Cycling with MS
 

I just turned 60 a few months ago. I've been a utility and vehicular cyclist for most of my life. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with MS, and last week, I was told I had a seizure ( I woke up in the hospital not knowing why...). My legs are numb from the knee down. I cannot accept that I won't be able to ride anymore. Does anyone have any experience with MS and cycling? Any tips, or things that are good to know? I am going to ride anyway, but I would like to do it in an efficient and orderly manner.

Hello Schwinnhund,

I've got the diagnosis too some years ago. Was paralyzed on one side and needed a wheelchair back then.
Now I'm on my feet again but my legs and / or feets are often numb as you described it.
I'm riding a trike, I have a Kettwiesel from Hase but any recumbent trike will do I suppose. I use shimano spd pedals with cleats on the shoes to prevent my feet from slipping of the pedals. That works quite well.

Greetings ~ Ursel

Since you already own a Sun recumbent you are familiar with some of what they make. You could make the transition to a recumbent trike. There aren't many used trikes available in your area. Here are two that would require some driving to test ride.


There is a Sun Eco Tad SX recumbent trike for sale on CL and it is located in Peachtree City south of Atlanta. The $800 price seems to be a bit optimistic on the part of the seller for a trike that sells for $1050 brand new. It might be worth contacting the owner. He's open to bids. It's the only trike that shows up on the extended CL listing for Atlanta. https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/b...140847434.html

There is an older Greenspeed X5 trike that is in southern TN to the north of you. The price is $1325. This is a much higher quality trike than the Sun trike. It has hydraulic disc brakes and a better gear range than the Sun trike. It also weighs a lot less. The pictures look pretty nice. I wouldn't worry about buying an older GS trike. I still own a 2001 GS GTO that I bought third hand in 2004. It's still perfectly usable after many thousands of miles. https://chattanooga.craigslist.org/b...140631313.html.


I had the chance to meet a fellow at the Midwest Recumbent Rally a few years ago who had been diagnosed with MS. Eventually he retired to Florida because of the disease when he no longer could work as an EMT. The trike gave him a way to keep cycling in spite of the disease.