Recumbent - Arthritis

My father has developed a fairly severe arthritis in the past few years. He enjoyed riding a great deal before this and has had to stop because of neck and back issues. He has finally gotten it under control enough to venture back into this realm, but would like to try out a recumbent because of the better positions for his back. His neck and shoulders have been giving him some problems so it would have to be a more upright position. Does anybody have any suggestions for bikes?

I'd suggest he try some trikes for fit and comfort. There's a large range of seat angles available to choose from. Balance issues are non existent and I have never had back, shoulder or neck discomfort while riding my trike. Mirrors are a must as it is more difficult to turn one's head to see what's coming up from behind on a trike.
Mike

I agree with above poster, but he should also test ride some 2-wheelers as well. The main thing is to test ride for comfort and fit.

yup. No reason why you have to have a trike. Any bent will likely help.

One other thing, you can see it a lot, is make sure he learns to "spin" instead of trying to power the pedals. I had knee pain until I learned that. You would be surprised at the difference it makes.

I'm in my early 60's and have the same problem with neck and shoulder pain. Got to the point where my arms were going to sleep after 5 minutes on the upright bike. The neck pain prevented me from tilting my head back far enough to see far down the road - nearly wiped out a mother and kid in a stroller on a bike/walking path when I came upon them while looking 20' in front of the wheel. That did it! Bought a Sun EZ-Sport CX last summer and couldn't be more pleased! Best thing I ever did for myself. I can ride for hours with no discomfort whatsoever. Problem now is there isn't enough spare time in the day to ride as much as I would like!

Just another vote for what's already been said. Both trikes and bikes (order there just personal preference) are a blast and offer the freedom to ride in many different positions. In my opinion, it's worth the time and travel to try a variety of riders until your father finds one that feels right to him. Many local bike shops offer very bent few options and little expertise, so I'd suggest not giving up too soon on finding a good ride.

I have neck pain and wrist pain even on comfort bikes,can ride my bent 50 miles pain free. Ps im 68

Trikes are fine, but I'd urge him to try a LWB or CLWB bikes, too. I'm not so sure of SWB bikes, etc. Whether he can tide any particular type of bent or not is largely a trial and error thing. One kind might flare yup his arthritis while another may not.
If you are close to a bent store, go down and try as many types out as he can.

I went to a CLWB recumbent a couple of years ago, mostly due to back problems, but also had arthritis in knees and elbows. Going to the recumbent made it possible to ride again, but my knee problems persisted. I did a number of things to try to address this, and am now pain free. What I did:
- looked into food allergies/sensitivities: removed all substances on the "list". This includes wheat, yeast, eggs and milk.
- Added a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement morning and evening
- Added 1 TSP high-quality fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acid)
- Start the day with stretching and tai chi
Currently, if I miss any of the above, especially eating food on the sensitivities list, the pain starts again.

One other thing, you can see it a lot, is make sure he learns to "spin" instead of trying to power the pedals. I had knee pain until I learned that. You would be surprised at the difference it makes.

I am new at this so please excuse a dumb question.....what does "spin" mean, instead of trying to power the pedals? It sounds like maybe going to a very low gear and spinning the pedals faster, versus a higher gear and pushing harder on the pedals. I have a Sun Tadpole CX. With my bad knee, I have trouble maintaining any speed at all and even on small hills.

I am new at this so please excuse a dumb question.....what does "spin" mean, instead of trying to power the pedals? It sounds like maybe going to a very low gear and spinning the pedals faster, versus a higher gear and pushing harder on the pedals. I have a Sun Tadpole CX. With my bad knee, I have trouble maintaining any speed at all and even on small hills.

To "spin" means trying to move the pedals in a circular motion instead of "mashing" the pedals. Typically mashing the pedals is what you're doing when riding an upright bike with platform pedals. Instead of just pushing down on the pedals the idea is to spin the cranks fairly quickly but without a lot of pressure.

To "spin" means trying to move the pedals in a circular motion instead of "mashing" the pedals. Typically mashing the pedals is what you're doing when riding an upright bike with platform pedals. Instead of just pushing down on the pedals the idea is to spin the cranks fairly quickly but without a lot of pressure.

I am still not clear re "spinning" !! moving pedals in a circular motion I would say is the way they ALL go, isn"t it? Is MY definition correct....please make it a little more in plain english for we newbie's. In other words as I said before....don't we put the gear shift in a very low gear to spin easier and a higher gear would make it harder to pedal? I have the Sun CX TAdpole trike and need all the help I can get. I am 86. My therapist said a Recumbent would be the BEST therapy I could get!!

When someone advised you to 'spin' they're really saying keep the cadence relatively high instead of horsing the pedals at low rpms. Pushing a high gear at low rpms is a good way to over-stress the knee joint, which is another way of saying that using a lower gear with a higher foot speed automatically limits how much strain you can place on the joint. As you attain higher cadences, a smooth pedal stroke becomes more important to prevent bouncing.

My spin is typically about 85rpm, which used to be considered the classic ideal speed before Lance made higher rpms popular. Interestingly, Lance once remarked in an interview that he didn't consider himself the spinner that everyone else did. And if you look at clips of him riding, he really doesn't spin much faster than your average club rider. Until he fans his high gear and is forced to! Newbies who don't know any better will often turn the pedals at 50-60 rpm and wonder why their knees hurt after riding. It may take some training, but turning the pedals at 80-100 rpm will do your (or your father's) knees a favor.

There are a few trike riders here whose answer to any "what should I buy" thread with one word: TRIKE! and I'm pretty sure they must wonder why everyone else doesn't ride one too. Trikes are OK - don't rule one out; but also don't rule out a nice 2-wheeler as long as balance isn't an issue.

I am a little late with replying but hopefully this will be helpful. I am 62, have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don't know if your Father has RA or OA, there is a difference. Regardless, the one thing a person does not want to do if they have arthritis is fall down at speed. This is especially true if you have RA. I was diagnosed with RA 8 years ago and take many different drugs to help. I rode and upright bike (Tomassini) until it became impossible to do so. I have been riding different two wheeled recumbents for the past 7 years. The list I have owned is as follows: Rotator Pursuit, Challenge Hurricane, Challenge Hurricane SL, Volae Club, Lightning P38. Last summer my achilles and another ankle tendon snapped. I now ride a tadpole trike, Greenspeed GT3 II. I long to ride two wheels but know I will never go back. Not having to balance, being able to put all my meager power to the pedals, being able to ride as fast or slow as I want, are all pluses for a trike. It is most comfortable. Tell your Dad to get a trike of some sort, Greenspeed, Catrike, Wizwheelz, Trimuter, ICE, Trisled, to name a few. He won't have to worry about falling, he can climb ANY hill as slow as he wants, he won't be able to keep up with pacelines but he will have way more fun. Go for it, he won't regret it.
Bruce
GT3 II