Newbie with one arm

Batler
Batler Posts: 8
edited July 2014 in Road beginners
Hi guys,

First post here but have been reading the forum for a while now.

I have been wanting to get a bike for a while now but with having one arm I struggled to find something that I thought would be suitable. I ended up going for a mango bike with three gears on the left (I only have my left arm) which is ideal.

I have got flat bars which im not too happy with as I feel like I'm sat too high up although I have great control. My girlfriends step dad has since adjusted an old mountain bike of his to have all the controls on the left which is good.I can have 21gears!

I've ridden my mango for a month now and totalled 80 miles and I'm taking part in the great Manchester cycle this Sunday.

Now that I'm feeling more comfortable on a bike, I wanted to upgrade to something a bit racier. I'm averaging 14mph with clip less pedals with a few hills around Stockport but feel like the bike is holding me back. I think it's close to 15kgs in weight. I want to upgrade the frame but I'm not sure how worth it it is

Any advice is appreciated

Comments

  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    useful thread here that might be of use
    http://forums.roadcyclinguk.com/showthr ... rmed-rider

    enjoy the ride!
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • Buckie2k5
    Buckie2k5 Posts: 600
    Out of interest i had a google for one handed/armed athletes and came across joe berenyi. Could be worthwhile checking out what system he is using on his road bike.

    http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120730/news/707309905/
  • dork_knight
    dork_knight Posts: 405
    Good Find ~ I just had a search for Joe Berenyi which turned up some half decent shots of some of his setups;

    https://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... 2837_n.jpg

    http://www.winfieldpost.com/media/Joe-Berenyi.jpg

    http://www.paramanic.ca/sites/default/f ... %201_0.jpg

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 3230_n.jpg

    Looks like a cable doubler to pull both brakes at the same time along with a bar end shifter.
    The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the devil's own satanic herd.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Alternatives ideas:

    Coaster brake for the rear, you brake by backpedaling.

    Cable actuated Hydraulic brakes (rim or disc), both pistons linked to the one cable.

    A 1x11 setup with a wide range cassette to keep shifting simple.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,120
    Try getting in touch with Wheelpower, a charity which supports disabled people in sport

    They may well be able to help, they hold a ride every June to raise money and lots of disabled folks (including handcycles) take part

    If they can't help, no doubt they'll know someone who can!

    hope this helps
    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • Batler
    Batler Posts: 8
    Cheers for the links guys. I'll check those out.

    I finished the great manchester cycle 26 mile event in 1hr28mins which I'm quite proud of. That puts me at around 18mph average.

    I'm looking at a new bike now as I felt my mango was holding me back a little. I've been to a few places and they seem to think a hybrid would be the way to go with the right hand trigger shifter upside down on the left. I'm going to ask in the buying advice which one to go for. I want something really fast with flat bars.

    Thanks guys
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    Expensive, but Di2 (derailleur or hub) with satellite switches could let you use a full road gearing one handed.
  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    The para Olympians (MTB and road), use Di2. One shifter and two climbing buttons for the other mech. It works really well.

    Some charities may help you with the cost.
    Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
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  • Batler
    Batler Posts: 8
    Yeah Di2 is the dream but I just can't afford it and I doubt any charities would help unless I was a paralympic hopeful.
  • florerider
    florerider Posts: 1,112
    A 46 tooth front ring and an 11 to 32 cassette would be a pretty good compromise - but STIs are right handed so it needs to be a flat bar to get LH shifting.

    What about a sturmey archer 3 speed fixed into a decent frame?
  • 964cup
    964cup Posts: 1,362
    I'd go with a 1 x 11 setup, using an 11-36 cassette on the rear and a 44T chainring. That gives you much the same range as a 50/34 compact with an 12-28 cassette, albeit with bigger gaps in gearing. If going flatbar, it's basically a standard MTB drivetrain; if you wanted to try drops, you could use a Retroshift (http://www.gevenalle.com/) RH lever on the left hand side. It should be relatively inexpensive using MTB parts.
  • Zingzang
    Zingzang Posts: 196
    Batler wrote:
    I doubt any charities would help unless I was a paralympic hopeful.
    You're right; they won't. But you can get your UCI classification as a paracyclist through British Cycling (speak to Paul West) and start competing in events that are either exclusively for disabled riders or at least have a separate category for them.
    I was classified (because of right arm paralysis) by UCI-appointed doctors in November 2012 after a couple of years racing (TT's). I was all set to enter my first disabled events but then contracted a virus, which turned into an immune disorder, which turned out to be something much worse than my disability. However much I want to, I'll never race my bike again. Good luck!

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