Archive for the ‘Pimp My Ride’ Category
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
Frontpage 
Almost all wheelchair users are using bicycle gloves which they buy every now and then at the discounter.
My needs for these quality products were plentiful, the more expensive ones weren’t any better for wheelchair driving either.
I got the tip to switch to sailing gloves because they are more robust and additionally reinforced at the forefinger to let the ropes run through for sailing without burning the fingers.
Furthermore the glove fixes very well around the wrist which is very important for me as quadriplegic for braking to not loose the gloves. The velcro tapes are fixing well, and the leather is out of one piece. The gloves are available in Antara leather or Neoprene.
Sailing Gloves
The price starts at 10,00 €.
Source of supply can be enquired.
Contact: rollinator@eigude.de
Now I am just missing a sailing boat.
Translator BL
Tags:Grip, Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Sailing Gloves, Quadriplegic Tips, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Saturday, October 30th, 2010
Frontpage
A real rarity:
Bought by a German in the USA and photo taken by me in Spain, an
Israeli Foldable Scooter.
This scooter is completely foldable. With its two batteries it has coverage of around 15 kilometers. Basic but functional.
The grey colour reminds somehow of the military!
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Scooter
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
Frontpage
When I was at the last rehab fair I have tested an assumed new wheelchair drive. It is called
NuDrive
and is basically not a bad idea. For para- or quadriplegics like me without abdominal muscles and a disposition to fall forward out of the wheelchair it might not be suitable.
By pulling on two handles the driving wheels are turned independently from each other, and by pushing the brakes are applied. Unfortunately these things only have one gear so that you only get faster if you are “paddling” faster.
Even if I wouldn’t purchase this drive, it makes driving considerably easier if you don’t have much power. I like it that it has been thought about us quadriplegics as well with wristbands.
Somehow I think to have seen something similar on age-old wheelchairs…
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Quadriplegic Tips
Posted in Technical Aids, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Pimp My Ride | 2 Comments »
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Frontpage
Every now and then even I am speechless.
It’s not a secret that I am football fan of Eintracht Frankfurt.
My cousin has given the official
Eintracht Frankfurt Fan Rucksack
to me as a present. Of course I have positively noticed that the rucksack has plenty of reflectors.
This rucksack has additionally two hangers on the side.
The only logically use of these hangers is to be able to hang the rucksack over the handles of a wheelchair.
Simply great, it fits!
Wheelchair hangers
Was it a manufacturing error, or did they have a wheelchair driver as designer?
This rucksack is of course “not“ available for other football clubs.
Translator BL
Tags:Eintracht Football , Frankfurt, Football, Technical Aids, Wheelchair Bag
Posted in General, Simply great, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Frontpage
Some days ago I made a ride on my hand cycle.
(see older blogpost, trade hand cycle off for therapy pony).
My wife accompanied me on her bicycle.
I was more than positively surprised that the city of Frankfurt eventually managed to tar the old gravel path on the river Main after centuries.
It was going downstream, the cycle was rolling and rolling…
Unfortunately there is an express highway between the bicycle path on the river and two districts of the city. Because I can’t take the pedestrian bridge with my wheelchair and wanted to go to the street fair in one of the districts I had to ride further until after perceived 20 km, probably really 3 km, there was eventually a traffic light.
I had fairly shot my bolt.
After a bratwurst and a hop blossom ice tea * my motivation for the return ride was shattered.
When I was slowly riding home, I already fancied using the tram, I coincidentally met a former colleague, let’s call him Harald, with his
Didi Thurau – Memory Bicycle.
(translator’s note: famous German road bicycle racer from the 70’s and 80’s)
We had rather the same destination.
He pushed me sitting on his bike!
Without breaks, we reached a top speed of up to
26 Km/h on the 8 km way home.
My electric wheelchair tractive Speedy-Elektro only makes
max. 6 Km/h, otherwise it would need a license plate.
If Harald should have had a license plate???
Thanks again from this side.
Comment of my wife:
I am not used to such a speed any more as I usually roll with perceived 5 km/h behind the hand cycle and my biggest sporty challenge is not to fall from the bike at this “speed”, so that today my muscles are kind of sore for the first time. 
*(In a narrower sense, beer is an alcoholic and carbonated beverage which is gained by fermentation mostly from the basic ingredients water, malt and hop). (Source: Wikipedia)
Translator BL
Tags:Beer, Frankfurt, Handcycle, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Sport
Posted in General, Simply great, Pimp My Ride, Sport | No Comments »
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
Frontpage
As wheelchair using quadriplegic rainy weather simply sucks!
With wet rubber hand rims it is hardly possible for me to turn the driving wheels so that I can’t move any more.
It would be just a bit inconvenient to take a shower undesirably for the second time in a day, but if I am standing on a hillside the braking gets a bit critical respectively almost impossible.
Such a big
rain cape for cyclists
is in my opinion a good and low price solution.
It doesn’t always have to have a medical device number.
My hand rims stay dry to a large extent.
The cape should be shortened appropriately.
Be careful that it doesn’t get in the wheels.
Spoke protector discs are beneficial.
Ducks like water, but I haven’t seen something like this before.
It is raining day and night there.
This duck probably has
neoprene feathers
Translator BL
Tags:Rain, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Everyday life aids, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Frontpage
As already mentioned a couple of times (see older blog posts wheelchair tyres) I had
Mountainbike wheelchair tyres
built.
With my wife I wanted to make a tour around a lake in Austria:
Vilsalpsee
In combination with my shock absorbers and with assistance it is definitely possible to ride or push my wheelchair on hiking paths.
Gravel paths and pot-holes can be handled without great difficulties.
But suddenly I stood in front of a giant
Mud Hole
2 meters wide, 10 cm deep, 5 meters long, it was the path!!!
There even my
Outdoor Wheelchair
reached its limits.
After a couple of walkers who did not declare me completely insane what I am doing on their hiking paths with my wheelchair ensured me that the path would be accessible without any problems after passing the mud hole, and that they would help me, we took a chance.
New gloves, never mind!
No silly pictures were taken when I got stuck in the mud.
With pushing and pulling I got out of the mud and back on track.
At least my hand rims had to be cleaned. Then it is quite helpful when you receive from another walker a big amount of baby wipes which – as she mentioned funny enough – had an apple-peach scent.
Well, the wheelchair wasn’t clean, but smelled nicely.
The supposed accessible path presented the next challenge quickly.
Although the bridge is only 1,5 meters high the ramp is just 4 meters long. Only marginally I would like to mention that I had to go down again on the other side.
(The perspective is misleading.)
I slowly started feeling like Hobbit Frodo from the Shire.
After half of the round course the path around the sea turned into a country lane first and then into a paved highway.
It took the mouse hours with her white tissue until my wheelchair was clean again.
Translator BL
Tags:Maus (Mouse), Oberstdorf, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Holiday
Posted in General, Pimp My Ride, Holiday | No Comments »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Frontpage
Before my accident 2001 my hobby was the restoration of old mopeds of the former GDR (German Democratic Republic).
Amongst other things I still own a hand throttle operated
Handicap vehicle type:
Simson/Brandis Duo 4/1, year of construction 1982.
I have rebuilt the DUO a “bit” to West German standard.
The vehicle has a 50 cc engine and makes officially 50 km/h.
As you can see there are no pedals. Gears are changed with the left arm without clutch, with the right arm the handle bar is pushed for gas, and when brake is needed the whole handle bar is pushed forward.
With the Duo I drove after almost 4 years of restoration (1024 working hours) with my wife to the town hall in Frankfurt to get married.
I am still hoping that my strength and upper body stability will increase some time in that way that I can take a ride again.
If somebody needs technical support with Simson mopeds or spare parts, I still have around 600 kg.
Officially the DUO is a vehicle for handicapped .
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Simson DUO
Posted in General, Various, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
Frontpage
When you like me don’t belong to the desirable society of occupational accidents* it should be well-considered which special equipment is chosen in addition to the health insurance wheelchair and has to be paid by oneself of course.
The hospital wheelchair which I was using then was a new special edition and was very good to drive.
I applied for this model in a slightly slimmed-down version and got it approved.
The aluminum steering wheels were a must, aren’t they cool?
The steering wheels have hard rubber tyres and are slim.
The tyres were great in the hospital. Really smooth, such a corridor.
For someone like me who wasn’t able to move anyway and can’t ride on the rear tyres these wheels were
like hell out in the wild.
At the smallest joint, hole or best cobble stone the wheelchair abruptly stopped. I didn’t like that at all that I was sometimes faster than my wheelchair. Additionally the bearings have conked out after 6 months even though I rarely left my flat.
I changed from hard and slim 4 inch (10,16 cm) wheels to soft and broader
5 inch (12,70 cm) steering wheels.
Now even I can go to the old town to drink a coke.
Unfortunately I have to see something like this consistently!
Get a prescription for repair from your physician, and the medical supply store “should” take care about the exchange.
You don’t drive your car with bald tyres either.
* Expenses covered by employer’s accident insurance
The employer’s accident insurance pays almost everything, e.g. a carport so that you can reach the house dry-shoed from the partially sponsored car over the new ramp to levitate like a little angel through your staircase with a wheelchair suspension track.
Great society, I’ll join in!
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Frontpage
In light of the current situation, outside we have currently at 10:08 h already 25,4° C, something topical.
Because I can hardly grasp with my fingers it is only possible for me to move my wheelchair when I press my hands against the hand rims of the driving wheels and push them forward.
This is only possible for me with rubberized hand rims, unless I push with the spokes which is a little inconvenient and not possible if you have spoke protectors.
The hand rims are available readily coated with rubber, or as
“sliced hosepipe“ (hand rim cover),
which you pull over on a standard hand rim.
Everybody has to decide for himself what is better or worse.
It is said that the hand rim covers would slip from the hand rims in the summer when it is warm and the rubber gets soft.
I have made the same negative experience.
You can counteract very simple if you clean the hand rim covers approximately all two weeks from in- and outside respectively the hand rims with an alcoholic cleaner like window cleaner, rubbing alcohol,…
The covers stick afterwards to the hand rim like glued.
Now a little bit of hairspray outside on the hand rim cover, and there is nothing in the way of a trip to the swimming lake.
If they have a lift to water at the swimming lake?
Translator BL
Tags:Grip, GreifringĂĽberzug, Technical Aids, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Quadriplegic Tips
Posted in General, Technical Aids for Quadriplegic, Pimp My Ride, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Frontpage
The selection of wheelchair tyres should not be under-estimated.
For the driving wheels it has to be decided first:
Full cushion or pneumatic tyres?
Many active wheelers are using
Pneumatic tyres Schwalbe Marathon Plus (until 10 bar*).
There is a persistent rumour that it completely doesn’t matter how the tyre is mounted as no wheelchair tyre ever has a running direction.
Very convincing!
Due to the stud axles on the wheelchair the tyres can be switched from right to left.
Because the profile of the tyre is not equal there hast o be a difference.
I don’t have much power and noticed the difference immediately when the tyres were exchanged, but this wasn’t supposed to be possible.
Now I wanted to know and wrote to the company Schwalbe.
I have already received a reply on the next day:
The tyre is mounted in the designated running direction so that it has a low rolling resistance.
If the tyre would have been fitted in the opposite direction it would have a better traction as e.g. for
ice and snow,
but then with a higher rolling resistance.
So this secret was disclosed as well.
At the next
tyre change
you should mind that you get tyres with additional reflector stripes.
Thus you will even be seen when you are rolling home from the club at night.
* Tyres should have 8 bar pressure.
The other one has to feel it when you ride across his foot!
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Reflector, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Technical Aids, Pimp My Ride, Winter | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Frontpage
It is nothing new that the health insurances are currently in financial difficulties.
The saving-mania reaches unforeseen dimensions.
To save mounting costs technical aids will be delivered to all in need as construction kits only.
It is stopped not even at kids.
Look yourself, the new
Constructy 2101 for do-it-yourself mounting
The advantage of the Constructy 2101 is that the size can be easily adjusted with a couple of bricks.
For adults the wheelchair components are pre-fabricated in Sweden.
But seriously: Pictures from Kids medical supply (Kindersanitätshaus).
Simply great, keep it up!!!
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Wheelchair
Posted in General, Various, Simply great, Technical Aids, Links, Pimp My Ride | No Comments »
Friday, June 4th, 2010
Frontpage
During the winter I had
Mountainbike Wheelchair tyres
 (see older blog post)
built according to my ideas to brave the quantities of snow.
Just in time with the thawing in Frankfurt the tyres were ready.
To conduct an endurance test with the tyres anyhow they were subject to a two week testing in the
Alps
Extreme up and down Snow-Riding!
Extreme Off-road Hand cycling
Extreme Haldensee- Rounding
Extreme Wheelchair Jumping
All tests were completed more or less successfully.
Broken axles, flat tyres and broken spokes were incurred only sporadically. As three to five defects per week are usual in the technical aids area there are no hurdles for serial production.
Translator BL
Tags:Handcycle, Technical Aids, Oberstdorf, Wheelchair, Wheelchair Tyres, Sport, Tips and Tricks
Posted in General, Pimp My Ride, Holiday, Winter | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 24th, 2010
Frontpage
After 14 days at the seminar of the
Support Group of
 medical device marred wheelchair drivers and prosthesis wearers
in Oberstdorf im Allgäu I am online again. These conspirative meetings of world-famous
Wheelchair and technical aids tuners
are “run” under the pseudonym cure (only for patients of the employer’s accident insurance), or holiday.
I will inform you about the most recent findings during the next weeks.
Regards from the Rollinator
Translator BL
Tags:Technical Aids, Oberstdorf, Holiday
Posted in General, Various, Pimp My Ride, Holiday | No Comments »
