options for riding one handed

[ghcs]

My wife is in a cast from just below her left elbow to beyond her fingertips, totally immobilizing her hand and wrist.
She wants to ride as soon as she can - we usually take long slow rides on paved rec trails, or marked on-road bike paths.
Any ideas on how we can make this happen? We have mountain and road bikes.
We will get the Dr's OK before embarking on this, of course.

Alternatively, if anyone in the GTA wants to loan/rent me a tandem for the next couple of months, I'm all ears.

[Cat3roadracer]

Recumbent might fit the bill short term.

[Tony]

"Just below left elbow, beyond her fingertips, totally immobilizing" Sounds risky ghcs. Not sure it's wise being on a bike and not having full control, her sake and others. The tandam sounds great and safer way to get her back on the road.

[shovelhd]

One option should be "don't".

[FlashUNC]

Step 1) Wait until the cast is off.

Step 2) Ride.

[Vientomas]

indoor trainer.

[seric]

I think you are probably on the right track putting her in the stoker position on a tandem if waiting for a full recovery just isn't an option.

[Louis]

This should work:

(also, note the high-tech treadle drive)

http://lot-images.atgmedia.com/SR/36991/2903065/384-2014221103631_540x360.jpg

[R3awak3n]

trainer trainer trainer or just rest. Just because you want to doesn't mean you should.

[carpediemracing]

Step 1) Wait until the cast is off.

Step 2) Ride.

+1

Don't want to see a follow up post: "My wife is in two casts, elbow to finger tip. She's really jonesing to ride. Any ideas on how we can make this happen?"

Regular tandem should be okay, although the cast thing makes it a bit sketchy.

It's not the regular stuff that is where she'll have a problem. It's when something unexpected happens that things may get out of hand.

[kramnnim]

Yeah, if she falls and tries to stop her fall with her good arm...

[jtakeda]

Ride with a messenger bag on. Use the extra slack in the bag strap to create a "resting spot" for the cast arm.

I had a bad arm (no cast) but did it this way until it healed up so I could still work.

[Cornfed]

+1

Don't want to see a follow up post: "My wife is in two casts, elbow to finger tip. She's really jonesing to ride. Any ideas on how we can make this happen?"


This. I'm just getting back to riding after shattering my thumb in a crash. Six pins and six weeks. Was I going too fast down a windy mountain road? No, I was crossing wet railroad tracks. It's the normal, boring, done-it-a-thousand times stuff that always seems to get you.

Was a miserable six weeks, but if I'd pushed it, I'd be looking at six more, and maybe permanent nerve and/or joint damage. Patience is a virtue.

[berserk87]

Another vote for an indoor trainer, which I know is not fun. Riding one-handed full time is asking for an accident. It would be surprising if the doctor said that this was OK.

[bicycletricycle]

I had an arm in a cast once, I have also had my hand unusable from multiple other injuries over the years. I just ride around one handed.

I never have a car so not riding is not an option.

Especially on path riding, one brake and half of the gears is enough.

[oldpotatoe]

My wife is in a cast from just below her left elbow to beyond her fingertips, totally immobilizing her hand and wrist.
She wants to ride as soon as she can - we usually take long slow rides on paved rec trails, or marked on-road bike paths.
Any ideas on how we can make this happen? We have mountain and road bikes.
We will get the Dr's OK before embarking on this, of course.

Alternatively, if anyone in the GTA wants to loan/rent me a tandem for the next couple of months, I'm all ears.

I ended up in a cast after crashing my bike and it just wasn't worth it. Ask her if she would like to walk on those same paths and go with her. If she falls on that same wrist/arm/cast..is will really hurt.

[pdmtong]

In a perfect world she can ride a bike one arm

But it's not a perfect world. $ hit happens. That's the stuff that will put her in the ground again despite her best effort and attentiveness. One simply cannot control all the factors in the riding environment. Of course you know that and I have to say it's great your wife is motivated. But either wait until it's healed or get a tandem.

[Mzilliox]

my hand is broke right now, im an idiot, and even as an idiot i won't go ride with a cast on outdoors. when you go back to your surgeon and he/she asks why your hand is reinjured... well.

otherwise she can look at this as a bike handling experiment. learn to ride one handed and surely your 2 handed handling would improve...

I invested in a smart trainer with Zwift, life changing stuff really. I'm not sure i will ever ride out doors again... ;). hehe, all kidding aside the zwift experience is seriously addictive if you can't get out for a ride.

[parallelfish]

Waiting for the post on options for riding no-handed.

[SoCalSteve]

Done!

[parallelfish]

Done!

Excellent! I would propose that as the one-handed option in order for her to avoid the no-handed option.

[Ti Designs]

One of my customers crashed and broke her wrist, so she was in a cast for at least 6 weeks. She's not good at sitting around, so she came to me for advice on what to do. I set up her bike on the trainer with the front end 6" higher, and showed her how to get her body weight into the pedals. 6 weeks later she was back on the road, and she was climbing hills far better than her friends. When asked how to climb better, she said "break your wrist and go see Ed."

Use the time for what it's best used for - invest in a better second half of the season.

[Hindmost]

A gagillion years ago I broke my right shoulder. Six weeks on the trainer and then the break was stable. I started riding again and with reduced range of motion I could only rest my fingers on the right top of the handle bar and not do much with the right hand. I couldn't reach the brake lever but could reach the right dt shifter.

Even then, a person has to be pretty confident in one's balance, powering and braking the bike one-handed.

[pdmtong]

In thinking about this just a bit more, if the bike in question is a road bike with drop bars, I say no way. if it is a flat bar upright bike and we are talking the good arm on the rear brake and the seat gets lowered so she can flat foot it electra townie style. and there is no one around on the path, I say 0.05% maybe.

but why tempt fate? wait.

[Tandem Rider]

Back in about '88 or so I broke my wrist in 2 places on a Friday training ride. Set and fiberglass cast shaped so I could hang on. I was that guy with a cast in the P12 road race on Sunday. That hurt. Even with extra padding on the bars. I needed the $ and got lucky. Don't be like me.

Trainer and cross training until the doc says "ok".

[ghcs]

Thanks for the responses.
She is starting to come down from the post-trauma stress and I think it will end up with the trainer set up in the back yard until she is cleared to ride on the road again.

For the record, I was against the idea to start.

I have ridden with a cast (broken bones, not connective tissues), but that was when I was young & bulletproof. Maybe that was part of her thought process - You did it, why can't I?

[berserk87]

Thanks for the responses.
She is starting to come down from the post-trauma stress and I think it will end up with the trainer set up in the back yard until she is cleared to ride on the road again.

For the record, I was against the idea to start.

I have ridden with a cast (broken bones, not connective tissues), but that was when I was young & bulletproof. Maybe that was part of her thought process - You did it, why can't I?

Here is a winning response to that question: "Because you are more important that I am".

[Hindmost]

She is starting to come down from the post-trauma stress and I think it will end up with the trainer set up in the back yard until she is cleared to ride on the road again.

It is remarkable that after a significant setback how rewarding something like doing routine trainer rides can be. There is a sense of regaining control, managing one's own therapy, and steering for a positive outcome.

[biker72]

I'm not very coordinated so riding one handed is not an option. When I had my hand in a cast I could not hold anything between my thumb and forefinger. I did have enough flexibility to grip a handlebar.

I was able to ride the day after my cast was put on. I modified the grip shift on my hybrid with a lever that I could operate.

[Bob Ross]

Well, everyone already beat me to what would have been my initial suggestions -- "Don't!", followed by "a recumbent trike" -- so I guess I'll just put this out there as a distant third option:


http://uniusa.org/wp-content/uploads/Racing.jpg

[ghcs]

An (overdue) update...

She came around to the fact that she shouldn't ride until the doctor said okay and settled in for a 12 week wait.
Did her physio diligently.
Cleared to ride 6 weeks post-op.

:beer:

[ghcs]

I ended up in a cast after crashing my bike and it just wasn't worth it. Ask her if she would like to walk on those same paths and go with her. If she falls on that same wrist/arm/cast..is will really hurt.

We did a lot of walking & hiking through June & July. It was actually kind of nice to go places we couldn't take the bike, or walk the usual places and see things we don't notice on the bikes.

[weisan]

Happy Ending.

[FlashUNC]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...or something...