14 replies to this topic

[Priority Seatin]

I was mostly indoors last winter so I didn't have this issue, but rainy/snowy season is upon us again. And for manual wheelchair users, that means wet and slippery handrims.

Being a frugal guy, I've been thinking of ways to reduce my hands slipping and sliding on the wet handrims. I used to have Natural Fits but they didn't work out for me; I reverted back to the old rims. One idea I'm thinking of is wrapping hockey tape around the rims -- does anyone know if that works? (I want to know if anyone has tried and failed, before I start messing around.)

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

Edited by Priority Seatin, 20 November 2011 - 09:24 PM.

[A trophy guy]

I know it's not very sanitary, but I always seem to end up pushing directly on my wheels anyway. Handrims suck. I try to push my wheels with the butt of my palm, to minimize my hands and fingers getting dirty but I still wash them obsessively.

Pushrims work ok indoors and for easy, short distances; but outside and when you need powerful, strong pushes, I find that pushing directly on the wheels is far and away the best. For me, anyway.

ETA: gloves help, too.

Edited by A trophy guy, 20 November 2011 - 11:50 PM.

[KayDub]

I have hockey tape all over my crutches and I can only use them inside. Even then it's kind of hit or miss on staying. Stick tape works best for grip and feeling, sock tape works better through the rain/snow but is just as slippery IMO as the handrims. That's all I can chime in on though, I've been racking my brain recently for ideas now that I have my new chair and moved back home to my dad's where there will be snow on the ground until spring. I eagerly await everyone's ideas!

[tsh3406]

We use Pac-Skin on guns so they are easier to hang onto when wet or cold. It's a neoprene tape, gives pretty good traction. Worth a look....


http://www.pachmayr....me/pac-skin.php


I've also been thinking of having a set of rims coated with Rhino Liner, or one of the spray on bed-liners that the Wal-Mart carries....

Edited by tsh3406, 21 November 2011 - 04:22 PM.

[MTB John]

I was in the gardening section the other day and came across some cotton gloves with rubber dots across the fingers and palm. I could not find my size so could not try them but they looked promising.

[randomryan007]

homedepot sells rubber coating for tools you could use that

[wheelie182]

I've been meaning to give surf board wax a try, haven't got around to it yet though, maybe worth a look.

[tsh3406]

Marine Tex is a more permanent fix, if that's the desired outcome. This will give ya an idea how it's done and what it looks like....

http://www.rdprecision.net/diy.html

[BoyFallDown]

I just bought a pair of thin mechanic's gloves from lowe's, something like these. Lots of different colors and they work perfect for gripping slippery aluminum handrims. They're really awesome for braking quickly too. Saved me from a couple collisions in the grocery store ;)

Edited by BoyFallDown, 28 November 2011 - 09:00 PM.

[Tetracyclone]

randomryan007, on 22 November 2011 - 03:32 AM, said:

homedepot sells rubber coating for tools you could use that

That's it!!

[Trinity]

MTB John, on 21 November 2011 - 04:57 PM, said:

I was in the gardening section the other day and came across some cotton gloves with rubber dots across the fingers and palm. I could not find my size so could not try them but they looked promising.

I use something very similar in winter except they are horseriding pimple palm gloves. They give decent enough grip when it's wet and cost a couple of quid a pair

[qbounce]

In rehab my therapist wrapped my push rims with Theraband-- a type of large rubber band used for arm exercises. Now I just have quad rims with the rubberized coating. The only thing to be careful of is going downhill, the friction burns your hands without gloves.

[quintooo]

I use a combination of cork tape (for handlebars of racing bikes) and a pair of winter alpinist gloves that have a unique texturized leather palm. The gloves aren't warm enough for me so I have to buy liners, which is going to up the price. The gloves I bought were about 62$ CDN - http://www.mec.ca/AS...oves-unisex.jsp - and the cork tape is 10,50$ CDN per pack (one pack comes with two rolls). It took me just over 4 rolls to wrap a set of handrims for 26" wheels. The major problem I've been encountering is that the cork is delicate - if I scrape against a wall or what-have-you, the cork sometimes rips. I carry electrical tape in my bag and have to stop sometimes to fix the ripped spots. Usually a few nights a week I'll also take my wheels off and go over any trouble spots. I'm not sure if I'll do it again once this round of tape wears out, but it was worth a shot. If anybody can think of something similar to the cork tape (http://www.mec.ca/AS...k-tape-wgel.jsp) that isn't so breakable, let me know ! It's also nice because it provides a bit of added cushioning.

[KennyB]

I assume you guys are all talking about plain aluminum push rims. I have been using the rubber coated push rims for years and find they work alot better. Much better grip even when they are wet and you don't have to push on dirty tires. When I am outside I usually wear some sort of gloves as the coated rims get hot on the hands when you are braking, like going down a hill. The rubber coating lasts for a long time (years).

[cruiserkb]

I have used hockey tape for some time now. Upon hard braking it does tend to get a little warm. I also wide wraped a piece of small diameter rope under the tape to give a better grip. One thing is if you do alot of braking the ends tend to curl up, this causes the glue to be exposed making the surface somewhat sticky. Frequent tape changes will fix this. I plan to continue to use hockey tape. Plus it comes in almost any color you want.