Anyone ever used one of those attachable hand cycles?

[badsign]

I've been thinking about getting a hand cycle. The ones that sit low to the ground look pretty sweet but I don't know if transferring back and forth would get to be a pain after awhile. Some of the more upright ones look a bit goofy but I would probably use them more.

And THEN I saw these attachable hand cycles.

I've seen a few YouTube videos. There's a guy making one in Europe called Arm Bike and another called Dragonfly. They seem like they'd be convenient for storage but would kind of suck for providing a really good cycling experience. Although that guy from Europe has a video of him hauling some serious a$$ with his Arm Bike. Pretty impressive, that one.

Anyway, have any of you used something like this? What did you think?

[totoL1]

I've been thinking about getting a hand cycle. The ones that sit low to the ground look pretty sweet but I don't know if transferring back and forth would get to be a pain after awhile. Some of the more upright ones look a bit goofy but I would probably use them more.

And THEN I saw these attachable hand cycles.

I've seen a few YouTube videos. There's a guy making one in Europe called Arm Bike and another called Dragonfly. They seem like they'd be convenient for storage but would kind of suck for providing a really good cycling experience. Although that guy from Europe has a video of him hauling some serious a$$ with his Arm Bike. Pretty impressive, that one.

Anyway, have any of you used something like this? What did you think?

I have tried the drangonfly because Oracing sold them, and is pretty good and nice bike, i think is the best one for the best price.

[Patrick Madsen]

I know two guys who broke their hips because of the atrtachment coming off the chair.

What's your level of injury. South Florida? Dang, you should have a proper recumbent or upright bike. There is no comparrison between a recumbent and Dragonfly if you want to cycle.

[badsign]

Hey guys thanks for the responses. Sounds like mixed reviews. I'm a T12 with great upper body strength but pretty poor core strength. That's something I'd really like to change. I've also not been the best about stretching my legs so I get a bit of spasms and if my legs were stretched out in front of me on one of those lower sitting cycles I'd be concerned my leg would pull back and yank my foot out of the stirrup. I suppose I could deal with that my just stretching out more often like I should be doing anyway.

Yes, I'm in South FL. I've seen a couple hand cycles on craigslist and sent a few emails out but I've never ridden one of these things so I'm going into this fairly clueless other than what I've been able to read on the forums here.

If it helps, my goal is to try and get some good exercise to keep healthy but at the same time simple recreational pleasure.

My insurance seems to be pretty decent. They covered a new chair without any fuss just recently. This has gotten me to thinking about what other kind of things can I get them to pay for that I could/should have been using for the last 15+ years. Things like those standing frames and other exercise type of equipment. I should probably pose that type of question in it's own thread but wanted to toss it out there while I was thinking about it in case someone reads this that has suggestions.

[Patrick Madsen]

T/12, poor core strength. You need a Freedom Ryder Leansteer . The Dragonfly would be completley inappropriate for you. A recumbent would stretch out your legs so you wouldn't spasm so much. Here's a thread of hv1987 selling his at an extremelly good price: /forum/showthread.php?t=163386

Not sure if you are standing at all, but a standing frame would be really good for your spasms also another would be a Vitaglide if you could find one and shoulder press.

Most of all, you need to build up your lower core and cardio, thre Leansteer would do that for you.

[flying]

I rode a hand cycle a couple of days ago. Man was that fun. If your upper body is strong, you will be amazed at how fast you can go. Just bought a freedom rider can can't wait for tomorrow. It would be great for you to try one out to see how hard the transferee will be. But if you have strong upper body I think that you can do it no problem.

[CurvySAT05]

Insurance will not cover exercise type equipment unless it is necessary for cardiac rehab. I usually compare it to an AB's insurance paying for a mountain bike, ice skates or a gym membership. The answer is THEY DON'T! Insurance pays for as little as possible, and the sad fact is that they won't cover a shower chair/bench, commode, etc for use in the bathroom, any modifications for your home or car, a wheelchair for uses other than in the home, etc. Many times if you don't have an active pressure sore or a good history of prior sores they will not even cover a pressure reducing cushion.
Mandy

[badsign]

flying, yeah it might be a struggle at first but I imagine it wouldn't be too tough after some practice. I'm happy for you that you got your freedom rider coming in. Is it your first handcycle?

Curvy, what you say makes sense. Though I'm just stubborn enough to poke them and see what the bounds are. The DME guy that came to fit me for my new chair swore that insurance wouldn't cover a titanium chair but I insisted he put the order in and they said yes first try. Only thing they didn't approve was a camo paint job, which is good because I did not ask for a camo paint job. I don't know why the guy checked the box for that add-on. He certainly didn't check that box while we were filling out the paperwork lol. How do you like your TiLite Aero?

Patrick, I did check out that forum post and sent a message to hv. Looking at the picture I cannot tell how you turn that thing, and what are those bars sticking out to the left and right? I appreciate your insight. Sounds like you've been around the block a few times when it comes to this sort of thing. Some of the comments mentioned a need to replace the tires but I'm assuming other than that, the cycle is pretty much in ready to go shape.

[Patrick Madsen]

It is an incredible deal Bad. It sounds like it's in great shape. Tires are no big deal. I've been riding for 36 years, so I guess I've been around the block lol.

You turn the leansteer by leaning into the turn. The two bars on the left and right are used for balance and transferring.

As Curvy says, your being a t/12 you should have no problem transferring into a bike.

My insurance buys all my bikes. I'm sure I'm grandfathered in. They've bought at least 15 bikes for me and not finished yet.

Keep us informed if you would, on how it turns out, no pun intended lol. Or, if you decide you want to go with another, we can help with making sure you choose the right bike with the right options for you.

Believe me, this will be one of the best things you can do for yourself. There is nothing like being on the roads or trails, without the chair, feeling the wind.

[badsign]

I think it's worth looking into if I'm going the out of pocket route.

Well that sure explains the name of the thing. I'm curious about the turning radius. The picture leads me to believe the turning radius might not be its strongest suit. The more I think about how you lean to turn, the more I understand how you say it will definitely help core strength. If you must lean to turn, you probably have to use a fair amount of muscles to keep it going straight too lol.

Any advice for getting insurance to pay? I guess by now you have the history with yours to make it a pretty simple process. For a first time, though, maybe I need to see a physical therapist and see if they would submit something to insurance about it being a medical necessity, etc. I haven't seen a PT since I was in rehab back in '96.

I'll keep you all updated on how it turns out, that pun was intended I appreciate the offer to steer me in the right direction. That pun was not intended.

You really sold me on how great this will be with that description of riding without the chair feeling the wind. That brought a big grin to my face!

[Patrick Madsen]

At first my insurance refused it by saying they woldn't buy a bike. We re-submitted it as a cardio vascular machine and they've been buying them ever since.

If there's one thing that's worth buying out of pocket, it would be a handcycle. I think it's one of the reaons I've been so healthy after 38 years in a chair.

[flying]

flying, yeah it might be a struggle at first but I imagine it wouldn't be too tough after some practice. I'm happy for you that you got your freedom rider coming in. Is it your first hand cycle?

Curvy, what you say makes sense. Though I'm just stubborn enough to poke them and see what the bounds are. The DME guy that came to fit me for my new chair swore that insurance wouldn't cover a titanium chair but I insisted he put the order in and they said yes first try. Only thing they didn't approve was a camo paint job, which is good because I did not ask for a camo paint job. I don't know why the guy checked the box for that add-on. He certainly didn't check that box while we were filling out the paperwork lol. How do you like your TiLite Aero?

Patrick, I did check out that forum post and sent a message to hv. Looking at the picture I cannot tell how you turn that thing, and what are those bars sticking out to the left and right? I appreciate your insight. Sounds like you've been around the block a few times when it comes to this sort of thing. Some of the comments mentioned a need to replace the tires but I'm assuming other than that, the cycle is pretty much in ready to go shape.

Yes it my first hand cycle. About to turning radius, I first tried out a lean steer and loved it. The cycle I found is not a lean steer but it turns 3 times faster. I could just see myself getting stuck on some tight turns on the paved trails around are little lake. It seems to take upper body to turn this one as well. There are some used cycles out there for about 1200 to 2000 dollars. Good luck

[badsign]

Patrick, thanks for the tip. That would be a good idea to try. I think I'll need to get in touch with my dr. to go over the details and see what happens.

flying, that's kind of what I am concerned about. I think I should be ok for the most part what with South Florida being completely flat for the most part

One thing I jsut thought of while reading a forum post about a BMW.... I'm fairly tall. 6'1". Wondering how that might impact my options, especially that older Flyer hv has up for sale.

[Patrick Madsen]

I'm 6'2" never a problem with sizing. The turning radius on all handcycles suck. It's just a matter of learning to have the cranks in the right position when making a turn. Sometimes, while turning around, a person will have to back up a few strokes go forward and back up again. No big deal, just anticipate where and how you want to turn around. The leansteers and the FRH-1 have the shortest turning radius of the recumbents.

[Oddity]

I'm a T12 with moderate to poor core strength. If you have a fusion (mine is from L3-T10) it may be hard to exercise and strengthen your core without specific resistance exercises geared toward not allowing yourself to be supported by your metal. Since it doesn't flex like your spine did normal bending and leaning might not be adequate. I personally hated the leaning bike, as I wanted a balance of work out/recreation. The lean steer was all workout for me, painful too, as I said I don't bend in the middle anymore, and the stresses around my fixation caused pain. It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round! Find a dealer and start demon'ing bikes! Are you a Vet, per chance? Even if you aren't still service connected the PVA has handcycle teams/racers all around the country. They are a great resource for trying out bikes. Good luck!