A friend of mine lost both arms at the shoulder in a accident at a young age. I was able to get him riding on a road bike, using a very long stem with padded bars that curve around his chest, by which he steers and supports himself. The shifting and braking are done with his feet, the modified levers being mounted on the down tube. This fellow is a professional artist, sketching with his feet, and painting with a brush held in his teeth. Needless to say, his dexterity with his feet is most advanced, and his legs are very powerful. On the downgrades he is quite a terror, and I usually ride behind him being very paranoid that he is going to go crashing off the road. On the upgrades, not having the pull with his arms is a big disadvantage, but I am always spurring him on to new heights. Recently he has switched to a mountain bike, the wider tire stability and more rigid frame being a advantage for a safer and more comfortable ride he says, but I notice that the distance he can ride before getting pooped out is much reduced. It is a lot of work modifying parts to provide a ridable bike for a person of such circumstances, but especially for those who don't drive a car, once accomplished, it is a wonderful advantage. Has anyone ever seen such special components being manufactured I wonder? Probably many folks have never considered it possible to cycle with such impairment, but with some parts adjustment, it can be very successfully done.
Dennis Young Hotaka, Japan
> I read with interest the Alenax postings here. First the inventor and
> principal of the company is from right here in the Garden State. I have
> owned several of the road bike versions and still have a nice clean one
> today. About 3 years ago there was a posting in our local paper of this
> gentleman now making MTB versions of the Alenax and I believe he still
> used that name. Like its road predecessor, it did not go very far. If you
> have ever ridden one, it is a real trip. First it does have a shifting
> capability that does seem to work. The real downfall is that the
> efficiency of circular cycling drive train is lost. As soon as I hit any
> hills this thing became a boat anchor. No matter how low I shifted it (I
> cannot say "gear it" as there are no gears shifting) the thing just
> offered too much resistance to effectivly climb. It is really not
> geometrically set up to ride out of the saddle. As for the quality, I
> think it was first rate. The bike looked great and the componentry, even
> the trans bar looked very well built and crafted. The rear hub sounds like
> a fishing reel when you pedal. There are two sprockets engaged one each
> side of the hub that alternately drive the bike forward. It is an
> interesting machine that I find collectible. They used an old technology
> of the transbar and just updated the materials and look. Unfortunatly it
> is more a novelty bike than a serious machine for riding. If anyone has a
> copy of the book by Pryor Dodge "The Bicycle" on the cover is a trans bar
> bike mechanism from the 1890s so it is not a modern innovation. Here is a
> link to the cover of that book
> http://users.aol.com/
> I do believe it has one use that I am saving my bike for. I have a
> neighborhood girl who is about 12 years old now and was born with deformed
> or no knee joints. She wants to ride a bike and I have concocted some
> strange machines to at least give her a chance at riding. When she is big
> enough, I will give her this bike to try as you really do not need knees
> to ride one. Well that is my belief anyway.
>
> Ray Homiski
> Elizabeth, NJ