People who drive — and tell stories about it.

Hello, dear BamBuk enthusiasts. Martin here again – a new BamBuk podcast.

Today, we want to look at the BamBuk from the perspective of: What does it do for us, or how do we blind and visually impaired people get along with it? Of course, it's also for many other disabilities, where the BamBuk is a great opportunity to keep going and enjoy nature.

THREE WHEELS — SAFETY AND STABILITY

The first aspect that was important to me was: it has three wheels. Three wheels means: you don't tip over so easily, you are stable – and if you have a bit of trouble with your balance, it's simply a secure form. On top of that, you sit much lower than on a normal two-wheeled tandem. Just the fact that the centre of gravity is lower makes the whole thing quite safe.

GETTING UP — SIMPLE AND WITHOUT BALANCE DRAMA

What's nice about getting on is this: If you imagine a normal bicycle tandem, you have to swing your leg up, backward or forward, to get onto the saddle. And then, of course, you have to maintain your balance, or rather, your stoker has to compensate for it a bit if you can't. I've done that too – a rather wobbly affair. It didn't give me quite the good feeling, and that wasn't because of my stoker, but simply because of the design of a normal tandem.

At the BamBuk, I do it very simply: I feel for the front seat with my hands, it's easy to find because it's at normal hand height. Once you know where it is, you can find it quite easily and can't injure yourself. I approach the BamBuk, grip the front seat, move my right or left leg sideways until I feel the bar that holds the BamBuk together in the middle. Then I take about a step – about 20 cm high to the side – and I'm already over this middle bar and therefore with my bottom already over the seat. I know where the rear seat is because I can feel the front one. And then I just very slowly – you could almost say, 'ceremoniously' – sink into the BamBuk's seat.

Then I'll sit down. I just need to feel the pedals – here there are the Velcro straps with which you can attach your shoes to the pedals. This means that firstly, you won't slip off while riding – you can't fall over, so it's not a problem if your feet are held by the Velcro – and secondly, it means you can also apply force when pulling your foot back, not just when pushing down on the pedals. It's probably a bit more effective because of that too.

Yes, and then you're already sitting there, and the wild ride with your driver begins. From that perspective: in my opinion, a very safe thing, a very stable thing.

AGE-APPROPRIATE — AND THE RICKSHAW FUNCTION

Right, I'm not exactly the spring chicken I used to be, well past sixty. And I imagine I'll be able to enjoy this sport, this outdoor fun, riding my trike for a long time to come. If I start to flag a bit, say over eighty or so, the BamBuk trike can also function as a rickshaw, of course. What do I mean by that? You can get a freewheel installed at the back. That means your rider at the front pedals, the motor helps out, and you contribute as much as you can to the pedals.

But why am I looking so far into the future – is it desirable that it turns out this way. From today's perspective, I still have strength in my legs and I'm also pedalling hard so that the battery is consumed as little as possible and lasts as long as possible.

SAFETY WITH A HIGHER HANDICAP — THE BRACE BELT

So, what I mean is: a neat thing. If you're even more severely disabled and feel like you could fall out of the trike too – or your driver says you can't keep your body weight in the seat – there's also the option of additional equipment, the shoulder harnesses. Then you're really strapped into the seat, just like in an aeroplane or when skydiving. That way, absolutely nothing can happen: physically secured, bodily secured. So, I think it's very well suited for other disabilities too.

PROXIMITY TO DRIVER — AND AUDIO DESCRIPTION OF THE LANDSCAPE

What I find lovely about the BamBuk, naturally, is that there’s not much distance to the driver. We’re not a metre apart. The vehicle is very quiet, you can barely hear the engine, you only hear the sounds of driving and the surroundings – which also makes good conversation possible. And I enjoy it when my wife, as the driver, or another driver describes the route to me. That means: I then hear what’s visible to the left and right of the route, what can be perceived there, and can supplement what I hear and smell – a kind of audio description, as you probably know it from films. So: pure fun.

Honestly, my stomach really tingles when we go downhill – because that's where the BamBuk shows its true strength. It stays nice and stable because of the three wheels, and it's entirely possible that my driver says, „Okay, we're at 50 now, at 55." That's really a fantastic speed going downhill when you've got that tingle, the wind in your face, and you're really enjoying it. At least I enjoy it. I'm not afraid, because my driver has the best braking system on the market, and can safely drive me down the hill, wherever that may be.

NO RECLINER — UPRIGHT SEATING POSITION

Those are the main points that come to mind right now, which make the BamBuk fairly certain for me. Some people also say, „You sit so low." Yes, you do sit — and that's the big advantage. There are a lot of recumbent bikes where you lie in them. I've tried that too: It doesn't work well for me, it gives me back pain, I can't pedal properly. I find it an unnatural position for me. And I'm even lower and then have a bit of the feeling of being overlooked. I don't have that with the BamBuk: You sit upright, in a completely normal sitting position, and pedal forward. That's also not a problem for me on long distances at all.

Visibility in road traffic

Then the BamBuk offers a good deal of safety: not only the lighting system, but also an indicator system – if you like that sort of thing. Otherwise, you do it the classic way by hand. That is also my job on the back seat: to stick my hand out to the right or left to signal or turn. And then there is this wonderful BamBuk pennant – I only know it as a waving ribbon – which protrudes far beyond the BamBuk and ensures good visibility for car drivers or whoever is out and about. In addition, I personally always wear a yellow high-visibility vest on the back seat. This ensures very good visibility from behind as well.

And I can tell you: in all the years that I've been riding a BamBuk, there has never been a dangerous situation in road traffic or on the cycle path. Because whenever we come along – sometimes my driver calls out, „Attention, we're oversized!" We're not really, we're no wider than a normal bicycle with a child trailer – people already get out of the way. As I said: you are safe, even if you don't see it. The gazes are fixed on you and your BamBuk and your driver as you whizz past. It's quite an exclusive thing to ride a BamBuk, because there aren't that many. And that's great fun, of course. Wherever you park, stop, or eat an ice cream – people immediately gather around and ask: „What is that, how does it work, is that great?"

DAMPING — SUSPENSION FOR THE BACK

And before I forget: One of the really essential points that I've only experienced with the BamBuk, compared to other trike technologies, is a simple but highly effective suspension. That means: As I said, I'm not exactly the freshest anymore – so you naturally want to protect your spine – you can really do that well, because the BamBuk forgives potholes. When you're going over rough terrain, gravel paths or even forest trails, and suddenly there's a pothole that the wheel sinks into, the chassis absorbs it in such a way that you don't notice you've gone over it. The thing stays on track, and you don't get any bump at all because the suspension is really cleverly designed. How they do it – it's really smart and well done.

Conclusion

Yes, that’ll be all for today – the advantages I see for us, those who are visually impaired or blind. But as I said: it might also apply to other people with disabilities and indeed to people who, due to age, no longer want to use a normal two-wheeled bicycle.

I wish you a good time. Stay fit, healthy, and active, and we'll hear from you in one of the next episodes.