Posts Tagged ‘Wheelchair Tyres’

(Deutsch) Werbung Part I

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Sorry, this entry is only available in Deutsch.

Simply great! Part III

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Frontpage

In an older blogpost I have bashed a little on this wheelchair, I would like to apologize for that.
The special wheelchair with cross tyres was standing in India.
It is one of worldwide

530.000 Low-Budget Wheelchairs

(April 2012 already 639.000)

in 77 countries which have been especially developed by the organization



and donated to people in need.
The target of the project is to provide 20 million wheelchairs worldwide for free.
Each wheelchair costs only 59,20 USD including delivery.

Have you ever considered the donation of a wheelchair?
Just “go“ to the website of FWM and have a look.

Link: Free Wheelchair Mission

Unbelievable but true, a tool kit is inside the footrest.

Source: Free Wheelchair Mission

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XVIII

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Frontpage

I have got the impression that there is the general opinion that all wheelchair drivers are going to bed before dark.

Otherwise it is inexplicable for me that non of the wheelchairs I have seen has but one reflector on the front side.

This is a striking lack of safety!!!

Safety regulations of that kind are not known to me. One could almost think that we are allowed to be knocked over in traffic.

With luck one has at least a bicycle reflector put in the spokes.

The big discounters every now and then offer silver-coloured

spokes reflectors.

These were not allowed for bicycles for a long time, but are perfect for wheelchairs.

For bicycles it is: front white, side orange, rear red.

My tip:

Paste your wheelchair especially on the front with adhesive reflectors, buy orange bike reflectors, spokes reflectors, or even better reflective

tyres.

Reflectors for arms and legs

for cyclists can e.g. be sewed on the backpack.

With a head light you can see holes in the ground at night

(see older blogpost).

Blinking rear light of a bike, figure something out, be creative, paste reflectors at the inside of the car door so that it is seen from far when it is open.

I don’t have the desire to be run over by a car because of serious safety lacks on a wheelchair which apparently nobody is interested in.

The “Stiftung Warentest” (German product test foundation) is not interested in testing wheelchairs either
(see older blogpost). (My latest status).

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XVI

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

Sometimes you have to be lucky!

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

Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XVI

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

Wheelchair Tuning Part XIII

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

Eigude Shame IX

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Frontpage

Each supposed holiday with like-minded people turns inevitably into a workshop of a

Support Group of medical device marred
wheelchair drivers and prosthesis wearers.

It is unbelievable what is screwed together by some experts (luminaries) in the medical supply stores.
Even I don’t have these special

Spinergy driving wheels


in my tuning equipment.

Such a specialist actually has fiddled a set of tyres type

Nan** Speed 80 Plus

on these precious wheels, what a sacrilege!

Words were dropped, it would be like a Ferrari
driving with Trabbi tyres.

** NAN, like grandmother

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XII

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

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

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

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

Rollituning Part VII (Konkurrenz)

Monday, April 26th, 2010

  

Postzustellrolli E-Type  

Anscheinend hat die Post neue Arbeitsplätze in der Zustellung für Rollstuhlfahrer geschaffen.
Die Zustellung von Tieren aller Art wie Hunden, Katzen, Schlangen, Meer- und Mastschweinen… wird Gerüchten zu Folge jetzt ausschließlich von den

 Gelben Rollipostlern  

übernommen. Die Ehemaligen 

Zufußtierzusteller 

versuchen immer wieder erfolglos die Rollipostler aufzuhalten. 

OK, bisschen ernsthafter: 

Die Idee eine ausgemusterte Postbox vor den Rolli zu montieren ist genial.
Die Box ist seitlich wegschwenkbar und ermöglicht problemlos den Transport der Einkäufe bis ca. 20 kg. Außerdem kann die Box mit einem Handgriff abgenommen werden.
Mir ist nicht bekannt, dass etwas Ähnliches wie dieser 

Boxenhalter  

von einem Rollstuhlhersteller angeboten wird. 

Die standen alle noch nie im Supermarkt an der Kasse, wenn die Einkäufe nicht mehr in den Rucksack passten, oder der Rolli wegen Übergewicht drohte nach Hinten umzufallen. 

Der Rolli bekam zusätzlich vorne und hinten eine vernünftige 

LED-Beleuchtung. 

Durch einen 

Zweiten Akku 

fĂĽr den E-fix Antrieb (Motoren in den Radnaben), wurde die Reichweite von 18 km auf rund 36 km
(6 Stunden Vollgas) in der Ebene erreicht. 

Das langt leider immer noch nicht, wenn der Partner Marathonläufer ist. 

Es ist geplant später einmal den E-Rolli mit einer 

Brennstoffzelle 

der Fa. Efoy anzutreiben.
Brennstoffzellen in Rollis einzubauen, ist ein Quantensprung im punkto Reichweite, aber noch recht teuer.
Aus Gewichtsgründen lassen sich allerdings die E-fix Antriebsräder nicht mit einer Autobatterie/Akku betreiben. Da sie 24V benötigen und zwei 12 Volt Autobatterien/Akku dann viel zu schwer wären. Dieses Problem würde die Brennstoffzelle lösen. Mit einem 12Volt 12 Ah Akku (nur für Spitzenlast und Kurzstrecke) und der Brennstoffzelle wäre der Rolli wesentlich leichter als heute mit zwei 12 Volt 18Ah Akkus.
Mit einer Tankpatrone der Brennstoffzelle könnte der Fahrer verteilt über mehrere Tage mehr als 500 km mit dem E- Rolli zurücklegen. Bei einer täglichen Fahrleistung von z.B. 20 km ist der E- Rolli so einen vollen Monat lang einsatzbereit ohne jemals an die Steckdose zu müssen. 

Da müsste der Partner schon Haile Gebrselassie heißen, um da noch mitzukommen.  

Danke an Holger (siehe Kommentar) fĂĽr seine Beschreibung dieses Spezialumbaus!

Rollituning Part V

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Ich bin so langsam ernsthaft am ĂĽberlegen, ob bei meinem Unfall das

Tuning-Gen

aktiviert wurde, als mir das Auto auf den Kopf fiel.

Seinen Rolli mit zusätzlichen

Reflektoren

zu bekleben, einen

Tacho und RĂĽcklicht
(siehe älteren Beitrag)

nachzurĂĽsten, ihn mit

Stoßdämpfern

 

auszustatten,den

Kippschutz

zu modifizieren, die

Lager  

auszutauschen, und das

RĂĽckenteil

von 3 verschiedenen Rollstuhlherstellern zusammenzufriemeln, wir wollen ja nicht

Die Maus
(siehe älteren Beitrag)

am Rucksack vergessen, erscheint ja irgendwie noch legitim.
Aus medizinischer Sicht sind sogar noch

CarbonkotflĂĽgel

vertretbar,aber mit

 2 Chromleisten,

den

24 Zoll Breitreifen*

*(ok, hoch statt breit)
(siehe älteren Beitrag)

und seiner Lederausstattung in Form meines neuen schwarzen

Nappa-Leder-Sitzkissenbezuges,

 

nehme ich es jetzt mit meinem Rolli mit jedem

3er BMW

auf.

Ein StĂĽck korrekt Wurzelholz, 2 PlĂĽschwĂĽrfel und eine
8er Billardkugel bekomme ich auch noch irgendwie verbaut.
Ăśber die Sorte des Wunderbaumes wird derzeit noch gestritten!!

Ich kann beim Fahren beide Ellenbogen raushängen lassen :-)

Rollituning Part IV

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Frontpage

After winter season is over and snow is melted, finally my

special wheelchair winter tyres

are ready.
Because the wheelchair producers offer mountain bike wheelchair tyres for dumping prices as of 550 € on the open-ended scale,
I have decided while sitting in my flat during a snow drift to construct

offroad wheelchair winter tyres

myself and let it produce in small batch (two pieces).
I would like to point out that I have not copied anything,
the outcome should be reasonable after all.
The winter has just been too short!
Today I have the tyres on my wheelchair for the first time, and the snow is gone.
What a cheek.
OK, maybe instead

wheelchair downhill mountainbiking

 

Translator BL