Custom Wheels (and other things)!

[Glittercat]

Do you decorate your Scooter, Wheelchair, Crutches, Cane, etc.? If so how?
Do you decorate for Disney trips? Seasonally? Only for holidays?
Have you done (or had) any custom work on your mobility aids? If not why? If so why?

I'm dying of curiosity over here!

 

[Glittercat]

This is my current chair. I've had it for 6 years but only tried painting last year before our trip to WDW. This is white nail polish and it had lights until my husband nearly started a fire.

backpaint by SideshowSiren, on Flickr

This is an composite collage of the one that will be arriving. The inside back rest is going to be painted in baroque swirls but with a Hidden Mickey in the design *because I'm a goof ball*!

bebelebleuFB by SideshowSiren, on Flickr

 

[SueM in MN]

Nice wheels!

I showed your pictures to my youngest DD. She liked the mermaid picture a lot and thought it will look nice on your wheelchair.

Her manual wheelchair is fushia. We've only done a little decorating. She has a Jay back - black aluminum - we applied a white Tinkerbell decal meant to go on a car. She has a Jay Deep contour seat with many different colorful covers.
We put lights on for WDW. She had a string of purple solar lights, but we just bought 2 new sets of rope lights - Aqua and Purple that we're going to try.

You can't see much of her chair decor in this picture, but at least you can see the color and the edge of the seat cushion cover.

Edited to add - she has mag wheels with glow in the dark stars

 

[Glittercat]

Nice wheels!

I showed your pictures to my youngest DD. She liked the mermaid picture a lot and thought it will look nice on your wheelchair.

Her manual wheelchair is fushia. We've only done a little decorating. She has a Jay back - black aluminum - we applied a white Tinkerbell decal meant to go on a car. She has a Jay Deep contour seat with many different colorful covers.
We put lights on for WDW. She had a string of purple solar lights, but we just bought 2 new sets of rope lights - Aqua and Purple that we're going to try.

You can't see much of her chair decor in this picture, but at least you can see the color and the edge of the seat cushion cover.

Edited to add - she has mag wheels with glow in the dark stars

Oh Sue she looks lovely and happy! Hello to her I adore the fuchsia!!! I almost ordered pink, but couldn't tell if was very bright. Her chair is beautiful! Where did you find your lights if I may ask? I'm looking at http://www.wheelchairleds.com but i've never done this, and I don't want Pete (husband) to burn our house down. He's an incredible artist, but is not good at wiring!
Oh! Quick note the mermaid is not mine but I liked it because it had Hello Kitty on it too. *lol*
This is my painting- before she was finished (she is finished now)... My mermaid will be in this style...

IMG_0212 by SideshowSiren, on Flickr

Oh I'll bet the stars are pretty on her wheels! Are they on the spokes? Sorry to be daft I've never seen something put on wheels before. Does she decorate it for Christmas? I'm thinking about doing that, and am decorating it for Halloween too! *hugs*

 

[BillSears]

I just ordered the light up when they spin front wheels for my chair.

Yea, I'm a bit conservative for them but I'm about to become a Grandfather and I thought my new Granddaughter would really enjoy them in about a year. When my daughter was young I would pop a wheelie and she would spin my front wheels. My Granddaughter will get to do this with light up wheels.

For my chair it's just the color. I have a nice Forest Green frame, I'm into earth tones and the color goes along with most of my clothing.

 

[Michigan]

Both of my girls have had light up wheels for years and my oldest last 2 chairs have been University of Michigan colors. Her chair is blue, spokes are yellow and tires are blue. Youngest has fushia with light up wheels and her One More Day pin from leap day on her seat back.

 

[Glittercat]

I just ordered the light up when they spin front wheels for my chair.

Yea, I'm a bit conservative for them but I'm about to become a Grandfather and I thought my new Granddaughter would really enjoy them in about a year. When my daughter was young I would pop a wheelie and she would spin my front wheels. My Granddaughter will get to do this with light up wheels.

For my chair it's just the color. I have a nice Forest Green frame, I'm into earth tones and the color goes along with most of my clothing.

A green frame sounds lovely! The light up casters sound like a fun touch, and better for visibility! I wondered about them, but did not know if the extra cost would be worth it. Tires were my splurge. *blush* What tires do you use? If you could change anything about your chair what would it be? p.s. You have such a happy smile!

 

[Glittercat]

Both of my girls have had light up wheels for years and my oldest last 2 chairs have been University of Michigan colors. Her chair is blue, spokes are yellow and tires are blue. Youngest has fushia with light up wheels and her One More Day pin from leap day on her seat back.

Do they have light up front or back wheels? Either seem a good choice for the sake of safety. It is wonderful that they each express their personalities and identities through their chairs!

 

[BillSears]

I've been using the standard Quickie Mag Wheels for about 20 years now. They're not fancy but they're very durable. I used to have spoked wheels when I got my first chair 35 years ago because that's all that were available. But those spokes were a lot of trouble, the spokes would break or they would loosen up and constantly need adjusting. Once I got my mags I never considered going back. They are a bit heavier than the spokes but so much more useful to me.

You can sort of see them in this pic:

Maybe I should get these wheels. But I hate spending $430 on wheels, it just seems extravagant.

If I could change one thing? I'd make it sturdier, it's really bad when my frame breaks. It happens about every 5 years or so. So far I've been lucky enough to make it home with the broken frame.

For looks? I'd like a nice looking frame. Because of the way I load my wheelchair into my car I need a folding wheelchair. Because of the ways I do transfers I need removable footrests. So my chair isn't as smooth/modern looking as some of those cool rigid frame chairs. But it's what I need and need overrides looks.

BTW here's my first chair back in 1977. My Senior Prom pic. Wheelchairs sure have changed a lot in 35 years.

 

[Michigan]

Bill have you looked at the new rigid chairs? Newer models now when the seat back folds down it locks so you can pop off the wheels and lift the chair. You can also get a flip up footplate on a rigid chair. Did you know that mags are heavier then spokes?

 

[Michigan]

Do they have light up front or back wheels? Either seem a good choice for the sake of safety. It is wonderful that they each express their personalities and identities through their chairs!

Front, I buy them from www.sportaid.com

 

[BillSears]

Bill have you looked at the new rigid chairs? Newer models now when the seat back folds down it locks so you can pop off the wheels and lift the chair. You can also get a flip up footplate on a rigid chair.

Yea, but the way I put my chair in the car requires a fold up chair. I drive a 2 door car and the folding chair fits right into the back seat. I pop off the front foot rest and toss them in the back seat. Then I transfer over to the drivers seat. Grab the cushion off of the chair and toss it into the back seat. Fold up the chair and then just slide it right into the back seat behind the drivers seat. Overall it takes about 45 seconds from opening the car door to closing the car door.

The rigid chair is much harder for me to deal with. I'm a T6 para, with no feeling/movement from the bottom of my rib cage on down, so I have no trunk control and reaching over to pop the wheels on and off is a problem. Plus the rigid chair with the back folded down won't fit between the drivers seat and the door frame so I can't just slide it in.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Did you know that mags are heavier then spokes?

It's a matter of sturdiness vs weight. The mags are a lot harder to break and only weigh about maybe(?) 2 pounds more. My mags weigh about 5.5 pounds each.

After years of spokes being broken or loose and the wheels wobbling I don't think I'll ever go back to spokes. I'm sure the newer spokes are nicer than the old ones in the 70s but I still think the mags are better for me.

 

[dvc one day]

Bill, I'm with you on this. I have had quickie's (now a ti-lite titanium) folding chairs because of how quick I can get them in and out of my Honda Element. Every time I have gone through the process of getting a new chair, the people helping me have tried to talk me into a rigid. So, this last time, I asked the guy helping me to watch while I get in my car (I guess it's around 10-20 seconds). I asked him if he had ever seen someone get in that quick, he said no and never mentioned a rigid chair again. Getting in quickly is particularly great when it's raining.

I have been trying spoke wheels lately, still somewhat undecided. If they break or need to be adjusted a lot I may just go back to mags, which is all I have used to this point.

I have heard those expensive wheels can be really noisy, I can't afford them so I don't know from experience.

As to the OP question:I am really boring with my chair, always black, though I recently switched to flat black which I like better than glossy. No decorations at all. I have always been this way though. I have never added anything to any car I have had either.

Bill, reading what you write sounds like me. So, I bet I will still be in a similar chair for many years to some.

 

[SueM in MN]

I've been using the standard Quickie Mag Wheels for about 20 years now. They're not fancy but they're very durable. I used to have spoked wheels when I got my first chair 35 years ago because that's all that were available. But those spokes were a lot of trouble, the spokes would break or they would loosen up and constantly need adjusting. Once I got my mags I never considered going back. They are a bit heavier than the spokes but so much more useful to me.

You can sort of see them in this pic:

Maybe I should get these wheels. But I hate spending $430 on wheels, it just seems extravagant.

If I could change one thing? I'd make it sturdier, it's really bad when my frame breaks. It happens about every 5 years or so. So far I've been lucky enough to make it home with the broken frame.

For looks? I'd like a nice looking frame. Because of the way I load my wheelchair into my car I need a folding wheelchair. Because of the ways I do transfers I need removable footrests. So my chair isn't as smooth/modern looking as some of those cool rigid frame chairs. But it's what I need and need overrides looks.

BTW here's my first chair back in 1977. My Senior Prom pic. Wheelchairs sure have changed a lot in 35 years.

Wheelchairs have changed!

My DD's first few chairs had spoked tires. They do take some maintenance.
She switched to Mag tires about 2 chairs ago and have been happier with them.
We offset the weight with lighter footrests. She had angle adjustable metal ones - heavy, and always out of adjustment. (She also broke them in ways Quickie had never seen before).
When she got the Mag wheels, she changed to composite flip up footrests. We also went with a rigid front, without swing away footrests. That took down the weight also.

One thing I would highly recommend would be foam filled no flat tires - never have to worry about air or finding a new tire tube.

One thing we got talked into and would never get again - air filled front casters. Those were awful - hard to add air and when they needed a new tube, it was hard to find and expensive.

 

[Michigan]

One thing I would highly recommend would be foam filled no flat tires - never have to worry about air or finding a new tire tube.

For her manual chair these are even better. The tire is solid no foam, no inserts just the tire.
http://www.sportaid.com/shox-solid-wheelchair-tires-24-25-26-x-1-25-540-559-590-5-colors.html

 

[Glittercat]

I've been using the standard Quickie Mag Wheels for about 20 years now. They're not fancy but they're very durable. I used to have spoked wheels when I got my first chair 35 years ago because that's all that were available. But those spokes were a lot of trouble, the spokes would break or they would loosen up and constantly need adjusting. Once I got my mags I never considered going back. They are a bit heavier than the spokes but so much more useful to me.

You can sort of see them in this pic:

Maybe I should get these wheels. But I hate spending $430 on wheels, it just seems extravagant.

If I could change one thing? I'd make it sturdier, it's really bad when my frame breaks. It happens about every 5 years or so. So far I've been lucky enough to make it home with the broken frame.

For looks? I'd like a nice looking frame. Because of the way I load my wheelchair into my car I need a folding wheelchair. Because of the ways I do transfers I need removable footrests. So my chair isn't as smooth/modern looking as some of those cool rigid frame chairs. But it's what I need and need overrides looks.

BTW here's my first chair back in 1977. My Senior Prom pic. Wheelchairs sure have changed a lot in 35 years.

Bill~ Your wheels look great! Those colorful ones look fun, but ouch what a price! *winces* The lovely man who helped us measure for my new chair recommended Spinergy, but I just don't have that kind of cash. I'm happy with my Shadow spokes for now, as I had a very clunky chair before, and and any little change is a grand thing! You have such a brilliant smile it's hard to focus too hard on the chair! That is a good thing in my opinion. Your first chair looks painful. Yay, for improvements to design and comfort!

 

[seidelhd]

My DD has a purple wheelchair with front light-up wheels. We got these spoke covers for the back wheels.

 

[bouncycat]

My favorite character is Tigger, and my hubby paints my AFO braces and the bottom of my powerchair orange and then draws on the black stripes. I'm on my phone so when I can I will post pictures. Hubby does what he can to make me feel the least self conscious as he can since I'm young and my issue is mostly invisible, with the exception of the braces!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

My chair is old enough that the maker, TiLite, wasn't offering different frame colors and had maybe 4 colors to choose from for the back. I didn't like any of the colors so I stayed with basic black. I keep meaning to make covers for it, but I never get around to it.

I do actually have the X-Core wheels, but I think those were still only basic black, without the color choice. I really like them and the weight is worth it for me. (They were also much cheaper 8 years ago, if I'm remembering correctly )

The only real benefit to the basic black and silver chair is that it doesn't clash with clothing so I don't have to think about that.

 

[50surgeries2012]

Wheelchairs have changed!

My DD's first few chairs had spoked tires. They do take some maintenance.
She switched to Mag tires about 2 chairs ago and have been happier with them.
We offset the weight with lighter footrests. She had angle adjustable metal ones - heavy, and always out of adjustment. (She also broke them in ways Quickie had never seen before).
When she got the Mag wheels, she changed to composite flip up footrests. We also went with a rigid front, without swing away footrests. That took down the weight also.

One thing I would highly recommend would be foam filled no flat tires - never have to worry about air or finding a new tire tube.

One thing we got talked into and would never get again - air filled front casters. Those were awful - hard to add air and when they needed a new tube, it was hard to find and expensive.

I have mag tires on my manual wheelchair too, and the mag wheel tires have flat-free inserts in them. The seating specialist of the first DME company that I went through was a wheelchair user himself due to paraplegia, and he was able to give me a few pointers on what to have, and what not to have with a manual wheelchair because of having to constantly keep maintaining them.

He said that going with the mag-type wheels would be better because they would be less troublesome than the spoked-type wheels. I have the smallest front caster wheels on my manual wheelchair that are flat-free too. I think they're about 2", or 4". The only downside to them is that if my husband hits a crack, or bump in the sidewalk that's really deep, and he hits it really hard when he's pushing me in my manual wheelchair. It makes the tire pop off the wheel.

That happened when we were in Las Vegas a few years ago, and we were flying back home to PDX the very next day. The timeshare place we were staying in had no manual wheelchair available, and the maintenance guy couldn't do anything to fix my wheel. I had to wait to get home to call my current DME dealer that I go through now, and the service technician was able to make a house call out to my house to fix the tire. He had to replace the whole wheel because he said that the tire couldn't be popped back on. It wouldn't work with the size of wheels that I had.

-Samantha