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In 1978 Kevin broke his back falling off a roof. He fractured one vertebra and compressed the two neighbouring discs. He was lucky – no nerves were cut, so despite a ten day stretch immobile on a hospital bed and the prognosis of ongoing back problems, Kevin was able to return to - almost - the life he had led before. Formerly a regular cyclist, the accident forced him to cut back on many of his physical activities, including his cycling. After 6 months his doctor gave the OK to recommence riding, but, keenly aware of the state of his back, Kevin always made careful evaluations of his condition before getting on the bike.
Over time the bike was left untouched for longer and longer periods. When he did ride it Kevin became aware of how increasingly uncomfortable cycling was becoming, and this, coupled with a decline in overall fitness meant that regular bike riding was never likely to recommence.
By 2005 it had been many months since Kevin’s bike had left the shed at his family home of the last 14 years in the Tuggeranong Valley. In January he saw an ad in the Canberra Times for Greenspeed recumbent trikes that changed his outlook on riding. Graham was just about to go on holidays to Melbourne, where he visited the Greenspeed factory office in Ferntree Gully and took a test ride along the cycle paths nearby. He liked what he felt. On his return to Canberra he contacted Michael Priest at Fuse Recumbents and arranged for a second test ride around the Tuggeranong hills and was convinced he’d found the answer to his problem. He ordered a new, bright red GT3 trike on the spot and two days later took delivery.
Kevin, who works at Woden CIT now rides to work 2 or 3 times a week, a distance of about 100km in total. “The best thing about the trike is the support it gives to my back, because the seat holds me properly and doesn’t ask my back to support extra weight. That makes riding easy - I can pedal easily and relax into the seat. And I can carry my luggage in the panniers on the rack over the rear wheel without the extra pressure a rucksack would bring – and the panniers don’t affect the handling of the trike like they do on a bike.” says Kevin.
He has taken it travelling too. He has ridden it to the top of Mount Panorama racing circuit and finished with an exhilarating 75km/hr descent down again, and done the 2006 NSW Big Bike Ride on it. “I can’t really think of any disadvantages of the trike” Kevin continued. “People ask me about sitting low to the road and whether that creates any danger, but it doesn’t seem to be much different to being on an upright bike. It’s just a matter of making eye contact with drivers and then things are usually fine”.
Kevin says the best comment has come from a sceptical female relative who, on taking it for a long ride on the cycle path came back and said simply “This is a serious machine, isn’t it?”. Or as another put it “What a blast!”.
Allen is a business analyst who has lived for the last 15 years in Tuggeranong. In 2005 he felt it was time to tackle an incipient weight problem by doing more of the exercise he enjoyed most - cycling.
However, there was a complication. Allen has a history of back pain, and combined with the extra weight he was carrying, riding his old upright bike for any length of time simply was not possible.
He contacted Michael Priest at Fuse Recumbents to see if a recumbent trike might be an option. The deck-chair style seat supports his whole back, and the three wheels give him total stability so it requires no balance to ride.
Initially sceptical that a trike could work for him, Allen took a GT3 trike for a test commute of 34 km from home to Civic and back. It was a revelation - "I found that aside from my legs being tired and a bit sore from my first ride everything else, including my back, which I was really concerned about, was fine. I felt the best I had in years. And my legs got used to the trike after only a week of riding" he says.
Now Allen commutes at least 4 times a week between home and work, now in Tuggeranong, on the trike. He also does frequent recreational rides around the area, as far out as Gordon. He says "My primary motivation to start riding was for health reasons, but with petrol prices so high now I'd estimate I'm saving $60 to $80 dollars a fortnight in petrol, parking, and car maintenance by riding between 30 and 60km per week instead. I did expect to save on petrol but not nearly to the extent that I am."
Allen says that Canberra's extensive cycle path and cycle lane network was a big influence in is decision to start riding to work. "I lived in Sydney for a while and would have reservations about riding in Sydney traffic on either a trike or bike. But with Canberra's bike lanes and paths it is simply not an issue."
He's found non-monetary advantages too. "The view from the trike is fantastic. You seem to be able to take in more of the scenery, especially around the parks and lakes. The trike is a little slower up hills, but downhill and on the flat I have been able to keep up with most regular bikes. A friend who rides a mountain bike says he found it very difficult to keep with me on the commute to Civic. In addition, magpies seem reluctant to swoop the trike even when attacking other riders during breeding season."
Peter is a cyclist with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), which severely inhibits his walking ability. After recomendations from doctors and breathing specialists to try and exercise more, Peter began casting about for an activity that would provide the excercise he needed but would not be too badly impacted by his diminished sense of balance. He found Greenspeed’s recumbent trikes.
Now he rides his GT3 between 7 and 10 km a day on the Melbourne cycle paths around his home. Apart from the pleasure of his new freedom of movement the exercise is helping maintain the strength of the muscles in his chest and legs, and, he hopes, to help his body fight against and slow down the effects of the disease.
Peter contacted Fuse in May, and after some preliminary discussion it became clear Peter’s needs were a little different to our usual customers. “Because I can’t easily get in and out of the trike from the front, I asked Michael to provide an extension handle on the seat tube to help me come in from the side. He was also able to mount a tube on the rear of the seat to hold my walking stick while I’m riding.” said Peter. Since then Fuse has also been able to help with a steady flow of advice and information about trikes, riding techniques and maintenance.
It hasn’t been easy for Peter - he’s had to learn to cycle pretty much from scratch - there were no gears on bikes when he was a boy! But after several months his technique is improving and he now changes up and down with confidence. Peter has settled in happily with the trike, and records his daily progress, measured on his trip computer, on a calendar on the fridge, a tangible record of how much he has improved. in August he managed a 15km trip - not bad for someone who, in the first days, had trouble getting up his driveway! He is a well-known figure around the neighbourhood now, and promotes awareness of MND with a sign on the back of his trike seat.
Peter purchased his trike with assistance from the students and staff of Camberwell Grammar Junior School, whose students ran a ten-day sponsored bike-a-thon to raise money towards the trike's purchase. For more information about MND and how you can help support research into the disease see the website of the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Victoria.
