Valley Forge Beer Fest

So last night at the Valley Forge Beer Festival, I had a lot of people come up to me asking all about my kick-ass cool chair. This photo does not show these people, it shows me and my posse having fun. Pretzel necklace completes the picture.

The Trekinetic K2 is turning heads all over the place. I even gave my name and number to a gent who works with and raises money for veterans in and around Philly. He said he is going to contact me this week about info about the chair. Either that, or he was going to put my number all over bathroom stalls.
 



Oh, and check me out over on the Twitter @mytrekinetic !

Thanks!

I could be resentful for riding my bicycle into a car in 1986, but if you think about it, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't have a beautiful family, a nice house and many wonderful friends. Granted, life has been tough the past few years and my abilities have declined a little, but life is tough for everyone in different levels every day. You never know what someone is going through...be thankful for what you have, no matter what!

I am thankful for my journey thus far. It has been an amazing ride and I plan on riding on for a good long time. I am thankful for my loving and caring wife. I love her so much and have loved her so these 19 years! I am thankful for my two wonderful boys who amaze me, make me smile continuously, and make me so proud. I am thankful for my wonderful parents who raised me right throughout the years and gave me such a wonderful existence. I am thankful for my extended family and that I get to see them frequently. I am thankful for Facebook and the internet being there for me to connect/reconnect with family and friends near and far. I am thankful for the beautiful, friendly, peaceful area I live in. While I grew up in Long Island and love it with all my heart, it has become over-crowded and too much to bear on a daily basis. I am thankful for the ability to make many friends and other people smile on a daily basis with my status updates and funny photos. I am thankful for all the different things that I experience on a daily basis, whether it be food, watches, beer, t-shirts, music, people, etc.

I am thankful to have found an amazing wheelchair (the Trekinetic K-2) that allows me to experience all that I used to experience when I was more mobile. It really is a joy to have and use.

Thank you all for being in my life, reading this, and have a thankful day!

Trekinetic: Reinventing the wheelchair

Here is a really good article about the birth of the Trekinetic K-2 wheelchair (and the GT-3 shown here and in the article) and how it became what it is today. The GT-3 is basically the K2, but geared for primarily city use. Because of the big wheels in the front, however, it still gives you the ability to go over just about anything. Also, the independent drum/disc brakes give you such amazing control steering/braking.

Even though this article was written in 2008, it still rings very true. You can find it here.

Murderball

Maybe it's my uncanny resemblance to Mark Zupan, with my long goatee and all. Maybe it's my bad-ass, unique wheelchair. Maybe it was just the EMS sales associate trying to put his only knowledge of the active handicapped individual to good use. He said, "do you play Murderball?"

I said, "no, I use this amazing chair to go for hikes in the woods. Why else would I be shopping at Eastern Mountain Sports?" Needless to say, I went there to purchase a new Murderball outfit. I like the lightweight clothing and their amazing wicking ability. :P

Seriously, though...just because someone is disabled and in some wild looking chair, don't assume what the person does with the chair. It's not like all sports car drivers cars ever see a race track, or all SUV drivers drive off-road.

I could play Murderball. I am a quadriplegic/tetraplegic, so yeah I could. And I think, however, that if Murderball came out when I was in my late teens...I'd be all over that court. Sadly, quad rugby didn't get its start until a little later. Ah well...maybe I'll get a late start.

Can't you tell the resemblance? It's uncanny!

 

Why front wheel drive is better

"When you propel a traditional rear propelled wheelchair, you are effectively pushing only against your body weight. If you push hard enough, you might lift yourself out of the chair. That limits how effectively you can push. Trekinetic realized that doesn't quite happen with front wheel propulsion, because the reaction to pushing is resisted and supported by the backrest.

The only reason it wasn't done before, is that nobody could make a front wheel propelled 3 wheel chair run straight. Trekinetic finally solved this with their innovative rear wheel bias system. Then they found their big wheels at the front idea, had a totally unexpected ability. Namely that the chair could traverse uneven and rough (off-road) surfaces with unheard of ease. Even the power GTE model benefits from this configuration."

 While these are the words of Trekinetic, I agree with what they are saying. It really is amazing having the wheels up front. It makes such a difference with the mechanics of pushing the chair. As I've said before, using the K2 is wonderful and the wheels up front made pushing seem easier, almost effortless in certain instances. Then hopping in my old chair, pushing seemed so foreign and wrong.

Contact me to try this amazing chair!

Here is a pic of the massive rear fork. The chair is so well made...I think these things are indestructible. You can see the fork in the photo below on the three chairs.

I seriously want to take this puppy off road again. Even though I use it all over, it seems to beg for the rough...much like a sports car begging to have the throttle opened up wide.

...and while you can try these puppies out at the Science Museum of London, there are no places to try them out in the States...UNTIL NOW!
Contact me (themacgigolo@gmail.com) if you are in the NY-Philadelphia region (or wish to travel here) to try my awesome Trekinetic K2. You won't be disappointed!

Don't judge a book...

While one might assume that because the Trekinetic K2 (top right) has these bad-ass wheels and really kick-ass profile that it is strictly for off road/down-hill racing, that's not entirely true. This chair is totally rad and built for getting everywhere, but it is also built for everyday use.

This is totally a "don't judge a book by it's cover" scenario. I've definitely come across people that have said, wow...is that a newfangled recumbent mountain bike? Or, hey, I have similar wheels on my mountain bike.

Now, interestingly enough, I did get this chair primarily for its outdoor versatility, but I also did get it to replace my twenty-year-old, beat up Quickie (similar model to the yellow chair, top left). I can see that there are similarities to the specific bicycles shown here. There is a specific road bike and a specific mountain bike.

There is a difference, though, in that with wheelchairs, you use them all the time. You sit in them day in, day out; whereas with bicycles you only use them for certain time frames. I mean, yes, there are certain chairs that you might only use for certain situations. For instance, rugby/basketball chairs are too modified to use everywhere or racing chairs are only used for road races.

I must say, hopping in the K2 makes the day much more enjoyable and nothing stands in my way.

(Trek bicycles are only used as representations of all road/mountain bikes and I do not mean to show any allegiance to the brand).

Friends...

I have the best friends in the world. There, I said it. Sure, I have over "1,000" friends on Facebook, but seriously, they are awesome.

Some of these friends go to the next level, however. This is the story of one particular friend...

When deciding upon the Trekinetic, I realized I'd have to pay $800 for shipping. Mike, of Trekinetic fame, (seen standing with my chair) suggested flying over to pick up the chair or if I knew someone who would be in the London area around the end of June/beginning of July, I could have them retrieve the chair.

I haven't flown in like forever, and if I did fly there, what would I do with my old chair (which I'd have to travel with...). Not to mention the expenses of travel, room and board. I decided to not fly to London and retrieve my chair.

The other opportunity was to call in a major favor. My friend, Sarah, was going to Ireland and England during that time because her daughter was competing in the world championship Irish step dancing competition. I asked, no, pleaded on my knees to see if she would go out of her way and stop by the company and gather my new wheelchair and brelly (umbrella for people on this side of the pond). She originally said no, her itinerary was already booked solid. I bribed her with some decent IPAs and she eventually said yes. Actually she almost had to plead with me because i didn't want to put her out...she is the best.

While in London, she hired a car and went to the shop/factory. She met the one and only, Mike Spindle, creator of the wonder-beast! She then forced her daughter to wheel herself through the airport so that the chair would be put in the airplane's hold for free instead of me paying a shipping fee. Although, because the chair is so AWESOME, Hannah had a blast! Everyone kept asking Sarah and Hannah about the chair and thought it was so cool, from security to other passengers, to the customs people, even!

And they wheeled it empty most of the time (through the airport) and people wondered where the person for it was!

Ooh baby, it's magic!

Now, as an able-bodied individual, you might think...what's all the hubbub...so it just has knobby tires and they're in front instead of the back. Big whoop!

I'll tell ya, it is a big whoop. This summer at Surprise Lake Camp, I found everything to be so much easier. It really set my mind at ease. Dirt roads are the main paths everywhere and this year my older son was on the other side of the lake. Previously, I would walk places with a cane or a big stick. But really would time my walking so I wouldn't really need to move that much. I would also try to bum rides from the few people who drove around in the golf carts. Needless to say, I would rarely get to the other side of the lake if I didn't have this chair.

It is almost magical. I kid...there's no magic involved, but it is a really cool chair. Having those big knobby tires up front really keep this thing moving. Down hills, across fields and rooty/rocky terrain and through the woods to grandmother's house we go... Also, with the wheels being further in front, there is a lot longer that your hands can be pushing. This helps a lot when pushing up hill. I was amazed at the difference it made.

There is also an issue that you run into when using normal/standard wheelchairs of tipping over while going up hill. You have to lean forward and you're always fighting to keep from tipping. Not having to worry about tipping is huge. While you do adjust the angle of the seat to be more upright, it doesn't change your purchase on the wheels and it actually makes going up hill easier.

This here's a photo of Heidi in Western Australia. I can't tell if she's taunting the water or has just wheeled herself across this stream...

Tennis, anyone?

In my teenage years, I found a love for tennis. I found a tennis pro in Oceanside, N.Y. who taught others in wheelchairs and went for lessons. I also used my time in gym class to focus on tennis skills.
 

It was neat to not have to do any of the normal stuff in gym (well, in a chair, one couldn't really do all the normal stuff). I actually looked forward to gym.

Tennis in a wheelchair is great. It is one of the few sports you can play against able-bodied people. As a quad (quadriplegic), I am allowed two bounces to return the ball, other than that, all the other rules are the same.

With all of these lessons and practice, I became quite good (imagine that!). What was I to do with all this skill? Well, it turns out that there were quite a few tennis tourneys around locally and nationally. I entered and traveled to different places around the US for tournaments. I played in Flushing, NY, at the US Open site which was really cool. I even met Ed Koch there one year. I also played in a tournament near New Haven, CT, which is where I was first given the nick-name "Walking-Talking Quad". Another multi-day tournament brought me out to the west coast to Costa Mesa, CA.

Pictured here, I am in my first chair (prior to the yellow rigid chair I still have now and just recently replaced with the K2). It was a sporty fold up style chair. I had a metal bar added to the push handles in back to give it some rigidity. It did not however come with enough batteries to power these pants which appear to be brighter than the tennis ball!

Song to accompany today's blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB2f6-U72Zk

Let it snow, let it snow!

I'll tell you this...I am a snow bunny. I love snow. I love how it makes everything look the same. You can have a crappy looking yard with stuff strewn everywhere, but with a blanket of snow it'll look just like your neighbor's well-manicured, insanely-green-all-winter lawn.

There have definitely been some instances where I feel like I haven't been able to participate because of the snow on the ground. I can't wait to get in my chair and go places and do things this winter! Just having the peace of mind and just being able to do will make everything all the much better!

Over the years using the old style wheelchair, I have definitely just become used to the face that there are just certain things I couldn't do. Whether this be going out in the snow, going for hikes, watching soccer/lacrosse games on the field, I would just pass and hear about the games second hand.

Now, with the Trekinetic K2, I don't have to be left out or stay behind. I have a chair that is like a mountain bike. But I also have a chair that can be used all the time, kind of like a pair of multi-use sneakers. Yes, I can use them on the trail, but hey, I can also use them in the office or at a mall.

BRING ON THE SNOW!

Check out this lady trying out her new Trekinetic in the snow!

How it got started...

An overview of Trekinetic...

Trekinetic All Terrain Limited was originally a state of the art engineering company (under a different name) that specialized in the manufacture of components for the Motor Racing and Formula 1 industries. Some of the worlds most iconic road and track vehicles, were originally built on components manufactured in their factory.

Back in 2000, they decided that there must be a way to get this cutting edge technology before a wider audience. But which was the product that could best benefit from such advanced technology?
By chance, they stumbled upon the everyday wheelchair. Alarmingly, it was still based upon an antiquated metal tube chassis design. This technique had been abandoned by most automobile manufacturers in the 1950's, when they switched to unitary construction. Yet wheelchair manufacturers were still employing it. Why hadn’t they moved on?

Six years, 14 running prototypes and thousands of modifications later, the now definitive Trekinetic 3 wheel, manually propelled K-2 was unleashed upon the world in 2006. It was not entirely ready and not everybody was convinced. However, many wanted to know more and within 2 weeks the fledgling Trekinetic website had rocketed from zero to over 13,000 hits. Plus they had their first few orders.

Nowadays, you would be surprised to know, how many people rely on the K-2 for daily transport. From the remotest corners of the globe, to the most exclusive city streets, all their customers share the same open minded approach to life. And with their Trekinetic they are going to get as much out of it as possible.

Brake time.

Well, not a day goes by that I regret getting the Trekinetic K2.

I set out today to hang out in a field and do some fishing at a small lake. I went early and scoped out the land. If I had come here with my old chair, it would've been a hassle to wheelie all the way across the field and to the lakeside.

I had no trouble what-so-ever. I was able to manage the uneven terrain without a lick of trouble. It is such a nice feeling to know that the terrain I encounter in this behemoth will NOT stand in my way!

One of the parts of the chair that I think is awesome is the way the brakes work and got to use them quite a bit today. Zipping down the hill is so much fun. Having the brake handles right on the inside of the wheels make them easy to grab, but they're just enough out of the way you don't get your hands caught on the handles when pushing. This makes flying down a hill better because you can ease on the brakes and slow your decent. Then, when I got to the lakeside, I engaged the brakes so I could fish and not have to worry about readjusting the wheels or worrying about rolling into the water.

These are not your normal disc brakes that you see on mountain bikes or some other wheelchairs. The way they're set up is that if you pull on the lever, the brake pads expand and press on the inside of the wheel hub. They're internal so they're kind of protected from the elements. Also, when you push the levers all the way forward they engage a parking brake mode. Ingenious!

Stop by tomorrow to see what I write. ;)

This one's just like the Reliant Robin...

Not to be exclusive of other options, I stumbled upon this little nugget. It's the FreeWheel attachment that mounts onto your footrest of your wheelchair. I had no idea this thing existed until after I got my Trekinetic K2. I saw an individual using one and thought, "wow, that's kinda neat but, um, yeah no."

It is kind of neat. It's an add-on so, you'd have to have it with you if you had plans to be out in the wild. And you have to attach it, so I'm guessing you'd have to do it when you're not in the chair. So I guess, if you have a chair already and hey, you want to go a little off
the beaten path, this is an option. However, you don't have beefy back wheels and you still have the littler wheels that could get caught on stuff. ...and you're not as stable in the front when turning as Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear demonstrates here.

What's your take on this add-on?


You can like the Facebook page to get notifications when I post, as well.  

Part V: It fits!

It fits!

The wheels pop off (well, not at random), the rear wheel assembly collapses and the foot rest retracts. Easy-peasy. This is how it fits in the boot of my Hyundai Veloster. Boot, for those that may not know, is what the Brits refer to as trunk/back compartment of a car. Since I am putting a British wheelchair in it, I must now refer to it properly.

Not that I was worried if it would fit or not, Mike from Trekinetic was able to give me dimensions of the chair in collapsed form.

Once I got up to camp to see my family, I got the chair out, set the back wheel and popped the big wheels on and off I went. My first journey was mostly downhill. What a joy that was. I didn't have to touch the wheels at all. I just kept my fingers on the brake levers and pulled on them gently to keep my speed slow. While it can handle greater speeds, I didn't want to get road rash on my face, especially on my first trip.

This chair is smooth. It was so comfy. I didn't have to ride anywhere in a wheelie. And NOTHING stood in my way.

I was really happy to have the push handle in back. Some of the hills were too steep to handle, so I get up out of the chair and use the chair as a sort of walker as I get it and myself up the hill (or bat my eyes at some cute passers-by). Yes, I can walk, but as the years have progressed, the legs ain't what they used to be. ...and I have been referred to a few times as the "walking-talking quad" (back when I played wheelchair tennis).

You can like the Facebook page to get notifications when I post, as well.  

Part IV - The Waiting and Arrvial

Now it was the waiting time. Summer was approaching and I wasn't going to have the K2 until July 7th. I was curious to see how I'd manage the terrain of Surprise Lake Camp with my old chair.

Well, the time came and it was a little treacherous. I knew I'd have to pop a wheelie while going downhill. It was tough. Plus, the old chair has rubber coating on the push-rims because at the time I got the chair, I had lesser hand strength. Burning the skin off my hands was not fun! I also realized, that due to the rocks on the road, I had to ride most of the time in a wheelie. It was difficult. The K2 couldn't come fast enough! I was able to manage for those few weekends, but I knew I'd have a chair in a few weeks that would open up the roads!

I was excited when my friend Sarah departed for the Emerald Isle. It meant that she was coming home with a special gift! I could hardly contain myself. I was very excited. I left camp early on Sunday afternoon to drive to her house.

Seeing it in the back of her car was awesome! She has an SUV so she was able to have it in back fully assembled. In this photo the wheels are at the narrowest setting. The black (with silver in the middle) axle is how you adjust the angle of the wheels. The way the wheels are here is called the "lean" setting. Twisting the axle changes the wheel angle. I immediately twisted the axle to change the wheels to the "mean" setting before taking the chair out.

Then, it was time to take it out for its inaugural spin! I hopped in, easily adjusted the back angle (there's a little lever in back that you depress), and started pushing myself around. While the wheels have push-rims, it is way easier and more effective to grab the wheels and push. I played around with the brakes which definitely took a little getting used to. The chair spins pretty easily as I realized when I pulled to much on one brake. But wow, what a sweet chair! The back wheel, while it is on a caster stays straight mostly. It has a setting so that when your traveling, it stays "locked" in because most of the time you want to go straight. This also is beneficial when you're zipping down a hill. You don't want a wheel behind you going all akimbo...it could cause you to spill. When you need to turn, however, it pops out of that setting and swivels.

You can like the Facebook page to get notifications when I post, as well.  

Part III: All about the chair

So, let me describe to you what was so great about this chair. First off, it has the push wheels in front.

Ok, it has tiny little wheels in front of that, but they rarely touch the ground, and if you were to bump into an obstacle, they retract. Any way...with the big main wheels up front, nothing stands in your way. Well, except maybe walls. It also has independent disc brakes as an option. That tooled lever on the inside of the wheel (just in front of my hand) has a little nub next to my leg (and there's another one on the other side) is the brake handle. Pulling on those together, give you adjustable braking power. If you push these handles all the way forward so they are parallel to the ground, they engage the parking brake. These are great so you don't rip apart your hands as you try to slow yourself down. In back, is the third largish wheel attached to an adjustable lever and a variable length, lockable shock absorber to give you some extra cushioning and to change your reclinability. If you're traveling on a straightaway or going downhill, it's best to have the seat reclined all the way. For pushing up hill, it's best to have someone push you, err, to have the seat in its upright position. For portability, the big wheels pop off, and the rear wheel assembly collapses against the seat and the footrest retracts. One other easy adjustment is the wheels can be adjusted to angle way out to give you a lot more stability / \ or narrow | | for going through tight squeezes or office spaces.

I contacted Mike at Trekinetic and he was such wonderful help. He answered all of my questions. It was such a joy to chat with an individual who really understands the chair, and he should considering he sells them. He suggested the rear handlebars. These are a great option for people helping you up a hill or actually in my case, it made it easy to push the chair up some of the really steep hills at camp. I was close to ordering, however, I found out that the chairs take 10-12 weeks for building. As the summer was rapidly approaching, I felt that maybe I should settle for a lesser chair that I could get in 4-6 weeks. Then I realized, it wasn't just this summer I was getting the chair for, it was for many years to come!

The next hurdle was the $800 shipping fee. It was a hard number to swallow after everything else. Mike suggested flying over and bringing it back on the plane (as a chair) or having a friend bring it back. I didn't think buying a plane ticket and flying over to London just to bring back the chair was economical. Then *lightbulb* I realized my good friend Sarah was going to be in London when the chair was ready. She and her daughter, who was in Ireland for the World Championships for Irish Step Dancing, were heading over to London for a few days before hopping back across the pond. They agreed to bring it back for me. Winning!

Come back tomorrow for more!

You can like the Facebook page to get notifications when I post, as well.