One arm riders please

jako999

Hi all first of all can I say I admire anyone who can ride with one arm. I have problems with my right elbow and wrist this means I cant hold the bars most of the time, well I only do it for a bit of fun and nothing to rough so that's not to bad most of the time but if it gets rough it all goes a bit pear shaped I have to try and grab the bar with my hand which cause pain at the time and later all I can say is thank god for pain killers.
I would like to have a bit more fun but I tend to fall of so don't try.
Any advice would be great on anything to do with making any part of the ride better.
Thanks in advance

nicklouse

look at a Hopey (or other) steering damper. NB not HOPE

02gf74

You don't say what type of bike you ride but you should be riding on one that has front suspension to soak up the jars and bumps.

Also it will help if you have have riser bars and stem set as high as it will go, that way you will put less body weight through your arms.

Presmably you have tried and elbow brace thing? (I have seen them for knees so would imagine such a thing for arms exists)

P-Jay

jako999


Can you tell us a bit more about your arm problem? I have a badly damaged right elbow and very limited reach so when I'm just cruzing along I'm pretty much riding one-handed (my right hand just about rests on the grip)

Thankfully for me when the going gets rough and I'm in my 'full attack' pose the grip is about in the middle of my range so it doesn't hold me back too much but it's taken quite a while to get to this point though physio, surgery and fittness / strength training.

I might be able to offer some advice, depending of course what's up with your arm.

jako999

Hi all thanks for the help I damaged the tendons in my elbow two and a half years ago and have had lot of things done to it inc. an op for tendon strip and some bone removed after lots of physio it has left me with 80% of what I used to have it doesn't fully extend retract or rotate I have to wear a strap most of the time. I get pains from my elbow to my wrist that shoot unless its used with caution .
Because my elbow doesn't work very well it has lead to me using other parts of my arm so now I have a stiff shoulder and my wrist was operated on 6 weeks ago for carpel tunnel and something else to do with my tendons that may help my elbow, Well that may improve but at the moment it's worse I cant even open a packet of crisps let alone pull a brake. my elbow is just as bad and they have said the next step there is more surgery and possible full tendon cut through so thing would not work well at all then, I have to say the way it is at the moment I feel like just saying get rid so I can get on with my life no pain and know the limitations. Sorry if Ive gone on a bit.

My bike is a Cube AMS COMP PRO
Thanks in advance again.

P-Jay

Dam, that sounds tough!

Not sure where you're based, but if you want a medical second of opinion I'd have a talk to this guy. He's a bloody genius with arms.

http://www.spirehealthcare.com/cardiff/ ... -Shewring/

I had a nearly a year-long nightmare of a recovery when nothing healed, I was in constant pain had little or no use of my right arm. Couldn't even sit on a bike straight. In the end the surgeon in the Hospital I ended up in after the accident was trying to schedule an operation to fuse my elbow in place in an effort just to bring a close to proceedings (and to tick a box on a form to say 'all fixed' IMHO)

I never considered going private before but I was desperate, saw this guy - only cost £100 for the first meeting, showed him the x-rays and stuff I had from Hospital, he recommended a completely different approach, told me to get on my bike riding for a couple of months and come back to allow for it to settle down a bit after all the poking about. I went back for some x-rays and stuff that did cost a good couple of hundred, he stuck me on his NHS list and a few months later I had a op to remove some metalwork and away I went. As above it’s not perfect, but it very rarely gives me any pain anymore and I’m flying around red / black graded trail centre trails now.

No one can perform miricals, but I was surprised that there's so much of a differnce of opinion in medical stuff.

jako999

Hi thanks for that Cardiff is only around 100 miles so I will think about it. The funny thing is there is a lot more I cant do then I can and yet although I am off sick post op and not sure about my wrist as yet I can normally do my job which involves lifting but that's because it involves muscles and the angles are fine as as there is always two of us the other person does what I cant.

I had a look at the Hopey and found a dealer who quoted £225 supply does that sound correct seemed a bit steep but then anything that helps people tends to be.
Thanks again

nicklouse

jako999
there are very few steering dampers out there. and costs sorry no idea.

also go talk to some MC shops as they will be more aware of steering dampers.

there are also many many options for having multi brakes and gears all on one side as well.

projectsome

My friend only has one hand, he rides just fine. He just gets the shop to swap the brakes over to suit him. He pedals like a maniac...

bol

A guy who uses my LBS only has one arm. He rides a Stumpy(!). He has both shifters on the left, one above the other, and two bb7 mechanical disks working through the same lever (phased back first IIRC). Last time I saw him he was planning to switch to hydros with a splitter. I don't think his riding is particularly hard core, but he gets out and rides a lot.