My fiance is a Paralympic swimmer in the twilight of her career. She loves to ride and run and has competed in a few sprint triathlons over the years. She was born with a congenital disability called dysmalia (basically short arms), her elbows are fused, her left arm has two fingers that move a bit but can’t grip and her right arm has two fingers that are basically underdeveloped radius and ulna bones.
Not sure if you can get the idea with this picture?? Anyway she has an old mountain bike with a coaster brake and a 2 speed internal rear hub that’s good for bombing around town but she wants to go fast, she is very fit and strong and is frustrated with an experience she had a couple years ago at the LBS (long story) Anyway…she has a road frame that the LBS unsuccessfully built up for her, as a wedding gift I’d like to surprise her with a bike that will allow her to go fast and be safe.
To get the ball rolling she can shift a rapid fire type lever but does not have the grip strength to pull brake levers. I’m thinking perhaps a single 44 or 46 up front, 11-32 cog, and an XT rear der. Now that I’ve got her going, I need help getting her stopped! Any ideas on braking system??
I’m sure this is very unclear but I will clarify if anyone has some ideas, sorry it’s so long winded but I really think she’ll love it (if) when it’s done.
Hmm. That’s a tough one. Without having spent too much time thinking about different possibilities, the safest one that comes to mind is one that you’ve already tried (and presumably it’s proven successful), which is a coaster brake. I’m not sure what’s available in newer hubs, but I think your setup sounds very good (gearing range and simplicity).
Are you planning on using a mountain bike handle bar or a drop bar?
Yeah the coaster brake limits gear ranges considerably, it would be perfect for a single speed set-up, but during the two tris she competed in she was VERY frustrated with having to coast and soft-pedal around the course. She wants to go fast!!
She currently has a mountain riser bar on a very short, tall stem.
What about mounting a push bar/lever/paddle behind the seat so that when she pushes her butt back the brakes are applied…once again, safety would be the top priority?
Look into Campy’s electronic shifting technology. They’ve been developing this for over 10 years and actually have some products coming to market. Brakes would still be an issue as it looks like the requirement for a coaster brake may prohibit the use of this new technology. At any rate, it might be worth a look.
How able is she to move her hands around while she’s riding? Can she grip enough to twist? If not, the first thing that comes to mind is some sort of top tube mounted brake levers that she squeezes between her knees. This would allow her to keep her hands on the bars and her butt on the seat. The trickiest part of this seems like it’s going to be safety.
The behind-the-saddle idea is an interesting idea, but I wonder how you’d implement it without a lot of R&D.
That’s a pretty good idea. You could replace the ‘top tube’ mounted brake levers with rigid aerobar pads to increase the contact zone where her knee strikes the brake levers/pads.
I know when I’m descending that I pull both my knees into the top tube to stabalize the bike at high speeds. I can vary the degree of pressure on the top tube very accurately.
I bet this girl could do the same. Both a front and rear brake lever could be mounted because of the offset. One knee is usually a little bit in front of the other when you are in this position due to the pedals being at 3 and 9 o’clock.
Match that up w/ Campy’s electronic shifting technology and you that would be one awesome bike.
Thanks for the suggestions, would you weld the aerobar pads on the lever or is there a place to detach the lever and jimmy-rig the pads, what about one of those dual cable pull levers, any experience with those??
My only concern is knee clearance - would her knees keep hitting the brake levers (or whatever manifestation they take)?
I like the aerobar pad idea.
One concern would be mounting the levers without damaging the top tube. You’d probably definitely want to get a steel frame. In fact, perhaps a custom steel frame builder could integrate something into the top tube…
How about using a hydraulic front brake, I use them on my mountain bike & I think some cyclocross bikes are equipped with them. Very light pull & some of the new ones are equipped adjustable modulation. You could always use a mountain hub.
O.K. Just a thought, but depending on how she is going to be riding (aero vs. on the hoods) you could have sockets molded to her arms, kind of like a prostetic would fit. if she were in the aero position with her arms in the sockets an upward pivot, or sideways turn of the aero bars could be easily be rigged to actuate the brake. A similar setup would work for riding on the hoods. Not only would this give her precise control of the brakes, but should give her a very secure handle on the bike. If this proved to work well, you could do the same with the gear changing. It would be very similar to the way that regular shifters and brakes work.
I hope that you figure something out, and hope to see your future wife pass me on the coarse one day! Good Luck!
Can your fiancee ride on aerobars? If she can that would probably increase her comfort level immensely.
There are a couple of unusual but still mainstream alternative braking systems out there. Without knowing your fiancee’s dexterity, it’s hard to recommend anything, but a solution can definitely be found or created, so it’s worth the effort to look into it.
I think Peter Reid used an old Profile Design AeroBrake brake lever a couple of years ago. There’s a picture here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/kona2003/survey03/seatangles03.html
If you call Profile or ask around, even search eBay you could find some of these. Profile might even sponsor her if you ask…
You should also look into the Syntace S.T.O.P.S. system. I’m trying to find a picture or a place that still sells them, but a quick google let me down. I’d email Syntace USA at syntace-usa@syntace.com (or better yet, call them at (618)-395-4711). They don’t seem to be made anymore but some must be available somewhere. You could use those on the ends of aerobars for stopping, plus Syntace’s AeroShift or regular bar-ends on drop bars or STI for shifting.
You could also create a system using fairly standard parts. I’d think that just turning around standard aero brake levers so that the levers sit on top of the base bar would allow her to push down with enough force to brake. You’d probably want to make sure to use a brake lever with a return spring, like the Blackwell or the newest Tektro (cheap at Chuck’s bikes) Go into a tri shop and surely a mechanic could show you a few options with standards parts.
There must also be some other solutions created for disabled athletes out there. Have you tried contacting your local special olympics or other disabled athlete federation to make some contacts? Your fiancee is not the only person to have a condition which allows very limited use of the hands, and that wheel is likely already invented.
Good luck and let us know what you end up going with, and let her know that she is an inspiration for all of us non-disabled folks as well.
