Customer experience Fun2Go, OPair and Twinny Plus - Rachel Perrin
Rachel Perrin is 57 and chair of the Tandem Club Dijonnais, an adapted sports club that gives everyone the opportunity to cycle. They now have the Fun2Go side-by-side bike, Twinny Plus tandem and OPair wheelchair bike. With these bikes, they welcome people with all kinds of disabilities.
For 40 years, Tandem Club Dijonnais has made sure no one is left on the sidelines
Our club was founded in 1983. At first, it brought together only people with visual impairments to ride tandems, both recreationally and competitively. Gradually, we broadened our activities, and we now support cyclists of all abilities.
I am visually impaired myself. I joined the club in 2001 and have been its chair since 2021. If you are visually impaired and want to cycle, a tandem is particularly suitable: you ride with a sighted pilot, so the two of you can cycle in complete safety.
The club now has around sixty members, about twenty of whom have a disability. The other members are volunteers and usually pilot the bikes. We work closely with the departmental committee for adapted sport, with which we organise a cycling day during the summer camp, and with the Comité Départemental de Cyclotourisme (CODEP) for the annual Cyclos Inclusion Découverte.
Everyone looks forward to the Rando Cyclo Santé on Wednesdays
Our rides revolve around two regular days: Wednesday and Saturday.
On Tuesdays, we go on longer rides, covering around fifty kilometres on the tandem. These rides are physically demanding and not suitable for everyone.
Wednesdays are dedicated to the Randos Cyclo Santé. These rides are for people of all abilities, including those with little or no cycling experience. This is when we use the vanRaam bikes. We have three: the Fun2Go side-by-side bike, the Twinny Plus tandem and the OPair wheelchair bike.
Saturdays are reserved for the more physically demanding rides: at least 50 kilometres, exclusively on tandems.
Every year, our rides and participants cover more than thirteen thousand kilometres in total!
Many of our members with a disability or chronic illness were convinced they would never get on a bike again. Now they head out with a smile every Wednesday and Saturday.
Chair of the Tandem Club Dijonnais
Finding bikes that everyone can ride
As I mentioned, our club has traditionally focused on supporting people with visual impairments. Tandems were the perfect solution for us for a long time. But when we started asking ourselves how we could support people with other disabilities, the answer was less obvious.
A colleague at CODEP FFVélo Côte-d'Or discovered Colibrius, our dealer. It was almost a two-hour drive from Dijon, but still the closest one. That was when we realised just how few adapted bikes were available in our region. We went there to try out their bikes, and that was how we discovered vanRaam. Two years later, we had bought our three vanRaam bikes.
All three of our bikes have electric pedal assistance. We had a swivel seat fitted to the Fun2Go, making it much easier for passengers to get on. The OPair is fitted with two sets of belts: one for children and one for adults. For the Twinny Plus, we chose the split version, making it easier to transport in a car, and a more powerful battery for a greater range. We have also fitted rear-view mirrors to our bikes.
Thanks to these bikes and options, we can now support people of all abilities. I am thinking in particular of a member with Parkinson’s disease, a member with heart problems, and young people with a mental disability or a neurodevelopmental disorder who are supported by their parents or carers.
Each vanRaam bike meets a different need
We mainly use the OPair with children. We seat them in the integrated front seat, securely fastened and in a comfortable position. As the bike is not much wider than a standard bicycle, it can go almost anywhere we usually go. It is a little more difficult with an adult: you need to be able to get them seated securely, and the weight at the front can be daunting for volunteers who are not used to it.
The Twinny Plus is a tandem with two wheels at the back for extra stability. It is a good bike, but not all our pilots can manage it because it is heavy. Following our partner’s instructions, we have to lean into the turns, so the bike’s weight means it takes good bike-handling skills.
And then there is the Fun2Go, the bike everyone talks about! Absolutely anyone can ride on it. As you sit side by side, you can chat easily and share a truly enjoyable moment while taking in nature, the scents and the scenery. Our members say that during their rides, they feel as if they are sitting in a living room.
The Fun2Go is the bike that has really broadened our activities. Our members have to share it, so everyone has to wait their turn. Looking back, we should have bought two, and I really hope we still can! These bikes are expensive, which is our biggest limitation. But seeing what they make possible, I do not regret rolling up my sleeves with the other board members to secure funding through various partners and project grants.
Raising awareness and showing that there are other ways to cycle
We organise and take part in around eight awareness-raising events each year for the general public, associations and specialist organisations. In Dijon, for example, we take part in Le Grand Déj, a fair for associations; Jouons De Nos Différences, an event where non-disabled people can experience what it is like to have a disability; L'Été Sportif, where people can try out all kinds of sports; and the para-sports day organised under the auspices of the municipal sports office (Office Municipal du Sport).
We also attend Cyclo Inclusion Découverte in the Côte-d'Or département. Our approach at these events is always the same: an awareness-raising workshop in the morning, followed by a cycle ride in the afternoon. The idea is to enable people with disabilities to join existing group rides. Colibrius is a partner at these events and together we present a wide range of adapted bikes. There is always a great display of vanRaam bikes.
What we want to prove is simple: everyone can cycle, regardless of their disability. You just need to find the right bike. We hope to buy another Fun2Go in the future! With more vanRaam bikes in our fleet, we can help even more people rediscover the joy of cycling.
Rachel Perrin - Dijon, France
Bikes: Fun2Go side-by-side bike, Twinny Plus tandem and OPair wheelchair bike
Pros & cons
- Manoeuvrable bikes that are comfortable to ride
- The Fun2Go’s seating arrangement is perfect for chatting
- The Fun2Go makes cycling accessible to everyone
- A substantial financial investment for an association or family
- The mirrors do not fold in
- A large car or trailer is needed to transport the bikes
Want to share your experience?
Feel free to send us a nice picture of your vanRaam bike along with an explanation.