Re: Confused noob

[Vernon]

>
> But before you finally decide, think about why you think an upright
> position is what you want. I stopped cycling (and indeed taking much
> exercise at all) after a I broke my back; initially because I couldn't,
> and later because I was very stiff and sore. But after about a year of
> this I discovered that the reason I was stiff and sore was _because_ I
> was avoiding movements which hurt my back, and consequently my back and
> shoulders had virtually seized up. Since I started exercising again,
> I've had (after the initial period, which /was/ painful) no further
> problem with it at all, and it's now as good as if I'd never broken it.
>

Unfortunately I damaged a disc in my lower back, and although I went to see
a specialist in London, the verdict was not good. He informed me the damage
to the disc would never repair itself. But of course being a surgeon he
wanted to cut me up, I declined his kind offer, as the operation is not a
guaranteed success. As I can now walk with little or no pain, I only have a
problem if I am leant forward for too long, depending on how far forward,
depends on what too long is. I have decided to try a bike again.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Vernon
('[email protected]') wrote:

>> But before you finally decide, think about why you think an upright
>> position is what you want. I stopped cycling (and indeed taking much
>> exercise at all) after a I broke my back; initially because I
>> couldn't, and later because I was very stiff and sore. But after about
>> a year of this I discovered that the reason I was stiff and sore was
>> _because_ I was avoiding movements which hurt my back, and
>> consequently my back and shoulders had virtually seized up. Since I
>> started exercising again, I've had (after the initial period, which
>> /was/ painful) no further problem with it at all, and it's now as good
>> as if I'd never broken it.
>
> Unfortunately I damaged a disc in my lower back, and although I went to
> see a specialist in London, the verdict was not good. He informed me
> the damage to the disc would never repair itself. But of course being a
> surgeon he wanted to cut me up, I declined his kind offer, as the
> operation is not a guaranteed success. As I can now walk with little or
> no pain, I only have a problem if I am leant forward for too long,
> depending on how far forward, depends on what too long is. I have
> decided to try a bike again.

Also consider a recumbent. More expensive, and may simply not work for
you - but if it would work, a better solution than a 'very upright'.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

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[wafflycat]

"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> in message <[email protected]>, Vernon
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>>> But before you finally decide, think about why you think an upright
>>> position is what you want. I stopped cycling (and indeed taking much
>>> exercise at all) after a I broke my back; initially because I
>>> couldn't, and later because I was very stiff and sore. But after about
>>> a year of this I discovered that the reason I was stiff and sore was
>>> _because_ I was avoiding movements which hurt my back, and
>>> consequently my back and shoulders had virtually seized up. Since I
>>> started exercising again, I've had (after the initial period, which
>>> /was/ painful) no further problem with it at all, and it's now as good
>>> as if I'd never broken it.
>>
>> Unfortunately I damaged a disc in my lower back, and although I went to
>> see a specialist in London, the verdict was not good. He informed me
>> the damage to the disc would never repair itself. But of course being a
>> surgeon he wanted to cut me up, I declined his kind offer, as the
>> operation is not a guaranteed success. As I can now walk with little or
>> no pain, I only have a problem if I am leant forward for too long,
>> depending on how far forward, depends on what too long is. I have
>> decided to try a bike again.
>
> Also consider a recumbent. More expensive, and may simply not work for
> you - but if it would work, a better solution than a 'very upright'.
>

At Mildenhall, a gentleman on a Trice was using the 'bent as his everyday
transport since an 'accident' six years ago where he was thrown from his
upright bike after being rear-ended by a car. He suffered quite a lot of
spinal damage and walks with a stick - but he doesn't half shift quickly on
a recumbent trike

Cheers, helen s

 

[Peter Clinch]

Simon Brooke wrote:

> Also consider a recumbent. More expensive, and may simply not work for
> you - but if it would work, a better solution than a 'very upright'.

Indeed, though if a recumbent isn't the thing and you want to be
/really/ upright then consider a Pedersen. More upright than pretty
much anything else except a giraffe unicycle and considerably lighter
than most classic roadster style bikes. Again, it will cost a bit more
than a "standard" bike because there isn't an economy of scale building
thousands of them, but IMHO comfortable mobility is worth the investment.

For a 'bent with your particular criteria I'd start with looking at
something like an urban compact: easier to get on with than most and
with a ride position like a car seat. Lower performance than other
models, but for shortish rides more immediately comfortable and
practical. Summat like the http://kinetics.org.uk/html/spirit.shtml or
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/roadster.shtml
If these aren't whizz enough have a further browse around the Kinetics
site for all sorts of alternatives.

More info on Pedersens at http://www.pedersen.info/pages/main_engl.html

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/