Amputee riding the SportZ

Take some time to ride along with a Sidewinder Cycle SportZ recumbent trike owner as he travels down the path. In a recent post (Recumbent Trike Modifications) we explored the endless modifications that can be made to Sidewinder recumbent trikes.

Enjoy

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.

Recumbent Trike in New Zealand

We are following the adventures and experiences of a New Recumbent Trike owner that is documenting his un-edited experiences. Below are a few pics from his post.

Sidewinder ProCruiser in New Zealand with the iconic landmark the Sky Tower in the background.

A beautiful view of Mission Bay with the Red Sidewinder Cycle ProCuiser sitting on the boardwalk.

The Experience of a New Recumbent Trike Owner

It's part of our corporate values, we believe in what we do and our products, so why not allow for all to follow the "real" adventures of a new Sidewinder recumbent trike owner. Our new trike owner is all the way across the world in Auckland, New Zealand. Let me introduce you to Cliff.

Cliff contacted Sidewinder Cycle wanting to explore if this recumbent trike would be right for him. After several calls via Skype and emails, he was sold on the features that fit his cycling needs. Cliff decided upon the ProCruiser model.

The trike is currently being shipped and should arrive shortly. Cliff has decided to share with everybody his experiences with the recumbent trike and promises to send pictures of the Sidewinder Cycle in front of an iconic New Zealand location.

We will share Cliff's post on our blog and facebook page but you can also follow him first hand at his blog.

We hope you enjoy the experience as much as we will.

Keep getting Bent!

Bicycling to Keep Off Extra Pounds

Hands down one of the best forms of exercise is bicycling - allows for both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning along with low-impact enjoyment and 99% of time is spent outside.

In a recent study by Harvard University they found that women who increased physical activities like brisk walking and bicycling by 30 minutes a day during the 16-year period maintained their weight and even lost a few pounds, but those whose exercise was slow walking did not lose any weight.

Women who decreased their bicycling time from more than 15 minutes a day to less than 15 minutes gained about four-and-a-half pounds on average.

“This is not suggesting that if you bicycle for five minutes you will immediately go back to the weight you were when you were 18,” said Anne C. Lusk, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health who was an author of the paper. “If that were true, bicycle sales would go through the roof."

"But it’s highly suggestive that bicycling is highly beneficial in women.”

The findings are based on the second Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which is tracking 116,608 female nurses who periodically fill out questionnaires about their health, weight, diet and behavior. The new analysis, published in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at weight change and behavior from 1989 (when the nurses were 25 to 42 years old) to 2005; to isolate the effects of exercise, the researchers controlled for other obesity risk factors.

So don't wait, get out there and RIDE >>>

Sidewinder Cycle & Ventura County recumbent riders participate in Citrus Parade

The theme for this years annual Citrus parade and festival was “The World is a Rainbow of Citrus.” Kiwanis members developed the theme when members were sitting around trying to plan the festival “There was a rainbow outside, and we thought it would be perfect to have the theme be a rainbow of citrus,” stated one of the members.

The theme came to play in the many colors and styles of recumbent trikes during the parade. A group of 20 plus took to the streets in Santa Paula, California to ride in the 43rd annual Citrus parade which marks the official start of the festival.

Go to Sidewinder Cycle facebook page for more photos.

A 1,000 Miles Completed on the Sidewinder Trike

Well, as quickly as we announced the journey, the LetsGoHarry adventure has ended. Harry logged just over 1,000 miles from Ventura County down to Mexico, back to Ventura then North to San Luis Obispo and back to Ventura. What an experience this has been for Sidewinder Cycle and for adventure rider Harry Muller. We congratulate Harry on the successfully completing this journey.


The experience was a first for Sidewinder Cycle and proved valuable in many ways:

• Developed Custom Fully Enclosed Velo shell



• Carried load of over 150lbs



• Developed special dual tubed fork



• Special Gearing



• Developed Custom designed Trailer hitch
  

We will be refining the Velo design and have interested parties that have inquired if we can make one for them. Will update as refining and test continue.

The Velo and trike will be available for local mid distance adventures. Please email us to discuss:


sales@sidewindercycle.com