional, and modern rollators for any adventure”. Based in Copenhagen, byACRE strives to create products that excel in quality and design. Their rollators have won prestigious awards including the IF Design Award (2017), the Danish Design Award (2017), the Red Dot Design Award (2019), and the German Design Award (2024). To learn more about the story behind the brand, visit the official byACRE website.
Hannah with the byACRE Carbon Ultralight in Amsterdam
The Carbon Ultralight
The Carbon Ultralight is a lightweight rollator with a carbon fibre frame. Weighing just 4.8 kg (10.6 lbs) it is the world’s lightest rollator. The Carbon Ultralight can be used both indoors and out, comes in a range of colours, and has three sizes: compact, regular, and wide.
Advantages of the Carbon Ultralight
1. Its attractive and modern design.
The Carbon Ultralight has an appealing look thanks to:
Its striking triangular shape;
The range of colours available, including Carbon Black, Strawberry Red, Oyster White, British Racing Green, and Royal Blue;
Hidden brake cables tucked into the rollator frame.
2. It has an exceptionally lightweight frame.
At just 4.8 kg (10.6 lbs) the Carbon Ultralight is, exactly as its name suggests, ultra light. The carbon fibre frame is lightweight yet sturdy, five times stronger than steel. This rollator is great if you’re looking for a frame that you can handle yourself. For Hannah, the lightweight frame meant she could easily pick up the rollator for short distances (for example, to carry it up a few steps) and to lift it into the boot of her car.
3. Its collapsible frame makes it easy to transport.
The Carbon Ultralight has a collapsible frame that makes it easy to fit through narrow doorways, store in small spaces, or place in the boot of a car.
Hannah also particularly liked other design features, including:
The user-friendly, height-adjustable handlebars, which Hannah felt was useful as different shoe styles have different heights;
The positioning of the handlebars, creating a straight line with your arm and ensuring good pressure distribution;
The direction of the handlebars, as you can easily lean on the frame while going down a slope;
The fact that, when you sit on the seat, you sit creates a ‘dip’, which Hannah found sturdy, comfortable, and at the right height;
The soft, puncture-proof wheels, as they have a decent amount of grip.
The Carbon Ultralight, ready to roll!
The rollator frame is easily collapsible
A close-up of the soft, puncture-proof wheels
The handlebars are height-adjustable
Hannah finds the Carbon Ultralight’s seat sturdy and comfortable
4. The rollator is easy to clean.
Mobility aids that are used outdoors tend to get dirty eventually. Anyone who has had the misfortune of rolling a rollator wheel through mud or dog poop has been confronted by the difficulty of cleaning certain wheels. In Hannah’s experience, the design and material of the handlebars, frame, and wheels were easy to clean with a wet cloth. The only difficulty was cleaning the seat, due to the type of fabric.*
* The byACRE team recommends cleaning the seat with a non-abrasive stain remover and spraying it with repellant spray. If needed, it is also possible to purchase a new seat as a spare part.
5. There are a variety of accessories and spare parts available.
The Carbon Ultralight has a range of accessories available including a back rest, grocery bag, weekend bag, and travel bag which keeps the rollators protected whilst travelling. Hannah’s personal favourite is the cane holder, which she uses on a daily basis. byACRE also allows you to purchase spare parts, should your brake cables, handlebars, frame, or other parts need replacing.
The Carbon Ultralight backrest
Hannah particularly likes the cane holder
Disadvantages of the Carbon Ultralight
1. Its light weight design means it is not suited to all needs.
Different people benefit from different types of mobility aids. Before collaborating on this review with Hannah, one of my friends with cerebral palsy tested out the Carbon Ultralight in Amsterdam. My friend was in need of a heavy, sturdy frame to lean into with his body weight and maintain his balance. After several tries, however, my friend found he could not use the Carbon Ultralight as the frame was too light for his needs and type of disability.
The fact that my friend needed a heavier, sturdier rollator meant he was not able to use the Carbon Ultralight as originally planned. This provided valuable feedback about the suitability of the Carbon Ultralight for different types of disabilities. I would suggest, therefore, that if you rely on a heavier frame for stability, the Carbon Ultralight is not suited to your needs. If you’re in need of a more stable rollator, byACRE also offers the Carbon Overland and Nordic Pioneer.
Exploring the shops of Amsterdam
Hannah on a stroll through the city
The Carbon Ultralight’s impact on Hannah’s life
When I asked Hannah how the Carbon Ultralight impacted her life, she said: “The Carbon Ultralight has given me back my freedom and mobility. I can go farther from home. I can move around much more easily because it’s so light. I also notice that people don’t stare as much [as with some other rollators]. They look, but they don’t stare. It’s so hip it stands out for the right reasons. I can really tell the designers have put a lot of thought Into it.”
We couldn’t miss this photo opportunity. On our way to Amsterdam Central Station, we bumped into Patty, a 96-year-old Carbon Ultralight user! Seventy years apart in age, both using the same rollator.
Additional links and resources
If you think the Carbon Ultralight could improve your mobility, or that of somebody close to you, check out the byACRE website or follow @byACRE on Instagram.
Visit the byACRE website to find out more about their other rollators, including the Carbon Overland, Nordic Pioneer, and Scandinavian Butler. A list of international byACRE showrooms retailers can be found here.
