One Handed Rider Bike Set Up Help, hybrid or road?

Aggerdoo

Hello

Right, first of all I'm sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I am unsure if it is between the workshop and here.

My girlfriend has only got one arm after a childhood accident, about 18 months ago she and her sister bought a bike off of ebay but unfortunately didn't really test it out properly and seemed the guy who had it had modified it badly so the gears didn't work etc. basically rather than spending ages trying to sort it out we're giving up on it and planning on getting a new bike for her (or a good second hand road bike).

She rides with a prosthetic arm but it's only really for support to grip the handlebar, she can't use it to change gear or brake.... which I forgot when we went for our first ride together and ended up going down a steep hill with her only being able to brake with her right hand and therefore the front brake!!!!... Luckily I managed to catch her at the bottom of the hill to stop her!!

So onto my question.... We want to get her a road bike and modify it so she can brake and change gear with ease.
My only thoughts at the moment is to get a road bike and change the handlebars to be a flat bar, then put 2 brake levers on the right hand side and maybe fit a gripshift and a normal gear shifter on the right so the one hand can do all the work???.
I want to get a road bike and change the bar rather than a hybrid as I think it'll be a bit lighter/geared better to ride with other roadies.
I've never had to buy a womans bike before but is there a real difference between the womans specific and mens bikes (we would obviously go and try before buy to check it fits her)?

I have looked online and there are a few pages and threads that have discussed one handed bikes this but they're all about 6 years old. I didn't know if anyone had any advice or solutions which may work better.

We are based in Bristol so also if anyone knows of any bike shops which you think would be up for the challenge of customising the bike first (I'm happy to do it myself if not, I like a challenge)!

Price range is only around £500 hence why also looking at getting a second hand road bike and doing the alterations myself.

Thanks in advance!!!

Chris

bendertherobot

In terms of shifting I reckon 1x might be the way to go. A nice spread of a 44t 36/11 cassette or such like. Stick a trigger shifter on a hybrid/flat bar and that's pretty easy to operate.

Road is do-able though. Sarah Storey has most of her arm but appears to be operating a standard set up with some modifications.

A flat bar road bike from Planet X might be a nice way to go. Reasonably light etc.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLRDFLA ... -road-bike

I'm thinking out loud and wondering, forumites jump in, whether there's a mechanism for connecting a cable operated brake so that one lever pulls both......


http://problemsolversbike.com/products/cable_doubler/

That sort of thing seems to allow one lever to do it. Might be a solution? But for gears I'd look at 1x possibly.

slowbike

British Cycling have got Disability hubs around the country - worth contacting them and asking their advice?

dork_knight

It's possible, this is a shot from a local race and LBS (near to bender I believe);
http://tinyurl.com/gouyl5z

I guess balance might be an issue with a drop handle bar if she's not been riding for a while, so benders option of a flat bar 1x seems a good option.

meesterbond

From memory, Sarah Storey's bike has the brakes arranged so the one lever operates front and back - makes for some sketchy handling in the bunch but certainly doable.

For gears, 1x11 would definitely make life easier... Loses one gear shifter completely. Electronic would be even easier but then you're really blowing the budget.

Definitely doable, but 1x11 components are more prevalent (and therefore probably cheaper) in the MTB area so flat bar might be a better option.

bendertherobot

Dork Knight wrote:

It's possible, this is a shot from a local race and LBS (near to bender I believe);
http://tinyurl.com/gouyl5z

I guess balance might be an issue with a drop handle bar if she's not been riding for a while, so benders option of a flat bar 1x seems a good option.

I think he's also the chap who does CX as well

mpatts

At a recent race I spend a good deal of time chatting to one of the GB paralimpians (and current track world record holder) called Louis Walsh. He has his bike setup to change gear and brake all on one side - pulling the right lever operates both front and rear (and there is bias adjustment) as well as having Di2 buttons for both front and rear mech on the right hand side. Worked well - although he did say it made him worry in the bunch from time to time.

In other words, the good people at british cyling will definitely be able to help.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I can see why "1x" is being suggested a lot here, but could you not buy a 2x or 3x and move the chainring shifter over to the right side of the bar, on a hybrid or mountain bike?

Halfords have a 20% sale on most of their bikes right now, lots of bargains, all depends what a buyer is after. Some of the ones that jump out at me as being good buys for your GF are...
Laura Trott HYB 1 £359.20 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... ybrid-bike
13 Intuitive Lamda £399 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... ybrid-bike
Voodoo Marassa £240 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... ybrid-bike
Boardman Hybrid Comp Women £399.20 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... omens-bike
Boardman Hybrid Comp £399.20 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... -comp-bike

The Marassa is a cracking bike for its price, but that new Laura Trott might be worth paying the extra for the full carbon fork and internal cable routing, if a rigid fork fits the bill.

But there are some cracking hardtail deals too, such as the 16" 13 Incline Alpha for £360 http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -bike-2015

Aggerdoo

Thanks very much for your responses.
I didn't realise that you could get 2 in 1 brake levers! They look ideal, far better than an overcrowded solution like I originally thought.
I presume it'd be easy enough to set it up so when pulled the rear brake would engage first and then the front after that well pulled fully?



I'm still not certain about the 1x11 solution, as my girlfriend is only just getting in to cycling i don't know if this would make it a bit difficult to get up hills with limited gears?

Don't think we'll be able to get her Di2......mainly because I'd be too jealous that I don't have it on my bike!!

arlowood

Aggerdoo wrote:

I'm still not certain about the 1x11 solution, as my girlfriend is only just getting in to cycling i don't know if this would make it a bit difficult to get up hills with limited gears?

IIRC with the 1 x 11 speed SRAM option you can specify an 11-42 rear cassette matched to a 44T chainring. That gives you close to a 1:1 lowest gear which is probably as low as you get with many conventional road set-ups. Don't discount it entirely as it would remove one mechanical complexity (front derailleur shifter) from your equation

Aggerdoo

Ahh okay, that makes a lot of sense. Sounds like that could be the best solution. with the 1 x 11 SRAM option and a duo brake lever would mean the handlebar wouldn't be cluttered at all.

Aggerdoo

By any chance, anyone know where to get SRAM 1x11 44t chainset??
Struggling to find it online on the usual sites.

arlowood

Aggerdoo wrote:

By any chance, anyone know where to get SRAM 1x11 44t chainset??
Struggling to find it online on the usual sites.

From SRAM website it looks like you can have the option of 38t up to 50t in the SRAM Rival 1 range.

https://www.sram.com/sram/road/products ... 1-crankset

Not sure who would be likely to stock them as they are probably not that common at the moment as the 1 x 11 speed option is a relatively new offering for road/gravel bikes. Maybe a call to one of the regular SRAM stockists to see if they would order one specially.

https://www.sram.com/find-dealer/

Salsa

SRAM only do 42/50 1x chainset options I think, well Fisher (SRAM distro in the UK) only lists those two options anyway. Maybe it's one of the OEM only options that the link above states in the small print.

zoomer42

Dork Knight wrote:

It's possible, this is a shot from a local race and LBS (near to bender I believe);
http://tinyurl.com/gouyl5z
.

Raced next to this chap many times in the past in the Llandow crits. I got into a 4 man break with him once and then got dropped within 5 mins :P

mini_baz

I am a left arm amputee and I am currently looking to move to a road bike with drop handle bars. I currently ride a Giant Rapid (flat bar road bike). My idea is to use a problem solvers brake cable double, so both brakes operate from a single lever (already use on existing bike), I then plan to use a bar end TT style shifter fitted into the right side drop bar to control the chainring operation.

I currently just lean over with my right arm to change gear with the left side rapid shift lever - not ideal and a little unstable.

I hope this helps.

bill57

I sometimes use a bar end shifter mounted in a computer mount, as in the post below. Works well for me.

viewtopic.php?f=40004&t=13038550

mcstumpy

mini_baz wrote:

I am a left arm amputee and I am currently looking to move to a road bike with drop handle bars. I currently ride a Giant Rapid (flat bar road bike). My idea is to use a problem solvers brake cable double, so both brakes operate from a single lever (already use on existing bike), I then plan to use a bar end TT style shifter fitted into the right side drop bar to control the chainring operation.


I hope this helps.

I'm also a one handed and prosthetic wearing cyclist. The above is the answer, this is the set up I have after converting from flat bar earlier this year (where I used a bmx brake splitter to have one lever pull both brakes). Works a treat.

PM me if you need more detail or have any questions.

pinno

Playing devil's advocate:
Does the twin brake set up retard the bike sufficiently without excessive force required?
Could a twin disc set up be used?
Does pulling hard on the brake with one hand veer the bike left or right?
Could the OP buy a CX frame with cantilever brake mounts?

mcstumpy

Pinno wrote:

Playing devil's advocate:
Does the twin brake set up retard the bike sufficiently without excessive force required?
Could a twin disc set up be used?
Does pulling hard on the brake with one hand veer the bike left or right?
Could the OP buy a CX frame with cantilever brake mounts?

In terms of first question, a little extra force is applied. From the drops you wouldn't notice but from the hoods it does need a hard squeeze. Or at least it does on my tiagra 4600.

Pulling hard with one hand doesn't cause veer for me, but then I (like the op's girlfriend) am "holding" left side with prosthetic hand.

mcstumpy

Aggerdoo - I seem to be having issues responding to your PM. If you PM your email address I can advise further and send some pics.

bigmitch41

Im a one arm rider too, 1x is the way to go for sure on the Mountain Bike. Ive also got a road bike running Di2 which makes things much easier! I run two brake levers on the mtb similar to your picture, I only use the front brake on the road bike but im going to look at a linked system in time.

Heres a couple of videos ive taken recently.

https://youtu.be/2ekT2RaFAjI

https://youtu.be/a4HPu42KJuY

Soulknight

My wife lost both of her arms. I have been looking into building a trike for her. Look into a Schlumph Bottom Bracket. Shifting for your chainring is via internal gears of the BB with a click from your heel. There is not a front derailleur involved. That should simplify things on your handlebar for you. http://www.cyclemonkey.com/schlumpf-innovations.shtml I hope this helps.

pilot_pete

I know it is well outside the budget of the OP, but as a suggestion would di2 satellite shifters for the front mech work on the same side as the rear mech lever shifter? I can't see why not. To keep costs down you could just go with electronic front mech only I would think too.

On a separate note, the OP should consider researching locally for trusts. Our town have several which may make a grant payment to assist with the cost of adapting a bike for such an individual.

PP

pinno

http://www.limbless-association.org

Alternatively, pick up the directory of grants and funding.

https://www.dsc.org.uk/publication/the- ... ts-201617/

Aggerdoo

Bike Update

Hello All

Thank you for all of your help and suggestions, I thought that now I have modified the bike and it's being used for many training rides for the upcoming London to Paris cycle we are both doing for Dreamflight (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Chris-and-Kate) I'd provide a bit of an update on the solution we went for.

I finally went with the option to put both brakes through the one lever on the right hand side by using a Problem Solver 2:1 (http://problemsolversbike.com/products/brakes/12_-_8816o) and also fitted a mountain bike shifter for the front chain ring on the right hand side of the handlebar so all the gears can be operated (see pics below)







After using this solution for a while we've teased out a few small issues, mainly that my girlfriend doesn't have the confidence/balance to be able to grab a bottle out of the bottle holder and drink on the move so subsequently wasn't drinking enough to stay hydrated. So instead of having to wear a Camelbak, I've used their performance bottle and a additional hose converter to plumb in a drinks bottle she can quickly pop in her mouth and drink away whilst still riding. It's attached via a Osprey magnet which keeps the bite valve in place on the top tube when not in use. Also you'll notice the electrical tape on the left hood, that's a sponge ball taped in place to secure a better fit for her prosthetic to provide a bit of shock absorption and more of an interference fit.






Thank you all again for your help and suggestions of how to sort this, it's been a great help!!

Cheers

Chris

mw22

Have you seen the speedfil hydration systems?
You could basically have what you have now, but using this https://speedfil.com/replacement-parts/ ... eplacement have the straw angled wherever you want and just lean forward to have a drink (don't need to pick anything up).
I have the full speedfil system on TT bike and love the fact it's hands free.

Mike

mcstumpy

Good job, I considered MTB style shifter for front mech but wasn't sure would work with road derailleur.

Also interesting re the hydration options, I don't stop to take a drink but I slow to a crawl, like your girlfriend I don't drink enough. So I will check out the options above, cheers.

bigmitch41

Brilliant setup with some clever options re the hydration and problem solver splitter, im going to look into this for my own setup. Good luck and keep us posted on Her progress.

Mitch