Handbike info
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My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on a
tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google search
and found a few sources, but could anybody here give me any
experience they've had with any specific brands or sources?
Especially a possible source for a used one?
Thanks! Dave Kerber
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So nobody has any pointers for me on this? How about a
newsgroup where I could ask the question of people who are
likely to have experience? A disabled racing group, maybe?
In article <MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net>,
ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net says...
> My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
> a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google
> search and found a few sources, but could anybody here
> give me any experience they've had with any specific
> brands or sources? Especially a possible source for a
> used one?
>
> Thanks! Dave Kerber
>
>
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In article <MPG.1b561188bf297110989879@news.ids.net>,
David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> writes:
> So nobody has any pointers for me on this? How about a
> newsgroup where I could ask the question of people who are
> likely to have experience? A disabled racing group, maybe?
>
>
> In article <MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net>,
> ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net says...
>> My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
>> because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
>> a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google
>> search and found a few sources, but could anybody here
>> give me any experience they've had with any specific
>> brands or sources? Especially a possible source for a
>> used one?
I just did a quick Google on: "everest & jennings" hand cyle
and this is the first item that popped up.
http://www.usatechguide.org/itemreview.php?itemid=373
I'd look at some more of the hits but my dinner's on the
stove and I've gotta get to it pronto.
cheers, Tom
--
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"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net...
> My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
> a tandem, but she's not interested).
Does your wife have an injury or disability, or is her leg
just "weak"? A handcycle seems an awfully big step for
someone who's not paralyzed.
David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message news:<MPG.1b561188bf297110989879@news.ids.net>...
> So nobody has any pointers for me on this? How about a
> newsgroup where I could ask the question of people who are
> likely to have experience? A disabled racing group, maybe?
There's a handcyclist group over at yahoo that looks
relatively active:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/handcyclists/
A useful list of handcycle links is here:
http://www.bike-on.com/handcycle-
friends/handcycle_friends_links.html
--Brent bhugh [at] mwsc.edu http://www.mobikefed.org (http://www.mobikefed.org/)
> In article <MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net>,
> ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net says...
> > My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> > because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her
> > on a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a
> > google search and found a few sources, but could anybody
> > here give me any experience they've had with any
> > specific brands or sources? Especially a possible source
> > for a used one?
> >
> > Thanks! Dave Kerber
> >
David Kerber wrote:
> My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
> a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google
> search and found a few sources, but could anybody here
> give me any experience they've had with any specific
> brands or sources? Especially a possible source for a
> used one?
>
> Thanks! Dave Kerber
>
Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike. Riding
with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that a word]. If
interested, post any reservations and I'll try to give you
some solutions.
Life is Good! Jeff
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Hash: SHA1
On 2004-07-08, Jeff Starr <jstarr@animalpc.com> wrote:
> David Kerber wrote:
>> My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
>> because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
>> a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google
>> search and found a few sources, but could anybody here
>> give me any experience they've had with any specific
>> brands or sources? Especially a possible source for a
>> used one?
>>
>> Thanks! Dave Kerber
>>
>
> Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
> discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike.
> Riding with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that a
> word]. If interested, post any reservations and I'll try
> to give you some solutions.
>
> Life is Good! Jeff
>
I ride daily with one leg weaker than the other without
serious problems. I'm a bit slower and I ride lower gears
than before my accident, but I manage.
Dave, you didn't give any idea how *much* weaker the bad leg
is, so here's my situation for comparison. My injury was
only to the knee, so my hip/ankle are fine. Functionally, I
walk with a limp, on a good day, I can climb a flight of
stairs normally (lifting with both legs), on bad days, I
either have to use a hand on the rail to pull myself up on
the bad leg, or just lift with the good leg.
There are a couple problems that I've noticed riding, I
habitually put my right foot down when stopping, leaving my
left foot (the weaker leg) on the pedals to get me moving
again. I'm finding that there's generally not enough
strength to push that pedal down and lift me up into the
saddle. I'm working on changing my habit to put the left
foot down.
The other problem is that I can't really get out of the
saddle. This has pretty much eliminated my off-road riding,
as I can't move my hips around to move my center of gravity.
It also means that I'm stuck in the saddle during climbs.
Low gears help here.
Hope this has been helpful.
Mark
- --
Remove both wrongs to make the email address right.
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In article <Yf1Hc.16600$Bv.1627961@twister.tampabay.rr.com>,
gooserider@mouse-potato.com says...
>
> "David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net...
> > My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> > because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her
> > on a tandem, but she's not interested).
>
> Does your wife have an injury or disability, or is her leg
> just "weak"? A handcycle seems an awfully big step for
> someone who's not paralyzed.
Her left foot is 4 sizes smaller than her right, and the
muscles and ligaments are severly atrophied from polio when
she was about 2 years old. I've been trying to tell her that
she can still ride a bike with some practice, even when that
leg is only about 10% as strong as the other, but she's not
buying it. 15 years ago she could still ride, but as she's
gotten older, it's gotten much worse.
--
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the newsgroups if possible).
In article <2l40nqF8f833U1@uni-berlin.de>,
jstarr@animalpc.com says...
> David Kerber wrote:
> > My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
> > because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her
> > on a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a
> > google search and found a few sources, but could anybody
> > here give me any experience they've had with any
> > specific brands or sources? Especially a possible source
> > for a used one?
> >
> > Thanks! Dave Kerber
> >
>
> Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
> discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike.
> Riding with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that a
> word]. If interested, post any reservations and I'll try
> to give you some solutions.
That's what I've been trying to tell her, but she doesn't
believe me. If I could just get her to watch some of the 1-
legged riders in the paralympics, maybe she would!
--
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the newsgroups if possible).
In article
<b2f48572.0407072013.19d61640@posting.google.com>,
bhugh@mwsc.edu says...
> David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
> news:<MPG.1b561188bf297110989879@news.ids.net>...
> > So nobody has any pointers for me on this? How about a
> > newsgroup where I could ask the question of people who
> > are likely to have experience? A disabled racing group,
> > maybe?
>
>
> There's a handcyclist group over at yahoo that looks
> relatively active:
>
> http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/handcyclists/
>
> A useful list of handcycle links is here:
>
> http://www.bike-on.com/handcycle-
> friends/handcycle_friends_links.html
Thanks for the links!
....
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the newsgroups if possible).
In article <QydHc.20046$9t6.160@bignews3.bellsouth.net>,
mark_mitwrong@wrongbellsouth.net says...
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1
>
> On 2004-07-08, Jeff Starr <jstarr@animalpc.com> wrote:
> > David Kerber wrote:
> >> My wife is interested in looking into getting a
> >> handbike because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to
> >> get her on a tandem, but she's not interested). I've
> >> done a google search and found a few sources, but could
> >> anybody here give me any experience they've had with
> >> any specific brands or sources? Especially a possible
> >> source for a used one?
> >>
> >> Thanks! Dave Kerber
> >>
> >
> > Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
> > discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike.
> > Riding with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that
> > a word]. If interested, post any reservations and I'll
> > try to give you some solutions.
> >
> > Life is Good! Jeff
> >
> I ride daily with one leg weaker than the other without
> serious problems. I'm a bit slower and I ride lower gears
> than before my accident, but I manage.
>
> Dave, you didn't give any idea how *much* weaker the bad
> leg is, so here's my situation for comparison. My injury
> was only to the knee, so my hip/ankle are fine.
> Functionally, I walk with a limp, on a good day, I can
> climb a flight of stairs normally (lifting with both
> legs), on bad days, I either have to use a hand on the
> rail to pull myself up on the bad leg, or just lift with
> the good leg.
>
> There are a couple problems that I've noticed riding, I
> habitually put my right foot down when stopping, leaving
> my left foot (the weaker leg) on the pedals to get me
> moving again. I'm finding that there's generally not
> enough strength to push that pedal down and lift me up
> into the saddle. I'm working on changing my habit to put
> the left foot down.
>
> The other problem is that I can't really get out of the
> saddle. This has pretty much eliminated my off-road
> riding, as I can't move my hips around to move my center
> of gravity. It also means that I'm stuck in the saddle
> during climbs. Low gears help here.
>
> Hope this has been helpful.
Thanks for the comments!
--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).
"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1b57303f6170e5fc98987d@news.ids.net...
> In article
> <Yf1Hc.16600$Bv.1627961@twister.tampabay.rr.com>, gooserider@mouse-
> potato.com says...
> >
> > "David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
> > news:MPG.1b5475b4f382c10b98986f@news.ids.net...
> > > My wife is interested in looking into getting a
> > > handbike because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried
> > > to get her on a tandem, but she's not interested).
> >
> > Does your wife have an injury or disability, or is her
> > leg just "weak"?
A
> > handcycle seems an awfully big step for someone who's
> > not paralyzed.
>
> Her left foot is 4 sizes smaller than her right, and
> the muscles and ligaments are severly atrophied from
> polio when she was about 2 years old. I've been trying
> to tell her that she can still ride a bike with some
> practice, even when that leg is only about 10% as
> strong as the other, but she's not buying it. 15 years
> ago she could still ride, but as she's gotten older,
> it's gotten much worse.
Wow that's tough. Can she do any sort of therapy or strength
training to build up strength? I would tend to think that a
handcycle is going to be something she'd use on multi-use
paths only, and that's going to naturally limit its
use(unless you live real near a path). There's no such thing
as a cheap handcycle, either. Good luck in your search!
In article <LjjHc.21916$Bv.1783264@twister.tampabay.rr.com>,
"Gooserider" <gooserider@mouse-potato.com> writes:
> I would tend to think that a handcycle is going to be
> something she'd use on multi-use paths only, and that's
> going to naturally limit its use(unless you live real near
> a path).
Those are the only places I've seen them.
> There's no such thing as a cheap handcycle, either. Good
> luck in your search!
I suspect they're more of something that people obtain from
mfgrs who specialize in physiotherapy equipment and
suchlike, via doctors' prescriptions or referrals, and are
typically paid-for through medical coverage.
cheers, Tom
--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
David Kerber wrote:
> In article <2l40nqF8f833U1@uni-berlin.de>,
> jstarr@animalpc.com says...
>
>>David Kerber wrote:
>>
>>>My wife is interested in looking into getting a handbike
>>>because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried to get her on
>>>a tandem, but she's not interested). I've done a google
>>>search and found a few sources, but could anybody here
>>>give me any experience they've had with any specific
>>>brands or sources? Especially a possible source for a
>>>used one?
>>>
>>>Thanks! Dave Kerber
>>>
>>
>>Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
>>discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike.
>>Riding with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that a
>>word]. If interested, post any reservations and I'll try
>>to give you some solutions.
>
>
> That's what I've been trying to tell her, but she doesn't
> believe me. If I could just get her to watch some of the
> 1-legged riders in the paralympics, maybe she would!
>
Dave, I'm 49 years old, I ride with an above the knee
artificial leg. I clip the leg in the pedal and leave it
there until I get off the bike. I have to push off with my
good leg and then start pedaling. This is no problem with
regular pedals and takes a bit more skill with clipless. I
rode as a kid and as a young adult. I then didn't ride for
about 25 years. Two years ago, I got my bike out, put new
tubes and tires on it and rode 700 miles that summer. Last
year I rode a total of 2086 miles. This year I have already
rode 1240 miles. Both my bikes are road bikes, but if your
wife started with a comfort or hybrid, with the seat a
little on the low side, I'm sure she could ride short
distances, and then maybe more.
I would think a handbike would require quite a lot of upper
body strength and that distances would be very limited.
If she would be willing to try, I'm sure you could find a
suitable bike, to experiment with. Once she gets her
confidence back, then a nice, maybe new, one would be in
order. I get so much pleasure out of riding, not to mention
the benefits of the exercise. I'm in Milwaukee WI, where
are you located? If I can answer any specific questions,
please ask.
Life is Good! Jeff
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 18:40:41 -0500, Jeff Starr <jstarr@animalpc.com> wrote:
>Dave, I'm 49 years old, I ride with an above the knee
>artificial leg. I clip the leg in the pedal and leave it
>there until I get off the bike. I have to push off with my
>good leg and then start pedaling. This is no problem with
>regular pedals and takes a bit more skill with clipless. I
>rode as a kid and as a young adult. I then didn't ride for
>about 25 years. Two years ago, I got my bike out, put new
>tubes and tires on it and rode 700 miles that summer. Last
>year I rode a total of 2086 miles. This year I have already
>rode 1240 miles. Both my bikes are road bikes, but if your
>wife started with a comfort or hybrid, with the seat a
>little on the low side, I'm sure she could ride short
>distances, and then maybe more.
>
>I would think a handbike would require quite a lot of upper
>body strength and that distances would be very limited.
>
>If she would be willing to try, I'm sure you could find a
>suitable bike, to experiment with. Once she gets her
>confidence back, then a nice, maybe new, one would be in
>order. I get so much pleasure out of riding, not to mention
>the benefits of the exercise. I'm in Milwaukee WI, where
>are you located? If I can answer any specific questions,
>please ask.
>
>Life is Good! Jeff
DAYUM! A big WOW, to you, sir. You have guts and the heart
of a lion, man.
You must be an inspiration to all those around you.
Best,
-Badger
In article <uuhkcc.2t.ln@bud.garden.local>,
tomk2003@hotmail.com says...
> In article
> <LjjHc.21916$Bv.1783264@twister.tampabay.rr.com>,
> "Gooserider" <gooserider@mouse-potato.com> writes:
>
> > I would tend to think that a handcycle is going to be
> > something she'd use on multi-use paths only, and that's
> > going to naturally limit its use(unless you live real
> > near a path).
>
> Those are the only places I've seen them.
There's a guy I see regularly on a hand-trike going up
and down the same roads I'm riding on. He's the only
one, though.
>
> > There's no such thing as a cheap handcycle, either. Good
> > luck in your search!
>
> I suspect they're more of something that people obtain
> from mfgrs who specialize in physiotherapy equipment and
> suchlike, via doctors' prescriptions or referrals, and are
> typically paid-for through medical coverage.
Could be, though I've seen them for around $1200 with some
Google searching. They seem to use lots of standard bicycle
components: Ultegra cranks and cassettes, etc. One racing
model I saw even had Zipp 3-spoke wheels.
--
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David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message news:<MPG.1b5732c645e9d79f98987f@news.ids.net>...
> In article <2l40nqF8f833U1@uni-berlin.de>,
> jstarr@animalpc.com says...
> > David Kerber wrote:
> > > My wife is interested in looking into getting a
> > > handbike because of a weak left foot/leg (I've tried
> > > to get her on a tandem, but she's not interested).
> > > I've done a google search and found a few sources, but
> > > could anybody here give me any experience they've had
> > > with any specific brands or sources? Especially a
> > > possible source for a used one?
> >
> > Hi, if her other leg is ok and there would be no pain or
> > discomfort, I would try to get her on a regular bike.
> > Riding with only one good leg, is very doable[? is that
> > a word]. If interested, post any reservations and I'll
> > try to give you some solutions.
>
> That's what I've been trying to tell her, but she doesn't
> believe me. If I could just get her to watch some of the
> 1-legged riders in the paralympics, maybe she would!
She doesn't need to watch the paralympics, she just needs to
look around at plain regular one-legged cyclists. Just
today, riding to work, I passed by a woman with one leg
commuting on her bike herself. And I'll never forget the
time, while on the STP (a 200 mile bike ride from Seattle to
Portland), a guy coming up to his bike, taking off his
artificial leg, strapping it onto his top tube, and taking
off. I felt like, damn, he's doing 200 miles on one leg --
how can I complain about doing it on two?
Warm Regards,
Claire
"Gooserider" <gooserider@mouse-potato.com> wrote in message news:<LjjHc.21916$Bv.1783264@twister.tampabay.rr.com>...
> "David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1b57303f6170e5fc98987d@news.ids.net...
. . .
> > Her left foot is 4 sizes smaller than her right, and the
> > muscles and ligaments are severly atrophied from polio
> > when she was about 2 years old. I've been trying to tell
> > her that she can still ride a bike with some practice,
> > even when that leg is only about 10% as strong as the
> > other, but she's not buying it. 15 years ago she could
> > still ride, but as she's gotten older, it's gotten much
> > worse.
>
> Wow that's tough. Can she do any sort of therapy or
> strength training to build up strength? I would tend to
> think that a handcycle is going to be something she'd use
> on multi-use paths only, and that's going to naturally
> limit its use(unless you live real near a path). There's
> no such thing as a cheap handcycle, either. Good luck in
> your search!
There's a group of handcyclists that regularly ride a
Saturday morning ride I sometime go on. I also saw them on a
60 mile ride a couple of weeks ago. I'd guess they do about
10-12 MPH on average, in other words just as fast as or
faster than a lot of people who cruise around town on
WalMart bikes with knobbly tires.
So they ride on the street just like everybody else and they
don't appear to be any more low/dangerous etc. than, for
example, a typical recumbent bike. In fact the handcycles
are higher and more visible than some of the really low
tadpole recumbent trikes like Greenspeed.
That does make me think, though--another option for your
wife might be a regular recumbent trike. The advantage of
the trikes over a bike is that you can go as slow as you
need to without ever feeling like your going to tip over.
You don't have that moment of instability when you start and
stop, that might be making her feel uncomfortable with the
idea of riding a bike. Nice set of recumbent trike links:
http://home.mindspring.com/~kb7mxu/
Another interesting option would be something like a rowing
bike. The advantage of this is that you use arms/legs/torso
to row, but both legs move together, so possibly the weak
leg could just ride along with the other leg and do as much
work as it can or as little work as it needs to. Nice
rowbike links:
http://www.geocities.com/rcgilmore3/land_rowers.htm
BTW, here is just one link with a variety of handcycles for
around $1000. That's really not bad, considering:
http://www.spinlife.com/wcstore.cfm (look at near the
bottom of the page for the "handcycles" link)
--Brent bhugh [at] mwsc.edu www.MoBikeFed.org
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