Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) (02/25/90)
Index Number: 6953
CC> I think doing wheelies in a chair IS mostly a matter of practice.
CC> Keep trying, you'll get it! Just don't take out C1 -C7 while you're
CC> at it...
Thanks. Since I posted that message I -have- been practicing and I think
I am starting to get better at it.
Michael
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!Michael.Merrow
Internet: Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.orgMichael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) (02/28/90)
Index Number: 6978
PG> I dunno. I wouldn't suggest trying to get around on the back two
PG> wheels of your wheelchair. I won't let my kids tilt their chairs
PG> back, and if I had one in a wheelchair, I wouldn't let him do
PG> wheelies. Sounds dangerous to me. It takes as much skill as riding
PG> a bicycle on the back wheel. I can't do that either.
Well Pat, I don't think it's quite the same thing as tilting a regular
chair back... and there are some real advantages to being able to get
around on two wheels... but I appreciate your concern. I have found out
from Steve VanDevender's response that there are people who have
practically got this down to a science. :-)
Michael
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!Michael.Merrow
Internet: Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.orgJoe.Chamberlain@f302.n141.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Chamberlain) (03/03/90)
Index Number: 7054
MM> get a little better at it. The tip guards are set to catch me
MM> just a couple inches or so beyond the balance point. I'll
MM> probably move them up a little more as I get better at it, but
MM> I don't think I'll take them off completely until the snow
MM> melts and I can go out and practice on the nice soft lawn.
A friend came back from the Korean war as a paraplegic. Almost a year
after being shot he was doing wheelies, lost it, and is now a quad. A
high price to pay, according to him, for showing off.
-=joe=-
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!302!Joe.Chamberlain
Internet: Joe.Chamberlain@f302.n141.z1.fidonet.orgstevev@chemstor.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender) (03/06/90)
Index Number: 7071 In article <10422@bunker.UUCP> Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) writes: > PG> I dunno. I wouldn't suggest trying to get around on the back two > PG> wheels of your wheelchair. I won't let my kids tilt their chairs > PG> back, and if I had one in a wheelchair, I wouldn't let him do > PG> wheelies. Sounds dangerous to me. It takes as much skill as riding > PG> a bicycle on the back wheel. I can't do that either. [Note from Bill McGarry: "PG" is Pat Goltz.] Sorry, PG, but you are comparing balancing a wheelchair to entirely inappropriate things. A chair isn't designed to roll back and forth like a wheelchair, so of course isn't especially safe to tip back. Balancing on the rear wheel of a bicycle is inherently unstable because you have only one point of contact, and only the most limited control for maintaining the balance point. In fact, kids who ride wheelies on their bicycles are not balanced--they must maintain constant acceleration to keep the front wheel off the ground. A wheelchair can truly be balanced because you can compensate in either direction. Balancing a wheelchair on the rear wheels is no more difficult than balancing on two feet. It doesn't take impressive skill and actually can allow _safer_ use of a wheelchair. >Well Pat, I don't think it's quite the same thing as tilting a regular >chair back... and there are some real advantages to being able to get >around on two wheels... but I appreciate your concern. I have found out >from Steve VanDevender's response that there are people who have >practically got this down to a science.>:-) >Michael You are right to disregard Pat's objections. And I'm glad that I've been able to help. I do have to admit that there can be dangers from balancing on the back wheels, though, as I found out a little over a month ago. I have been recovering from a femur fracture since last October, and a little over a month ago I had just gotten a cast off and was negotiating the gravel driveway to a friend's house when I fell over backwards. I had balanced to ride down a short slope and wet rims caused my hands to slip, preventing me from keeping my balance. Falling over backwards was enough of a thump to refracture the partially-healed bone, so after a month of traction I have another cast. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT BALANCING IS TRULY DANGEROUS. In my case, the injury was the result of previous circumstances; if I had been fully recovered I wouldn't have been hurt at all. In fact, falling over backwards is far less likely to cause injury than flipping over forwards, and if you ever find yourself about to go out of control on a downhill I would recommend ditching backwards instead of risking hitting a lip at high speed and smashing your head into the ground. (My original fracture was caused by hitting a crack in a sidewalk at speed on the flat.) If you are used to balancing, you will find that when you fall backwards you will be curled forward, which protects your head and makes for a gentle landing since you land on the flat of your shoulders. If you're really adventurous, you can try riding down stairs on the rear wheels. I've seen it down, but I won't hop down anything worse than relatively low curbs. So keep practicing, Michael. Being able to balance your 'chair will give you more opportunities and confidence. Besides, it impresses the bipeds. -- Steve VanDevender stevev@chemstor.uoregon.edu "Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population. Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."
Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Ron Rothenberg) (03/16/90)
Index Number: 7177
JC> A friend came back from the Korean war as a paraplegic. Almost
JC> a year after being shot he was doing wheelies, lost it, and is
JC> now a quad. A high price to pay, according to him, for showing
JC> off.
I think head injury would be a big problem, too. Wear your bicycle
helmet while learning to do wheelies!
-RSR-
... When I want your opinion I'll give it to you. L.J. Peter
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460!Ron.Rothenberg
Internet: Ron.Rothenberg@f460.n101.z1.fidonet.orgMichael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) (03/16/90)
Index Number: 7187
SV> So keep practicing, Michael. Being able to balance your
SV> 'chair will give you more opportunities and confidence.
SV> Besides, it impresses the bipeds.
You know, there *is* one particular biped of the female persuasion that I
have become very interested in lately, and I've come across a question
that maybe you or someone else here with wheelchair experience might be
able to answer... No, it's nothing like *that* :-). It just turns out
that she is very fond of going to the beach and I used to love to do that
too, before I became a wheelchair user. Considering that summer is going
to be here soon (I hope, I hope) I was wondering if you might have any
ideas on how to overcome the logistical nightmare I foresee of trying to
maneuver around in sand with a wheelchair? Thanks.
Michael
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!Michael.Merrow
Internet: Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.orgMichael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) (03/16/90)
Index Number: 7188
PG> Wheels are a lot less stable than legs, dontcha know, I
PG> would be MORE reluctant to try wheelies than I would be
PG> to tilt my chair back.
Again, I think Steve VanDevender explained it better than I can. I am
only beginning to learn from my own experience in practicing that the
dynamics of balancing in a chair are different than what you might think.
There's almost no risk of me tipping over sideways, as with a regular
chair and forward and backward tipping are controllable because of the
fact that I am able to move the chair itself along the ground to
compensate for the my own lack of balance.
Michael
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!Michael.Merrow
Internet: Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.orgstevev@chemstor.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender) (03/17/90)
Index Number: 7202 In article <10685@bunker.UUCP> Michael.Merrow@hnews.fidonet.org (Michael Merrow) writes: >Index Number: 7187 >You know, there *is* one particular biped of the female persuasion that I >have become very interested in lately, and I've come across a question >that maybe you or someone else here with wheelchair experience might be >able to answer... No, it's nothing like *that* :-). It just turns out >that she is very fond of going to the beach and I used to love to do that >too, before I became a wheelchair user. Considering that summer is going >to be here soon (I hope, I hope) I was wondering if you might have any >ideas on how to overcome the logistical nightmare I foresee of trying to >maneuver around in sand with a wheelchair? Thanks. >Michael I once saw an ad for a wheelchair designed to run on sand, but it looked pretty bad since the wheels were basically flat circular bands. If it had pushrims, which it didn't, I'd have worried about slitting my wrists on the wheels. Fortunately, there do exist wide tires and rims for 'chairs that can be used on rough ground, allowing you to do things like hike on dirt trails and probably get around easier on the sand. I can't give you any references off-hand, but you could probably find some ads in magazines like Sports 'n' Spokes. The ones I saw advertised a while back were called "Trail Wheels" and were basically mountain bike tires and rims with pushrims and wheelchair hubs, available in up to 2-inch wide sizes. If you can find back issues of S'n'S, look for the one with the cover shot of a guy rapelling down a rock face in a 'chair. It's a zinger of a cover--definitely shocks the bipeds. -- Steve VanDevender stevev@chemstor.uoregon.edu "Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population. Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."
Ken.Willoughby@f101.n305.z1.fidonet.org (Ken Willoughby) (03/22/90)
Index Number: 7233 >... Considering that summer is going to be here soon (I hope, I >hope) I was wondering ... how to overcome the >logistical nightmare ... to maneuver around in sand with a >wheelchair? Thanks. I read your message about trying to use a wheelchair in sand. Here is one way to do it but, I don't have a workshop or ability to build it myself. That is, convert the wheelchair to a tracked vehicle. The tracks would have to be about 6 inches wide with horizontal ribs every half inch or so. The wheels of the chair would ride in grooves on the topside of the rubber track. You would need 2 sets of fixed wheels in front of the chair and 2 more back of each shoulder. Think of something like a huge A frame on each side of the wheelchair. You would then use the normal way of moving your wheelchair except that it is running on the rubber tracks not sand. You would turn the normal way except that if you turn too sharp or violently you will make the wheels jump out of the tracks. Theoretically, this setup could even climb stairs. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!305!101!Ken.Willoughby Internet: Ken.Willoughby@f101.n305.z1.fidonet.org
Debbie.Mandel@p1.f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (Debbie Mandel) (03/23/90)
Index Number: 7271 In a message of < 7 Mar 90 13:53:05>, Michael Merrow (1:141/420) writes: >There's almost no risk of me tipping over sideways, as with a regular >chair and forward and backward tipping are controllable because of the >fact that I am able to move the chair itself along the ground to >compensate for the my own lack of balance. > >Michael When I used to work in a rehab facility (a long time ago), we had a chair with a folding thing on the back with little wheels that you could pull out. That way, the person could practice wheelies as much as they wanted until they got the balance point right. If they went over too far, the thing on the back would catch them and there would be no danger. I had one guy (I think his injury was somewhere around T-1, and he was wearing a brace at the time), who used it for about two weeks and never needed it again. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!233!15.1!Debbie.Mandel Internet: Debbie.Mandel@p1.f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org