Forced to ride fixed...the horror !
 

If anyone here was following the Stoned Guys thread (parts 1 and 2) you'd know I had a mishap at work at the end of January.

What was first thought to be a back strain is actually a more serious nerve impingement in my hip that affects my sciatic nerve which makes walking, sitting in a chair, bending, and squatting difficult and in many cases, excruciatingly painful.

On most days my left leg is a little numb and lacks some reflexes it should have.

On the bright side, one of the therapies is to ride as it relieves a great deal of pain and gives my legs a much needed workout and since I do have some issues turning over the cranks on a geared bike, I am finding that fixed is often the only way to go.

I built up one of my Twenty folding bikes into a fixed gear as some days I can't swing a leg over or even worse, have a hard time dismounting and the step through on the Twenty solves that issue.

So...here's yet another reason to ride fixed and I think the orthopaedic specialist I am seeing will be interested in how a fixed gear is allowing me to ride at nearly normal levels.

And maybe he will refer some of his patients to me so I can build more rehab bikes.

:)

Have you thought of trying powercranks? A few people have used them to correct their leg imbalance due to nerve damage. It's not a 100% cure, i.e., you may always have a slight difference, but at least your legs will be doing the same amount of work rather than having a resting/trailing leg.

The guy that invented them, while he can controversial, is a retired MD so I'd suggest e-mailing him and trying to find a demo.

http://www.powercranks.com/v4pages/videos-list.htm

http://www.powercranks.com/v4pages/support-contact.htm

Mark...do you get a commission on Powercranks ?

:)

No, wish I did. I have to admit that when Frank Day heard my old bike was stolen (with powercranks attached :mad:) I got a 10% discount on a new pair.

Thankfully the insurance co. paid for the new pair. They're still waiting to be used on the insurance replacement frame from Condor cycles. Some long lead times on popular custom bikes but it's has some improvements over the old, stolen, one so...meh.

Anyhoo, back to your nerve problem. I take it the physio's, OTs and chiro's haven't been able to crack that nut?

My former physio and OT just made things worse and this (piraformis syndrome) is something outside the realm of chiropractic care.

So for now I will ride and swim, do lots of physio at home, and might be looking at yoga... and I'm nearly as flexible as Gumby now.

First part - damn, that sucks. Well, good luck - chiro and accupuncture worked for me but it took me years before I found one who knew what he was doing.

Second part - watch out for hypermobility - joints become too unstable and can either hyperextend (that frikkin hurts!) or dislocate easily. Too much stretching with no strength exercises can cause some serious problems. Even if you're not interested in paying for a bar, some weights and a bench or a gym membership at least do the usual sit ups, press ups, chin ups, plank exercises, etc. to help stabilise the joints.

I had some back problems that cleared up with strength and core exercises. Before that I'd just done stretching with frequent visits to the chiro.

I think this thread, and this board especially, needs to see a pic of your fixed Twenty.

edit: have you been referred to a GOOD chiropractor in your area?

I can still bench press a truck and hamstring curl much more than my weight... the riding is good as it keeps the hip stable (laterally) as it's that outer rotation that puts pressure on the nerve and cycling and weights have kept those muscles nicely toned up.

I should be starting a new stint in rehab / physio and while I was there I was really working on maintaining my upper body strength and doing massive amounts of stretching and core exercises.

I think I have posted a gazillion images of my "rehab" bike already but once again... (as if anyone could have missed it)... it really is too much fun blowing by people on a bike with 20 inch wheels and drop bars as when the legs are working I am still an animal on a bike.

The endorphins you generate while riding don't hurt either.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...restfixed6.jpg

Cool, glad to hear you've not neglected the strength training. Well good luck again, sorry I couldn't recommend anything specific.

It's always funny passing people on a bike that doesn't fit the "average" size/shape, even funnier with both feet in sync doing dolphin kicks :D on the powercranks (intense ab workout).

That bike is so funny looking. I love it.