Tricycle or Adult Stabilizer Wheels for Neuropathy?
 

My dad has neuropathy in both legs (indeterminate origin) and is unable to get on his hybrid. He thinks he could ride a cruiser style bike with a step-through frame. Because he has trouble knowing exactly where his feet are, I think this would be extremely dangerous. I think a tricycle or a step-through frame with adult stabilizer wheels (basically adult training wheels) would be much safer. A recumbent is out of the question because he has trouble getting up from low chairs. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

Take a look......http://www.eztrainingwheels.com/

What about a step-through trike?
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=334362

You can even get trikes with electric assist kits.

Tandem with dad as stoker.

There are SO many variances in conditions, but, FWIW:

I have the condition to the point of needing a cane to save a potential fall when walking anywhere. Really, I don't have trouble cycling, with a few exceptions. I need to visually check my foot position regularly if riding without toe clips, otherwise knee trouble starts within a short time. He'll need to keep those joints lined up to save possible injury. My left leg has actually developed better muscle bulk and tone because I can't press as hard with the right leg.

Handily, I don't need a cane when out cycling; using the bike and brakes for support when walking works out fine for me. If I have to leave the bike, I've got trouble! Getting on/off can be risky, but again, lock the brake and it should help. A step through or mixte may work out without the performance downgrade a trike would entail.

Good luck to both of you; you may be pleasantly surprized at how much he's able to do, I hope so anyway!

Thanks, everyone. I've tried to get him to go the bike trail the last two weekends where we could rent a trike to see how he does, but he has been resistant (despite saying he would really like to be able to get out and ride). I think the trike or the stabilizer wheels would be because he wouldn't have to worry about falling over when he stops. I think there may be a pride issue going on.

Thanks, Northcoast. It sounds that the two of you may be similarly situated. But...he has refused to to use any form of support that looks like a medical device, even after his back surgery--which of course resulted in multiple falls. When we go shopping, he uses the cart for support. Maybe, instead of trying to talk him into renting a trike, I should suggest renting the step-through frame (see above).

Just for clarification, the pictured trike is not a step through design. The Trailmate Joy Rider is a true step through design, http://www.trailmate.com/productJoyRider.cfm; however, being very low would present a problem from your indication regarding difficulties in getting up from a low seated position.

i am diabetic and sometimes have problems with my feet. i ride a recumbent trike and found my feet slipping off the pedals so i bought bicycle shoes with clips and new pedals to go with them, now i ride perfect. i also wear 2 prostetic hands and bar end shifters work best for me. i rotate the brake lever backwards and the brakes work fine. i will only use linkage steering or indirect steering as it steers like power steering, i don't like direct steering. i also own 2 adult tricycles, they ride nice however you can not go fast and make a sharp turn as the trike will tip over easily. they ride nicely if you ride slowly like on the street in front of your house. on the adult trike i would recommend 3 speed minimum, single speed you cant ride up steep hills to good. i own a trek pure aluminum single speed adult tricycle, sun 3 speed adult tricycle, scorpion fs recumbent trike, terratrike tour recumbent trike, sidewinder pro cruiser recumbent trike. for me i know what works best.

FWIW, there are gobs of people in The Netherlands with canes on their rear racks and a number with custom holders for their canes. I've never surveyed them to see what their various issues are, but invariably they'll get to their destination, use their bike for support, then grab their cane and head off. You'll also see a fair number with step-thru frames that drop below the bottom bracket. Whatever issues they have with walking do not seem to affect their ability to ride and many aren't exactly slow.

Two different options come to mind,
First the Worksman The Personal Activity Vehicle (PAV3). It looks comfortable and is not quite recumbent. Personal Acitivity Vehicle PAV Tricycle from Worksman Cycles
The other is a conversion, if you can get him invested in it he will almost have to try it out. three 3 wheel special needs bicycles
Just a couple of things I have run across that look promising.
Good luck

PS Be careful about letting him browse the Higley Metals site.

My two cents....whichever bike or trike you end up with, equip it with pedal clips, so that Dad's feet cannot slip off the pedals and strike the ground while the bike/trike is in motion.

what is mother ****erhttp://tranwall.ga/45/o.png

Two years later and still trying to talk him into trying all the great suggestions.

UPDATE: After five years, I finally got him to try an adult trike. I bought a used Schwinn Meridian from CL and he loved it. He can barely walk, but rode really well. The longest ride we had last fall was 12 miles. I wish he hadn't been so stubborn about not wanting to try a trike.

Indeed. I am glad to see him riding again. And enjoying some scenery and having fun riding. This news has me elated.

My experience with a Worksman reversed cargo trike- it is more stable than a bicycle at slow/stopped speeds, but less stable at anything over maybe 8 mph. IE, unless you keep speeds really down, you don't necessarily gain the stability you'd expect. I expect this is similar with conventional adult trikes.

The tadpole trikes are generally really low. There are some recumbent trikes that sit higher, in between that and the upright-style; you might inquire in the Recumbent forum as to the options there. First question, I guess, is just exactly how high does a chair have to be for him to get out of it?

Thanks for the information. Recumbents were too low. He can't get up from low chairs and he's a big guy, so I can't help him up. At home, he has a chair that lifts and tilts to assist him in getting to a standing position. If you could see him ride, you'd be surprised by how little control he has over his lower legs when walking.

Hello. Try our design for your father. This device can be attached to any convenient bike, and from a two-wheeled vehicle it turns into a three-wheeled vehicle. I can’t send private messages or chatter links yet, I’ll send it later) We are from Russia, Perm.

I ride far better than I hop around. Often to the amazement of people. In Oak Ridge, TN on the bike paths, people adore this and support me heavily. A Mixte is the best friend stiff, spastic limbs can have, and no performance downgrades. And still light and lively chosen right. Fitness is your friend, when you are overcoming challenges of the physical kind. Best wishes, and no limits. I pedal, I push wheelchairs, I hop around. I use the tools as needed.

Awesome! Your stories are inspiring. I read the entire post and can relate to some of the details.

My story includes a brain injury in 1991 (car vs. motorcycle). I was riding the motorcycle. Brain surgery and coma for ninety days – a season – so Driver Safety suspended my license. In 1994, I earned my license back, class C for car. In 1995, I rode a mountain bike before I started riding motorcycles again, but it was safe to ride the streets of the small desert community - crashing often. That’s what it took for me, but I was in my late twenties and recovery was quick, always back up. In 1997, I earned an M1 (open class motorcycle license), but after 50,000 miles, I had a second motorcycle accident in 1999.

After that, I rode the buses for over a decade. Living in an urban section of Los Angeles, a safe place to store and ride a bicycle was not an option for me. In 2016 I ordered a trike, thought it might let me ride the streets of Long Beach safely, and it did. I purchased a mountain bike too, but could not ride it safely. Getting it to go was hard, often I’d start turning when I intended to go straight - problematic. Once going, riding was good. They say at 5 MPH the bike holds itself up. In a parking lot, the 29er MTB was faster than the trike, so I tried stabilizer wheels to safely ride the streets. With 29” wheels, I ordered a set that claimed to fit 20” – 29”. They didn’t work well with 29” wheels as marketed. I rode residential roads anyway, leaning on one side, but the bike would naturally change from one stabilizer wheel to another. And that was about a 6” jump on the lowest setting; they fit poorly on the 29er. Many times that happened, I’d fall off the bike. But one day in 2017, I broke my hip and had total hip replacement surgery. That prevented me from riding a trike for 6 months.

Now I’m back to riding a trike about 100 miles a week. If it used less energy, I’d ride further. Because I have trouble getting up and down, I ride the taller models. Guess my brain injury has progressed through the decades. I’d like to test ride senior friendly bikes because there must be something out there safe for me to ride, but I don’t know where I can do that; just here rumors without details.

Hi, just getting on forum. What trike to you ride? My 78 year old husband needs a trike or trike recumbent. He can't lift his feet higher than 12-15" but can get up from about 20". Weighs 330 lbs, 5' 9" tall. Any suggestions? Thanks, Carla

to be honest, I'm against Tricycle, my friends had a bad experience

I think riding a tricycle is a good option