Here's a little background info. In 1996, I was fitted with a misaligned prosthetic leg that turned my world upside down. My body/muscular structure was changing (and not for the good). I eventually lost my golf game, and pretty soon it became painful to do even the most basic task. Through this time I always had a bike (been riding since I was six) to rely on to keep me in shape and to take my mind off things. I was working 24/7 in my head and rebuilding my leg myself on the floor of my bedroom to figure out what went wrong. I even made parts for my foot out of duct tape that were able to get me by for a while. In 2007 I finally found someone in Houston that was able to help me. Not long after that, I had a new leg that was not throwing my hip socket 140 degrees out of whack. Not having your hip socket rubbing on your pelvis is a great feeling by the way. This newer leg was nice because I could ride without my leg wanting to shoot off. And, with a little bit more room at the top of the socket, I could leave the neoprene belt off. Ahhh, no more sawing motion on my waist. I wore the silicone liner and hydraulic cylinder out (under warranty, thank god!) on my leg in a under a year. My old 1986 GT Mach One that I had owned since new gave out as well (cracked seat tube). This was a problem because I had some tall handle bars that I was able to reach with my little arm and was pretty comfortable with a upright riding position. I tried a lot of bikes at my local bike shop and reluctantly got a Specialized Hardrock. It was a good bike, but I was in an awkward position on it while trying to walk my 85 pound German Shepherd. I eventually started riding more. I took it off road once and struggled greatly in the woods. I had one mishap right after dusk. I hit a black speed bump that I couldn't see. I was able to save myself from hitting the pavement, but that was enough for me. I was freaking out every 20 feet trying to figure out how to deal with every obstacle that was in my way - curbs, cracks in the road, branches, rocks, thick grass etc. The discomfort factor was wearing me out. I could only last maybe 20 minutes on a ride. Leaning over on my elbow any longer than that made my neck hurt for most of the next day. I had to mentally scream at myself before the ride with both bikes to get pumped up enough to ride. It felt like I was getting ready for an Olympic Bobsledding run. I knew I needed a new bike that fit better. A friend loaned me a Marlin that was too big and was unrideable for me. I tried a few different bikes at my LBS. The Pivot Mach 4 was fast, but still didn't fit right. The Specialized FSR had a great ride, but I bobbed like crazy and it favored my left leg too much. The Orbea 29er was too much of an XC riding position, plus I was unsure about getting those big hoops moving. But the more I read about them, the more it seemed to be the direction to go considering my height. I found a picture of a Chumba HX2 and said to myself "That's it!."
I called Chumba and told them the story of me and my disabilities and was able to ask a few questions about the bike. I saw a guy riding a bike with an artificial leg on their site so I figured I was in good hands. I got a hold of Alan later that day and told him my story. He calmly said yeah "We can do it. We can even modify the bike for you." I was skeptical about modifying the bike. In the past, I just adapted my body to things like skateboards and golf clubs with no problems. I was willing to try something new. If it didn't work, I could just put it back to its original configuration. Alan was able to create something with two handle bars, two stems and a longer fork steerer tube using the pics and video that I sent him. He came up with a pretty awesome set up. After my LBS assembled it, I took it for a spin around the shop and was really surprised that we really didn't have to adjust anything other than the seat height. We raised the seat up a little that was it. It felt so good that when they asked if I needed help putting it in my trunk, I thought for a second and said "screw that, I'm riding this sucka home".
I stopped by a friend's house who recently got a new 29er and off we went to hit some trails on the other side of town. The new bar positioning gave me more neck freedom to survey my surroundings better. This helped tremendously in traffic. On to the trails. These were trails I had never seen before. I didn't even know they existed. I had a great time until we got by the four wheeler trails by the river. I came upon a huge, steep section about the size of a one story rooftop. I suddenly had flashbacks of chickening out with my BMX on some E.T./extraterrestrial lots back when I lived in San Diego. While I was debating myself to cross it, I fell over on some logs. I got stuck in the toe clips and whacked the frame with my artificial leg. I thought, "Well there goes the paint." There wasn't even a scratch. I got back up and went down the section keeping my left "good" foot down just in case. At the bottom, you have to make a hard right turn or you'll go right in to the bushes. WOO! I MADE IT!! The ride to this trail took a while, so I was able to figure out with the two bars what was going to work and what felt natural to me. The extra height on the left bar felt great. I instinctively put my right arm in the normal position. That quick trail ride helped me figure out what my body would reach for when I had obstacles to deal with. I had not planned for a ride that intense with a new bike, or with two bars which I knew could be dangerous for me. But, we were on a short trail. Other than the drop in I felt I was ok. I knew I was on a special bike when I came upon a right hairpin turn with a large log. The fact that the trail was muddy made it even more interesting. I leaned into the turn, went right over a log the size of my arm and nothing happened. It was like it wasn't even there. The Maxxis Ignitors were great in the mud. Even with one leg pumping, I never slipped. We rode for five hours that day. As we approached my friend's house, my cheap temporary pedals fell apart and my friend lost a spoke on his rear wheel.
WHAT A GREAT DAY!! A Five hour ride? Are you kidding me? I felt like I had not even done anything that day, I was totally energized. I kept the two bars on for a while until I was definitely sure which which way I wanted them. I finally cut the upper right and the lower left and put some plastic caps in the bars for safety. My neighborhood is a haven for road bikes. The relatively steep hills and 1.7 mile kidney bean shaped layout make for a nice little track. Also, no through traffic makes it the safest place to ride in town. As I was getting more comfortable with the bike, I was able to compare it to my other bikes by running it flat out for two laps. The Chumba did great, no problem getting the big wheels up to speed. I was running low tire pressure and still liked how smooth it was. I was amazed at how I was able to go over roots, curbs and cracks in the road (the roads are horrible in Louisiana). I pumped the tires up just to check the top speed of the HX2 and started off down a hill full blast. I was flying in no time. It was way too fast for me, so we went right back home and let some air out of the tires. I was having a lot of fun with the lower pressures riding over roots. I found myself purposefully not going straight at all - just carving the road trying to hit spots really close to the side to see if I could make it. No problem for this bike. Another advantage I noticed was low speed stability. I felt in control almost to a complete stop, which comes in handy while trying to walk my 13 year old dog. The Hardrock gave me problems with the front wheel coming up on steep grass hills. Not the Chumba. The seat was also great right out of the box. I can't stand up to peddle, so I spent a lot of time on it and it's very comfortable.
I began exploring my town a lot more. My gut told me there were some cool places around, but I needed the right bike to get there. Right under peoples noses, I found a wood duck pond and a great little trail right by my house. This trail has some cool sections and is just hard enough for my skill level. I always have to pick the right line going uphill over roots, but once I figure it out I can get up it every time now. After it rains, the trail can be littered with sticks, branches and rocks that can kick my front wheel out from under me. I have the fork set pretty soft. If I set it too stiff, it can cause problems with the roots going uphill. My little arm gets bucked off when I'm moving at a fast pace, so a soft fork and low air pressure in the tires is my ideal set up. The only bad thing about this trail is that there is supposedly a black bear den in there somewhere. I heard about this from someone whose Border Collie floats across the river to chase the bear (he's too fat to swim). I haven't seen any bear. I think they must attracted to the drive through daiquiri shop close by.
I have yet to experience a panic moment on this bike. I was riding across a road once in heavy traffic and had recently moved my front brakes to the left side of the rear brake. As I crossed the road, I grabbed the front instead of the rear (with a backpack on full of books) and accidentally got up on the front wheel. I was able to negotiate what was going on and even rode it out a little ways. I have NEVER done that before in my life! The weird thing was that I did not panic at all. Some teenagers in a jacked up truck saw it happen and I just casually saluted them with my little arm and just went on my merry way. This newfound confidence has given me the goal of going to Baton Rouge and riding at Comite Park one day.
For a long time I had to focus on fixing my leg and getting better. It was tough, It took a long time, but I finally got it done. The physical pain is one thing to deal with, but I was thrown a curve ball when the fire went out inside of me. Mainly to play golf, but even stranger that fire was gone from everything. My focus was one thing and it drained me, I was lost. Period. This bike was the final push that I needed. This year has been great. I started a part time business dog and house sitting. I started playing golf again. I went to the U.S. Open this year and was able to walk 18 holes. I've been looking into helping some disabled veterans maybe next summer in Crested Butte, Colorado. I've got a long way to go to get my game and my body in shape but I feel I'm finally on the right track.
The Chumba is beyond great. Riding it is the closest I have ever been to feeling like a whole person. For me, most activities take a lot of energy and concentration. This bike is the complete opposite. It seems to give me more energy. Simply awesome.
Thanks to Alan and everybody at Chumba Racing and all their work.
Lane
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