Cycling with a brain disorder

Nearly 1 in 6 of world’s population suffer from neurological disorders, according to a UN report. Neurological disorders are, for example, Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, strokes, multiple sclerosis and brain injuries, depression, autism and neuroinfections. All these disorders have a major impact on the patient's life. Where people used to be mobile and independent, it is sometimes difficult to accept that walking around with the dog is sometimes no longer possible. At Van Raam, we work every day on the mobility of our fellow human beings, and we ensure that people with a disability can stay mobile and independently for as long as possible. We also do this for people with a brain disorder. It is therefore good to hear that people with a brain disorder can still remain mobile, because of our special needs bicycles. In this article you can find more information about what we can do for people with a brain disorder.


cycling with a brain disorder
Your brains are very important for you mobility

Remain mobile with a brain disorder

Your brain is the most complicated organ of a human body. The brain ensures that your body is controlled properly. Your brain controls movement, feeling, behavior, breathing and blood pressure, among other things. As soon as a disorder occurs in your brain, it can happen that one of these parts is disrupted. People can, for example, suffer from balance problems, coordination problems or people can no longer move their arms or legs
 
Due to balance problems and the ability to move your arms and / or legs less easily and quickly, cycling on a standard bike with two wheels becomes a challenge. You can react less quickly, and you might be afraid of falling.
 
If you still want to go out on your own, there are various ways to do this. For example, you can look at a mobility scooter, an adaptive tricycle or a combination of both; our mobility scooter bike Easy Go. The advantage of a tricycle is that you keep moving and that is healthy for your body and mind. Read more about the benefits of cycling in the article '10 reasons why cycling is healthy'.

Cycling independently with a brain disorder

Balance problems, coordination problems and mobility problems are symptoms that we regularly hear at Van Raam from people with a brain disorder. Cycling is becoming a challenge and people can become insecure about this. In many cases an extra wheel can offer just that security that a bike with two wheels lacks. At Van Raam we have different types of tricycles with different characteristics. If you would like to cycle independently, the options below may be of interest to you. 

Tricycle-for-small-adults-Midi-Van-Raam

Midi tricycle

The Midi tricycle is suitable for children or smaller adults. With the three wheels you have extra support and stability while cycling

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tricycle-for-adults-Maxi-Van-Raam

Maxi tricycle

A traditional tricycle for adults because of the three wheels you can sit on your bike if you are waiting at the traffic lights.

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Tricycle-with-low-step-through-Maxi-Comfort-Van-Raam

Tricycle Maxi Comfort

The low entry makes it easy to get on the Maxi Comfort. This option offers a solution for people who have difficulty raising their legs.

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Tricycle-with-seat-Easy-Rider-Van-Raam

Tricycle Easy Rider

It has a unique frame with low step through and a stable lower sitting position. The low centre of gravity, seating with a back support and steering in front give the rider a safe and secure feeling.

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Recument-trike-Easy-Sport-Van-Raam

Recumbent trike Easy Sport

This recumbent trike has ergonomic seating, with adjustable seat height and the seat angle ensures optimum support. The frame suspension guarantees extra comfort.

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Tricycle-with-two-front-wheels-Viktor-Van-Raam

Tricycle Viktor

This tricycle is specially designed for people who have difficulty estimating the width of a tricycle, hence the two wheels on the front.

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Tricycle-with-two-front-wheels-Viktoria-Van-Raam

Tricycle Viktoria

This tricycle is specially designed for smaller people who have difficulty estimating the width of a tricycle, hence the two wheels on the front.

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Mobility-scooter-bike-Easy-Go-Van-Raam

Scooter bike Easy Go

The Easy Go scooter bike is a bicycle, e-bike and a mobility scooter in one. If you have a fluctuating energy level, this can be a good option.

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Cycling together with a brain disorder

If, due to a brain disorder, you are no longer able to cycle independently, even with a tricycle, there is still the option of cycling together on a special bicycle. At Van Raam we have various bikes for multiple persons, including tandems for adults and children, tandems for two adults, wheelchair bikes and a tandem where you can cycle next to each other.

tandem-adults-Van-Raam-Twinny

Twinny

Tandem for adults with two wheels. You can use the optional switchable freewheel  to determine whether and how the passenger pedals.

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Tandem-with-three-wheels-for-adults-Twinny-Plus-Van-Raam

Twinny Plus

Tandem for adults with three wheels. With this tandem, it is also possible to turn the position of the driver and the passenger around.

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Tandem-Van-Raam-Kivo

Kivo

The Kivo is a child-parent tandem with a grown-up sitting behind and a child sitting in front. The child can get a good view of the environment.

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Tandem-with-three-wheels-Kivo-Plus-Van-Raam

Kivo Plus

The Kivo Plus is a child-parent tricycle tandem with a grown-up sitting behind and a child sitting in front. The child can get a good view of the environment. 

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Side-by-side-tandem-Fun2Go-Van-Raam

Fun2Go

A three-wheel tandem, in which the users sit beside each other. One person steers, both can pedal. The two persons have a good view and can communicate well with each other due to the seats being next to each other.

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Double-rider-cycle-trailer-FunTrain-Van-Raam

FunTrain

Duo bike trailer behind the duo bike which can be attached behind an existing or new Fun2Go side by side tandem. Suitable for a helper who want to cycle with several people at the same time.

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Wheelchair-bike-OPair-Van-Raam

OPair

The OPair is a wheelchair bike with which you can transport a wheelchair user. A seat for the wheelchair user/passenger is affixed to the front of the bike.

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Wheelchair-transport-bike-VeloPlus-Van-Raam

VeloPlus

The VeloPlus wheelchair transport bike is designed for transporting people, who can remain seated in their own wheelchair, by cycle. 

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Options special needs bikes Van Raam
Every Van Raam bicycle is unique due to the different options

Options for special needs bikes

Every Van Raam bicycle is unique and is fully adapted to the wishes of the end user. We have various options in our assortment that will make cycling easier. The options below offer a solution for, among other things, the difficulty of moving your limbs (fast) and for reducing strength.

Experiences about cycling with a brain disorder

We think it is important to hear the experiences of end users about our adapted bicycles. By starting a conversation with Van Raam bicycle users, we learn even more about our adapted bicycles. We can use this information to make our bikes as optimal as possible.

On our user experiences page you can already read several reviews about Van Raam bikes. Among these end users, people with a brain disorder also tell their story, both people with a congenital and non-congenital brain disorder. Despite the fact that they can no longer cycle on a regular bike with two wheels, it is nice to hear that these people can still be mobile and independent with their tricycle. Read the stories of these end users and find out how they experience a modified bicycle.

Easy Sport recumbent trike

"I have been happy with my Easy Sport from Van Raam for 6 years now. Before that, I always cycled on a conventional two-wheel bike with coaster brake."

Mevrouw Gitty Verbaal - Weert

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Easy Rider tricycle

"My wife and I always cycled a lot. Unfortunately, there came an end to these many bike rides when my wife was diagnosed with Ataxia type 6. Thanks to the Easy Rider we can enjoy cycling together again"

Koos and Lina Nieuwenhuizen - Sprang-Capelle

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Easy Go scooter bike

"I am Astrid van der Plank (44) and I own the Easy Go scooter bike since July 2018. I use a scooter bike because I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 28."

Astrid van der Plank - De Meern

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Midi tricycle

"My name is Rosita Rampertaap, I’m 34 years old and I live in Brummen. For years I have a tricycle made by Van Raam. I have the Midi model, since I'm not that big. I have this because of my handicap."

Rosita Rampertaap - Brummen

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Easy Sport recumbent trike

"I have been in possession of an Easy Sport for about a month now and I want to let you know that I am very satisfied. The bike is very well adjustable on my body and I feel absolutely safe with it."

Bernard Van Maele - Menen (Belgium)

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Easy Rider tricycle

"My name is Krista Pool. I am 39 years old and I live together. Through the WMO (Social Support Act in the Netherlands) I own the Van Raam Easy Rider tricycle for adults since the beginning of 2017."

Krista Pool - IJmuiden (the Netherlands)

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Easy Rider tricycle

"I have owned an Easy Rider tricycle since January 2010 and still enjoy riding it. To me this is the ideal bicycle for every occasion: buying groceries, going to work."

Diederik Wierenga - Norg

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Easy Go scooter bike

"When they discovered I have Multiple Sclerosis in 2000, I already had an e-bike for several years. Because my strength and energy continued to decrease, cycling became unsafe and I became insecure."

Ankie van den Bosch - Noord-Holland

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Easy Rider tricycle

"My boyfriend and I both have an Easy Rider tricycle. We enjoy participating in organized bike rides."

Brigitte van der Laan - Spijk (GN)

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Free test ride on adapted bicycle in showroom Van Raam Varsseveld
Our technical advisers are happy to help you.

Free test ride with technical adviser

Are you considering purchasing a special needs bicycle? At Van Raam it is possible to schedule a test ride with one of our technical advisors without obligation. During this test ride, we will determine which bike is your match and the bike will be completely customized. It is also possible to test on the various Van Raam bicycle models.

You can visit our showroom in Varsseveld. Is Varsseveld to far away or is it difficult to come to us? If you visit our dealer page you can see which Van Raam dealer is close to you.

Planning a test ride