Never say never
Recumbent bikes help enthusiasts regain their ride
During
the COVID-19 pandemic, residents in and around Chicago and across the country sought activities that adhered to social distancing and safety. Many turned to bicycling.
Perhaps you’ve entertained thoughts of hopping on that old Schwinn in your garage, but you’re older and concerned about falling. Or maybe you have a bad back, a neurological condition, a muscular condition, suffered a stroke or had hip replacement, and you’ve concluded, “I’ll never ride a bike again.”
If you fall under any of these scenarios, Amlings Cycle Shop, located in Niles, could be a godsend. Shop owner Joe Reichert and sales consultant Julie Keating specialize in putting people back on a bike — no matter their specific needs or physical limitations.
But the bicycles you find at Amlings Cycle Shop aren’t your average two-wheel bikes. They are known as recumbent bikes.
“It’s a bike that you would sit on in a more reclined position than a traditional upright style bike where you’re leaning over the handle bars,” Reichert explains.
The shop sells two-wheel and threewheel recumbent bikes — or trikes. Reichert says trikes hit the market around 12 to 15 years ago and have become quite popular.
“Today we probably sell eight or nine trikes for every two-wheeler,” he says.
Advantages
Comfort and safety are the hallmarks of recumbent bikes, Reichert notes. With a lower center of gravity, riders can easily put their feet on the ground when need be, and also tend to stop faster and smoother. Reichert and Keating are able to customize each bike to complement a rider’s specific safety needs and help them overcome whatever physical challenges they may have. Additionally, recumbent bikes can be equipped with an electric pedal assist that gives bikers a boost, if needed.
Recumbent bikes can be expensive — between $1,200 and $1,400 to start — but Keating points out that those who never thought they’d ever ride a bike again don’t regret making the investment.
“It is so much fun to take somebody who thought their riding days were over and put them back out there riding,” Keating says. “We’ve had people come back, and they’re in tears because they’re so happy.”
New heart, new bike
To say that Maureen Pekosh led an active lifestyle prior to 2011 would be a colossal understatement. The Glenview resident regularly biked 18 miles, ran 5 miles and played competitive tennis. But she says “all of that came to a grinding halt” within a span of four months.
In July of that year, Pekosh was diagnosed with heart failure and suffered a stroke. She suffered a second stroke around Labor Day. In October, Pekosh was told she needed a heart transplant. Pekosh was put on a waiting list to receive a donor heart. Eventually she was hooked up to various heart-pump machines 24/7, but
her heart was getting progressively weaker waiting for a transplant.
Finally, on April 14, 2013, Pekosh had the transplant at the University of Chicago. She started cardiac rehab, beginning by riding a stationary bike. Unfortunately, she experienced another setback five months after the heart transplant. She had to undergo an emergency appendectomy.
So, it was back to square one for Pekosh with regard to rehab.
Getting back on a bike was an activity Pekosh really wanted to resume after her heart transplant. She attempted to ride her old two-wheeler; however, her strokes made her balanced-challenged and
weakened her left side, causing drop foot. She fell while turning left. When her doctor found out about the falls, he put a stop to her bike riding because every fall was a potential bleeding risk.
Not to be denied, Pekosh contacted
Reichert. Interestingly, Pekosh knew Reichert because they both attend a stroke support group at Advocate Aurora Health. Reichert had talked to the group about the recumbent trikes at his shop.
“I shared how I liked to ride and how much I wanted to ride again,” Pekosh says. And to Maureen he said, “One day I’m going to put you on one of these bikes.”
Sure enough, Reichert did just that, and Pekosh, 62, brought her trike home in March. The trike is customized to fit her height — “I’m not that big of a person,” she says — and cycling shoes accommodate her left side.
“I don’t have to worry about balance,” she says. “I lock my feet into these pedals. It’s really changed things for me. I have fun moving again.”
Precious freedom
Bill Riordan, who like Pekosh, is a Glenview resident, can’t say enough about how his trike has “given me life and has completely changed my life for the better.”
Riordan was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in October 2019, which rendered him partially paralyzed on his left side. The 57-yearold went through a year of radiation and chemotherapy. He finished chemo last July and was going through rehab, but was in a wheelchair. At that point, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Riordan went on a special diet and forced himself to walk, which he says is very difficult because he has drop foot due to the partial paralysis. However, he was convinced if he exercised more, it would help him heal faster.
“I’m not going to be one of those statistics,” he says. “I’m going to survive this thing.”
Riordan has been a biker all his life, so last fall, he got in touch with Reichert and Keating to inquire about purchasing a bike. They had four trikes waiting for him to testride in an alley located behind the shop.
After Riordan picked one out, Reichert customized the trike so that Riordan can operate everything with his right hand, including braking and shifting gears. Riordan also has an electric pedal assist on his trike, which is controlled by his right hand, as well. Additionally, the trike has cleats that clip onto both pedals. These cleats keep his feet — most important, his left foot — from slipping off the pedal.
Riordan started riding last fall and put in over 900 miles this past winter. His doctor recently told him one of the reasons he may be a long-term survivor of a disease that has a low survivability rate is because of what he’s doing to keep active and positive.