Options adaptive bicycle
Because I bought the bike myself, I opted for some extra 'luxury' options. For example, I do not have a standard Easy Go color, but I have a nice shiny royal blue scooter bike. In addition, I have a larger battery and SmartGuard tires on my bike. I also need the following options to use my bike optimally: stick holder, armrests, mirror on the left side and a comfort chair.
Introduction to Van Raam
During my first rehabilitation program, I became acquainted with the recumbent trike from Hase Bikes. I was curious if I was able to purchase something similar myself. Research work revealed that a Van Raam bicycle was the best option. I heard that a lot of bicycle shops can maintain a Van Raam bike, that sounded appealing. I did more research and became interested in the Easy Sport recumbent trike. I decided to buy a second-hand. However, I first had contact with Van Raam and, even though I went to buy the bike secondhand, I got good technical advice. On my second-hand Easy Sport tricycle, I did not have any pedal assistance and I noticed that I became tired more quickly after a while. I noticed that I really had to push myself to get over hills and slopes. Because cycling became increasingly heavy, I decided to stop cycling. Besides the Easy Sport I also tried the City walking aid, but it was not a match because of my balance problems.
Van Raam advisor came to visit
On the Van Raam website we saw the possibility to schedule a free consult with a Van Raam technical advisor. We were just about to go to Varsseveld, when we heard of the possibility to have a technical advisor at home. We made an appointment with technical field service consultant Stefan and he came to my house with some adaptive bikes. My occupational therapist was also present at this meeting, this way we were able to see which options were suitable for me. It was very nice that Stefan came to me and he also took the time to go through all the options. After the consult I knew exactly what I needed for my Easy Go scooter bike. Stefan made an offer of the Easy Go and the chosen options and I could order my scooter bike. Because Van Raam does not directly sell bicycles to end users, I went to a supplier of medical aids.
Ordering the scooter bike
I then passed on the offer with all options to Meyra Nieuwegein. Meyra is a supplier of medical aids, including adaptive bicycles. Meyra often works together with municipalities. Due to insufficient communication of Meyra, it took more than 9 weeks before my bike was delivered. Van Raam needed 7 weeks to deliver the bike to Meyra. In mid-July 2018 it was time for me to receive my scooter bike. In order to be able to use the scooter bike properly, it had to be adjusted correctly first. However, before I could ask this, Meyra's supplier had already left. Eventually they came back and Meyra adjusted the scooter bike for me. The contact with Meyra is currently very difficult. I think the reason for this is that Meyra is used to work with municipalities instead of helping private individuals. Because I have purchased my bicycle privately, I am not attached to a certain supplier / bicycle shop. If I find another suitable bicycle shop, I can easily switch dealer.