Looking for a new chair for my daughter

[gcblarsen]

My daughter has a T12 incomplete injury and will be a teenager soon. She has done well with her TiLite Aero Z chair (rigid frame), but has out grown it. She is very active and needs a chair that when she starts driving she will be able load into a vehicle herself. She really wants something light weight. She currently has tubeless tires that she has completely worn the tread off of. She frequently does wheelies and is able to drop off curbs. I'm concerned tires with tubes wouldn't be able to handle all the wear.

She has very strong arms and we are hoping she will be able to walk in leg braces and arm crutches maybe functionally in the fall after a surgery this summer. I'm sure she will still need the wheelchair for distances and maybe full/part time at school.

I would love to hear from the community on the options and chairs you think would best work for her.

[ancientgimp]

I would get her tires with tubes, the solid tires push like play dough on your rims. Stay with rigid chair, sounds like she will be strong enough to remove wheels and stow chair. If they have made a folder that handles like a rigid I have never tried it.

[jschism]

tube tires hold up fine on bmx/mountain bikes, why do you think they wouldn't on a wheelchair? like mentioned, tubeless/flat free tires are heavy and hard to push. some disagree, but lightweight wheels and tires make loading in car so muich easier on the shoulders with all the twisting going on while taking them on/off and putting them in car.

[woman from Europe]

The tube tires are much better and they can handle hard use. Remember to fill them with air every second week at least, I haven't been out for a while and my tire had 1 bar inside. A little heave to wheel

[Covathalis]

From all I've read, heard and learned, any of the mainstream ultralite rigid models from Tilite, Top-end, Quickie, or Colours should be just fine. There will be slight differences in weight depending on which model you get. I think the choice between titanium and aluminum is more personal preference then scientific difference but I'm not an expert on the subject.

I'm a T-4 complete para who uses an Aero Z with Spinergy LX rims and Schawlbe Marathon Plus tires (air filled). I pop wheelies and go off curbs constantly with no problems.

Although all wheelchair parts are way over-priced you do tend to get what you pay for, and sadly the lightest, strongest components are also the most expensive.

Hope the surgery goes well and she's able to walk again

[gcblarsen]

Thanks for the input!

We've liked the tubeless as we haven't had to deal with flats and I just figured they were more durable. I didn't think about bikes going off curbs, but they do all the time. The tubeless does make her chair heavier, but she doesn't have any trouble wheeling it around.

I'm crossing my fingers on the surgery.

Carolyn

[Gordy1]

My son recently got a TiLite Zra2. He's T6 complete, and although not 8 years old yet, he is taller than all his classmates, and also very active. Whilst we have had a couple of problems (two burst tyres due to me overinflating them on a very hot day, and an issue with the backrest hinge bracket which is well-documented on this website) the chair is very light in comparison to his previous Quickie2, and has heaps of (relatively easy) adjustment. Within the first day of using it, he didn't want to go back to his Quickie2, which is most surprising for a child that doesn't usually enjoy change!

Good luck!

[Donno]

There is a real bias against solid tires here, and I think that it is based on old technology. I tried solid tires 10 years ago, and they were awful. I have had a set of Shox for a year now that roll quite as well as Primos or Kenda Koncepts. They do add a bit of weight, but IMO, not enough to notice. The high end Schwalbes do roll a bit easier, but you do have to stay up with keeping them *fully* inflated or they will not roll as well as the Shox. I don't have to worry about that, and I still have most of the tread after a year, and both the Kendas and Primos never made it a year before they were bald.

[ajush]

Im 19 years old, T12 as your daugher....Im using Panthera X wheelchair...i drive car every day, and i think for that is th best wheelchair on market, but this wheelchair is bit expensive :/

[CurvySAT05]

I believe the X is not available here in the US. Toto...am I correct?

[gcblarsen]

Appreciate all the input!