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The first time I saw a handbike I was on a visit to Oswestry Hospital
to give some moral support to three guys who were cycling from John-o-Groats to
Lands End using handbikes.(Is it true there is more downhill if you do it that way
round?) Their bikes were very impressive. Lots of gleaming chrome and a very professional
look to the finish. Also, the riders themselves looked extremely fit.
Although the bikes impressed me I didn't actually look into buying one until sometime
later. A Company based in Liverpool named Chevron made the bicycles they
were using. I phoned them to enquire as to whether the same type of bike I had seen was
actually in production. I spoke to Vinny Ross from Chevron and he was extremely helpful.
The next weekend I went up to Liverpool to the Chevron factory. Vinny is paraplegic
himself therefore he fully understood what I needed. Seating position and arm reach
are very important and the adjustabillity of the bike is critical to your cycling
enjoyment and performance. When I,d been kitted out with a well fitting bike Vinny
let me take it home on trial for a couple of weeks to see how me and the bike got
along together.
As soon as I got onto the bike and went for a ride with my wife I knew I was going to
buy one. We went along some of the local country lanes near where I live. There is a
tremendous feeling of freedom when cycling. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
You can go out and ride distances that would be impossible to push in a chair by hand.
My record to date is thirty two miles, and the great thing is I hardly had any aches and
pains the following day!!
When buying the bike I had the option of seven, fourteen, twenty-one or even
sixty-three - yes - SIXTY-THREE gears. Now you may think that sixty-three is a
bit over the top, and I must admit I wasn't really sure I was doing the right thing
when I decided to have them. Believe me, it's the best decision I could have made.
After all, you are asking arm muscles to do what leg muscles usually do.
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Going uphill can be very, very hard work. Fortunately
this is supplemented by all the fun and thrills you can have whilst careening
downhill. I would also recommend having some extension plates fitted for the rear
wheels of your wheelchair. These have the effect of moving your centre of gravity
forward thus putting more weight onto your front wheel, essential to avoid getting
wheelspin when on anything more than a slight incline.
The New Forest is a great venue for a few days cycling. Near the village of Brockenhurst
there is a large wheelchair friendly campsite with accessible shower
and toilet facilities. It is run by the Forestry Commission and is up to their
usual high standard. There is mountain bike hire available from a shop
in the village, near the level crossing, but I don't know whether they have any handbikes
for hire. The shop also has guide maps of the area showing all the cycle tracks available
in the forests. The routes in the guide have been graded and the ones that I went on
seemed to be accurately assessed. It is claimed that there are over one hundred miles
of off-road track, of which a large amount are handbike friendly.
The Peak District in Derbyshire is another good handbike venue. Despite the abudance of
steep hills there are friendly trails available. These paths follow the routes of old
railway lines. Obviously, since trains used to run on them the paths don't have too much
of a gradient. There is handbike hire available at Parsley Hay on the
Tissington Trail . However, if you do begin a ride on this trail from
the hire shop take notice that it will be slightly uphill most of the way back. Don't
bite off more than you can chew !!
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You can also hire handbikes from the Ashbourne end and I
think this is the best end to start from. Just after the start there is a steep
little dip where there used to be a railway bridge. A handbiker may need assistance
here but after this the gradient is very friendly - and at least it's downhill on the
return journey. There is another path called the High Peak Trail that
also runs past Parsley Hay, and this time it is the best place to start from. Not far
away there is also the Manifold Valley trail. If you go on any of these
routes on a fairly warm day make sure you take enough liquid with you. It is easy to get
very dehydrated whilst cycling - note ...unfortunately, beer doesn't count as liquid!
Cycling is very good for your general fitness and is one of the few things I find that
actually makes me out of breath. (Note to all tetra's - don't have a go at me for saying
that will you!) Besides the obvious extra use that your arm muscles get it also uses
muscle groups in your back, stomach and shoulders. Bye the way, there are tetra handgrips
available for some of these bikes. There is also a Harmony bike for hire at Parsley Hay.
The Harmony is powered by the handbike plus a normal bike fixed to the back. A bit
difficult to imagine if you have never seen one, but they are very effective for anyone
without much arm power.
It can be possible to handbike completely independently. I bought a bike rack that fits
onto the towball of my car. It's made by the Paddy Hopkirk company and I bought mine from
Craddocks, Land Rover speciallist in Cannock in the West Midlands. It is an excellent
piece of kit that I am able to put onto the car in under thirty seconds !! Putting the
bike attachment onto my wheelchair is just as simple and at best only takes about the
same amount of time.
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