Since I wrote the original blog about cycling for amputees, I've got older and my various 'other' ailments have got a bit worse (my 'good' leg, for example, isn't as good as it was).
Anyway, I tried an electric bike a few years ago, and was so impressed I bought one. It means that I can still cycle, but without the great effort of starting up on hills, getting up hills, coping with hills in general. My first bike was a Wisper 905, a fairly expensive ebike - but if you're overweight and not very fit, the cheaper ebikes might not cope. Since then, I've had one made-to-measure for me - the advantage is that you can take an existing non-electric bike, and get it 'electrified' just as you want it.
On the Wisper and on my current bike, you have a throttle (just like a motor-bike), and pedals that are assisted by the rear-wheel motor. So each time I start off, I use the throttle to get moving, then once I'm pedalling, I let go of the throttle. This is particularly handy on slopes, of course, where even 2-legged riders have to put in great effort to get moving. Really steep hills defeat me, but there aren't too many of those in my home town.
All the modifications I talked about for 'ordinary' bikes apply equally to ebikes.
Monday 4 August 2014
Monday 12 April 2010
Riding a bike - mainly for BKAs.
At the end of this blog you will find a few photographs showing some of the bits I mention, plus some web links of various suppliers.
(The 'specials', like the crank shorteners, Gravitydroppers, and Kneesavers, are not cheap - they are short-run items, so don't benefit from the savings of mass production. I am not a 'gadget' person, but I DO think all these are worth their weight in gold.)
The purpose of this blog is to show amputees, particularly BKA amps (as AKAs have different problems), how to modify their BIKES to make them easier to ride, rather than trying to get a special 'cycling leg', which might be good for a bike, but is bad for walking. Some of the points I make might also be of interest to AKA cyclists.
----------------------------------
Cycling is great for getting around - once you've sorted out the basics, it's often easier than walking. You can travel long distances - I often do several miles without any problem - for very little physical effort. Unlike walking! (And yes, there are amp cyclists who do FAR longer distances than that - one man, not much younger than me, does up to 100 miles a week. One day I'll join him. Maybe.)
I am writing here about cycling as a a pleasant way of getting from A to B, taking some exercise at the same time, and not as a 'Sport', where people want to tear around as fast as possible. I don't go very fast at all, except sometimes downhill. Pedestrians have been known to overtake me.
My approach to BKA life, including cycling, is to try and arrange the world to suit me - so I am not a great believer in 'Cycling Legs', (or window-cleaning legs, or cooking legs, and so on). Partly, because I want to walk AND cycle - I go shopping on my bike, walk around the shops, and ride home. I ride to the park, walk round the lake, and ride home. I have seen people who wear 'cycling legs' who couldn't walk five yards without hurting themselves. Not for me.
I always wonder "What if I got a puncture? How would I get home if I couldn't walk?" Similarly, when you come to a very busy traffic junction, or to a steep hill, you want (well, I do, anyway) to get off and WALK, which is very hard work with a 'cycling leg', as it is usually shorter than a proper leg, with the foot sticking out at an odd angle.
The alternative? Modify your BIKE, not your leg. A few simple measures will do the job.
Pedals and feet.
Feet hitting the frame
With your toes pointed the way that is best for walking, your feet (usually your ankle) tend to bash against the frame of the bike. Easily solved: move the PEDALS. You can fit 'Kneesavers', which are pedal extenders that shift the pedals 30mm out from the bike.
Keeping your feet on the pedals
Not just a problem for amps, of course, but some of the 'able-bodied' solutions don't really suit us. Toe-clips are a bit awkward to do up, and frighten me (I like being able to get my foot on the ground QUICKLY). 'Cleats', where you wear a special cycling shoe with a metal slider attached to the sole, which in turn slides into a special pedal - some people get on with them, but I don't for several reasons: one, you have to wear special cycling shoes, and my prosthetic set-up complains if I take off my ordinary shoes. Two, again there is a momentary delay in getting foot from pedal to ground, which I don't like. Three, cycling shoes are great for cycling, but uncomfortable for walking, particularly with those metal things on their soles. (Even ordinary cycling shoes are uncomfortable: they have very little heel, which most plastic legs don't like).
My solution is to use oversized 'flat' pedals with sharp little screws sticking up - you can easily buy both in bike shops, as they're made for BMX or mountain-bike riding. It works fine: you push your foot onto the pedal, and the sharp screws push back into your sole, and you stay connected. Trainers are best (nice rubbery soles), but I also use fairly standard black-leather shoes which work just as well.
I did try cleats for a while, and while I found I could get out of them in an emergency, it was just one more thing to worry about, so I stuck to my big pedals and ordinary shoes - they do me!
Foot can't reach the pedal
No, it can't, at least not when the pedal is at the BOTTOM of its turning. Most of our feet are set at 90 degrees to our legs. Able-bodied legs have feet which you can point downwards. Solution for amps? Two routes: either fit a shorter crank arm (you might need a friend to measure just where you want your pedal to be), or a device called a Crank-shortener. You fix that to your existing crank (the metal rod that your pedal is attached to), and you can then re-position your pedal, to make it closer to you. Simple to fit, but getting more difficult to obtain. The crank-shortener I use has three positions so that you can have the pedal 40, 80, or 120mm CLOSER to your knee than normal. Your foot doesn't go down as far, and your knee doesn't go UP as far. You lose a bit of 'thrust' as you push your leg downwards, but not enough to bother a recreational cyclist.
I suppose the best advantage of the crank shortener is that you can easily take it off and transfer it to a new bike, whereas the shorter crank arm needs a bit more specialist knowledge (and tools).
This also helps get round the BKA problem of the back of your knee being squashed against the back of your socket, which it will do without crank shorteners. Your leg will be lifted MUCH higher than is comfortable.
Saddle too low
Yes, it will be too low, at least if you want to have your feet firmly on the ground when starting off or stopping. Able-bodied cyclists achieve this by sitting astride their bikes, and putting their TOES just touching the ground. We can't, and have to settle for our feet to be flattish on the ground. That's okay until you start to cycle, then everything goes wrong. Your knees are under pressure, you are wobbling about, and you can't move very far or quickly.
Solution? A simple device which RAISES the saddle once you have started moving. Called a 'Gravitydropper', it is obtainable by mail order from the USA. What happens is this. You get on your bike with the saddle in the LOW position, feet flat on the ground, and then start cycling. As soon as you like, you ease your weight off the saddle (you don't have to 'stand', just lift your bottom a bit), pull a lever on the handlebars, and the saddle goes up - you can get them with a 2", 3" or 4" lift, or a variable lift. I started off with a 2" and now my limbs have stretched a bit, I use a 3".
When you stop, you have to do that in reverse - that is, to ease your weight off the saddle, pull the lever, and push the saddle down with your bottom. Only takes a couple of seconds, and if you ever DO have to stop in an emergency, you might find your feet are an inch or two above the ground, but having done it, I can tell you that I didn't fall off.
(A minor disadvantage of the Gravitydropper is that for those first few yards, you are cycling in the 'low' position, which is not that comfortable for your knees or socket. It only lasts a few seconds, and goes as soon as you're in the 'up' position).
There is an alternative to this, which was recently pointed out to me by a correspondent - fit stabilizers to your bike. The ones in this link are a US product, but sold in the UK:
http://www.ez-trainer.com/?s=adult&l=en
The video on their web page, which shows riders sitting on their bikes, feet on the pedals, NOT moving, is eye-opening, and might be a solution for nervous riders!
Falling off
Some of the amputee cyclists who see it as a 'sport' talk about falling off as an occupational hazard. It isn't! I haven't fallen off in my 2 years back in the saddle; I make sure I don't. If you're just going to meander along, then you haven't got to restrict yourself to parks (where there is grass for a soft landing). It's only when you want to travel at 20mph+, that life becomes a bit more hazardous.
-----------------------------
Three pictures follow, showing a pedal and what I do to it.
The pedal itself you can buy at any bike shop, or from the internet. They are about £15 a pair, although you can pay £40 (why would you?) for 'designer' pedals. All you want is big flat pedals to give your foot more to rest on.
The sharpened screw thingies are called 'Terror Pins' (I know, I know, but don't blame me), and you unscrew the usual little pins from the corners of the pedal and screw in the 'terror pins' in their place. If you were doing many miles, they might do damage to your sole, but if you can wear trainers (cheap ones, I mean, not expensive 'designer' ones) then it shouldn't matter.
The pedals themselves are attached to 'Kneesavers', which move the pedal 30mm away from the crank. You can get 25 and 30mm versions; there are also different sorts for exercise bikes and for proper bikes.
The crank shortener is attached to the crank by a bolt which takes the place of the existing pedal, and then by a clamp held in place with a couple of bolts. Takes an hour to fit, less if you're in a rush.
-----------------------------------
And here are some web addresses.
• The pedals, you CAN buy in any bike shop, but if you prefer the net I include a link.
• The 'terror pins' are harder to get in shops, but easy from the internet.
• The crank shortener: there are several different makes on the market, all doing a similar job to each other.
• The Gravitydropper is only obtainable from the manufacturers in the USA. It is a small firm (when I had a query the owner emailed me back!), and I know several people who have used it, so I have total confidence in buying from them. It isn't a cheap device, but it changed my cycling life completely.
Wiggle is an online bike shop, which I have often used.
Highpath is a small firm in Wales making 'special' bits for bikes, including the crank shortener and a device called a 'pulse crank' which amps can use - there should be details on their website. The owner is a helpful, if busy man, who is always willing to discuss his products on the telephone.
Kneesavers also come from the US, and again I can vouch for the man who makes them. Good guy.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/s/cycle/7/?Wd=terror_pins
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/DMR_V8_Flat_Pedals/528567288/
http://www.highpath.net/index.html
http://gravitydropper.com/
http://www.kneesaver.net/
------------------------------------
Contact me, if you like, on the email address on this blog. Otherwise I contribute to a few amputee online discussion groups under the name of allen-uk:
http://amputees.proboards.com/index.cgi
http://old.limblossinformationcentre.com/forum/
http://www.limbless-association.org/forum/
I hope this helps you get back on your bike!
Good luck,
Allen.
(The 'specials', like the crank shorteners, Gravitydroppers, and Kneesavers, are not cheap - they are short-run items, so don't benefit from the savings of mass production. I am not a 'gadget' person, but I DO think all these are worth their weight in gold.)
The purpose of this blog is to show amputees, particularly BKA amps (as AKAs have different problems), how to modify their BIKES to make them easier to ride, rather than trying to get a special 'cycling leg', which might be good for a bike, but is bad for walking. Some of the points I make might also be of interest to AKA cyclists.
----------------------------------
Cycling is great for getting around - once you've sorted out the basics, it's often easier than walking. You can travel long distances - I often do several miles without any problem - for very little physical effort. Unlike walking! (And yes, there are amp cyclists who do FAR longer distances than that - one man, not much younger than me, does up to 100 miles a week. One day I'll join him. Maybe.)
I am writing here about cycling as a a pleasant way of getting from A to B, taking some exercise at the same time, and not as a 'Sport', where people want to tear around as fast as possible. I don't go very fast at all, except sometimes downhill. Pedestrians have been known to overtake me.
My approach to BKA life, including cycling, is to try and arrange the world to suit me - so I am not a great believer in 'Cycling Legs', (or window-cleaning legs, or cooking legs, and so on). Partly, because I want to walk AND cycle - I go shopping on my bike, walk around the shops, and ride home. I ride to the park, walk round the lake, and ride home. I have seen people who wear 'cycling legs' who couldn't walk five yards without hurting themselves. Not for me.
I always wonder "What if I got a puncture? How would I get home if I couldn't walk?" Similarly, when you come to a very busy traffic junction, or to a steep hill, you want (well, I do, anyway) to get off and WALK, which is very hard work with a 'cycling leg', as it is usually shorter than a proper leg, with the foot sticking out at an odd angle.
The alternative? Modify your BIKE, not your leg. A few simple measures will do the job.
Pedals and feet.
Feet hitting the frame
With your toes pointed the way that is best for walking, your feet (usually your ankle) tend to bash against the frame of the bike. Easily solved: move the PEDALS. You can fit 'Kneesavers', which are pedal extenders that shift the pedals 30mm out from the bike.
Keeping your feet on the pedals
Not just a problem for amps, of course, but some of the 'able-bodied' solutions don't really suit us. Toe-clips are a bit awkward to do up, and frighten me (I like being able to get my foot on the ground QUICKLY). 'Cleats', where you wear a special cycling shoe with a metal slider attached to the sole, which in turn slides into a special pedal - some people get on with them, but I don't for several reasons: one, you have to wear special cycling shoes, and my prosthetic set-up complains if I take off my ordinary shoes. Two, again there is a momentary delay in getting foot from pedal to ground, which I don't like. Three, cycling shoes are great for cycling, but uncomfortable for walking, particularly with those metal things on their soles. (Even ordinary cycling shoes are uncomfortable: they have very little heel, which most plastic legs don't like).
My solution is to use oversized 'flat' pedals with sharp little screws sticking up - you can easily buy both in bike shops, as they're made for BMX or mountain-bike riding. It works fine: you push your foot onto the pedal, and the sharp screws push back into your sole, and you stay connected. Trainers are best (nice rubbery soles), but I also use fairly standard black-leather shoes which work just as well.
I did try cleats for a while, and while I found I could get out of them in an emergency, it was just one more thing to worry about, so I stuck to my big pedals and ordinary shoes - they do me!
Foot can't reach the pedal
No, it can't, at least not when the pedal is at the BOTTOM of its turning. Most of our feet are set at 90 degrees to our legs. Able-bodied legs have feet which you can point downwards. Solution for amps? Two routes: either fit a shorter crank arm (you might need a friend to measure just where you want your pedal to be), or a device called a Crank-shortener. You fix that to your existing crank (the metal rod that your pedal is attached to), and you can then re-position your pedal, to make it closer to you. Simple to fit, but getting more difficult to obtain. The crank-shortener I use has three positions so that you can have the pedal 40, 80, or 120mm CLOSER to your knee than normal. Your foot doesn't go down as far, and your knee doesn't go UP as far. You lose a bit of 'thrust' as you push your leg downwards, but not enough to bother a recreational cyclist.
I suppose the best advantage of the crank shortener is that you can easily take it off and transfer it to a new bike, whereas the shorter crank arm needs a bit more specialist knowledge (and tools).
This also helps get round the BKA problem of the back of your knee being squashed against the back of your socket, which it will do without crank shorteners. Your leg will be lifted MUCH higher than is comfortable.
Saddle too low
Yes, it will be too low, at least if you want to have your feet firmly on the ground when starting off or stopping. Able-bodied cyclists achieve this by sitting astride their bikes, and putting their TOES just touching the ground. We can't, and have to settle for our feet to be flattish on the ground. That's okay until you start to cycle, then everything goes wrong. Your knees are under pressure, you are wobbling about, and you can't move very far or quickly.
Solution? A simple device which RAISES the saddle once you have started moving. Called a 'Gravitydropper', it is obtainable by mail order from the USA. What happens is this. You get on your bike with the saddle in the LOW position, feet flat on the ground, and then start cycling. As soon as you like, you ease your weight off the saddle (you don't have to 'stand', just lift your bottom a bit), pull a lever on the handlebars, and the saddle goes up - you can get them with a 2", 3" or 4" lift, or a variable lift. I started off with a 2" and now my limbs have stretched a bit, I use a 3".
When you stop, you have to do that in reverse - that is, to ease your weight off the saddle, pull the lever, and push the saddle down with your bottom. Only takes a couple of seconds, and if you ever DO have to stop in an emergency, you might find your feet are an inch or two above the ground, but having done it, I can tell you that I didn't fall off.
(A minor disadvantage of the Gravitydropper is that for those first few yards, you are cycling in the 'low' position, which is not that comfortable for your knees or socket. It only lasts a few seconds, and goes as soon as you're in the 'up' position).
There is an alternative to this, which was recently pointed out to me by a correspondent - fit stabilizers to your bike. The ones in this link are a US product, but sold in the UK:
http://www.ez-trainer.com/?s=adult&l=en
The video on their web page, which shows riders sitting on their bikes, feet on the pedals, NOT moving, is eye-opening, and might be a solution for nervous riders!
Falling off
Some of the amputee cyclists who see it as a 'sport' talk about falling off as an occupational hazard. It isn't! I haven't fallen off in my 2 years back in the saddle; I make sure I don't. If you're just going to meander along, then you haven't got to restrict yourself to parks (where there is grass for a soft landing). It's only when you want to travel at 20mph+, that life becomes a bit more hazardous.
-----------------------------
Three pictures follow, showing a pedal and what I do to it.
The pedal itself you can buy at any bike shop, or from the internet. They are about £15 a pair, although you can pay £40 (why would you?) for 'designer' pedals. All you want is big flat pedals to give your foot more to rest on.
The sharpened screw thingies are called 'Terror Pins' (I know, I know, but don't blame me), and you unscrew the usual little pins from the corners of the pedal and screw in the 'terror pins' in their place. If you were doing many miles, they might do damage to your sole, but if you can wear trainers (cheap ones, I mean, not expensive 'designer' ones) then it shouldn't matter.
The pedals themselves are attached to 'Kneesavers', which move the pedal 30mm away from the crank. You can get 25 and 30mm versions; there are also different sorts for exercise bikes and for proper bikes.
The crank shortener is attached to the crank by a bolt which takes the place of the existing pedal, and then by a clamp held in place with a couple of bolts. Takes an hour to fit, less if you're in a rush.
-----------------------------------
And here are some web addresses.
• The pedals, you CAN buy in any bike shop, but if you prefer the net I include a link.
• The 'terror pins' are harder to get in shops, but easy from the internet.
• The crank shortener: there are several different makes on the market, all doing a similar job to each other.
• The Gravitydropper is only obtainable from the manufacturers in the USA. It is a small firm (when I had a query the owner emailed me back!), and I know several people who have used it, so I have total confidence in buying from them. It isn't a cheap device, but it changed my cycling life completely.
Wiggle is an online bike shop, which I have often used.
Highpath is a small firm in Wales making 'special' bits for bikes, including the crank shortener and a device called a 'pulse crank' which amps can use - there should be details on their website. The owner is a helpful, if busy man, who is always willing to discuss his products on the telephone.
Kneesavers also come from the US, and again I can vouch for the man who makes them. Good guy.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/s/cycle/7/?Wd=terror_pins
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/DMR_V8_Flat_Pedals/528567288/
http://www.highpath.net/index.html
http://gravitydropper.com/
http://www.kneesaver.net/
------------------------------------
Contact me, if you like, on the email address on this blog. Otherwise I contribute to a few amputee online discussion groups under the name of allen-uk:
http://amputees.proboards.com/index.cgi
http://old.limblossinformationcentre.com/forum/
http://www.limbless-association.org/forum/
I hope this helps you get back on your bike!
Good luck,
Allen.
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