Nowadays, race handbikes are built with lightweight materials and usually show an aerodynamic user-interface design. These features markedly affect propulsion techniques, mechanical loading, and thus metabolic cost (C, J kg^-1 m^-1), mechanical efficiency and performance. Then, the purpose of this study was to estimate C in disabled athletes during submaximal handcycling in ecological condition. Ten disabled subjects (nine males and one female, age: 44.8±7.5y, body mass: 62±11.8kg, sport classes and lesion: four MH1 [two cervical lesion C6-C7; one polio; one pyramidal syndrome], four MH2 [four thoracic lesion Th1-Th8], one MH3 [lumbo-sacral plexus] and one WH1 [C6]) cycled (synchronously) at several constant aerobic speeds (s, 2.79÷8.42m s^-1) on a running track under metabolic monitoring (K4b², COSMED) with their own handbikes (bike mass: 16.9±3.1kg, bike model: AP [Arm Power, recumbent seat]). C was calculated as the ratio between net steady state oxygen uptake and average speed. C showed an exponential increase (C=0.44e^0.16s R²=0.77) over speed (range: 0.71÷1.86J kg^-1 m^-1). Handcycling showed a C dependent of speed and higher than Cycling (0.5J kg^-1 m^-1, not aerodynamical speeds), as it was predictable due to its almost exclusive upper limbs involvement. However, compared to other (slower) locomotion modes for disabled people – crutch walking (7J kg^-1 m^-1) and wheelchair (2J kg^-1 m^-1), handcycling shows to be more economical. Further studies on different designs may investigate specific aerodynamic effects on handcycling bioenergetics.