Cycling with a brain disorder

News

Cycling with a brain disorder

Tips \ Disabilities
vanRaam
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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

  • Mirrors; to look behind you safely without having to turn around completely.

  • Direction indicators; you can safely keep your hands on the wheel and do not have to lift your arm.

  • Floating pedal; if you can only make the pedaling movement with 1 leg and not with the other leg, it is still possible to keep cycling.

  • Lower leg fixation; This option prevents the lower leg from falling left or right

  • More options; View our page with the options for all the possibilities.

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

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.

User experience recumbent trike Easy Sport - Gitty Verbaal
9 / 10
User experience recumbent trike Easy Sport - Gitty Verbaal
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. Unfortunately, that changed eight years ago. I got more and more pain in my joints and cycling was more and more difficult. The moment of realisation came when I fell with my bike. This happened right in front of a car. The driver wasn’t happy with this and it became clear to me that cycling was no longer possible in this way.
Read this customer experience
User experience tricycle Easy Rider - Koos and Lina Nieuwenhuizen
9 / 10
User experience tricycle Easy Rider - Koos and Lina Nieuwenhuizen
At the end of June, my wife and I saw by coincidence a flag from Van Raam in Waalwijk, the Netherlands. It turned out that Van Raam was there with a stand during the Medipoint Eropuit Days. Peter Cijs, representative of Van Raam, was also present at this stand, with whom we had a chat. My wife has been cycling on the adapted tricycle Easy Rider for a year now, so we were already familiar with the brand. When Peter Cijs asked if we wanted to contribute to a user experience, I agreed, but I have indicated that I am critical.
Read this customer experience
Customer experience scooter bike Easy Go - Astrid van der Plank
9 / 10
Customer experience scooter bike Easy Go - Astrid van der Plank
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 (SCA28). SCA28 is a rare chronic neurological disease that, among other things, causes balance and coordination problems. When I could no longer cycle on a bike with two wheels, because I fell continuously, I started looking at alternatives. I tried several Van Raam bikes, but nowadays I am happy to use my scooter bike Easy Go.
Read this customer experience
Customer experience tricycle Midi Rosita Rampertaap
9 / 10
Customer experience tricycle Midi - Rosita Rampertaap
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. As a result of a Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, my balance is disturbed, which means that I cannot cycle on a regular bicycle.
Read this customer experience
Customer experience Easy Rider tricycle – Diederik Wierenga
10 / 10
Customer experience Easy Rider tricycle – Diederik Wierenga
Diederik (46) was hit by a brain infarction in 2009, which reduced his strength on the right side and damaged his balance. Van Raam asked a number of ardent Easy Rider cyclists if they wanted to test the third generation Easy Rider for feedback. Diederik was one of these test riders. Read his findings about the Easy Rider tricycle in this customer experience.
Read this customer experience
User experience scooter bike Easy Go Van Raam Ankie van den Bosch
9 / 10
Customer experience scooter bike Easy Go - Ankie van den Bosch
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. It became difficult to get out of the car, to get away at a traffic light or to brake. And all this began to demand a lot of effort in traffic. I got scared when the wind was very strong. I avoided bridges and dunes.
Read this customer experience

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.

Plan a test ride

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

Recommended articles

Cycling with autism on double rider cycle

Cycling with autism

People with autism have a different way of processing information in the brain. Cycling can therefore be a challenge. Van Raam's adapted bicycles can help with this. Read more about cycling with autism and the use of an adapted bicycle.

tricycle adults _1

Bicycling post brain tumor

Egbert-Jan Ruijs from Barchem (the Netherlands) shared the story of how he went bicycling, suddenly blacked out and fell on from his bike, with the Telegraaf (Dutch newspaper). After extensive examination Mr. Ruijs turned out to have a tumor in his brain.

Cycling with Parkinson's disease with Van Raam special needs bicycles

Cycling with Parkinson's disease

Every year, on April 11th, people pay extra attention to Parkinson's disease during World Parkinson's Day. April 11th is the birthday of James Parkinson, he discovered this brain disorder in 1817. Parkinson's disease is a brain disease. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease are different for each patient, but in general the most common symptoms are: trembling, stiffness, fatigue, slower movement, difficulty in moving and talking. These symptoms make it increasingly difficult for patients to stay mobile and independent. In many cases, mobility aids can make the patient's life more pleasant, including Van Raam's special needs bicycles. Read in this article what Van Raam can do for people with Parkinson's disease.

Discover the 8 advantages of the Fun2Go side-by-side tandem

Cycling with Huntington’s disease

The Huntington's disease affects certain parts of the brain, causing severe mental and motor problems and mental deterioration. As a result, it can be dangerous or even impossible to (independently) take part in traffic. Van Raam makes adapted bicycles so that people with a disability or people who are no longer able to take part in traffic independently can use the bicycle together with a guide.

Do you have any questions?

We are happy to assist you! Please check our contact page or contact us directly using the options below.