It looks like I’ve injured myself in a way that will not heal. This is partially due to age, and partially due to my own overconfidence and refusing to accept that I’m not a teenager anymore. Long story short, I used to be able to ride long distances on my bicycle, and now I can’t do that anymore.
I had big plans to go on long bicycle tours and basically live off my bike for weeks at a time. With this new limitation, it’s very unlikely that I will ever be able to do that. I was just getting started on the pathway to fulfilling a lifelong dream, and now I’m faced with this hard reality; I will never get to do what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child.
People age. We can’t help that, but we can help getting old. I feel like I let myself get old. I feel like I fucked up, because I did. The injury was easily avoidable, and was totally my fault. Now I’m blaming myself.
I can still ride my bike, just not very far. I’ve spent the past year trying to push through this new limitation, and now I’m seeing that’s not going to happen.
I know I’ll eventually find a bright side to this. Maybe it’ll cause me to have some experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise? Maybe I’ll figure out a compromise of some kind?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have been healthy my whole life, so this is all new for me. I suppose I should have expected it eventually, but now here it is, and I’m not ready.
I’d like to hear about how others have learned to accept a sudden limitation in their life.
Dumb question, but have you explored recumbent bikes, trikes, electric bikes, motorcycles?
If you enjoy the great outdoors, and the bicycle was a mechanism to get out there, there are many options for continued enjoyment.
Yes, I was here to suggest some workaround for him. This should be good option for OP to find way around this limitation.
Lots of disabled people think in different way - not I can’t do it, but how can I do it or what to do different to came to same goal.
That’s what I’m looking for right there. Thanks.
I’ve been legally blind my whole life. There are definitely some big limitations, like not being able to drive. But I live in an apartment where I can walk to work. I can use a computer with an arm to bring the monitor closer and use a screen magnifier. I can look at things far away with a monocular or through my phone camera. Basically you might have to find innovative ways of doing things, but there’s usually a workaround. It can even be fun to think of clever solutions.
I own a recumbent, and unfortunately that’s not the solution here. The problem is with my knee, and recumbents don’t really help with that. I like to operate under my own power, so I’m trying to avoid electric bikes, but one of them might be in my future. As for motor vehicles, I seek to avoid those entirely, but I might just have to car-camp and use my bike while at the camping spot. That’s one of the compromises I’m considering, but that’s not nearly as satisfying as going from town to town under your own power.
I think an arm-operated bicycle might be worth looking into. I don’t know much about them, but I have seen them around before. I don’t even know their proper name.
Adaptive handcycle bikes are what they’re called. Martyn Ashton on GMBN’s YouTube rides one since he is paraplegic.
Ah, thank you!
Allow me to sing the praises of touring trikes. I have a terra-trike, which is not top of the line by any measure, but dang is it fun! The trike solves a lot of problems for me, really feels like magic. Maybe some day I’ll add an electric assist, but for now it’s acoustic and deeply satisfying.
Ha! I like that. I’ve ridden a Cattrike before and really liked it, but the problem is with my knee, and a recumbent won’t solve that unfortunately.
Knee surgery? (Followed by a couple years of physical therapy)
Maybe some kind of bionic knee, or external knee brace.
Or just pretend that your leg has been amputated. What are the possible ways to do something similar.
Is the key to operating under your own power more about keeping your heart rate up?
Maybe an electric assist that still requires you to generate some power is the right compromise.
Maybe just plan shorter travel days and distances. Like coordinate a series of backyards to camp in.
What’s the heart of traveling for you? Are there things you get out of it that don’t relate to distance traveled?