One thing I figured out quite quickly was that the standard anodised aluminium pushrims/handrims on my chair were hard to grip, especially in the cold of an Edinburgh January. Gloves helped (and I'll do a separate entry on them) but weren't always practical and I probably won't want to wear them next time I go to Dubai! One afternoon we were having a discussion about silicone bakeware and I went "ah! I know what I need - silicone pushrim covers".
When I got home Google told me such a thing already exists! One of the first pages I found was information on Grippoz, which looked great but sadly are not on the market and their Kickstarter failed to reach it's target.
I found some less innovative options already available though - in a range of colours and a fairly large range of prices from various retailers. In the end I went with plain black ones (because I am boring!) from Mobility Pit Stop. Like all wheelchair accessories, as I am discovering, they were not cheap at just short of £50 including postage, but they were delivered within a couple of days and, to my relief, were very easy to fit.
They've made a massive difference to my hands, which no longer end up stiff because they have been on the freezing cold, hard metal. Pushing is much more effective - making it less effort on the flat and making hills and ramps much easier. So they've been totally work the money. I don't need my gloves unless it's actually cold! I've done a couple of 3-4km outings using them and am very impressed - in particular it was lovely not to have to ask someone to "give me a shove" up a ramp.
One small quibble - they do flick off if I catch them on a tight doorway, which is annoying but easily enough fixed. I suspect making them slightly smaller, so they have to be stretched to put on the rims, would fix this, but make them harder to fit.
I wasn't paid to write this review and I paid for the product myself - if this is ever not the case I will make it clear.
No comments:
Post a Comment