United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My 15 year old hates the idea of recumbent trike. She has no use of her left arm or hand. Did anyone transform their bike with one handed breaks and more control in the center of the handle bars? Looking for some options since she had really liked biking in the past.

Yes, I have both brakes on one side (using a tandem adaptor), and both shifters on that side as well.

I don't have more control in the center of the handlebars, but it doesn't take long to adapt. You just learn to not put much weight forward, and use your core muscles for balance.

People always recommend a recumbent to me too, but it just doesn't seem as fun

Agree 100% with Heddi, tandom splitter for brakes and both shifters on one side. She can use the brake/shifter for the real derailer and use a handlebar tip shifter (usually for triathlon handlebars) for the front derailer.

Here is a pic of me in a triathlon, kinda fuzzy,but you get the idea. Also, my set up is really old, when I upgrade, I will set it up like Heddi described and what I said above.

Please PM me or give me a call if she wants to talk, 818-636-8109

Dan

Here's some links that should be useful.

Good luck!

Chris

http://b2r.free.fr/index.php
http://b2r.free.fr/modif.php?lang=1
http://ubpn.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... 8&p=206166
http://www.mtb-amputee.com/ArmAmputees. ... ft%20elbow.
http://www.prostheticarm.com/page5.html
http://www.geocities.ws/paulo_go/bic1.html
http://www.geocities.ws/paulo_go/bic2.html

Here is a true story When I was little I tried to ride a bicycle I wanted to be like my other friend I crash So Much trying and I got BLOODY a lot! Till I over came this with help from a welder who bent the bar on my ERBS side so I could reach the bar and grasp it with limited reach and grasp I did the same for thru Motorcycles I drove with erbs, I finally settled on Z- Bars Bending the steering bar was so important to me! Will this work for you with your limitation , I HAVE NO CLUE???? I can only hope what I say helps from my experience??? I really dont DREAM these things UP.
I guess Iam going to put this here??? I am in AW someone trying To FLY FISH and doing it, I WISH?? I fish and Eat them to, Bober, Bottom fishing with rod holder. There Is NO true answer of right and wrong in life BUT there is opion , But it is a passion in life to try and do what you can to overcome what you can , I THINK???
Tom,MR POSITIVE,FOREVER, BY experience , not Treatment , For Sure

I did the same thing as Dan, although since I'm not that great of a cyclist I replaced my road drops with a MTB riser bar and brake.

See close-up picture here:
http://ubpn.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=34634

One brake lever pulls rim brakes on front and rear. An index shifter controls the rear derailleur and a tensioned thumb shifter controls the front derailleur. The key for me was finding a bike shop that was willing to do the research and order the components that were right for me, then have me try it out and readjust as needed.

I use that bike for training and racing, but I have another bike for commuting. The commuting one is a steel singlespeed that has a rear coaster brake only (you backpedal to engage the brake). What's nice about this bike is that there are no hand controls to adapt, although one can argue that with a rear brake only, you don't have great stopping power.

Best,
MW

Thanks for all the advice. I have a great bike shop in town and I will take your ideas in. My hubby is an engineer and may even dabble a bit on his own. It is just great to hear that it is really possible!!

It it totally possible to ride with one hand. I've seen all kinds of setups from arm in a sling and just using the "good" arm to resting the BP arm in a holder on the handle bars. My recommendation is to go to a smaller bike shop in town and see what they might be able to do. Larger shops are generally more concerned with making sales and may be less helpful. If they say it can't be done go to another shop be cause I assure you it can be done you just need a mechanic who thinks out side the box a bit.

Fortunately it sounds like the right are is not effected so you'll be able to use a standard break lever and shifter on that side which controls the rear derailer, use a break splitter to join both the front and rear breaks to the same break lever. For the front derailer your best bet is probably a bar end shifter which you can either attach on the cross bar (on the right side) or on the end of the drop bar (also on the right side). This is a very common set up for one arm athletes.

Joel

It it totally possible to ride with one hand. I've seen all kinds of setups from arm in a sling and just using the "good" arm to resting the BP arm in a holder on the handle bars. My recommendation is to go to a smaller bike shop in town and see what they might be able to do. Larger shops are generally more concerned with making sales and may be less helpful. If they say it can't be done go to another shop be cause I assure you it can be done you just need a mechanic who thinks out side the box a bit.

Fortunately it sounds like the right are is not effected so you'll be able to use a standard break lever and shifter on that side which controls the rear derailer, use a break splitter to join both the front and rear breaks to the same break lever. For the front derailer your best bet is probably a bar end shifter which you can either attach on the cross bar (on the right side) or on the end of the drop bar (also on the right side). This is a very common set up for one arm athletes

If you live in a large city, there's a good chance that the local bike shop has done this mod before on mountain and road bikes. I would think riding a mountain bike would be a little easier because of the form compared with a road bike in which you are putting more weight on the handle bars. Obviously the easiest bike would be a single speed with a coasting brake but I think a mountain bike that is modified would be easy to learn to ride.