Bill Reynolds wrote:Hello Cunobelin, Why the strange non-de plume?? This theme is aimed at normal disabled people which means they have jobs (if at all) that proberly... 'don't pay'....more or less!
Is that true? Source? The 2012 Labour Force Survey said almost half of disabled people are employed these days.
I'm starting to wonder if this topic is an elaborate troll, repeating so many stereotypes
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Geoff.D wrote:I'm a normal person, who happens to have some particular difficulties that affect my cycling. They're not huge difficulties and not especially apparent when out and about. I'm not worried about discussing them in a thread that is specifically about "tips" for people like me. I've presented my tips, and am happy to have them questioned and their merits debated.
But, I'm disappointed that some personal disparagement has crept into the replies and the knocking of another's choice of steed. Open discussion about finding solutions isn't furthered by such. Nor is the encouragement of others who might have something to add.
So, as they say in The Lions' Den...."I'm out"
I'm sorry too Bill. I'm struggling to keep an open, tolerant view on things. I was hoping for a slightly more ambassadorial approach from you, but to be direct, some of your posts are hard to digest, angry and confrontational.
May I wish you the very best in what you wish to achieve...b
For the record: my Nom de Plume is actually my dog's kennel name. That said, my anonymity on this site disappeared many posts ago [emoji6]
Actually I am just trying to give other disabled people, possibly not riding a cycle at the moment...(as its the great unknown)..some idea about riding from the disabled angle. I don't know what a 'troll' is and not really interested. Its not my fault all of these people keep butting in and hi-jacking what I am trying to do...providing un-normal people with direct information about what will come up trying to get on a cycle....
If discussing these "tips" with other disabled and abled people is seen as "butting in", then maybe this would be better on a web page that doesn't allow discussion, rather than a discussion forum?
What comes up and what works for one disability may not work or work well for another person. There is no norm for "un-normal" cyclists!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Hello U.N. Cyclists, The next tip is what cycling is all about...the cycle you ride! Now, this tip relates to what I do but as my body problems seem general the tip may be of use. I own a Dahon Vittesse 8 speed folding cycle which I purchased new in 2013. I was already a Dahon owner but the new bike has the luggage block on the head tube for luggage carrying. I am what you might call a 'day tourist' and going on public transport is part of doing this. As I am deaf I don't really want employee's of these various means of getting about talking to me as I wont understand them. A cycle that folds up and does not get in any bodies way is just right. Using local railways gets me to far places to explore that I otherwise would be unable to reach. I know there seems to be a Brompton 'following' here but they are seem expensive. My Dahon has 20" wheels which allow you to fit BMX rims with more butted spokes thus getting a strong wheel....less wheel problems. As the bike can fold if you get weary or your body bits start hurting you can get a taxi to take you home or call your wife/partner/what have you, to come and pick you up. (I did this once with my last none folding bike. I had to take apart to fit it into our estate car!!) The larger non folding cycles that have appeared in this subject would not allow you to do these things so you would get more hassle which you do not need. Dahon make lots of bits for carrying stuff like the 'touring rack' which allows me to use my Ortileb full size pannier's...great stuff/great make!
Hello Un-Normal cyclists, As I am a 'easy-rider' type of cyclist I tend to ride slowly along and sometimes 'wonder' all over the country lane I am going down! Doing this sometimes I need to know what is coming up behind me so a decent mirror is needed. On the above mentioned Dahon I fitted bar ends for more hand position variety as I get that 'tingly hand' ailment plus approaching Arthritis in my right hand. On the right hand bar end I fitted a Cateye mirror which works great and lets me be aware of approaching cars coming from behind. I also need the mirror as I get pain turning my head right to look over my shoulder. I also have 'Grab-on' on my bars and wear padded gloves to keep the above 'Tingly' at bay for longer. In a recent issue of 'The Times' I read of a VERY loud horn that failed to get that television program... 'Dragon' ?...help. I gather the horn sells well and I brought one. My hearing is now so bad I can only hear the horn with my hearing aids in and then...not very loud! My wife...(normal hearing) .. tells me the horn is LOUD...I will have to take her word for it.....
Hello U.N. Cyclists, Working through the cycle stuff and what comes next? Cycle helmets seem the next thing. I did own one in the 1990's but felt daft wearing it. The reason I felt they looked daft is they sit on your head looking like a great wart! If I was pushed to purchase one I would pick the "Abus Metronaut" cycle helmet. This helmet looks like what horse riders use. The helmet has the basic dome plus a material cover. The cover gets you a big peak so you don't have to wear sun glasses if you don't want to and the harness has a 'blinking light' at the rear to show motorists you exist. You could sew on a high viz. neck cover/flap to stop rain going down your neck...or getting a red neck! If you remove the cover you can enlarge the air holes and add rim vents to get more flowing air to keep you cool. Most of all you don't look weird with a lump of plastic on your head...
Hello U.N. cyclists, When your on your cycle 'out there' and you so happen to be deaf you are really on your own. This being the case with me I take my two mobile phones with me for contact reasons. The phones are normal none smart type ones. I am at the moment in the ETA cycle Insurance however though this company has 'cycle rescue' listed I am not sure if this service is worth it as YOU are expected to make the rescue arrangements and your restricted to a circle of 25 miles...if you cannot get a signal on the phones you are stuck! It would be a better arrangement if you have a reliable person you know who would be happy to come and pick you up in his/her car...presuming your cycle is a folder! This set of 'Help Tips' relate to what is on the header page concerning the 'Inclusive Section'...information for possible disabled people who would like to cycle. Its given by me who learned about our problems the hard way. I hope you 'out there' find the above tips useful and you enjoy the lovely thing called cycling.
Hello Disabled Cyclists. A little bit of feedback regarding the "Tip No. 3" above...the Hobson nose less saddle. My eldest daughter lives in Warwick and I decided to ride to see her via the Stratford upon Avon canal....tow path. The ride was enjoyable but very long. The Hobson saddle started out comfortable however I found in time that the front edges of the two saddles were digging into my rear thighs! When I got to my daughters my wife was there and in another tip I mentioned the joys of a Dahon folding cycle...a quick fold and I rode home like a lord in our car! Maybe me having the saddle dead level caused this problem. Maybe a slight slope down wards may have been less 'sharp' on my rear of my legs?? Over night dear old leg cramp made itself known as a result of the above rear leg problem. On a recent ride along the Monsal Trail my ultra wide Fat **** saddle along with the air bag on top (another tip above) was most comfortable despite my painful hips, etc. so that tip was worth its weight in gold as far as I was concerned....
Hello Un-Normal Cyclists, Bit of a gap here since my last message. I have now been informed that there is only one more N.H.S. stronger hearing aid available for me and that's it!...oh dear...The only person I can understand properly is my wife, not my daughters, not my grandchildren, not nobody! Plus the joy of spreading arthritis from old motorcycling accidents now its in my shoulders and arms. A tip I think is worth knowing is concerning phone apps for 'no hearing' people! I now own a 'smart' phone and sometime ago found out about a French app called 'ROGERVOICE'. This allows you to call someone, speak to them and their voice is converted to text STRAIGHT AWAY....or as the computer wizards say, "real time". I am afraid I have got out of the phone habit and don't use the fancy phone much apart from texting but I hope to use the above app to see if it really works. I will come back on here to let you know how I got on....Happy Christmas Un-Normals.......
Hello U.N. Cyclists, Its quite a bit of luck we U.N. cyclists live in these times. A deaf charity I sometime deal with mentioned a thingy called a....Boogie Board. This item is a plastic square around 9 inches by 7 inches wide and you use it as a writing pad. The battery is non replaceable but comes with information that you get around 15,000 uses with it. You get a plastic stylus to write on with if you cannot speak and the hearing/or none person you are talking to can do the same back to you! There is a light circle at the board top to clear the board everytime you use it. I brought mine off Amazon and they also sell a sleeve or cover to protect the board when out of use. You also get a stylus sleeve on the cover for the stylus. The board costs about 24 pounds and the cover around eight pounds......a good purchase I think that saves a deaf person from nodding to a unheard question that you cannot hear and your hopeing that your nodding is the correct responce!!...........
Hello Disabled Cyclists, Your still "Un-Normal" but never mind, its only words! My Dahon folding cycle is a very interesting cycle, far, far more interesting than the normal cycles I have owned in the past. Recently I purchased the special tyre pump that is fitted inside the seat tube. My existing pump is a compact little thing called....Cyclaire...and has a leash..??! that you have to pull to pump the air into your tyre...as the pump has to be held to the ground with your foot and you have to go back to ground level each time you pull the above 'leash' its a bit hard if you have Arthritis pain in your shoulder. One can stand up to pump your tyre up using the newly purchased Dahon item above. Mind you, you still have to carry a pressure gauge as unlike the above.... Cyclaire pump...the Dahon one does not have a gauge......you cannot have everything, can you?
Hello Un-Normal Cyclists, As my Dahon is built far away and being designed by people with imagination there are some very good extras one can buy for your cycle. There is one item that a lot of people want but cannot get.....its called a 'landing gear'...This item is a shaft that bolts to a special threaded plate welded under the cycle's bottom bracket and has a single wheel at the other end. The idea is that you fold down this item with the Dahon folded so you can push the cycle along...for instance, a railway station platform! The main problem is obtaining the item as stated above. I decided to make one and it works great. The main body is 35mm plastic waste water pipe with a butterfly knobbed jubilee clip at one end to grip the seat tube to hold the item to the seat tube. At the other end is a square of wood with a single castor wheel screwed onto it and brought off Amazon for £1.25p for four. The square of wood is screwed to a 'carved to fit' Willow log off the local hills and that is bolted into the inner of the waste water pipe.....and that's it. I was trying out the two differant folds of my Dahon today and the above gizmo worked great. The real thing costs around £27 or so, mine cost around eight pounds maximum..cannot complain about that can you?.......
I like the idea, Bill, and your ingenuity in the self-build. I think it's a very useful solution (in principle) that should appeal to most users of folding bikes (whether they have any specific difficulties or not). I have a Bromton, which does the commuting/boot loading/train riding/bus usage job very well indeed. But it's really heavy for me to carry any distance. Even my son found the same using it on the underground in London.
But here's a question about your solution. As you wheel it around, does it have a tendency to tip sideways, and do you have to exert effort to counteract this. Wouldn't a pair of castor wheel solve this (if indeed it is a problem)?
The Tern is quite good for this: the casters are mounted on the side of the rack rather than the rear (front) (like a brommie) which makes it very stable while pulling.
