Archive for June, 2010

Wheelchair Tuning Part XI

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

Eigude Shame VIII

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Frontpage

The attendance of concerts of all kinds is always an event in itself before you even have heard the first sound.

In Frankfurt in the „Jahrhunderthalle“ („hall of the century“) you have to cross the heater room and then up with a freight elevator to reach your seats.

This is even topped in the „Alte Oper“ („Old Opera“). One gets barrier-free through the main entrance to the box-office which is located next to the foyer. When you then have bought your tickets it is not possible to get over the three stairs to the foyer. Then you have to leave the opera house again through the main entrance to drive up a ramp in zigzag at the side/rear entrance, where you have to ring a bell, and an employee accompanies you to the foyer.

The creativity for the appearance of wheelchair admission tickets is unlimited.

Here a special curious example:

Inner standing room (Stehplatz) (for wheelchairs?)

 

With wheelchair hidden object

 

and

Escort Service

Maybe it was just a typo, and it should have been called staying room

Translator BL

Eigude Shame VII

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Frontpage

As self-confessed football fan for many years the current

World Cup in South Africa is a highlight.

Especially because I spent the last Euro Cup in hospital.
My car was decorated with the

car flag from the world cup 2006.

Additionally a friend has fixed in my absence the commonly known

“mirror socks”

to my car.
I was not granted to see my car only once in that way because within 14 hours my

flag was broken off and the socks were stolen.

The car was parking on my own disabled parking place.
Within 20 years my car was broken into 15 times on various locations, and radios, amps, speakers… were stolen, but I have never faced such a

disrespectfulness.

 After the

4:1 against England

I am more relaxed again.
Quarter finals, go Germany…

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part X

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

Selfmade- Wheelchair

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

Wheeler’s pint

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Frontpage

Don’t drink and drive

is a matter of course for us wheelers.
A Hessian brewery has now launched the first

Wheeler’s Pint.

Non-alcoholic and isotonic

all what the body needs.

Side effects such as mocking, sneering, head-shaking and chronic taste definition search are guaranteed.
Resemblances and interactions with beer don’t have to be feared.

Isotonic: Sport drinks having the same mineral concentration like body fluids (Source Wikipedia).

Which body fluids do they mean? Yuk!!!

Translator BL

Eigude Shame VI

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Frontpage

My hand cycle chain was yelling for oil or grease.
This wish was my command, and I purchased a bottle of

German multi-purpose grease with the little chimney sweaper.

The top of the bottle was regularly cut off so that it was still possible to close it.
Now it was all squeezing, squeezing, squeezing…
The quantity of grease “wormed“ out of the bottle was comparable with the secretion of a

lugworm.

25 kg per year, corresponding to 2,85 g per hour.
The hole at the top of the bottle was way too small.

The chain remained dry to avoid a major mess.

At enquiry at the supplier (among professionals I am already called a notorious complainer) why a bottle supposed for oil is filled with grease, and how I could get the grease onto my chain, I received the following technically mature reply:

In your case we recommend to enlarge the hole by cutting off the top a little below.
Should you then still have difficulties with the usage of the product please get in touch with us.

Thereupon two valium, and everything is fine, isn’t it?
Don’t give me that!

Translator BL

(Deutsch) WM- Sitzkissen

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

Eigude Shame V

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Frontpage

I have reported already several times about disabled parking places and their frequent misuse.

Here is a particularly nice spot.

Recyclable Disposal Area

Probably a wheeler has emptied his backpack there.

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks X

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Frontpage

Wheelchair users and their bathroom equipment is an endless subject!
The mounting height of the bath mirror can lead to the move-out of the partner if no agreement is found.
To avoid these discussions, usually cost-efficient (ho, ho, ho)

movable mirrors

are recommended. How are you supposed to see anything without binoculars in such a thing when it is skillfully mounted under the ceiling, and who moves it if needed?

My tip is a, mounted to hobbit size, a telescopic round

Make-up Mirror

made by the

Swedish meatballers.


Model: FRÄCK 5,99€
The mirror of my wall cupboard is with its height just suitable for eyebrow shaping.
Now I can finally see if my nurse is botching with the shaving. ;-)

Translator BL

Hier geht’s,…ääh..fährt man zur

Eigude- Shame IV

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Frontpage

The first ride with a cable car in a wheelchair is an experience in itself. When I finally arrived on the top of the mountain the cable car operator wanted to help me out of the gondola immediately even though it hadn’t stopped oscillating yet. I don’t know how other wheelchair drivers would feel, but I don’t like it if the ground is still moving while getting out.

At the Nebelhorn in Oberstdorf there was an add-on:
To surmount some stairs to the sun terrace they have installed a

Platform lifter.

Basically a great thing. These things are nothing special for me because I live on the first floor and use such a lifter each and every day.
But with this lifter it should be

mandatory to wear a helmet!! 

No joke:
Usually the bottom plate is put down, the safety bars swing out and one drives on to the lifter to get down the stairway.
This one is a little different:
The bottom plate is put down as well, then one drives on to the lifter, and now you have to duck your head quickly, otherwise you will be struck by the swinging

Safety bar 

or pushed down the stairway…

 

Positively to be mentioned is that the lifter operator pointed out this “specialty” in the last moment.

Translator BL

Eigude Shame III

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Frontpage

As a wheeler you shouldn’t get upset any more when tormented, stressed, overworked, outcast from society, pitiable pedestrians keep the disabled parking places with their cars dry for wheelers. These parking places are also excellently suitable for placing bulky waste.

Seen today, sad but true:

Two out of four designated disabled parking places

blocked with

Recycle Bins

in the courtyard of the department of the

Commissioner for the Disabled of the city of Frankfurt.

Thank you Frankfurt, great example!

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part IX

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

Swimming Pool

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Frontpage

A visit to the swimming pool in my case turns out to be a little bit like the launch of a

Containership.

There are the most different methods to be

„watered“

Possibilities are e.g. a hydraulically swinging bench, a chair in which one is wound down to the water, or a shower chair in which one is pushed down a ramp into the wet as at a ship’s christening.
Into the sea one is pushed e.g. with a beach wheelchair.
(see older blog post).

The strangest variant reminds immediately of the good old

Chairoplane

on a fun fair. The fun begins with this

floating chair

being 10 cm higher than my cushion, and I would have had to unpack little wings to get on it on my own. Presumably for hygienic reasons the footrest was installed towards the inner side of the chair so that not everybody puts his unwashed feet on it.
If the jump on this thing was successful you swing the safety bar around. The copilot (assistant) drives you to the starting position in front of the pool, hooks you up with two belts into the hoist mounted on the ceiling, and the flight above the water may start.

Before watering put on your life vest!

Translator BL

Technical Aids Tips und Tricks IX

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Frontpage

My car manufactured in RĂĽsselsheim and customized to hand throttle in Fulda also has a wheelchair loading system.
Have a look yourself:

I transfer from wheelchair to car with a permanently mounted slide board to the driver’s seat,

fold up my wheelchair*,

the rear door opens and the loading system comes out like magic.

The wheelchair is clamped with the handles into the loading system and pulled inside the car.

Now quickly close the door and put on estimated 5 kg safety belt, then the journey into the green can start.

Maybe I will manage it some time on my own..

* The folding of the wheelchair requires the genetics of a contorsionist ;-)

Translator BL