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Bikes
Learning to cycle is one of the milestones of childhood. Children of all ages love to ride a bike and children with hemiplegia are no different. Cycling helps develop self-confidence and can increase independence, not to mention credibility with other children. It can also have a therapeutic role, strengthening muscles and improving balance. And of course it is great fun.
Learning to ride
Children with hemiplegia will usually take longer to learn to ride a two-wheeler, but with persistence many of them make it in the end. And if not, there are plenty of alternatives in the shape of interesting trikes, recumbents and tandems. Ask the child’s therapists’ advice about when and how best to start. They may even be able to lend you a special trike.
Generally, of course, children prefer to learn to ride a bike than a trike, and there is no reason why they should not start with a bike, provided their hemiplegia is not too severe and not complicated by other medical conditions that might affect ability to balance, steer etc.
What to wear
For safety, they must always wear a helmet, since they are much more likely than other children to bump their heads if they fall, and the slightest bump to the head can be dangerous. Long trousers, long sleeved tops and gloves help cut down on grazes, as do knee and elbow pads.
Stabilisers
Most young children start with stabilisers, but children with hemiplegia will probably need them for much longer. You may need to buy adjustable stabilisers which will grow with your child, and which you can raise slightly as the child gains confidence. For children who have particular problems with balance (or lack the confidence to try without stabilisers) a father and member of HemiHelp, David Good, has designed special adjustable stabilisers which can be moved inwards gradually so that the child hardly realises that they are managing more and more on their own.
Choosing a bike
Some parents have found that it helps to have a bike that is exactly the right size or even slightly small, so that the child can have their feet firmly on the ground whilst sitting on the saddle. It may be better to buy a series of second-hand bikes than to spend a lot of money on a new one that is too big. The crossbar on boys’ bikes should not be too high – fortunately, fashionable BMX and mountain bikes have lower crossbars than traditionally framed models.
How to begin
Practice areas should be as flat and even as possible. One family had success learning to ride on a sandy beach (firm enough for the wheels to turn but soft enough to cushion falls). Some children need to learn in stages. They may, for example, find it difficult to think about balancing and pedalling at the same time. It can be useful to remove the bike’s pedals and let the child try ‘scooting’ along, getting a feel for balancing, before attempting pedalling. Some children may not get the hang of pedalling immediately, and need someone to push their feet round in the pedalling motion until they get used to it.
Brakes
If a child has a left hemiplegia, the back brake is on the side of the weaker hand. Any good cycle shop will swap the brakes over, as it is more important to have the back brake functioning. This may be enough when the child is learning, but once they are riding properly we strongly recommend that you have the bike adapted so that both brakes are operated by the stronger hand. If the bike has gears, the gear lever/changer should also be moved to the child’s stronger side. An alternative is to buy a bike with back pedalling brakes.
Handlebars
Children with hemiplegia vary enormously in the extent to which they can grip with their weaker hand and stretch their arm, and some may need adaptations to their handlebars to help with holding. This can be as simple as sticky Dycem to improve grip, or you can fit an additional steering socket or knob (similar to those used for driving a car one-handed). Some children find an old-fashioned ‘sit up and beg’ type of bike, where the handlebars curve towards the body, easier to ride than a mountain bike or racer.
Pedals
Some children have trouble keeping their foot/feet on the pedals. Here are some ideas tried by members (N.B. some of them should be used only with bikes with stabilisers or trikes – on an unstabilised bike you need to be able to remove your foot from the pedal if falling sideways):
- sticky Dycem attached to the pedal is sometimes sufficient to hold the foot in place.
- toe clips of the type used on racing bikes can be fitted to the pedal. These can be used with unstabilised bikes since they allow the foot to slip out sideways in a fall. On a stabilised bike you can use additional elastic or Velcro round the heel if necessary.
- if the pedals have slots, try threading through Velcro strips or nylon straps with quick-release buckles, which can be fastened round the foot.
- footplates, with a cord and pulley to keep feet horizontal, are available from specialist suppliers (see below).
- one family attached an adult shoe to the pedal, which would accommodate foot and shoe.
- some have used plastic moulded into a ‘shoe’ shape and attached to the pedal.
- one family bolted an old fashioned metal roller skate to the pedal, minus the wheels but still with its leather strap
- if a child’s feet are attached to the pedals, it may be advisable to fix a lap strap to the seat if it has a back to it.
Trikes, trailers, tandems and side-by-sides
Many children with hemiplegia will learn to ride a two-wheeler without too much difficulty, with the help, if necessary, of some of the adaptations suggested above. Others will find it too much of a struggle, and need a more specialised type of cycle, at least for a time. These are usually expensive, but many families have had help with buying them from local Rotary Clubs etc. or from Whizz- Kidz, a charity which helps children become more mobile (tel. 020 7233 6600).
Trikes come in all shapes and sizes (and some have loads of street cred as well)! Some have double wheels at the front, which can help children with perceptual problems to judge width more easily. One model, designed for older teenagers, has a small engine to help in hilly areas. Some trikes have fixed wheels i.e. the pedals move with the wheels. The benefit of this is that the child does not have to get off to get out of an awkward position but can just reverse. For the child with more special needs a side-by-side or tandem trike may be the answer.
A good way to prepare a child for riding a two-wheeler is to use a ‘trailer bike’. These are attached to an adult bike by a tow-bar and the child can do as much or as little pedalling as they like whilst getting a feel for balance. It also helps teach the child road skills. Another similar idea is a device which allows you to attach the child’s bike, minus front wheel, to the back of an adult bike. The extra wheel can be carried on a special bracket, so the child can start riding alone but hitch a lift when they get tired. Tandems are also a good way of building up a child’s strength and balance, but are more expensive and less flexible than trailer attachments.
Suppliers' addresses
Chevron
Address: 18, Summers Road, Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool, L3 4BL
Tel: 0800 525 877 / 0151 707 1146
Fax: 0151 707 0353
Email: sales@chevronwheelchairs.co.uk
Products include the Tri Rider, the Easy Rider and the Range Rider.
Disabled Living Foundation
Address: 380-384 Harrow Road, London W9 2HU.
Tel: 020 7289 6111
Helpline Tel: 0845 130 9177 (10am-1pm, Mon-Friday)
Fax: 020 7266 2922
Email: advice@dlf.org.uk
Website: www.dlf.org.uk
Generations
Tel: 01509 210 321
Colour brochure available for pedal go-karts and trikes and many more products.
George Longstaff Cycles
Address: Albert Street, Chesterton, Newcastle, Staffs ST5 7JF
Tel: 01782 561 966
Fax: 01782 566044
Email: sales@longstaffcycles.com
Website: www.longstaffcycles.com
Designer, manufacturer, and retailer of custom-built cycles and tandems, including one trike adapted from a Raleigh mountain bike.
Good Designs David Good C.Eng. M.I.C.E.
Address: 60, Gwel Eryri, Llandegfan, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, Wales LL59 5RD.
Tel: 01248 713624.
Fax: 01248 713624
Email: info@disabledcycling.f2s.com
Website: www.disabledcycling.f2s.com
A father of a child with hemiplegia who has designed adjustable stabilisers in three sizes.
London Recumbents
Address: Rangers Yard, Dulwich Park, College Road, London, SE21 7BQ
Tel: 0208 299 6636
Email: recumbents@aol.com
Website: www.londonrecumbents.com
Large range of bikes, trikes and accessories for special needs bikers, inc. the Slipstream, the Copilot, the Cresswell U plus 1, the PF side-by-side and the Neatwork range. Also a wheelchair bicycle to be used by adults to cycle with a child in a wheelchair.
Pashley Cycles
Address: Mason’s Rd, Stratford-upon- Avon, Warks CV7 9NL
Tel: 01789 292 263.
Email: hello@pashley.co.uk
Website: www.pashley.co.uk
Well-made traditional bikes, tandems and trikes including the Pickle tricycle for children aged 4 upwards and the Polo tricycle for older children.
Quest 88 Ltd
Address: Aston Street, Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 8DW.
Tel: 01952 463050.
Fax: 01952 463077
Email: General@Quest88.com
Website: www.quest88.com
Custom-built trikes and accessories. Will give help and advice over the phone.
RC Hayes Ltd
Address: Hayes Aids, Willow Park, Upton Lane, Stoke Golding, Nuneaton, Warks CV13 6EU.
Range of trikes.
Rifton
Tel: 0800 387457
Range of specialist equipment for children, including tricycles.
TFH
Address: 76 Barracks Rd, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs DY13 9QB
Tel: 01299 827820
Wide range of equipment, including specialist bikes with low gear ratio (need little effort to pedal), and no chain or spokes.
Tomcat Trikes
Address: 13/9, the Gloucester Business Park, Hucclecote, Gloucestershire, GL3 4AA
Tel: 01452 616900 or Paul Kavanagh on 782 773 166
Fax: 01452 613300
Email: info@tomcatuk.org
Website: www.tomcatspecialneeds.co.uk
Wise Wheels
Address: Malcolm Jones, Fairleads House, Top Street, Northend, Warwickshire, CV47 2TN.
Tel: 01295 770806.
Email: squirejones@supanet.com
Website: www.wisewheels.co.uk
Custom built bikes.
WRK
Address: Ashfield House, School Road, St Johns Fen End, Wisbech, Cambs, PE14 7SJ,
Tel: 01945 880014.
Range of trikes, karts and accessories. Will come and assess needs.
Unicam Mobility
Address: 1, Bampton Avenue, Chard, Somerset, TA20 1DS
Tel: 01460 67926
Fax: 01460 67926
Provides attachments to convert non-specialised bicycles to ensure easier use by people with lower limb disability.
Organisations
The following are just some of the organisations involved in making cycling easier for people with special needs. You may be able to get more information through your local disability network
Companion Cycles
Tel: 07961 344 545
Email: Adrian@sumpton.me.uk
Website: www.companioncycling.org.uk
Have cycles for hire in Bushy Park and ‘companions’ to ride with. This is ideal for those who cannot ride solo.
London Cycling Campaign
Address: Unit 228, 30 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS
Tel: 020 7928 7220
Fax: 020 7928 2318
Website: www.lcc.org.uk.
Publishes an excellent booklet ‘All Ability Cycling for Greater London’ with information on the various types of bike suitable for riders with disabilities, and a useful names and addresses list which covers the whole country, not just London.
Tandem Club
Tel: 01908 282485.
Website: www.tandem-club.org.uk
Organises rides, pairing sighted and visually impaired riders. Also useful if you are anxious about someone with epilepsy cycling alone.
Wheels for All
Address: The Environmental Institute, Bolton Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 8UX.
Tel: 0161 794 1926.
This aims to get people with disabilities cycling. They have 5 sites in the North West where cycles can be hired.
