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Lovely posts, Sylvia, especially this last one. Thanks. And watching the Paralympics is a blast. So many athletes there who can do things I can't do! I used to do my swim workouts at a pool where a young woman with one leg trained. She was an absolutely gorgeous swimmer, poetry in motion. And the foot on her prosthetic leg had a pedicure (red). I always wondered how she did in the games that next year but the pool closed down before I could meet her and ask her name.
Thanks salsabike,Quote:
Originally Posted by salsabike
I'm a little afraid I may have taken over Pax's thread here. And that wasn't my intention.
I do think that when we are exposed to the possibilities that exist, then maybe we can start to form alternate images of what it means to be disabled, something that is not so limiting.
Something that allows all of us to feel good in our own skin.
Not at all, Sylvia, I wanted to hear other people's thoughts and perspectives. I appreciate you sharing.
The hardest thing for me is coming to grips that my mind bites off more than my body can chew. I would love to mountain bike and I miss my flexibility so much! Yoga is painful but necessary. My biking is now paths and trails, not singletrack. My spine can't endure any pounding. I've moved to steel bikes which has been so much better. I almost gave up on drop bars until I found the Rove and had a good fitting. Even so, I know my days on a regular bike are numbered. Hiking is death on my hip. Still, I'm above ground, enjoying the sunshine, and zipping along as best I can.
Have you tried a recumbent? I am thrilled that you found your Rove, but sometimes it is nice to have a couple of bikes to alternate so you work different body parts differently. I have a cranky hip myself from a serious bike accident, and although I am still able to ride a road bike, I have cranked the handlebars up quite a bit on both of mine. And I would love to own a recumbent as well, but we don't have a way of carrying one in/on our motorhome since we already have six bicycles between the two of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackhillsbiker
I haven't seriously looked at recumbents yet but I have given them some thought. I'll continue to explore ways to stay in the saddle as my body ages and changes. I can't bear the thought of inactivity.
Not to go completely off topic but as much as the DH cringes when I say this. I could see the benefits of owning an electric assist bike when I get to the point that biking is a challenge. Had a guy in the shop the other day who has heart issues and he said the assist has enabled him to keep pedaling!
See...husband tells me it is something I may want to look into in the future if it can help me climb hills or give me the little push I need when facing challenging winds with my knee issues and help in keeping me active. I am totally NOT going to get such a bike (in my mind for the time being at least - I live in denial what can I say. hihi). My fear would be that once you get used to the bike "pushing" you, you get lazy and not pedal on harder (still doable) parts. We saw a tv program where they were showing the plusses of owning such bike. I'm just not there yet. If I can't pedal my own way, I'll have to find something else to do. One day I may have knee replacement but not there yet and will push it until I have no other option. Until I can cycle as I do now, it will be a "real" bike. It's hard to compare the past-today-future but I do try to enjoy and live the moment as every day over is another day towards getting older and older. hihi I'm good now and it is sufficient for my needs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sky King
I am where you are, Helene. I don't have knee issues, but I would rather do more moderate cycling in both terrain and distance than to get an e bike, unless I was really incapacitated. Like you, I'd find a replacement activity. When we went to Provence last summer, one of the women on our tour rode an e bike the first day. She was clearly not as strong of a cyclist as most of the others, but she *hated* the thing. She said it was heavy and just felt unwieldy. She went back to the Trek FX and modified the mileage each day of the tour.
Last year, when I had the laryngitis that wouldn't go away and that made it hard to breathe when I rode my bike, and the jerk ENT told me I had a paralyzed vocal cord, I started to cry. In part I cried because the doctor was a jerk who refused to believe that the vocal cord problem affected my breathing and it was so hard to talk that I couldn't tell him what I really thought of him. He had no idea that when he said "there's no treatment" I was hearing "you won't be able to ride your bike like you used to ever again." I was very upset.
I was lucky that the problem was not caused by a serious underlying problem and that it resolved on its own. I'm told it will probably happen again so I'm very careful about not straining my voice whenever I get a cold. My voice has been hoarse lately (due to allergies? and maybe also the inhaler I use?) so several times a day I say EEEEEEEE which is a test to see if the vocal cord is paralyzed. If the problem hadn't gotten better I would have tried to find ways around it -- riding easier, flatter routes maybe -- but ultimately I would have had to find a way to accept that I would always struggle to talk, I couldn't sing anymore, my activities would be limited by an inability to breathe. And my voice sounded so funny when I did talk, I hated it. I honestly don't know how it would have affected me it the long run. You try to fight it, work around it, not let it get to you but sometimes you just get tired of fighting and want things to be different.
As for e-bikes, I do know someone who rides a recumbent with an electrical motor. Without it, he wouldn't be able to get up the hills, so he sees it as the thing that allows him to keep riding.
NY - I can hear the "end of the rope" exhaustion in what you wrote. You just reach a point where you sit back and realize you have got to stop fighting for your own emotional well-being. Glad your situation resolved so you got another shot at being active.
If I continue to live where biking is safe and viable, I'll have an e-bike at some point. Since my knee has healed up so badly I really can;t ride much at all these days, so at least that would help me roll a bit.
Lots of e-bikes in this area. I have no problem with those who want to use them for whatever reason and especially when they have a major impact on lessening fossil fuel use like they do in Asia and somewhat less in Europe. For climbing, e-assist kits like the Gruber Assist can give you 70 minutes of 200 watt assist on a regular road bike now with only adding 4 lbs and it will only get better as new technology is developed. I've done some climbing where I could use that now :)
As much as I enjoy bicycling (for a number of fitness, mental and transportation reasons) if I found bicycling more physically difficult to do then an e-bike for my bicycle transportation use would be where I’d go. There are also other ways I can keep fit and more importantly, keep a spirit of adventure and determination.
DH has mentioned the possibility of an e-bike for me so I can keep up with him, but honestly, I think we'd do better with a tandem. I just can't get my brain around an e-bike, at least at my age (55). Perhaps in 10, 20+ years, okay, but not yet. I am afraid it would make me lazy, and I want to keep burning as many calories as I can so I can eat all the yummy things I enjoy. E-bikes are heavy, so I am sure I would rely on the motor too much and lose fitness. No thanks, not yet.
I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to use an electric-assist bike if I needed to for physical reasons. The assist doesn't kick in until the sensor feels the rider applying a lot of pressure, so I doubt it would make anyone lazy. I would hope that people who could keep riding with an e-bike, but might not be able to without one, would try it before they make any decision pro or con.
I have to slow down sometimes now when climbing with Alex....and i enjoy the ride nonetheless :)Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
the weight issue has changed a lot with new developments. It's going to get even better with time. There are assist systems that work well for some help with threshold inducing climbs/strong headwinds and much lesser circumstances too :) Some even fit in the seat tube with a battery in a seatpack and the bike doesn't look any different or handle any differently with the assist off....plus while adding only 5+/- lbs too.