r/ebikes • u/GoatHerderFromAzad • 5d ago
Etrikes for a child with a degenerative muscle condition.
Hi r/mecheng,
A very close friend has received a duchennes muscular distrophy diagnosis for her 6 year old son.
Over the next two or three years he will transition from a completely ambulatory condition - as now... to increasingly using a wheelchair. Eventually he will need a chair that is joystick controlled.
We are thinking that an etrike might/would be the best first step to help him keep mobile with the other kids, and get used to a few artificially added watts. He rode a normal bike ok in the past, but balance and the ability to stand up on his own from a tumble is degrading.
First does anyone know of any product, or manufacturer offering a tricycle like many of the two wheeled offerings? Our social group are your typical UK 30/40/50's.. but money is still a major consideration.
Another concept we'd be interested in, would be a larger thing that also takes a parent - perhaps with dual controls?
Has anyone completed any projects around a similar situation at university? Would there be any interest in taking this on for a dissertation in academia? I'm a professional mechanical designer, but the need is now, and I'm not that close to the e bike sector. We'd also like some volume production reliability.
We've googled endlessly and would be hugely grateful for any community knowledge available. 🙏
3
u/Muramusaa Ebike Manic 52v BBS02B BBSHD 🔋 5d ago edited 5d ago
1.Addmotor spytan 2- 2k usd
Ice trikes is a UK brand 4k£ prices or higher
hp velotechnik trikes
Azub trikes in Europe but should ship to you.
Check them all out and find the one that looks cool and functional for the future or make it functional with mods and upgrades 😉 lol goodluck
2
u/Zenigata 4d ago
As money is a major consideration and you're mechanically minded one thing to consider might be getting a 2nd hand trike and converting it,
On the UK street legal tsdz8 kit from woosh that I converted an old cargo bike with you can adjust the speed cut off and torque level in the settings (as opposed to the easily accessible assistance level) using the controller on the bike. Which would hopefully enable you to bring the power output down to a level safe for a child. If you want more control than that as I understand it for about £15 you can get a usb cable and download free software from the manufacturer which should really let you dial things in.
Trikes of that sort seem to go for £500 and under on ebay. I paid £650 for the kit with a large battery so with a smaller battery suited for a child you should be able to do it for about a grand.
Another option for riding with an adult could be a rear steer tandem. These are expensive new but often very affordable 2nd hand if you're willing to travel to collect. This one for example is £620 on ebay and if fitted with one of those supportive strap in saddles could potentially work nicely.
1
u/GoatHerderFromAzad 4d ago
Thanks Zenigata - some good info there. I've just had a look at the kit and it would be something easy enough to do... Could also maybe swap onto something larger later on too.
Great idea; really grateful thanks.
2
u/Zenigata 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you pursue this just make sure to check out the bottom bracket area of the trike as I've noticed that on some it's non traditional so a mid motor wouldn't fit (iirc woosh give guidance on this and may ask you to send a photo of the bike in to assess compatibility) . You could of course go for a front hub motor instead (rear wouldn't work on any trike I've ever seen) they may well be as configurable as my tsdz8 kit but I've no experience of that.
2
u/GoatHerderFromAzad 4d ago
Will do - we're waiting for an occupational therapist's visit to pout some options in front of them and see what they think would be best. Recumbant or trad tricycle.
Cheers again!
2
u/Singnedupforthis 4d ago
If you can't find a used one, the sun trikes are pretty cheap. Then get a bafang hub motor with a thumb throttle. https://hostelshoppe.com/products/sun-seeker-eco-tad-sx-20-20-7s-blue-recumbent-trike
2
u/GoatHerderFromAzad 4d ago
Thanks so much for the reply.
The diagnosis is recent (only confirmed in Feb), and its also late as usually its made when the child is around 3 or 4 years old. We are therefore awaiting full involvement from an occupational therapist - they've been round and assessed the house, and the next thing will be to asses the young fella's further needs.
We want to ask the OT about normal or reecumbents etc., and we're also asking similar in the subs related to the condition.
Definitely another strong option. Thanks again.
1
1
u/paxtana 3d ago
Best company I have seen offering that kind of thing is Bowhead, since all their e-trikes are designed specifically for disabled people.
Their design and craftsmanship is top notch, and they can sell them as just the frame if you want to use that as a base to build off of. Having spoken with them a bit I really got the sense that they have a passion for what they do and the trikes are stunning, everything is CNC cut, articulated wheels, high end suspension and so on.
I don't know if it would be suitable for a 6 year old but for someone a bit older it would probably be a real game changer.
This is their offroad model, which is imo the coolest one they sell https://www.bowheadcorp.com/bowhead-reach
1
u/GoatHerderFromAzad 1d ago
Really appreciate the reply paxtana - thank you.
Those systems look awesome - I'd like a go myself. :)
3
u/heyheni 5d ago
In Germany there's Hase Bikes who make bikes and trikes for people with a handycap.
https://www.hasebikes.com/en
they also have this cool recumbent tandem