Advocacy & Safety - How do I help this guy?

I have a neighbor. 71 yrs old, pretty active, a bit overweight, and some rather serious permanent injuries to deal with.

His doctor told him he should ride bicycles. He wants to but finds it too painful. My short diagnosis of the problem is that he is looking at crap (dept store type) bikes and needs to be fitted for his physical condition.

He trusts me and knows what I spend on bikes. He wants to buy one of mine or have me pick one for him. However, I am skinny, flexible, significantly younger than him, and don't have the issues with injuries he has. Any of my bikes would put him in extreme pain. He has plenty of money, but I don't know how to fit him on a decent bike, and he won't trust anyone in a shop. What should I do?

- you don't say what kind of injuries, but just to get started, i'd recommend a 'comfort' bike w/upright seating... if the new rider gets used to a few miles or more on a daily basis, and the interest is maintained, i'd expect some fitness and flexibility improvements commensurate with a rapid graduation to more advanced rides...

(at least it worked for me)

:-)

At that age, I'd recomment a Worksman Tricycle. We have a guy who's partially disabled and rides one all over town.

Sun has a line of recumbent trikes that are fairly inexpensive (for trikes).

My wife had a stroke and will not likely be able to ride her two-wheeler for the forseeable future. I got her a Sun SC3-EZ that she really enjoys. It's a delta and the seat height is quite a bit higher than many trikes. Much easier to get on and off than most trikes.

Rik

Sun has a line of recumbent trikes that are fairly inexpensive (for trikes).

My wife had a stroke and will not likely be able to ride her two-wheeler for the forseeable future. I got her a Sun SC3-EZ that she really enjoys. It's a delta and the seat height is quite a bit higher than many trikes. Much easier to get on and off than most trikes.

Rik
Hey Rik -- how do you like your velokit? I have the cloth version, but I'd been thinking of the other.

I'll see if I can get him to go for a delta. Something in his back was broken when some sort of huge dropped on him years ago

Where is he going to ride and will he need to transport himself & bike to starting point? If he needs to drive - then a light bike & easy on/off bike rack would be what I would look at.... If he needs to drive to the starting point & can not lift the bike on/off or in/out of vehicle - it will be a challenge.

What about a Biria?

http://www.biria.com

The frame is lower than low.

http://www.biria.com/bicycles/ez/eb_superlight_8.jsp

You can stand on the top tube and start off, like it's a scooter.
If you can't ride this bike, you need to be strapped into a wheelchair.

If you can't ride this bike, you need to be strapped into a wheelchair.
A bit extreme from riding a two wheeled bike to "strapped into a wheel chair", don't you think? I agree that a Biria might be a good choice, or a trike. If you stop pedaling the trike you don't fall over. Go with him to a LBS that you trust to have him measured and fitted. Your being there may help him to be more trustful of the LBS staff.

Where is he going to ride and will he need to transport himself & bike to starting point? If he needs to drive - then a light bike & easy on/off bike rack would be what I would look at.... If he needs to drive to the starting point & can not lift the bike on/off or in/out of vehicle - it will be a challenge.
He's just going to ride around town. We have wide smooth streets with very little traffic and he won't need to transport this.

Hey Rik -- how do you like your velokit? I have the cloth version, but I'd been thinking of the other.

I like it OK I guess. It is much warmer when the weather is cold. Although, if I lived where it was warmer in the winter I wouldn't need one and I wouldn't be unhappy about that :D Actually been thinking about the fabric one myself, just because it is lighter. But, as you know, you can blow a thousand here and a couple thousand there ..... pretty soon you've spent some real money and you might still not think what you've got is the best thing since sliced bread. So I'm thinking I'll hold back for a while.

I would like to try out a real velomobile or two and see if they feel more efficient than a trike with a body built onto it.

Rik

I don't ride a trike, but I would agree, that a delta trike might be good. Be sure to get a flag for visibility. Some mountain bikes are quite comfortable. And of course, they are very stable.

Another vote for a tricycle.

A Sun EZ-3 or tadpole if he has balance issues. He might like the lighter weight of an EZ-1.

Well I don't know anything about tricycles, but my 65 y/o mother, barely overweight, healthy but not very fit, and with pretty painful rhumatoid arthritis in her back likes her pedal moped. Not sure what you call it really. But the electric rechargeable battery life is short enough that you really need to do some pedaling, and keep the battery power for the tougher bits or when your energy runs low or the traffic speeds are too uncomfortable.

It may seem odd to suggest a motorised cycle in a bicycle forum, but my mother really appreciates the compromise and the seat is completely comfortable.

Just a thought.