How to share our love of cycling with someone physically incapable of it.
06-27-07, 09:16 PM
#1
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How to share our love of cycling with someone physically incapable of it.
How many of us have a handicapped or elderly friend or relative with whom we cannot share our love of cycling, and who therefore would love something like this? I wish that I knew about this before my late Father's death.
06-27-07, 09:50 PM
#2
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Thank you for the link, I'm sure somebody here will find it useful. Im sorry to hear about your dad but I'm sure he was happy knowing that you are happy with your cycling. 
06-28-07, 07:35 AM
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I thought I had a friend like this. My buddy has a form of Muscular Distrophy that makes it difficult to walk or use his hands for fine motor skills. He uses braces to get around. But by sharing my love of biking he decided to try and get back on after 20 years without riding. He is riding RAGBRAI with my friends and I next month! It is fun to watch him ride around.
06-28-07, 08:38 AM
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Good idea, but damn pricey for crappy bike components.
Over 4k for the "entry level"... ehhh.... I think I'd be pushing a wheelchair.
Over 4k for the "entry level"... ehhh.... I think I'd be pushing a wheelchair.
06-28-07, 08:47 AM
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don't try this at home.
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There's a group doing tandem rides where the stoker is blind in Cincinnati: tukandu.org/. They are always looking for volunteer captains.
06-28-07, 03:47 PM
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Check out the messageboard on www.bentrideronline.com. Try a search for special needs bikes. There was a thread on the messageboard recently about a special tandem arrangement that allowed a handicapped rider to ride in the front with the rear stoker doing the steering. The price was mentioned and it wasn't any $4K.
06-29-07, 04:40 AM
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Why is he on the front? (reminds me of the story of the truck with the wheelchair guy wedged in front)
Wouldn't it be easier to turn a wheelchair into a trail-a-bike or trailer setup?
Wouldn't it be easier to turn a wheelchair into a trail-a-bike or trailer setup?
06-29-07, 11:52 AM
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The third world is full of utility bikes with two wheels up front and a space for passengers or cargo. They pay only a tiny fraction of what these things cost.
07-02-07, 11:50 AM
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Expensive? Yes, but remember it is classified as medical equipment, so if your insurance has a DME provision you'll have little OOP.
07-02-07, 11:51 AM
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This has the advantage, though, of being able to detach the cycle part and use it as a regular wheelchair.
07-02-07, 11:51 AM
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Rickshaws are larger, heavier, do not detach, and not being considered medical equipment aren't covered by insurance.
07-02-07, 07:30 PM
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07-02-07, 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Elkhound
How many of us have a handicapped or elderly friend or relative with whom we cannot share our love of cycling, and who therefore would love something like this? I wish that I knew about this before my late Father's death.
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07-03-07, 01:05 PM
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Why is the wheelchair in front rather than attached like a trailer?
Why is the pasenger in front?
Because it is easier for the driver and the passenger to interact with the passenger up front. If the wheelchair were attached behind like a trailer--and there are devices like that, but I haven't the link handy--were the passenger to become ill or otherwise need help, the driver would have no way of knowing, especially if the passenger could not call out (say, a stroke victim who had lost the power of speech, or someone with Altzheimers.)
Because it is easier for the driver and the passenger to interact with the passenger up front. If the wheelchair were attached behind like a trailer--and there are devices like that, but I haven't the link handy--were the passenger to become ill or otherwise need help, the driver would have no way of knowing, especially if the passenger could not call out (say, a stroke victim who had lost the power of speech, or someone with Altzheimers.)
Last edited by Elkhound; 07-05-07 at 11:04 AM.
