Three years ago Rob Thompson had a car accident that left half his body paralyzed. Today, his slow and grueling recovery continues, but he’s not going it alone. His father Dave Thompson, an engineer by profession, thought up a great way to sharpen his son’s motor skills and exercise at the same time. Really, this is a tear jerking father-son biopic waiting to happen. Hollywood, are you reading this?
According to Dave Thompson, while twin seater bikes were readily available, in order to accommodate his son’s physical limitations some serious modding was necessary:
Because Rob’s physical challenges are brain-related, I thought biking would help make new pathways in the brain so that Rob could walk again…As a cyclist and engineer, I started to research commercially available adaptive tandem bikes to see if I could find one that would fit Rob’s needs. I couldn’t find anything on the market that seemed suitable. Ones that might have been modified were very expensive and didn’t seem like they would work for Rob. I knew Rob wouldn’t be able to pedal or steer with his left side, so I thought I could help send the new messages to his brain by pedaling and steering with him.
The customized DuoCycle is a roaring success, at least in terms of father-son collaboration. It’s also great for long treks across open track. The pair even look forward to an upcoming Livestrong Challenge
Source Bicycle Design
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