Trike alterations for prosthetic leg

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Dene

New Member
My friend has just had and accident that has ended up with his right leg amputated above the knee, He is currently looking at recumbent trikes to commute on ( he is a bit odd as he used to ride a fixie!) I was wondering if anyone had advice on any alterations that would be needed.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Hmm. I'm not an expert, but I suspect it all come down to the nature of the prosthetic leg. Would he be wanting to cycle wearing it, how well will it bend at the knee etc.

IF (and I don't know much about false legs), it can act like a normal leg, bending at the knee and ankle, and it was comfortable enough at the join to his real leg, then he could possibly just have the foot strapped to the pedal. If not, or if the interface was too bulky or uncomfortable, he might be better not wearing it and pedalling one footed, clipped in. With a trike at least, there is no issue of having to get a foot out of the pedal and down when stopping. He could carry the limb on the trike, and attach it when he got there. It depends how much upper leg he has left to need supporting.

I do know of two people with artificial legs who cycle - both uprights and both I think just clipped in as if it were a normal leg. One of them had to have a very fancy electronic prosthesis (amputee at the hip) to allow for the knee bending aspect, but I don't know the details. The other, I think, was a lower leg only. I have also seen a man in York on an upright who has his cranks adapted so that only one turns (with foot clipped in), while his other leg rests on the other pedal at the bottom of the stroke - I don't even know if that's a false leg, or that his own leg is immobile.

The main thing is, I don't think the trike would necessarily need a a lot of alterations - but it's probably something an expert would assess on a case to case basis.

Whereabouts is your friend? There is probably a local organisation who specialise in adapting bike and trikes, who could provide more detailed advice. Have a look at this page for some hopefully useful contacts.


http://www.velovision.com/cgi-bin/show_comments.pl?storynum=559
 

arallsopp

Post of The Year 2009 winner
Location
Bromley, Kent
The Hase / Kettweisel trikes seem to be extremely configurable, and the company seems particularly committed to those with additional needs. London Recumbents (if you're near the capital) carry a few and are generally very well informed.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
+1 for Hase.
Also I've heard good things about ICE being able to adapt for rider needs.

In principle a trike is a good idea. Once the artificial foot is clipped in the rider should be able to use the remaining part of the leg to good effect.
 

spiro

Active Member
Location
Hertfordshire
Speak to Kevin at D-Tek. He does mods to bents for disabled riders including a guy who only had one arm. He is a great source of knowledge of all things bent related.
 

trickletreat

Veteran
Location
solihull
Speak to Kevin at D-Tek. He does mods to bents for disabled riders including a guy who only had one arm. He is a great source of knowledge of all things bent related.



Just by way of a rehabilitation aid, it may be worth fitting an electric hub motor. If they need info re this pm me, I have a bit of working knowledge after using the assist on two trikes. The other thing to consider is VAT exemption on a purchase.
 
Top Bottom