Adaptive Bicycles Offer Greater Access to Cycling

Don’t let physical limitations stop you from enjoying a bike ride! Many well-established bike designs on the market today reach beyond the typical concept of the traditional upright two-wheeled bicycle. Adaptive bikes often sport three wheels and offer people of all ages with a wide variety of disabilities greater stability and function as they access bike paths, trails, and roads.

Hand Cycles

People using wheelchairs with good upper body strength most commonly use hand cycles – hand and arm powered tricycles which come in either upright touring models or sleek, low riding performance bikes. For people who cannot use their legs to propel themselves, these bikes are a wonderful way to get out of a wheelchair and experience the exercise benefits of cycling.

Cycling for Seniors with All Out Adventures

Matt from AOA and Nick enjoy
exchanging information about
recumbent bikes.

Think you are too old to ride a bike? Think again!
Today while visiting our adaptive cycling program on the Norwottuck Rail Trail, I met 85 year old Nick on his birthday, shopping for a recumbent bike. He just happened to be driving by our program, noticed the sign and stopped in hopes that he'd find a bike for sale.

Recumbent bicycles offer many ergonomic advantages over conventional two wheel bicycles, especially as we age. Pedaling in a reclined position puts less pressure on joints and uses leg muscles more efficiently. Three wheeled recumbents make balancing a breeze.
Two wheeled recumbents provide a more conventional ride with the advantages of recumbent ergonomics.
Keep reading to find out more!

The Duet Wheelchair Tandem Allows Everyone A Biking Experience

Chauncey McCarthy assists DCR's Universal Access Program as a summer seasonal equipment specialist. He maintains our adaptive recreation equipment and supports participants at programs with his helpful presence, physical strength, mechanical ability and tool kit in tow. In this Guest Post, he offers info and tips on the use of a popular tandem bike that allows passive riders to have a front row experience of cycling.

The Duet is a wheelchair tandem bicycle that allows for someone to sit in the front as the person in the back pedals and steers. It is manufactured in Europe and distributed in the U.S. by Frank Mobility. Well-engineered, the retail price starts at $4,750 so it is not the most affordable bike, which is one reason DCR has made it available at cycling programs.

This front seat of this bike is a great fit for anybody, child or adult, who is non-mobile but wants to enjoy the outdoors. The front seat does haves a weight limit of 275 pounds. The front end of the bike is a wheelchair with a padded seat made in one size. I would recommend using padding around someone that is smaller then the seat to avoid the rider from sliding around and secure legs if desired. The wheelchair seat also offers a headrest, leg rest, chest harness and a safety belt. Wearing a rounded skate board style helmet or a bike helmet without a pointed back prevents the headrest from interfering with head and neck comfort.

Big Bikes for Big People

Joan Denizot with her line of Zize bikes.
Photo by Herb Swanson.

Quite a few people who come to our adaptive cycling program are on the large size, so we have introduced a couple of bikes in recent years especially designed for bigger riders. Designed to carry  up to 550 pounds, these heftier bikes make all the difference for people who want to ride - and ride safely. Such bikes allow big people to develop a regular exercise habit and can help with losing weight if that is a goal.

We have a couple of conventional looking two wheeled  bike designs. The "Easy Boarding" Cruiser made by Biria, is easy to use and quite popular - no need to lift your leg over the high bar! Yet it only serves people up to 215 pounds. Our Zize Bike from Super Sized Cycles will carry people up to 550 pounds with an exceptionally strong durable frame, solid seat, and resilient wheels. The Zize ("Size with attitude") comes in several styles to suit various riders and riding styles - and you will have to swing your leg over to get on. With bikes called "A New Leaf" and "Time of Your Life" though, how can you go wrong? There is even a model called the "Big 29er" designed for tall and heavy people - a rare bike indeed.

The Personal Activity Vehicle - a semi-recumbent trike
designed for big riders.

Super Sized Cycles is a Vermont based company that specializes in premium bikes for big riders. They also sell electric bikes and adult tricycles, such as the Personal Activity Vehicle we also use in our adaptive cycling program. The PAV is an excellent sturdy option for anyone who might be challenged by balancing a two wheeled vehicle or just wants an even more comfortable ride. You can also get bike accessories and bicycle clothing for big people from Super Sized Cycles, and their website features a blog for large riders.

Super Sized Cycles was founded by Joan Denizot, who was frustrated when she could not find a bike built for her size. "The people who really understand bikes told me, " she says, "that, in fact, it was very risky to ride a bike that was not built strong enough for my weight. Even bikes that were built for big riders only went up to only 225 pounds. The more I searched for my own bicycle, the more convinced I became that there is no way that I am the only fat person looking for a solid bicycle or adult tricycle. Biking is a great exercise--and it's EASY! Of course big people would cycle if they could buy a bike that's built for them, without having to be sized up by some mega-fit sales clerks who sell equipment made for skinny people."

Kudos to Joan Denizot for taking the bike by the handlebars and fulfilling an important need! Now large sized riders can fulfill their biking dreams! Thanks Joan!

The BuddyBike - An Alternative Tandem Bicycle

I tested the BuddyBike last week, in my ongoing quest for potential bike purchases for our adaptive cycling program. The BuddyBike is a two-wheel tandem designed to support a front rider who needs a little extra balance support while riding, either in an ongoing fashion or to transition to riding a two-wheel bike independently. Wide handlebars allow the rear rider to steer the bike and give the front rider a chance to experience biking at the front of the ride versus behind the lead rider as on a conventional tandem.

I first tried this bike quite a few years ago, when it was an earlier incarnation known as the Love Bike. At that time I didn't get much time with it and never quite got the hang of it. I was especially interested  to see how user friendly it would feel this time. I was pleased to discover it took me, as an average adult cyclist, just a minute or so to get the feel of riding the BuddyBike. I test rode it with 6 year old Nate Coleman, then in both in back and front with Nate's mom Kerri, who is a sales rep for Bike-on.com, a regional distributor of the Florida-based BuddyBikes.

Trends in Handcycles and Adaptive Kid's bikes

In anticipation of biking season, I contacted Scott Pellet of Bike-on.com recently. Scott and his wife Lynn are specialists in adaptive bikes. Their business, located in Rhode Island, is a global distributorship of many brands and styles. The bulk of their sales are of handcycles, but foot-pedal bikes, recumbent bikes, kids bikes, tandems, other specialty bikes, wheelchairs, and many types of accessories are all available.

Scott told me that handcycle racing has really taken off in Europe, and that a major race was taking place in Dubai even as we were speaking. Although not as popular in the U.S., handcycle racing is a growing sport overall. Performance handcycles have seen lots of design advancements in recent years that make for an increasingly faster ride. If you like bikes described as "missiles", the Top End K Force shown above and the Quickie Shark S are two of the extreme high end handcycles for those who are serious competitors with over $5000 to spend. More affordable quality recreation handcycles include the XLT, a performance design, and the Excelerator, an upright touring model. Handcyclists can keep up to speed on the latest trends and techniques and connect with others via the Bike-on Community organized on Scott's website.

For handcyclists who are quadriplegic or have difficulty with grip, Scott recommends interchangeable grips for the hands. The C5 grip is a glove which clips into the headset crank - no wrenches needed. We use these in our adaptive cycling program and they are a fantastic advantage for those who need them. If your hands are different in ability, there are some basic styles that can be mixed and matched to best suit your needs.

I asked Scott about innovations in kid's bikes. He is seeing more and more families getting their kids out riding. The challenge is finding the right bikes so that all members can equally enjoy biking without being held back by the slowest rider. He recommended the Hase Trets Trike - an versatile foot-pedaled kid's bike that can be ridden independently but also attached to an adult's bike as needed and pedaled as a tandem. With this unique combination, families can ride for miles together. The Trets Trike works especially well with the Hase Pino Tour bike as shown in this picture from the Bike-on.com website, but can be attached to other Hase bikes and even bikes of other brands using a coupler.

You can find some extended info on handcycles and other equipment mentioned here in the comment section below. This is just the beginning of what Bike-on.com can offer. To get recommendations for your own cycling needs, visit the website to get started, then contact Scott or Lynn at 888-424-5866.