This blog is about my ‘My Bike’…
… without which I wouldn’t be able to experience what riding a bike is about. What I ride today is testament to the genius and meticulous approach of two guys… Ben Hallam & Colin Donaghy. A combination of design and implementation that works for me and I suspect that seeing some of the pictures will trigger thought processes for those that are disabled and who are currently thinking of how to come up with a solution to their own problems. An resolution / option could be amongst these pictures..!
The bike I have today has taken some four years of development with the use of a core set of products and multiple adjustments of positioning to get to the functional machine that it is today. Coupled with my training and adjustments to my body position this allows me to be more efficient and balanced.
Early doors my riding position was ideal for my mates… I sat so upright that whenever I was on the front the draft I would afford my mates meant free pedalling behind me. It wasn’t efficient at all for me… period..! How could I get more on to the hands and in an aerodynamic position with the cockpit that I had..?
I started riding road bikes on a Scott Metrix hybrid without much customisation foolishly thinking that my body would take the compromise. WRONG..! I remember riding with my mates to Cambridge and back on a 100+km ride and to say I was in bits afterwards would be an understatement. My neck, shoulders, left hand, back were all out of whack and the pain killers had no effect and I struggled for weeks after. I needed to get smart with the products and the configuration of riding positions, the ability to brake efficiently, change gear and to be able to enjoy riding. Without this part of the bike configuration being more comfortable then my enthusiasm for Cycling would be pretty quickly eroded. It was at this point of the early days that I had to search out support & knowledge. Call it fate, call it luck, whatever it was I ended up in front of Ben, then at Bespoke in London, (now Primo Cycles in Cambridge) and my story developed quite quickly from there.
This blog could end up pretty long if I were to document the chronological phases of my cockpit so to avoid geek central I’ll share the story of what I have today.
I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that my career back ground is in Project Management and it was at this commitment to change that I decided to focus on this as a project…
The Problem statement…I have one arm (the right) that is some 30cms shorter than the left. I am missing 2x fingers on the hand, I have an elbow that has very limited functionally and does not allow the arm to straighten and my thumb is not connected to a muscle group so is just there. I therefore have no dexterity in the hand, no capacity to pull a brake or to change a gear. A crude stabiliser and hand signals slightly restricted I’d say…You can start to picture the challenges ahead and no not just in a crashed heap on some road side..!
Knowing all those issues / restrictions how do I enable a handlebar set up to create a balanced position on the shoulders / back, that is functional with the brakes and gears, doesn’t weigh a ton to avoid compromise in riding the thing, oh and looks half decent..? Easy…!
This is where Ben comes into the equation around creative design and bike fitting with Colin tweaking everything to make it practical and then leveraging his mountain bike riding exposure and pinching ideas / products that solves a problem with me staying up right.
… and to add to all that how do I calibrate my body to be able to sustain multiple hours in the saddle..?
The Solution today… My early bike was a Scott and as such I remained loyal to the brand, hence why I’ve stuck with my old Scott CR1 Pro frame. The geometry is something I’m familiar with and as we have developed the handlebars we were loathed to change any other dynamics just focusing on one component set to avoid exposing more dynamics of change. Sky mention marginal gains and that is an absolutely relevant focus when creating a solution for a disabled rider where marginal cms or angles mean so much.
The set up I have today is unique and striking. It gets so many double takes and there have been instances where the bike is recognised here on the UK Sportives and even in Europe now.
… I told you that it was unique. My mate Loggo often reminds me that there is an uncanny likeness to a ‘Marital Aid’ and that if anyone is directly front of me and stops sharply then a few doors may be gate crashed..! You get the gist..!!!
The major standout of this view is the handlebar itself. In fact I should have said handlebars, there are two of them. We have cut, engineered two sets of handlebars with the left the more standard looking drop handlebar. The right is a product that I’ve used from the beginning, this is the light weight version, there is a more customised version where weight wasn’t my friend but for a less performance focused solution is just an all round great product, Humpert handlebars. These offer multi-positional cockpit set up, allowing unique left and right set up with no assumption that the right should match the left and visa versa.
The handlebars on the right side does look strange, I grant you that, but the differing touch points allow me a three riding positions. Allows a TT position, an option for getting on the tops out of the saddle, or a settled climbing position on the bars riding up the Galibier. Also, and very subtle, the stem is slightly off centre to bring the solution nearer to me to avoid over reaching. So very subtle and this is where Colin’s attention to detail kicks in. The SRAM Garmin holder surely can’t be left at that angle otherwise I’ll be turning my head at an angle to read my Garmin. He has therefore tweaked the clasp that clamps onto the bars to counter that subtle angle to plumb centre. Meticulous approach to detail..!
Of course two handlebars need two stems…why wouldn’t it..! For that purpose we have utilised for quality and of course looks a couple of Zipp Service Course SL stems. (120mm / +/-6 & 100mm / +/-17)…
Assembly these components in combinations that they were maybe not predominately built to satisfy means so many hours of testing and some acceptance on my part that products / ‘stuff’ could go wrong. I’ve been the test donkey on many hours / kms of riding but this is where Colin comes into his arena. Reducing risk / the percentage of component failure we’ve initially concerned that the Fork steerer if carbon could be extremely stressed so in this phase he has gone with a Colombus carbon fork / Aluminimum steerer solution. Early enquiries with Enve and Parlee have indicated that their products can handle the dynamics as long as correct torque settings are adhered to. One to test next Road season if I’m lucky enough to afford those products, but early conversations with the guys over there are positive and I’ll be exploring much more. 90kgs rider with a disability that means differing forces being applied to a localised point on a bike where 70+kph speeds are frequently hit on descents means trust and faith in design (… and a small piece of lunacy).
So we 2x handlebars, 2x stems and now a fantastic little gem of a component that has been ‘pinched’ from the mountain bike scene…
The Cane Creek ViscoSet offers viscous damping to make my bike safer by inhibiting the uncontrolled steering oscillation known as speed wobble. What this affords is a stability that means if my hand is off the bike reaching for the bottle or a gel and my damaged right hand is the only hand in contact then this gadget restricts the sensitivity of the handlebars reacting to the road service. This is the reverse to power steering on a car, it makes the handlebars harder to turn. How does that make the bike easier to ride..? Well, you have to ride a road bike frequently to know that very rarely do you actually turn the handlebars a great deal to change direction. Leaning and subtle adjustments is what is needed and this gadget also has customisation options with 10 little ‘clutches’ present. The full 10 stack make the steering super hard, but reduce the clutches one at a time and you’ll reach a pressure suitable to you. I have 7 ‘clutches’ having taken 3 out. As I get older I may well reduce that number but time will tell. What an amazing piece of kit…
How do I brake & change gears..? Shimano Dura Ace Di2 makes a lot of this possible. The various components with satellite changers for climbers, the ability to customise gear levels with software changes means so, so much to this all working.
The brakes… One brake level pulls both brakes via a PAUL brake splitter that allows the caliber brakes to be tweaked for front wheel bias. Having both brakes working really helps…!!! Trust me on that especially on some of those monstrous Alp descents that I managed this year.
The gears… One gear lever has the capability to change up & down the back cassette with the appropriate software changes and with a subtle satellite changer on the bars allows the front change capabilities..
I appreciate that there are great support networks for riders out there. Are my solutions unique..? Might be, might not… however, between the three of us we’ve managed to develop year on year and with the increasing new components coming to the market I can’t see that changing. This blog will allow me to add weight to conversations with Brands, makers of components and probe and question a bit more. An opportunity to push for customisation options without blowing a massive hole in the bank balance. Next challenge will be a disc solution with customised hydraulic brakes. Why not..?
It does come at a cost I know… but that is my concession to be able to continue participating. My track bike has been tweaked and I’ll blog on that when the nights draw in and the track is my preferred venue.
For now my Road Bike is this machine, is my ‘trusted stead’, my ‘Pride & Joy’… It has been a passion for me and I’m super grateful that Ben & Colin have shared those thoughts, visions with the input of their own. I’m 50 now and I’ve spent 4 years getting to this point, if this helps others then an opportunity to share solutions and exposure to products is there. If reading this you have questions or thoughts / suggestions for developing then please add a comment / contact me. I can share experiences with other products of what was used before.
You can probably pick up that this is a genuine passion… this is a big part to my riding equation. I’ll be writing an addition blog on the body reactions and training needs.
Ben & Colin I owe you gents…!!! Thank you for what you have done and your continued support..!
Signing off…
Wayne
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