Revv

Hi all,

Joined today with the challenge of finding a way back on my bike.

Suffered a stroke in 2015 leaving me with reduced use of my left hand and leg but i can still use my arm to control the bars and i'll use clip ins with MTB shoes to keep my foot in place. Since 2015 my bike has been on a dyno, i'm starting to find it boring and i'd like to get out and about. I'm a casual rider and happy with current bike which is a Norco threshold A2 which i got via the cycle scheme at work prior to my stroke, i used it to ride road and gravel. I'm not really clued up on bike parts so i'd like to pick your brains..

1) Its currently got drop bars and i'd like to swap them to flat bars for a slightly more upright position, choosing a bar doesn't seem to difficult however i'll need new shifters and brakes. I'm leaning towards a twist/grip shifter for the rear gears and a thumb shifter for the front, both to be placed on the right. It's got a 10 speed rear and i've found a Sram XX Grip Shift, Twist Shifter 10SP nos on ebay but i'm not sure if it'll be compatible. Ideally i'd like to keep the crankset and cassette the same however i'm open to changing them if required

Any recommendations for a thumb shifter for my current crankset?

After a bit of googling another option is to change the cassette to something like the SRAM NX 11 Speed X-Actuatuion Grip Shift with the Sram 1130 NX 11 Speed Cassette 11-42 or something similar. Would i need to change the derailiers and crankset if i do this, this seems it could be little pricey?

This is what i've found from a bit of googling but open to any other suggestions.

2) Brakes, i need them both to be on the right any recommendations for this, i did some googling but i must be searching for the wrong thing as i didnt find anything but i have seen it done?

3) Althought i can grip with my left i cannot let go on demand which is a little dangerous if i come off. I'm thinking to design a quick release mechanism like Tom Wheeler(MTB rider who lost the use of his right). I tried contacting him but was unsuccessful, if anyone knows of any solutions please let me know.

Another thing i'm considering is a steering damper.

I can't post a link yet to the bike i have but googling Norco Threshold A2 should find it with its specs and gear set.

Cheers!

Arrowana

Hi! I assume your bike is equipped just like the one pictured here? https://www.norco.com/bike-archives/2014/threshold-a2/


Any friction thumb shifter will handle whatever front shifting setup you have going on. You may have issues with trying to place it on the same side as a grip shifter though, unless having the shifter mounted closer to the stem can work for you. If you switch to a Sram rear shifter, you will need a Sram rear derailleur as well.

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After a bit of googling another option is to change the cassette to something like the SRAM NX 11 Speed X-Actuatuion Grip Shift with the Sram 1130 NX 11 Speed Cassette 11-42 or something similar. Would i need to change the derailiers and crankset if i do this, this seems it could be little pricey?

Since it might be difficult to fit a grip shifter plus another shifter on the same half of the handlebar, a wide range 1x drivetrain could be worth looking at. Some people consider 11-42 to be enough range when paired with a single chainring, but there are options for going wider if needed. The matching NX 1x11 derailleur would work fine with the 11-42. You could use the same crankset, but would want to switch to a narrow-wide chainring, your crankset likely takes 110mm BCD 5 Bolt chainrings. You would also need a set of chainring bolts intended for a single chainring instead of double chainrings.

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2) Brakes, i need them both to be on the right any recommendations for this, i did some googling but i must be searching for the wrong thing as i didnt find anything but i have seen it done?

Double brake lever should do the trick. You need one intended for short-pull/cantilever brakes, such as this one: https://www.jbi.bike/site/product_de...t_number=13748 Most bike shops can order one for you.

Leisesturm

It is very difficult to make bike components work in ways other than the way they are meant to. Front shifters are made to be on the left hand bars, and do not easily move to the right side. If the goal of the flat-bars is to sit up a little, then the stem will need to be shorter than the one that is OEM. Not a deal-breaker, maybe, but it hasn't been thought of as far as I can see. And probably not other things as well.Like the cost. A 1x drivetrain, even a cheapo, is a couple hundred. New brakes, similar, it's a big investment with no net increase in performance. And ... and ... this is without considering the realities of controlling a bicycle out in the real world with limited motion on one side! That is huge. There is a big difference in not having full ambidexterity because of limb loss, or congenital abnormality and the loss caused by central nervous system attrition. Before spending money on modifications, or (my recommendation), a proper hybrid style road bike, the o.p. is advised to take an unmodified bike for a test ride as proof of concept that riding single track is doable. If not, there are upright style three wheel and recumbent style three wheel bikes (trikes) that should be considered as a very good idea. FWIW.

ericoseveins

I wonder if anyone on CVA forums might have useful insight, or perhaps there might be benefit in a consultation with an occupational therapist or physical medicine physician, particularly one with an interest in cycling? If it were me, I would consider an alternative braking/shifting set-up. Perhaps a coaster brake in the rear with a hand brake in front, and an internally geared shifting system in the rear hub or bottom bracket? This would allow for one-handed operation of both your braking and shifting. It's not clear to me that your frame could easily accept those modifications, so you might need a new frame if you were to go that route. This wouldn't necessarily need to be super expensive though - for example, Shimano has made internal gear hubs with a coaster brake for decades.

Also, I wonder if there might be any benefit to shortening the left-side crank arm to help even out the force of each pedal stroke?

john m flores 

Hey there,

Problem Solvers makes a long pull brake lever that can operate both the front and rear brake simultaneously
https://problemsolversbike.com/produ...el-brake-lever

And as Arrowana suggested, you might want to look at a 1x drivetrain to simplify shifting. Microshift makes the 1x Advent system that's affordable. Plus they have Advent Super Short which is designed for 20" wheeled bikes and youth riders so the trigger shifter is smaller and requires a lighter touch to operate.
https://www.microshift.com/news/intr...g-super-short/

What's the thinking behind the steering damper? For more control if you hit bumps? I've only used them on motorcycles and they do help. I do think they have mountain bike steering dampers. Besides that, the current fashion is for wide flat bars for better control.

Wishing you the best of luck making this happen!