Hi all,

Here's the short story of how I spent my entire summer: I tried out the
Freedom Concepts tricycle at the Abilities Expo and fell in love with it. Due
to its size, approximately 79" in length and 34" wide, I have been trying to
find a reasonable way to transport it with a compact car. I am looking into 2
possible bike racks. One vertical, and the other horizontal. The vertical
one, I already tried with the trike, and I can manage it. The horizontal one,
I am not sure about yet. I am waiting to hear of a local place that has one.

I tried out ALL of the other tricycles on the market: Trailmate, Torker,
Worksman, Haluzak, and etc. I tried out at least 15 different ones. I found
out that there is NO way that I can ride a tricycle in an upright position
because of the way I move on the seat. It puts the pressure in all of the
wrong places and causes me a LOT of pain. Some of the tricycles, I simply
could not pedal. There wasn't enough leverage for me to do so. So that left
me back to my original tricycle which I am more than willing to get. However,
I have to find a way to be able to transport it on the back of my car.

I had a video made of myself with the tricycle to prove to my family that I
can do it. They were not impressed. :-(( Everyone else was. :-)) My father
said that the shop owner was helping me. He did NOT help me at all. I told
him he was only telling me how it works. I will have to take the front wheel
off the trike no matter which bike rack I use. Legally, I can go to about 77"
in length which will work with either rack. So, as soon as I can see the
horizontal rack and make a true comparison test as to which rack will be
better for me, I am getting the tricycle.

Now, as for a wheelchair or an electric scooter, I totally understand people
who need it completely. For those that can't manage any other way, yes, it is
liberating. However, in my present situation, I can walk, and do walk without
any aids. For me, it would not be advantageous to use one. It would only help
me deteriorate that much faster in my abilities which I am not doing at the
moment. I am improving all the time thanks to the riding. However, I am
having difficulty in getting to class without getting winded along the way
due to my weight issues. The tricycle would help me build up muscle strength
and lose weight at the same time as well as conserve my energy in terms of
carrying a back pack and etc. It might take the same amount of time to get to
class, but instead of spending the entire time walking and worrying about
time, I can get across the parking lot in moments, and get to the bike rack,
lock the trike, and then walk the rest of the way to class. It would also
enable me to be more independent while I am on the campus.

Right now, if I want to be able to go from one building at one end of the
block to another building at the other end of the block, I have to either
plan on spending a half an hour walking or go back to my car, and drive
around the entire school due to a one-way exit road and repark my car in the
other lot while hoping that I will be able to find a parking space. NOT fun.
So from what I see, a tricycle is a much better option for me at this point.

Hope this explains my situation better,

Dina