Thumb-less Riding

[MyOtherBrotherL]

OK - I'm an Electronics Engineer in an Optical Sales role. I need some mechanical engineering help here.

As some of you know I'm in an arm cast that immobilizes my thumb. The Doctor has said I can ride, but I suspect that he doesn't mean on the level I was doing before.

The problem I see is that while my thumb is immobilized its also in the DAM way. I have good use of all 4 fingers and about a third of the palm. I can grip the handle bar semi OK, but it seems a little awkward. Uphill’s will not be an issue. The hold seems good.

Downhill’s of any kind seem scary. Normally your thumb would act as an anchor for your hand sliding forward. Again - No thumb as an anchor and it actually inhibits the rest of the hand from compensating.

Shifting is totally out, but I plan to ride my SS.

I know the bike polo guys will do front and rear braking on one side. I just haven't found a web site that sells that particular set-up. (I considered turning the SS into a fixie, but decided that a broken wrist and a the fixie learning curve were not a good combination)

What I'm looking for is engineering support, idea's or links that might help me figure out how to anchor my left hand. I don't wanna re-invent the wheel, but the NET has been useless so far with every search I tried. I suspect the solution will be some kind hook or curve that will fit between the casted thumb and index finger but that's just a guess.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a solution that will let me ride Gambrill. I'm hoping for places like Wakefield, The Rose, Schaffer and maybe a road ride or two. Just something to keep my legs spinning. I'm gonna be in this stupid thing for a LONG time.

L

[drewdane]

Just do front brake only. Swap the cables since it's your left arm in the cast.

Otherwise, do a search on Empty Beer. I could swear there's been a thread on this. Look for posts by "ManWithOne Hand" (or something like that).

Heavy-duty Velcro, maybe?

[walsh]

Larry,

There's a commuter at my office who has installed bar ends in the middle of her bars, sticking up almost vertically. Weird, but at least she's riding.

Could you do the same ? Put one of those midget bar ends (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BE409A13-Dimension+Stubs+Bar+Ends.aspx) in the middle of your bar, near where your thumb is located, and tilt it more skyward that usual? Wrap it with a bit of friction tape or an old tube, and jam your cast onto it for stability going down hill?

My lawyer says to tell you that my professionnal opinion is that you should not ride until it's healed :D

[jabberwocky]

Heavy-duty Velcro, maybe?You totally stole my idea, Drew. :)

I would put the front brake on the right side (thats the non-casted side, right?), and just wrap the left grip and your cast in something grippy, like velcro or an old tube. That should be enough to keep things from sliding around when riding.

You know that cast is gonna reek after 4 weeks of sweating into it while riding, right? :)

[riderx]

I had to do this 3 years ago. Thumb imbolized first with a splint, then a few days later with a cast. Did the whole C&O canal with camping gear on my fixed gear Crosscheck and all the rest of my riding until the cast came off with the same bike. Setup with moustache bars which gave me a few positions. I run a front brake on it and of course it was on the same side as the busted hand. Didn't bother to switch it because I didn't feel like retaping the bars, but if you are starting from scratch you might as well put it on the side with the good hand. The fixed gear works good so you can modulate your speed without brakes most of the time.

I do a lot of stupid stuff but I stayed off of the MTB and stuck to roads and gravel roads (the Shed gravel would be good for ya' to get some elevation in). Your grip with the cast is such that you won't have a lot of support on that hand. Washboard fire roads will keep you on your toes plenty.

Oh yeah, changing flats with the cast sucks too.

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Larry,

There's a commuter at my office who has installed bar ends in the middle of her bars, sticking up almost vertically. Weird, but at least she's riding.

Could you do the same ? Put one of those midget bar ends (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BE409A13-Dimension+Stubs+Bar+Ends.aspx) in the middle of your bar, near where your thumb is located, and tilt it more skyward that usual? Wrap it with a bit of friction tape or an old tube, and jam your cast onto it for stability going down hill?

My lawyer says to tell you that my professionnal opinion is that you should not ride until it's healed :D

I considered the bar end approach and even went looking for my old set on Saturday. It's a good idea. I need to try it.

And I agree with your lawyer but my Doctor didn't think it was an issue.

I have to admit - I'm a little torn here......

[MyOtherBrotherL]

You totally stole my idea, Drew. :)

I would put the front brake on the right side (thats the non-casted side, right?), and just wrap the left grip and your cast in something grippy, like velcro or an old tube. That should be enough to keep things from sliding around when riding.

You know that cast is gonna reek after 4 weeks of sweating into it while riding, right? :)

Drew and Jab,

That's also another good idea, but the problem I ran into when considering it was that I recently converted the SS front brake from linear pull to Disc. If I move the left brake handle to the right side, the reservoir will be upside down. I'm assuming that's NOT good.

Hmmm..... Maybe I can dig out that RIGHT brake handle that was part of the Rohloff system.

Double Hmmmm........

[jabberwocky]

That's also another good idea, but the problem I ran into when considering it was that I recently converted the SS front brake from linear pull to Disc. If I move the left brake handle to the right side, the reservoir will be upside down. I'm assuming that's NOT good.If thats your only problem, I have a front Avid mech w/ speed dial lever all setup with cable and housing in my parts box you can borrow until you heal up.

Regardless of what you do with the hand, I think you'll want the front brake on the side with a good hand (unless you run fixxie to control speed as Joe did).

[drevil]

Stupid as it sounds, go to the thrift store and pick up an old beach cruiser with coaster brakes for 15 bucks. Take that out to Wakefield for a safe, challenging ride. :D

[bepooch]

Eh, why not...

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Eh, why not...

That JUST ain't right....................

[g_barr]

I think bepooch has something there.

I looked at the cast photos again and it looks like you've got some solid palm area. Perhaps installing a wide grip (Ergon $$$ pictured) would provide better cast-bar contact area.

Unless you got rid of your linear parts, maybe changing back (front brake, right hand) would be a good idea if you're going to be casted for a long time.

[drevil]

Unless you got rid of your linear parts, maybe changing back (front brake, right hand) would be a good idea if you're going to be casted for a long time.
If Larry swaps the front brake to the right hand, I can see his next post:

"Any suggestions on how can I ride with a full body cast and neck brace?"

:D

[CRAIG2]

Ya' know, I saw someone finish the Nation's Triathlon in a wheelchair on Saturday... I'm sure you'll figure something out... ;) :D

[philvw]

I broke my radius (forearm) in two places in June, just a few days before Big Bear. Same side as yours. I gave up the idea of mountain biking for the duration, I rode my road bike around a little bit, but mostly my fixie, which only has the 'safety' brake on the left. (ah, never use that thing anyway). I left the brake on the left side and controlled speed with the pedals like you always do on a fixie anyway. Unless of course youre crashing it and breaking your arm at the time. I went back to the mtb once I was out of the cast and regained a bit of strength in it.

[eloach]

What happened to the Ms. duct taping it on to the bar? I thought that would work.

Just flip the break handle around to the rear of the bar (facing you) ponting up a hair and add a little something to the cast so that you can push it in and down when you want to apply it. If you can't hold the bar with your fingers you could put a bungee cord over the top of the cast to assure your hand did not bounce off too far.

All of this presumes you are going to be taking it easy speed and terrain wise.

[MyOtherBrotherL]

DUH!!!

This is the right thread........


I'm Set!!!

:D :D :D

Thursday Night ride - Look OUT!!!

[riderx]

Cue up the Foghat :cool:

Slow ride, take it easy....

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drd700/d716/d716396c7be.jpg


I'm Set!!!

:D :D :D

Thursday Night ride - Look OUT!!!

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Cue up the Foghat :cool:

Slow ride, take it easy....

GOT TO KEEP FROM FEELING SO LOOOOOWWW.............

[riderx]

Well, let's hear a report. How did the set up work?!

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Well, let's hear a report. How did the set up work?!

Well - Last week I used the set-up. It worked fine but it was way harder than I thought it would be. The left hand turned out not to have nearly the power or strength that I thought it would and was more or less just a balance point. My right arm stayed flexed the entire time and by the end of the ride my right triceps was burning something fierce.

On Monday, Kaiser Re-Casted me with a Gortex liner. I had them mold my thumb to a set of handlebars. The new cast definitely gives me better balance and more leverage but the cast itself is not very comfortable. The top of my hand gets pretty sore in about an hour from the cast digging into it but its worth it. It felt great to be out.

Now, will I be doing any trips up to Gambril or the Shed??

No.

Wakefield is about all I can handle, but for now I'll take it.

L

[tsunayoshi]

On Monday, Kaiser Re-Casted me with a Gortex liner. I had them mold my thumb to a set of handlebars.

Now that is one great doctor-patient relationship!

"Doc, can you fix my cast up on the broken wrist so I can still ride a mountain bike?"

[MyOtherBrotherL]

Now that is one great doctor-patient relationship!

The trick to that one is talking the Cast Tech into doing it. There wasn't even a Doctor On-call in Ortho the day I got re-casted (And there didn't need to be).

However there was another guy there in Scrubs who was talking roadie handlebars. When I asked if he rode, he paused and said Yes. It turns out that he's a National Champion. He introduced himself but I suffer from "The Kelly Bundy Syndrome" Every time I learn something new, I forget something else. Monday was a busy day and I just couldn't commit his name to memory.

L

[walsh]

On Monday, Kaiser Re-Casted me with a Gortex liner. I had them mold my thumb to a set of handlebars. The new cast definitely gives me better balance and more leverage but the cast itself is not very comfortable.


Bad move. Should have molded it to one of these:
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/thundermall_1969_9351284

[senator]

Downhill’s of any kind seem scary. Normally your thumb would act as an anchor for your hand sliding forward.

Don't I know this.... my thumb has been swollen for 2 weeks since barrelling downhill in Basye, VA. Totally worth it, though. :o

I'm proud to see you still trying to make it work (even if it may not be the smartest thing to do! :))

[mark w]

On Monday, Kaiser Re-Casted me with a Gortex liner. I had them mold my thumb to a set of handlebars.

L


hehehehehehehehe

You have Kung Fu Action Grip, just like G.I. Joe

http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/kungfugrip/default.cfm?page=kungfugrip

[MyOtherBrotherL]

hehehehehehehehe

You have Kung Fu Action Grip, just like G.I. Joe

http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/kungfugrip/default.cfm?page=kungfugrip

Yea - Sadly I didn't date much in college :eek: :eek: :eek:

L

PS Why am I thinking about the Sublime song "Caress me down"????

[mark w]

TMI!!


You have to remember that there are some things you can't un-read.