Joe Auck was willing to do anything to get out and ride his mountain bike. The 40-year old, who lost his right hand as a teenager, wanted to get back into cycling with his kids but needed to modify his 50-pound Huffy mountain bike. After asking around at the local bike shops around Sherwood, Arkansas, Auck finally found someone willing to help him set up a one-handed rig. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette brings us the full story about Joe and his quest to build a one-handed mountain bike.
First, Dan Lysk at Arkansas Cycling installed a distributive braking system that pulls both brake calipers with a single lever. I had never heard of such a system for mountain bikes but apparently distributive braking systems can even be set to apply different amounts of pressure to the front and rear brakes so you don’t wind up going endo on a fast stop. Then, after upgrading the Huffy to a Specialized Hardrock, Auck had both shifters mounted on the left side (one upside down) and now he’s able to brake and shift through all his gears with one hand.
It’s always inspirational to read stories like this about mountain bikers doing whatever it takes to get out and ride. Organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project help disabled service veterans get involved in mountain biking and groups like the Charlotte Trailblazers are building mountain bike trails specifically for disabled riders. What’s your excuse for not riding this weekend?
