TJ – there’s nothing left of the shoulder – well, about an inch of collarbone but no shoulderblade. It was a biggie….

The main need for stabilisation is indeed when braking and/or going downhill. It is difficult for him to shift his weight back easily and brake and remain stable/supported.
I keep trying to work out ‘better’ riding positions for him – I know my ‘extra’ weight on the left means it’s not an accurate test, but it really is quite tricky to do it. I tend to shift left on my saddle and wedge my left knee into the cross tube with my right leg and pedal forward and ‘braced’, but it is a bit of an unnatural position to be in and is difficult to move easily from should you need to, while still going downhill. (does that make sense?)

You guys are great. 🙂
I am not sure what the prosthetist has come up with yet, but it sounds like it is similar to what Rikk has described – J’s next appointment isn’t until next week so we’ll let you know.
There’s a photo above that gives you an idea what shape is left. Basically though, it’s just his ribcage with a layer of skin over it. That’s apparently the problem – there are no lumps or bumps to ‘secure’ anything to, so the strapping has to be around his torso quite firmly – but not so firmly he can’t breathe when he is riding.
Where are you guys based – this sounds very much like it needs a night in the pub with beer and lots of paper and pencils… 🙂

We had to bale out the reception area a couple of hours ago because the drains outside couldn’t cope with the amount of water coming down.
And now the car park is completely dry, the sun is out and it looks like it never happened!

Oh don’t worry, there will be pics!

Rikk, we have a friend who has been working with Pace to get a good mountainbiking leg design sorted out. I think they’ve been working on sorting out a good socket more than anything. I don’t know whether you’re all set up now, but if not I could put you in touch with him, maybe it could save you or him reinventing the wheel…

The OT put J in touch with a couple of local retired engineers who help out with solutions for amputees but when he told them what he wanted they pretty much ran off. :-S
If this ‘project’ by the prosthetist doesn’t come to anything I think our next stop will be the university (engineering or prosthetics? Not sure yet) to see whether any of their students fancy a project…

It seems the prosthetist has come up with a possible plan for a riding arm, but without the approval of the consultant so not sure yet whether he’ll even get that. The consultant appears to want all his patients to sit back and be gentle with themselves.
As far as J is concerned it is about getting back to your life pre-cancer and amputation – and to him that is climbing and cycling. Surely that should also be the aim of the NHS consultant? His occupational therapist has been great in trying to get him ‘something’ sorted out, but she has just retired so we have no idea what the person who takes over will be like.
The major problem is fixing any prosthetic securely and also the shoulder joint. Elbows are (relatively) easy and that’s where the shocks come in, but because of the range of movement in the shoulder creating something that will stay where it should when needed and yet ‘give’ sometimes is proving more complicated.

Hi 1LegRikk. J had a steering damper on the hardtail but not on this new full sus yet. Hopey are sending a new bracket to fit the bike but he’s riding pretty well without. I don’t know what beyond bounderies live is, so not planned to go – will look it up though. Is it something you’re involved in, or would you be going as a visitor?

I am not sure I’d use a stoneware pot on the hob but we have a le creuset 20cm cast iron casserole pan and use it for all sorts of stuff – cooking chillis on the hob, risotto that starts on the top but goes in the oven. It’s probably the most used pan we have. And like Julian says, they clean SO easily! (even when I weld chilli to the bottom….)

Hi TandemJeremy. Interesting ideas, thank you. I read your post to J and he is quite intrigued by the pad on the top tube idea. I think we might see if we can rig something and give it a go. Will keep you informed…

This is great – everyone coming up with ideas and suggestions and even if they might not be suitable for J they might be able to help someone else at some point in the future. This is when internet forums are at their very best. 🙂

We broke the 20 mile barrier today! 🙂 (32km for you newfangled types, with about 700m ascent, mostly off road!)
He says his remaining arm doesn’t feel too bad afterwards which is really good news. I am fairly sure it is the new bike that’s helping – he’s definitely better on the hills and apart from a couple of ‘dumb falls’ he was mostly upright today.

And afterwards – knackered but pretty pleased with himself.

Ollie, that would be great. thanks. You can, in theory, mail by clicking on my name…

Tankslapper – the weights question is a really interesting one. He definitely rides a bit twisted to balance himself on the bike and then ends up with back ache sometimes, so I wonder whether something like this might be worth looking into? I am a bit useless at physics so I don’t know whether it would help or not?
He’s our resident geek so I will mention it to him…

Yes, seen the mtb-amputee site before – it’s pretty cool, isn’t it? I think that was one of the other things that really convinced J he could not only get back on his bike but still do interesting stuff.
I always whinge at J saying the reason he wastes me on the uphills is because of the weight advantage. I don’t think I can really win that one though ‘cos he always comes back with the ‘residual effects of the chemo’ argument. Pah, some people… 😉

Ollie – does your mate use a prosthetic or does he just ride one-handed?

Hey, Samuri – you might not be too far off with that statement.
I have JUST had a voicemail from him saying the hospital limb centre is actually looking into providing him with a biking arm now – after MUCH arguing/begging/asking why etc.
I know they have to justify the costs involved but surely trying to get amputees back to what they did pre-op/injury is the aim of the game? We’ve had a right battle.
I need more info but it finally sounds like we are getting somewhere. This is great news, because it should give his wrist a bit of a rest (no sniggering at the back!!) when he’s riding. Whoop!! 🙂

Also, he got his bike back yesterday with the new avid brakes on – he now has a back brake. Bonus!! So we’re hoping to christen them up in the lake district this weekend. Yeeeeeah! As an aside, has anyone got any recommendations for steady but interesting routes in the southern lakes please?

Snaps – snap!! Although mine’s black. Reckon harleys are ‘marmite bikes’. Personally I don’t like ’em. Used to have an XBR500 and I think it sounded nicer – and looked nicer – than any harley I’ve seen/heard. And it did corners. And fast getaways. 😉

🙂
Much more enticing.
(free bump)

Bump, and done. Enjoy the ride. (I’ll be doing similar soon. I accidentally somehow volunteered to do Wetherby to Whitby. Aaaagh. It’s not quite Paris…)

They’re good but don’t wear them if you use a mobile with a accelerometer (?) in them (where the screen display turns by 90 degrees when you turn the phone), because it is entirely possible you might think your phone is playing up when you turn it sideways and the screen goes blank.
Not that it has ever happened to me, of course… (ahem)

midlifecrashes – the cable option finally occured to me after reading a few of the earlier replies on here. I think we’d got that fixated on hydraulic that we just ‘forgot’ other brakes are available.

I am going to point this thread out to J and get him to set up his own login on here so he can come and ask questions himself.

Thank you all for helping out again. It is always very much appreciated. 🙂

ChristoGinger – I think it was used on the Deore link, I just wasn’t certain what it meant.

Thanks all.
I think he’s going with the Avids anyway, the LBS have done him a good deal. 🙂

WRT two brakes fed from one lever – we looked into that early on but he’s kind of used to riding with 2 seperate levers stacked together so he is quite happy to stick with that set up.

Excuse my lack of knowledge, but does ‘flip flop’ levers just mean you can put either lever on either bar? I assume that’s the case, but just checking….

The place that told us they didn’t stock them this morning IS a Specialized dealer – I bought the bike from them!!
Lesson learnt, anyway. 🙂

I now have a (part fitted) new one and a spare for in my seat pack.
And now I know exactly which part it is, it shouldn’t be such a pain next time…

Husband is picking 2 up for me from the bike shop that this morning told him they had none!
Not impressed with the shop but at least it means I can get back on the bike. When my ankle stops hurting…
Thank you all.

James, everyone, thanks – I have found the part on a few sites now.

Hi

I can’t find the right shape on BETD or ebay, unfortunately.

However, I have checked the website for the shop I mentioned, found the part and it states they have ‘good stock’ of them. Now I am extra pi$$ed off. (And I am sure you can now guess which shop I am referring to, having read numerous threads about them on here at various times…)
They picked a bad day to be obstructive… 😉

Thanks anyway folks.

T

I’m going to get my revenge while he sleeps! 😉

I fell off at least 5 times today – the second to last time I hurt my ankle, the last time I bust the rear mech hanger and REALLY hurt my ankle. Had to push the bike up the hill to a pub because there was no mobile signal where it happened and as we were walking up the hill my husband asked if now was “a good time to tell you to MTFU?”.
This is NOT an appropriate time to use the phrase. It can cause damage.
😉

Me and the bloke both use Petzl Corax harnesses – like the adjustable leg loops. I’m more of a cushion dweller these days though…

My o/h uses this when talking to one of his colleagues whose surname is Man. It’s way funnier then, with a comma after “Man”. Well, I think so…

I’m watching Ghost World at the mo. It’s making more sense this time, watching it sober…

And this is (a bad photo of) our cake, just for the hell of it. It wasn’t made from black pudding, but the icing DID make you look like you had manky teeth. 🙂 Tasted gooooood though.

This is me and J, 4 weeks ago today. 🙂 (It only took us 15 years though…)

Wow, you all look great. Who’s who?? So did any of you have a self-imposed biking ban beforehand? (I did ‘cus I thought I’d break myself, but it just drove me nuts and I went out anyway!)

I always regret not saying something to the guy whose dog laid one on the local football pitch and he just kicked some grass cuttings over it. I really hope no one slid into that one. Dorty bast’d.
He’d’ve probably punched me though. There are some lovely people up here… 🙁

Some cracking pics on here. Looks like pretty much everyone had nice weather too. 🙂

Here’s mine from Sunday – on a walk from Moscar up toward Back Tor and back via Strines Moor.
This is Julian working on his balance (big boots and a certain ‘roll down the hill if you fall off’ factor didn’t help)

We watched S.Darko the other day which is a ‘7 year later’ sequel to DD. It was just as confusing and was most definitely NOT helped by alcohol. That said, I am not sure I’ll bother re-watching it to try to understand it…

Firmware update is a good idea. Also, do they have a spare filter – could just be a dodgy filter. Also, is the connection more reliable if they use the wire, rather than wireless?

Hmmmm, just tried and I can’t work out how to do it either. I am sure there must be a way though.