One armed cyclist on tandem

[Lazy legs]

I need advise, info and all the help I can get. One of my collogues wants to take up cycling with my brother and myself, problem is that his left arm is paralyzed. After long discussions between the 3 of us we thought it would be best to try and get him on a tandem with one of us, we even thought of alternating races with him.
We do have a couple of questions though.

1) His left arm is very prone to injury i.e. fractures which can take a long time to heal. Should he get some kind of brace to protect his arm in case of a accident?

2) Are there any modifications we should make to the bike itself to accommodate his disability?

3) Any suggestions to the kind of tandem we should get, entry level? (in other words, not to expensive!) I read in another thread where someone suggested hiring a tandem at first to see how things work out, does anybody know of a shop where we can rent one in the Pretoria (RSA) area?

If anybody knows of someone with similar disabilities riding somewhere out there that can offer any advise please let me know. If there are other thins we need to consider please let me know.

 

[big_h]

Lazy Legs

This one is difficult, I am not a doctor but fractures that take long to heal sounds like a bone deficiency and his whole skeletal frame would be at risk in such a case. You had better consult with a physician regarding this before putting him on a bike. I do not think a brace will help in any case because the impact - if you fall - will just snap the bone adjacent to the brace. The arm strapped to the body might work.... better see a doctor. Regarding him on the bike I do not think you need anything special. Your style of riding will mostly be affected the most. You might have to compensate for balance placing more strain on you. The Captain takes quite a lot of strain as a tandem is difficult to keep on the road in any case. I will ask around a bit for a tandem on loan and will come back to you. What size frames would you use.???? Do your home work properly with a doctor first.

Keep those wheels spinning

Big H

 

[Lazy legs]

Tx, BH. With regards to the fractures it's not that they take longer than normal, I just meant that in general fractures take a long time to heal.
We were thinking of using a brace that actually straps the arm to the body.
Frame size??? I don’t know, maybe you can assist? I'm 1.87m tall and weigh 83kg; he is about 1.77m and 73kg.
Tx for the advice so far, he will definitely see a doctor for advise.

 

[Bob s.]

I have no knowledge of special needs bikes, but my first thought was a recumbent bike. Lower to the ground, more stable, and if/when you fall, you're falling from a much lower height. hope this helps!
--Bob