Sunday, January 9, 2011

Recumbent Trike Modification

Comfortably recumbent riding into the New Year, we are fortunate to have worked with many trike owners who require special assistance and adaptations. We were reminded of this when one of our top recumbent dealers, Northwest Recumbents owned by Gary Dagastine, was featured in a recent article in CDAPress.com.

The article featured Gary's work on adapting a three wheeled recumbent trike for a special customer. The customer was a thirteen year old girl that was born with multiple orthopedic issues that limited the use of her legs. Between July 2009 and May 2010 she endured four spinal surgeries, and now walks with a small cane. Last summer, when her youth group was planning a bike trip, she couldn't ride along - a disappointment that prompted the Danners to contact Dagastine in the first place.

Dagastine said, "Every kid deserves a bike," he explained. "It's a rite of passage, she needed something unique, a bike that was built for her", and the inventive Dagastine was just the man for the job. The trike required hours of labor, but Dagastine told Suzie and Jason he'd build it free of charge. This wasn't Dagastine's first free bike, though. He's given away other adaptive trikes and recumbents, occasionally to children with special needs or disabilities.

This recent article reminded us at Sidewinder Cycle about the many adaptations that can be made to Sidewinder recumbents. Here is a list of some of the adaptations that have been made:
  • adapted steering to operate controls with only one hand or functioning arm

  • adapted duel disc brakes for single side operation

  • made shorter crank arms for people with one leg shorter than the other

  • adapted spacing & moved control handles outward for larger people (people needing more space between the wheel guards)

  • made “pedal hangers” for people with weakened leg muscles.
    adapted the cycle to carry an oxygen tank.

***Note: Sidewinder recumbents come standard with steering handles that allow adjustment for shorter or longer arm lengths.


As you can see, Sidewinder Cycle recumbents trikes are extremely versatile recumbent trikes that can accommodate most of your cycle needs. Contact us today to talk about what accommodations we can provide for you.

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