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Home / Thoughts / Other's Thoughts / Lane's Thoughts / Taking Delivery

Taking Delivery

Written by Lane on Thursday, July 9, 2009

I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t recorded anywhere as a cosmic event. I didn’t detect any gravity waves, so I think the universe is in the same place it was before I arrived. Even so, it turned out to be a momentous occasion for me.

I had worried in a previous post (Has Fate Cheated On Me?) that my past had doomed me to miss out on some of the small joys that pose as the only real short-term defense again BIID. I was pleased that I was going to be picking up my new top of the line chair (Brother can you spare a chair?), but I didn’t expect an emotional reaction. After all, this was my third wheelchair.

But, maybe it was affecting me more than I appreciated. I usually have to drag myself out of bed, but although I couldn’t sleep a wink, on this morning, I not only got right up, but got to the DME place an hour early. I ended up stopping for a hot drink to kill time. Once I arrived for my appointment, we exchanged pleasantries and my new chair and I met for the first time.

It was absolutely beautiful in every way – beyond my expectations. All the little details were perfect. The inky black of the new cushion, the fine detailing on the casters and forks, the well evolved machine-work on the fasteners and adjusters. The adjustable back upholstery, which was an aesthetic concern of mine, was neatly tucked together into a coherent package. Even the well-crafted decals accented the paint-job instead of acting as a blight on it. It was love at first sight.

I was told by the dealer that they sold quite a high volume of Quickie chairs and no one had ever ordered one in this color: pearl blue. They commented right away on how surprisingly attractive it was. Ordering an opalescent color from a catalog was a complete crap-shoot, because it cannot be reproduced on paper, but I took the gamble because I didn’t want flat paint and I wanted to assert my individuality by avoiding the tried and true unpainted Titanium. In reality, the finish has the cool property that the shimmer changes color with the angle to the lighting – it’s really neat. (Sorry, I’m just not able to get a decent picture just yet.)

So, before sitting in the chair, I plied the Rehab Tech with deserved compliments and dropped a little bomb on him. I told him that he had inspired me (he did) to get Spinergy wheels, so I got them along with new handrims and tires. I asked if they would mind adjusting the quick-release axles to fit the Spinergies instead of the wheels provided. I also offered to pay for an additional set of axles, if required. I hoped that he would be offended that I never even rolled the wheels he had taken time to order. Instead, he and his mechanic were visibly pleased for me that I acquired superior hardware. They compared weight, eyed up the snazzy tires, commented on the benefits of the technology and set about mounting them. In the end, they found some nice spare axles, adjusted them and gave the additional set to me at no cost. How cool – now I have a spare set of wheels, handrims, and solid tires!

So finally, I sat in the chair and set to wheeling. The feeling was not mind bending, but the performance was way, way beyond what I expected. In my Q2, a typical push would be met with a fair amount of resistance – even on smooth surfaces. This was caused by flex in the frame – due both to design and material fatigue. The wheels would sometimes rub on the frame. With the new wide-hub Spinergies and the solid frame, along with new bearings, a push resulted in seemingly perpetual motion. Amazing.

I think the final adjustments are supposed to take a half-hour or so, but those two people spent over two hours dialing things in perfectly for me: adjusting the seatback, other misc, and finally, deciding on a CG. Because I refused anti-tips and even anti-top brackets, my tech was very much in favor of an highly conservative and safe setting – one that allowed for almost no possibility of clearing obstacles. C’mon! This is not my first trip around the block. I convinced him to move it forward 2.5”. With this setting, I attempted a simple wheelie – something that would have been a breeze on my Q2…and failed miserably. I didn’t wipe, but I was definitely flailing and looking stupid. I think the setting might be close to correct, but remember the frame flex and tire rubbing from above? I knew this made static wheelies easier because it slowed them down. Without any friction, and without the advance notice that the flexing frame provided, I didn’t realize that I was gonna crash. So ended any further attempts.

I’m gonna have to relearn obstacle clearance techniques – especially because the foot plate is quite low. I actually got a bit of an adrenaline rush, but my guy didn’t even flinch. He stated the obvious saying that “you’ve been at it long enough – it’s just gonna take some more practice to get adjusted.”

The rest of the fitting ended non-ceremoniously and I wheeled to the car with a silly grin that was impossible to wipe off my face. I could NOT believe how smoothly I could propel the GTi. The tech helped me pack my old chairs, including 2 sets of wheels in my car, then I enjoyed transferring and loading my new chair by myself. Afterward, I drove off toward my workplace and wondered if I would have the guts to use the chair right away, or if I’d stick to my plan to use it starting first thing Monday morning - next week.

I wish I had it in me, but I don’t make a habit of jumping, running, or skiing off the side of mountains like some gutsier (crazier?) people. I’ve only skied off the edge of a cliff once – and believe me – that wasn’t on purpose. I can be kind-of a chicken sometimes. You’ll have to wait and see how all of this affected my wheeling.

Tags: DME, Wheelchair

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