hey folks,
i'll hopefully be getting my first chair soon (going for the evaluation next week) and i have no idea what i'm doing so here's some questions! huge thanks in advance for any help you can give
first a bit of info on me: i have chronic fatigue syndrome and although i can ambulate some, it's hard on me. i have full use of my hands and arms and full sensation all over. i have an enlarged spleen that makes lifting heavy stuff (25+ lbs) or heavy exercise dangerous. my plan is to get an ultralight with a smartdrive or some other power assist. i'll mostly be using it outside of the home since i can get around in my tiny apartment without a chair. so i'd be using my chair for shopping trips, visiting relatives, that sort of thing. because of my chronic fatigue i need something as light on maintenance as possible without sacrificing a light weight. i'm leaning toward either a tilite rigid adjustable or a ki mobility rogue (i hear their customer service is a lot better than tilite's?)
anyway, questions:
1, what should i know before going for my evaluation? should i be taking notes while there?
2, what accessories and stuff should i prioritize for weight savings? like, what sort of brakes are lightest, should i ignore fancy suspension caster forks, what pushrims are lightest, that kind of thing? much as i love comfort and convenience, i love my spleen not exploding more, and the more weight i save the less paranoid i need to be.
3, similarly, what stuff should i not compromise on to save weight? for instance marathon plus tires seem like the kind of thing i want, since it's less maintenance than weaker pneumatics but way lighter and more comfortable than solids (or so i hear?). on the other hand schwalbe ones are less than half the weight of marathons with what schwalbe says is almost as good puncture resistance so... i dunno.
4, has anyone tried the light-up casters volcanic wheels makes? how bad do they suck? i'm so tempted but i have this sneaking suspicion they're total crap.
5, i probably want sideguards. i've read some people hate the removable ones but i'm not sure what the difference is?
i've probably got other questions but that's all i remember right now. thanks for reading!
edit: another question! are there reliability or maintenance differences between the different spinergy wheel models (or other brands)? like is spox more reliable than the lxl, does traditional shape require less maintenance than x-laced, etc - or should i just go for whatever's lightest (assuming insurance will pay for it)?