Maintaining fitness all year long is more than important when the vacations you take will involve a wheelchair. By doing cardio exercises most days of the week, I find I am much better prepared to push our daughter, Jamie, around – even if hills are involved. I hardly got winded walking the trail we did a few weeks back for a fall staycation day.
One of the exercises I look forward to as the weather warms is bike riding and Jamie is right there with me. We end up going several times a week in the summer months and she really looks forward to it. It’s not all that uncommon for her to approach me, iPad in hand, with the phrase, “Go on a bike ride” spelled out on the screen.
We have a wonderful area to go bike riding in as you can see from the photos taken last summer on a couple of our rides:
About Our Special Needs Bike Traler
We have had our Special Needs Blue Sky Cycle Cart since 2004 and it is still in great shape to take my daughter for a ride. I’ll add that pulling her behind me is a great way for maintaining my fitness as her extra weight helps increase my heart rate as we ride. It is such a durable trailer, I wanted to talk about it here since sometimes it is hard to find really dependable equipment for helping those with disabilities.
Since I am writing this in the middle of winter and this weekend has been all about snow and bad weather in my area, I had to photograph it in my garage. I did my best to edit out the background so you would just be able to focus on the cart itself. Here are some of its wonderful features:
- Frame constructed of steel – yes, steel – that will NOT bend
- Sturdy wooden floor
- Durable nylon fabric for seat and sides
- Collapsible sides and back for easier transport
- Four point harness/seat belt to safely secure the passenger
- A top cover to provide shade (I’ll admit I have rarely used this as I typically ride early in the morning)
We opted for the model that has a sling seat, so we put that fancy patterned pillow under it so Jamie would be a little more comfortable while riding. I understand that the company also offers a more rigid seat that provides better support to those with disabilities who need it.
I have to mention just how much I love the way this trailer connects to a bike. A bar swoops up from the bottom and it attaches to a rubber “hitch” that wraps around the post of the bicycle seat. This means the trailer is perfectly centered behind you while riding, making for a smooth, balanced ride.
Attaching the Trailer to a Bike
The photo series below illustrates how the trailer connects to a bike seat. I added a couple extra photos near the end to display the push button connections used to hold all the parts firmly together. The last picture shows that when you tilt the cart down to help your passenger get in, it is only 8” off the ground.
Ready, Set, Ride!
Now, time to help the passenger in, along with her choice of entertainment. Over the years, she’s brought along anything from a Vtech talking alphabet toy to a Barbie radio. But now, as you can see, she opts for an iPad and a set of headphones to truly experience the joy of the excursion.
As for me, I just feel great being out and maintaining my fitness level on a quiet morning. We did our share of riding together this last summer and were even stopped one day by an elementary school teacher who taught Jamie years ago. The summer riding was excellent preparation for a trip we took to the Maritimes in August that I plan to write about next while it is still pretty fresh on my mind.
But for now, happy biking!