2: The cheap way around grip problems.

Wheelchairs are great. They get me around when my legs give up and give me a seat when I'm tired. The only problem is that my left arm isn't great, nor is the grip in my left hand. This means that it can be really hard for me to push myself. Here are some of the ways around that problem...

Not very forgiving if you have poor grip.

Leather gloves
I've tried a variety of wheelchair gloves and grippy gloves (e.g. those designed for horse riding). Making wheelchair or cycling gloves damp before you use them can help a bit with gripping, but the only gloves that have really helped are leather gloves with a decent bit of padding/lining. This is because the glove basically sticks to the push rim of my chair, meaning that as long as there is strength in my arm I can still push myself a bit even if I can't actually grasp the push rim. The only problem with this is that gloves can wear through quickly and they aren't especially cheap. They also get very hot in summer!

Grippy wheels
You can buy wheels that have special grippy push rims built in, such as those made by Surge. These are excellent, but expensive (c.£200 for a set). They are also quite difficult to use if you have limited hand control, as the grippy bit is only found on the upper edge of the rim.


Here is my solution!

£4.29 for three rolls, reduced from £4.99.

Yep, it's tennis grip. Even without the discount, two packs comes to just under £10, which will easily do a single wheel. 

Loop the grip quite tightly around the push rim, making sure to overlap the grip on each turn. I found that each roll of grip covered one fifth of the wheel. You can then use the sticky ties provided to make sure the grip is really held in place at the ends, but you only really need to do this at the final end, as each other end will be held in place by the next roll. This part of the job can take a long time if you struggle to control your hands. As a guide, I think it took me through two episodes of the Great British Sewing Bee - but it was worth it...

Here's the finished result!

Day-glo colour scheme optional.

With the tennis grip on my wheel, I can now slam my hand at the push rim and it gets 'stuck' to the wheel without me actually having to hold it. This means that I can push myself along much more easily. It's not a particularly subtle way of moving myself along, but it works. It's also better in the rain.

It's not a permanent fix - it will eventually wear away or just get a bit tatty. However, it's cheap enough that I don't mind replacing it every now and then. This also gives me the option to vary my colour scheme with the seasons! Pink is not my usual go-to colour choice (I spend most of my time with horses or on rivers, so I'm more of a green person I suppose) but I was fed up of blue and black and wanted to stand out. The colour does, of course, have the additional benefit of making you much more visible to motorists, cyclists, and anyone else who might otherwise ignore you. It's suprisingly helpful for getting noticed in shops too!

And if you're wondering about the colourful reflectors; well...they make me more visible too, but really they're just for fun, and were only £2 as well (came from the children's cycling section of a local sports shop). Cheap and effective customisation!