One arm, two wheels!

bigmitch41

First video from my GoPro Session hasn't turned out too bad, bashing bars through Cringle Plantation, going for the gaps with the odd poor line choice. Apologies for the sniffy nose! Hopefully I will get better with the video editor software as time go's by........... One arm two wheels!

https://youtu.be/2ekT2RaFAjI

cooldad

I don't normally watch random videos but serious respect, especially that right hand.

WindyG

Big respect to you for being able to ride like that, it can't be easy.

bigmitch41

Thanks guys! Yeh its tough but very rewarding. The GoPro tends to flatten off the trail as some of its pretty steep. Think I may take of a couple of inches from the left h/s bar to make things a little easier though.
It took me a while to ride the trail without binning it all the time, I commute to work everyday to help keep a decent level of fitness.
The dropper post is an absolute must, also full suspension and 29inch wheels.

Last year I completed the Manx End2End which im really proud of, in decent time too.........Good Times!

cooldad

Yep, I kept wincing when the grip went near a tree. Could you cut a whole chunk off, right up to the stem, virtually?

JBA

Impressed!
Got to hand it to you, BigMitch. That's a heck of a feat. Huge kudos to you for doing that.

bigmitch41

cooldad wrote:

Yep, I kept wincing when the grip went near a tree. Could you cut a whole chunk off, right up to the stem, virtually?

I keep thinking about getting the hacksaw saw out cooldad, usual after a tree/bar interface as im picking myself off the ground. Thoughts are:
1. would it somehow make the steering unstable or overly sensitive if the left hand bar was completely missing down to the stem?
2. Do I need some l/h bar to keep me getting too close to the trees and clobbering said tree with my knee/shoulder
3. The bar acts as a crash protector and can save the fork & side of the bike from a crash landing
4. Some bar length is handy when leaning against a wall

I think I could loose a couple of inches (ooher) maybe not the whole thing though

cooldad

I doubt 1 would be a problem, except mentally maybe, but 2,3 and 4 make sense.
Although a whack on the shoulder might be less catastrophic than the bar hitting a tree.

Only one way to find out...

And make sure you post video of the resulting carnage.

bigmitch41

Ive got my original Ali bar hanging around in the garage somewhere, now where is that hacksaw.....

mtb-idle

GoPro working fantastically, great quality even on 480p but 1280 60fps runs well on my PC too.

Again, much respect for riding with one arm. My youngest son is 23 and he has to ride like this too due to Erbs Palsy which was caused at birth but I've only taken him on the road so far. Mind you he has ridden up Alpe d'Huez and other alpine mountains too so it doesn't stop him and clearly you are keeping on going too.

Great to see you getting out there and enjoying yourself, that's what it's all about.

Edit: and I used to see a cycle commuter on Cycle Superhighway 7 in south west London who rode like you suggest i.e. with the left hand side of the bars chopped off. Haven't seen him this year yet but I'm sure he's out there somewhere still

nicklouse

Something for you to google.

Hopey steering damper

http://www.hopey.org

Not that you need one but it may help.

bigmitch41

MTB-Idle wrote:

GoPro working fantastically, great quality even on 480p but 1280 60fps runs well on my PC too.

Again, much respect for riding with one arm. My youngest son is 23 and he has to ride like this too due to Erbs Palsy which was caused at birth but I've only taken him on the road so far. Mind you he has ridden up Alpe d'Huez and other alpine mountains too so it doesn't stop him and clearly you are keeping on going too.

Great to see you getting out there and enjoying yourself, that's what it's all about.

Edit: and I used to see a cycle commuter on Cycle Superhighway 7 in south west London who rode like you suggest i.e. with the left hand side of the bars chopped off. Haven't seen him this year yet but I'm sure he's out there somewhere still

Yes very similar to Erbs Palsy, my nerve damage was caused by a Motorcycle accident back in 2001. Once I'd recovered from my injuries I learnt to ride the motorcycle adapted for the one arm and went racing, with the dream to race the IOM Mountain course. Made a bit of History in 2013 becoming the first one armed rider to race the course, with 100mph average lap speeds, I came 11th in the MGP Newcomers race and picked up a replica trophy in the process, an absolute dream come true!

Any way I started to ride MTB to get the fitness required to road race, and I became totally hooked on the mtb riding!

nicklouse wrote:

Something for you to google.

Hopey steering damper

http://www.hopey.org

Not that you need one but it may help.

Thanks for that Nicklouse, I actually bought one of the Hopey dampers and its still sat on a shelf in my garage, I had a go at fitting it and lets just say "not with success", I need to dig it out and give it another go!

mtb-idle

my nerve damage was caused by a Motorcycle accident back in 2001

I used to work with a guy called Jon who had a similar injury also from a motorbike accident. We had many a lengthy chat about his experiences and my youngest son Ben who has grown up from birth like this ranging from general life experiences to the specific uses of a spork.

Ben also uses one of these devices to drive himself around.

The IOM experience sounds fantastic. Everyone needs a goal in life and for you to achieve something like that is amazing.

It was seeing the cycle commuter with one arm I mentioned above that encouraged me to get Ben into cycling seriously.

I don't know how he manages to ride the steep climbs with only one hand on the bars but he is fearless on the descents. I recall a few years ago chasing him down the 20km of the Col de la Madeleine descent in the pouring rain and fog shouting 'sloooowwwwww dooooowwwwwnnnnn'.

Got any video of you in the IOM?

bigmitch41

Doesn't sound like Ben let's anything hold him back, good on Him! What bike does he ride, how's he get on with the brakes?

I've found this clip on YouTube but it doesn't really show much riding, my avatar is me jumping Ballaugh bridge, I'll have a look for some better stuff tomorrow.

This was a news clip off North West tonight..
https://youtu.be/JT3ivahDpxI

bigmitch41

Some pics:
The Creg MGP 2013

When the flag drops

Southern 100 Castletown Corner

S100 Church Bends

Jurby Testing

MGP Glen Helen

MGP Begarrow

Ballaugh Bridge Air Time

Manx End2End 75k 1500Meters of climbing

mtb-idle

those pics are so cool they are off the scale!

Ben rides an MTB with 700c wheels with disc brakes and skinny tyres. He only rides it on the road. It's a dialled bikes Prince Albert 725 steel frame.

MTB frame because he prefers the more upright body position. If he's on a road bike all his weight is on one arm and makes it more difficult to control and uncomfortable after a while. Disc brakes because clearly they rock.

No special adaptation, his left arm is the one with the Erb's so he just uses his right arm to steer, change gear and brake. Front brake only, the rear is redundant.

He has just about learned to change the front mech with his left arm. He has very basic movement in it so by shifting his shoulder and body he can manage to change down and up on the front mech but it's not enough movement to operate the rear brake.

I really should adjust the levers so that he can use both brakes on the right hand side but when he's climbed and then descended Alpe d'Huez and numerous other mountains it hardly seems worth it (we've been following the Tour de France since 2011 and always go to the alps or the pyrenees for a week and climb the biggest mountain on the day the tour is going up there).

Over the last few years I've made little tweaks to his riding though by getting him off fat tyres onto skinny, then getting him riding SPD's instead of flat pedals and cranking the seatpost up a few mm's at a time as he likes to ride with it low ~(too low) to help maintain his balance

nicklouse

re one using more than one brake some info from the tech FAQs
note that you can adjust how and when the brakes work by adjusting the "reach adjusters" like a balance bar on a race car pedal box.

Crazyjenkins01

Daaaaamn. That's awesome dude. Think I'd struggle to keep up with 2 arms! Kudos for the mate in the photo helping you out at the start line too

bigmitch41

Thanks for all the comments guys. Some interesting engineering there Nicklouse, I use two independent brake levers on the mtb and get by mostly using the rear brake, ive often thought of a linked system but also like the independent braking. My road bike is a cycle cross bike so its fairly relaxed geometry, i was a bit weary of the droppy bars before had a go, but actually find them ok, mostly grip the hoods which is a fairly upright position so not too much weight on the wrist, I can ride an hour or so a time without needing to stop.

Anyway good news is my one arm 2 wheels video made it onto the Pin The Trail section of the GMB Dirt Shed Show, presented by the legend that is Martyn Ashton......................Very Cool!

14 minutes in...

https://youtu.be/X9DpBdLD5Ss

bigmitch41

Going away next week to Afan so opted for a change in rubber, any excuse to test out the time lapse function on the GoPro Session!

https://youtu.be/7J7kg7mYN6g

Apologies for the banging tune ripped off Youtube editer

mtb-idle

nice vid. Looked like you were drinking the Stan's sealant at one stage

bigmitch41

So i decided to pop up to the local for a quick pint last Sunday, i'll take the bike for a pedal & promised to the Mrs i'd be home before tea time :roll:

https://youtu.be/ErMlDiSF9ao

bigmitch41

Playing with a couple of different camera angles on the R6, on the TT Course just before the Islands population doubles for the fortnight ..

https://youtu.be/ozpKIaBB4NA

bigmitch41

Went for a recce of Conrhrenny Plantation in preparation for this weekends longest day longest race 24hr here on the IOM, took the Hero4 session and shot some murky footage, weather was a bit grim oddly enough!

https://youtu.be/a4HPu42KJuY

bigmitch41

So just finished the Loaghtan Loaded Longest Day Longest Ride 24hr mountain bike race here on the IOM, our team of six came 16th place out of 33 and we managed to keep a bike circulating for the whole event with a total of 75 laps, its a great fun event for all!
Here's footage of the/my first lap shot from my GoPro Session on a chesty mount, as always one armed!
Enjoy! 8)

https://youtu.be/_IXUpYk6RRA

bigmitch41

Not uploaded a video in a while, so here's a short clip shot using the GoPro Arm attached to my lid for an unusual pov. Some technical bits and a short fast descent all on natural trails here on the Isle of Man, my Wife is following at the beginning. Filmed in the Summer so nice and sunny, just a tad breezy.
I often get asked "how do you ride with one arm?" So here it is, no prosthetics or steering dampers etc, just a 1x11, decent dropper post and two brake levers on the r/h side...............Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/U4OpBrT_4pI

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fat daddy

woah !!! ..... fair play ... It seems to me like your balls have taken over from your arm and are more than capable of riding a bike

Thats truly nuts, I was on the edge of my seat watching that ... truly impressed !!!!

bigmitch41

fat daddy wrote:

woah !!! ..... fair play ... It seems to me like your balls have taken over from your arm and are more than capable of riding a bike

Thats truly nuts, I was on the edge of my seat watching that ... truly impressed !!!!

Thanks for that fat daddy much appreciated and makes it all worth while!

JBA

Someone linked to this video on FB last night.
I'm glad you've put it on here, BigMitch.

I am super impressed with your ability and willingness to give it a go. Well done and keep on keeping' on. 8)

bigmitch41

JBA wrote:

Someone linked to this video on FB last night.
I'm glad you've put it on here, BigMitch.

I am super impressed with your ability and willingness to give it a go. Well done and keep on keeping' on. 8)

Thanks JBA! Cant beat just getting out there, the arm chair and Jeremy Kyle just isn't for me

krel

That is brilliant ! Must take a lot of skill to handle that terrain with one hand on the bars. Im a bilateral amputee (right leg amputated above knee and left leg amputated below knee) and been back riding for a little over three years now. Joined the forum to see if any riders in similar situations could share tips amd stuff.