[gsp23]

When I got my chair it came with side guards but I took them off right away being summer time, no baggy cloths and with an ongoing draught here the roads were not wet or sloppy. Anyways, getting into winter time now, I decided to start using them. Is it just me or are they just more of a pain to use then their are even worth? I have the plastic side guards so every time I get the chair into and out of the truck I need to take them off. To run into a store for 5 minutes, putting them on seems like a pain but with baggier pants and coats then they dont get dirty. Are the cloth ones worth it so you dont have to keep taking them on and off all the time? What do other people use?

[LadyPilot]

I have never used side guards. I have found it far easier to shove dirty clothes in the wash than faff about with guards. I keep and look after a pony so I regularly get caked in mud. I have used sleeve protectors on my jackets but since the whole jacket gets mud covered in a few days they're not worth the effort. Same goes for trousers, they just go in the wash at the end of the day.
Also having no side guards to keep your thighs off the wheels, is a great incentive to keep slim.

[HollieIzzo]

I didn't used to have sideguards at all - took them off as soon as I got each of my chairs - however one night I went out with white jeans on and when I to the bar we were going to I had brown/black streaks down the side of each thigh which wasn't a great look.

The latest chair I got has sideguards permanently - you can fold them against the backrest and still collapse it so not fuss taking them on and off, also they are carbon fibre and so don't add much weight at all.

I didn't mind with or without to be honest - I always used to put them on if I was wearing something nice.

[bubbleandsqueak]

i don't understand why you have to take them off your chair and put them back on, i have them on my chair and i never have to take them off.

[gsp23]

bubbleandsqueak, on Dec 15 2006, 03:04 PM, said:

i don't understand why you have to take them off your chair and put them back on, i have them on my chair and i never have to take them off.

Your chair must be different than mine. I have plastic sideguards and they dont fold or anything. Since the side guards butt up agains the inside hinge for the backrest, I have to remove them before I can fold the back down.

[wheeliebear75]

I came up with a solution for that. I have a Quickie XTR and this time I got YOUTH size sideguards. They still keep my clothes out of the way but are short enough to transfer with them on. If the problem is that your chair has to fold and they get in the way of that and if you do not have a hard back you can use fabric ones that use velcro to stay on/and adjust. Hope this helps.

gsp23, on Dec 15 2006, 06:08 PM, said:

When I got my chair it came with side guards but I took them off right away being summer time, no baggy cloths and with an ongoing draught here the roads were not wet or sloppy. Anyways, getting into winter time now, I decided to start using them. Is it just me or are they just more of a pain to use then their are even worth? I have the plastic side guards so every time I get the chair into and out of the truck I need to take them off. To run into a store for 5 minutes, putting them on seems like a pain but with baggier pants and coats then they dont get dirty. Are the cloth ones worth it so you dont have to keep taking them on and off all the time? What do other people use?

[gsp23]

wheeliebear75, on Dec 22 2006, 08:45 PM, said:

I came up with a solution for that. I have a Quickie XTR and this time I got YOUTH size sideguards. They still keep my clothes out of the way but are short enough to transfer with them on. If the problem is that your chair has to fold and they get in the way of that and if you do not have a hard back you can use fabric ones that use velcro to stay on/and adjust. Hope this helps.

Thanks, I also have a Quickie XTR and mine came with the adult plastic side guards. Transfers are a bit of a pain but the biggest problem is not being able to fold down my seat back for getting into my truck. Also, I have a Jay2 back on my chair.

What do you think of your XTR? I love mine, but have read some bad reviews on it that I dont agree with. Never talked to anyone that has one to get their thoughts on theirs.

[RacingAxe]

I forgot to raise my clothing guard (easily folds down out of the way for transfers on my Kuschall) on the right side earlier today and have had a wet hip since then. It's been raining just about all day here in Michigan. One of the reasons I chose this wheelchair was the folding clothing guards. If he arm rests didn't have to be removed to load into the car it would be even better but none of these things (wheelchairs) are perfect.

[WheelsWithAttitude]

RacingAxe, on Dec 23 2006, 05:55 AM, said:

I forgot to raise my clothing guard (easily folds down out of the way for transfers on my Kuschall) on the right side earlier today and have had a wet hip since then. It's been raining just about all day here in Michigan. One of the reasons I chose this wheelchair was the folding clothing guards. If he arm rests didn't have to be removed to load into the car it would be even better but none of these things (wheelchairs) are perfect.

Mine fold too on my sports chair on the other I just ordered they are removable if needed or when I need to take chair into the car.

But none get in the way when I transfer, because they both are level with the top of the wheels so not a problem transferring with them on.

[bubbleandsqueak]

Ok for you people with non-folding side guards the back of your chair can be folded down with out removing the side guards you just have to adjust them the right way. I had this same problem for about the first day till I looked at it and adjusted them the right way. If I ever get my camera back from my sister I’ll take pictures. But till then all you dumb a$$'s with out any common seance will have to suffer.

[icarus_melt76]

Subtle...

[LadyPilot]

bubbleandsqueak, on Dec 24 2006, 01:14 AM, said:

But till then all you dumb a$$'s with out any common sense will have to suffer.

Nice attitude!

[russ1]

bubbleandsqueak, on Dec 24 2006, 01:14 AM, said:

Ok for you people with non-folding side guards the back of your chair can be folded down with out removing the side guards you just have to adjust them the right way. I had this same problem for about the first day till I looked at it and adjusted them the right way. If I ever get my camera back from my sister I’ll take pictures. But till then all you dumb a$$'s with out any common seance will have to suffer.

Yep it can be bodged - angle the side guards out enough and they'll stop fouling the backrest - then you'll start losing thumbnails as you push, the sideguards will rub the wheels and they'll still be in the way as you lift the chair in and out of the car. Alternatively you can spend the 5 seconds it takes on each car transfer to lift them out and put them back in.

It may work on your chair but don't assume that it'll work on every chair or that even if it does it's a good idea.

Personally I always use them - Can't stand the rubbing noise when baggy clothing rubs on the wheels.

[gsp23]

When I first started using my sideguards, for some reason I was surprised when the seat didnt fold down. I guess I just hadnt thought about it until I started using them. However, the first thing I thought of is how could I possibly adjust them so they would not be in the way... bending them in obviously wouldnt work... bending them out a bit would probably work, but then I face the problem mentioned by Russ of how my hands may rub against them and even the bigger issue of when I put my knobby tires on, the tires themselves would probably be rubbing against them. I use 20mm wide tires on my current everyday wheels (will be switching to 25mm) and 50mm wide tires on my offroad wheels. I see the some side guards are made to fold into the chair on certain styles and I saw others that you can swivel down when not in use but short of redesigning the sideguards neither of those appear to be an option.

bubbleandsqueak
If the "obvious option" that you mention is by bending them out slightly... it had occured to me and I'm sure to the other people people you say that lack common sense, but we also have the common sense to think ahead of other issues as mentioned by myself and Russ. If you have an idea beyond that then please feel free to share details.