a new convert to the Dark Side?

[Myra Vaninwegen]

It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation. A couple times I've woken up in the middle
of the night with my left hand tingling madly. (I've had problems with poor circulation in my left
hand for years, since a serious bout with RSI in '96, but it's gotten markedly worse in the past
month). Last night I had the indignity of a cramp in my left calf to add to it (it's amazing how
breathtakingly painful a cramp is!)

As I ride to work (trip of 3.5 miles) my left hand gets tingly fairly quickly and soon I can barely
feel it. I shake it around, which helps relieve it a bit, but I worry that I've got less control
over the bike when I do this. After I get to work it comes back to life quite quickly, but feels
funny for quite some time. My right hand gets a tiny bit tingly, but nothing to worry about.

I worry that I may be doing real damage to my left hand. There are two obvious solutions:
(1) drive to work
(2) buy a recumbent I could do (1), but that would really restrict my mobility. I can drive between
work and home without too much hassle, but any trip into town would become vastly more
complicated as I couldn't use the many cycle routes and I'd have to worry about parking. So I
think (2) is a better option. Especially as I've been wanting a Trice for quite some time. So
I've phoned up Kevin at D.Tek (recumbent and other weird bikes shop in Little Thetford about 10
miles north of Cambridge) and had a discussion about recumbent trikes. He's got quite a few in
stock. So in a couple weeks time I may be commuting to work on three wheels!

-Myra

 

[Bas]

> cycle routes and I'd have to worry about parking. So I think (2) is a better option. Especially as
> I've been wanting a Trice for quite some time. So I've phoned up Kevin at D.Tek (recumbent and
> other weird bikes shop in Little Thetford about 10 miles north of Cambridge) and had a discussion
> about recumbent trikes. He's got quite a few in stock. So in a couple weeks time I may be
> commuting to work on three wheels!
>
> -Myra

3 wheels ? Never seen one of those, the occasional one I see here in Holland are all 2 wheels....
'Fraid you're gonna topple ?

Bas

 

[Just Zis Guy]

Myra VanInwegen wrote:

> There are two obvious solutions:
> (1) drive to work
> (2) buy a recumbent

Two solutions, but only one option. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Trice we go......

> in a couple weeks time I may be commuting to work on three wheels!

I could do with the extra one right now as well

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Peter Clinch]

Myra VanInwegen wrote:
> It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation.
<snip>

Sith agents use some pretty extreme methods at times, but we get there in the end. Looks like Darth
Simon can start openly using his red light sabre soon... ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Wafflycathcsdir]

The Dark Side is strong with you young Myra. You know it is. Resistance is futile, prepared to be
assimilated. Destry! Destroy! nanu!

Must go and lie down - these over the counter cold meds play havoc with a girl's sci-fi ...

Cheers, helen s

(We are Borg of Dyslexia! Resistors are fertile. Prepare to have your ass laminated! - my
favourite one)

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Frank]

Do you ride with drops, I had tingly hands and fingers and this appears to be caused by bending my
wrists back when I ride my hybrid, when I ride my road bike, I ride on the hoods my wrists are
straight my fingers don't tingle. The effect seems to be cumulative, with recovery taking place over
weeks/months.

I'm not saying this is related to your problems but its worth a look : carpal tunnel syndrome

http://www.cptips.com/handsyn.htm

"Myra VanInwegen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation. A couple times I've woken up in the
> middle of the night with my left hand tingling madly. (I've had problems with poor circulation in
> my left hand for years, since a serious bout with RSI in '96, but it's gotten markedly worse in
> the past month). Last night I had the indignity of a cramp in my left calf to add to it (it's
> amazing how breathtakingly painful a cramp is!)
>
> As I ride to work (trip of 3.5 miles) my left hand gets tingly fairly quickly and soon I can
> barely feel it. I shake it around, which helps relieve it a bit, but I worry that I've got less
> control over the bike when I do this. After I get to work it comes back to life quite quickly, but
> feels funny for quite some time. My right hand gets a tiny bit tingly, but nothing to worry about.
>
> I worry that I may be doing real damage to my left hand. There are two obvious solutions:
> (1) drive to work
> (2) buy a recumbent I could do (1), but that would really restrict my mobility. I can drive
> between work and home without too much hassle, but any trip into town would become vastly more
> complicated as I couldn't use the many cycle routes and I'd have to worry about parking. So I
> think (2) is a better option. Especially as I've been wanting a Trice for quite some time. So
> I've phoned up Kevin at D.Tek (recumbent and other weird bikes shop in Little Thetford about
> 10 miles north of Cambridge) and had a discussion about recumbent trikes. He's got quite a few
> in stock. So in a couple weeks time I may be commuting to work on three wheels!
>
> -Myra

 

[Andy Welch]

On 30-Jan-2003, [email protected] (Myra VanInwegen) wrote:

> It seems that being pregnant is bad for your circulation. A couple times I've woken up in the
> middle of the night with my left hand tingling madly. (I've had problems with poor circulation in
> my left hand for years, since a serious bout with RSI in '96, but it's gotten markedly worse in
> the past month). Last night I had the indignity of a cramp in my left calf to add to it (it's
> amazing how breathtakingly painful a cramp is!)

Ah yes, I remember the pregnancy cramps. Fortunately only as an observerr, but they sure looked
painful. My wife had a pretty good pregnancy (labour was another matter, but let's not get into
that). No morning sickness, no heartburn. But she did leap out of bed in the middle of the night on
a number of occasions, clutching her leg and uttering a few oaths. I reckon it was just nature's way
of getting her into swearing profusely in preparation for labour.

> I worry that I may be doing real damage to my left hand. There are two obvious solutions:
> (1) drive to work
> (2) buy a recumbent I could do (1), but that would really restrict my mobility. I can drive
> between work and home without too much hassle, but any trip into town would become vastly more
> complicated as I couldn't use the many cycle routes and I'd have to worry about parking. So I
> think (2) is a better option.

Of course it is.

> Especially as I've been wanting a Trice for quite some time.

Surprised it's taken you this long to come up with the tingling hand excuse really

> So I've phoned up Kevin at D.Tek (recumbent and other weird bikes shop in Little Thetford about 10
> miles north of Cambridge) and had a discussion about recumbent trikes. He's got quite a few in
> stock. So in a couple weeks time I may be commuting to work on three wheels!

Did you check whether he had any Trice in stock? When I was there (a year or so ago) he had one of
the old (pre-ICE) models, but this was pretty heavy. He did have an Optima Rider (relatively cheap,
but also heavy - maybe not such an issue in Cambridge) and a Deamon Slipstream (Windcheetah clone,
but no longer made so caveat emptor). At the time he was refusing to sell Windcheetahs on the
grounds that the new kits had reduced the price he could ask for a second hand model. Personally I
don't think that you should buy a recumbent trike until you've at least had a decent test ride in a
Windcheetah. But of course I'm biased.

Actually I'm not that biased as I am still contemplating selling mine to fund a lightweight upright,
but if you want a recumbent trike the Windcheetah does take some beating.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Just Zis Guy]

Frank wrote:
> Do you ride with drops, I had tingly hands and fingers and this appears to be caused by bending my
> wrists back when I ride my hybrid, when I ride my road bike, I ride on the hoods my wrists are
> straight my fingers don't tingle.

No, no, no, Frank, don't start posting useful "make the wedgie more comfortable" stuff - Myra is on
the brink of Conversion!

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Alan Braggins]

[email protected] (Myra VanInwegen) writes:
> As I ride to work (trip of 3.5 miles) my left hand gets tingly fairly
[...]
> I worry that I may be doing real damage to my left hand. There are two obvious solutions:
> (1) drive to work
> (2) buy a recumbent I could do (1), but that would really restrict my mobility. I can drive
> between work and home without too much hassle, but any trip into town would become vastly more
> complicated as I couldn't use the many cycle routes and I'd have to worry about parking.

You could drive to work with a bike in or on the car for use when going into town. But from the new
Computer Labs (making assumptions about your cl.cam.ac.uk address) into town and back is probably as
far as 3.5 miles anyway, isn't it, so you'ld want a recumbent for that anyway.

 

[Peter Clinch]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> No, no, no, Frank, don't start posting useful "make the wedgie more comfortable" stuff - Myra is
> on the brink of Conversion!

I suspect Myra's bike is already comfortable... at least as far as wedgies can be. But it really is
rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic stuff compared to a big comfy chair with no weight to speak of
on your arms and wrists. It's the comfort that's most of the point for me, any other advantages are
just fringe benefits.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Tony W]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> No, no, no, Frank, don't start posting useful "make the wedgie more comfortable" stuff - Myra is
> on the brink of Conversion!

I trust its just a fad or craving -- like strawberries and French mustard.

Myra be strong. Resist the lure of the Dark Side. Sacrificing your immortal soul for non tingly
hands is not a good exchange.

If in doubt (and only when sitting down) take a look at:-

http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger

Such horrors could be yours if you succumb to the evil that is the Dark Side.

 

[Stephen Gower]

Tony W <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger

Doesn't it hurt your neck to be looking forward while lying recumbant? I know I couldn't keep my
head up while lying on my bed doesn't your back need to be almost vertical for your head to be
comfortable?

--
Selah

 

[Just Zis Guy]

[email protected] wrote:

>> Especially as I've been wanting a Trice for quite some time.

> Surprised it's taken you this long to come up with the tingling hand excuse really

Ah, Andy, I know you prefer the windcheetah, but it's just occurred to me - with a Trice, with under
seat ateering, there will be no need for Myra to leave the bike even during the delivery - simply
add eight pairs of Knee Savers to the pedals, clip[ in, and hold the handlebars tight - the perfect
Birthing Bike :-D

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Peter Clinch]

Tony W wrote:

> If in doubt (and only when sitting down) take a look at:-

But if you're going to sit down, you'll want a comfy chair... ;-)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Peter Clinch]

Stephen Gower wrote:

> Doesn't it hurt your neck to be looking forward while lying recumbant? I know I couldn't keep my
> head up while lying on my bed doesn't your back need to be almost vertical for your head to be
> comfortable?

Not generally a problem. A good 'bent seat turns up near the top so your neck is supported in a way
that makes looking where you're going quite natural, and no conscious effort is needed to raise it
there (may be a problem on radical lowracers, but not really on stuff built for the roads IME).

OTOH, the crouching position required by many uprights needs you to make a point of looking up at a
relatively unnatural angle just to see where you're going. I found out the extent of this when I
lent my 'bent to a friend for a try, and I took out my old tourer to join him for 15 miles or so in
case he had problems. The bit of me that hurt most when I got home was my neck. The only parts of me
that have ever complained from riding my 'bent for a fair distance have been the actual muscles that
did the work. On an upright, in contrast, I've had shoulders, elbows, wrists, backside, back and
neck aching at some point, as well as my legs.

Could you keep your head up lying in bead if you had a stack of pillows?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Just Zis Guy]

Stephen Gower wrote:

> Doesn't it hurt your neck to be looking forward while lying recumbant? I know I couldn't keep my
> head up while lying on my bed doesn't your back need to be almost vertical for your head to be
> comfortable?

It's a damn sight more comfortable (and natural) than craning your neck backwards to avoid spending
all day watching the front wheel At least the neck is designed to bend that way.....

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
about it perhaps you could think when we talk of bicycles, that you see them printing their proud
wheels i' the receiving earth; thanks awfully.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#103 http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.shtml#104

 

[Tony W]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> But if you're going to sit down, you'll want a comfy chair... ;-)

Yes -- but not one that falls over when you take your foot off the ground -- or one with a full set
of Ninja throwing stars attached to the front!!

I was thinking more of on a nice warm sofa -- perhaps with a punnet of strawberries and a pot
of Dijon!!

T

 

[John B]

Stephen Gower wrote:

> Tony W <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger
>
> Doesn't it hurt your neck to be looking forward while lying recumbant? I know I couldn't keep my
> head up while lying on my bed doesn't your back need to be almost vertical for your head to be
> comfortable?

The guys at ICE produce a great headrest for the really laid back.

Nope, you can't fight the Force with such feeble excuses ;-)

John B

 

[John B]

Stephen Gower wrote:

> Tony W <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >http://www.chapmancentral.com/Web/public.nsf/Documents/Bike_Optima_Stinger
>
> Doesn't it hurt your neck to be looking forward while lying recumbant? I know I couldn't keep my
> head up while lying on my bed doesn't your back need to be almost vertical for your head to be
> comfortable?

The guys at ICE produce a great headrest for the really laid back.

Nope, you can't fight the Force with such feeble excuses ;-)

John B

 

[Peter Clinch]

Tony W wrote:

> Yes -- but not one that falls over when you take your foot off the ground

Which is doubtless why Myra wants a trike...

> I was thinking more of on a nice warm sofa

Head over to http://www.bikeforest.com/couchbike.html

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/