Help with new wheelchair measurements

[tonyjjose]

Hi friends,

I am looking for some help on buying an light weight rigid active wheelchair. So far i havent used any active chairs. I am from India and they are not easily available here. I am a T3-4 complete paraplegic.

I have taken measurements of my body,
Pelvic width: 14"
Heel to back of knee: 18" (without shoe)
Back of pelvis to back of knee: 20"
Ill be using a 3" air cushion.

I need help on some of the measurements,

Seat width: 15"
Front seat height: 18" (my current chair height)

Seat to foot rest: 17"??

Rear seat height: ?? Any advice?

Seat depth: 17" or 18"?? Any advice?

Frame depth: ??

COG: I have good wheelie balance. so how much should i go for?

Frame Angle: 80 or 85? How does this affect a chair?

Front end type and footrest type: what is the best? 'No Taper' is okay?

Rear Tyre: Pneumatic or solid?

Since i dont have access to spares or any repairs, i need a make and model that is most durable and trouble free. Do you have any suggestions (2k$ Max)?
I liked the Tilite Aero Z Aluminium.

Sorry for the long list of questions. Thanks for the help!

tony

[ala]

Lots of questions here. Most of these can’t be answered easily, especially by people who don’t know you. These choices are highly individualized. It might help you to look at “The CareCure CAD Repository” sticky thread in “Equipment.” Or do some research by searching the many threads about chairs and seating.

As far as tires go, if you hate the idea of flats and can stand the slight increase in weight, go with solid tires. They are difficult to mount yourself ( I do it), but they last a long time and you don’t have to worry about constantly losing air or getting stranded with a flat tire.

[elarson]

Welcome to the fourm Tony. You've come to a good place for learning more about equipment. I've also been researching our first rigid ultralight, and it's taken a lot of time and thought, but I am finally getting somewhere. People here have been tremendously helpful.

Like @ala said, these choices are very individual. Having such a general list of questions is going to be hard to get much input on. I would recommend that you start by searching each one of the measurements/options that you need more information about, like "Seat depth" (upper right Google search for the forum). From there you can start to narrow down what is important for you and then be able to ask specific questions. When possible, I try to ask the question on the thread that had the information about it, and then you will often get good responses that can be based more on your individual needs.

Overall, I have heard good things about the Tilite Aero Z, and I know there are members here using it. The AeroZ is a good first chair because it is adjustable, which is really important if you are not 100% sure of your exact measurements. Here is a link for Chair Comparisons. Definitely stay away from chairs that are TiFIT (Tailored Individualized Frame), because you won't be able to change much on them.

After you are quite sure you know what you want in terms of measurements and options, you may want to check out the TiLite demo chairs that are often listed on eBay or used chairs sold on this forum under Equipment & Services. I just saw this one on eBay and it looks to be brand new and very similar to your measurements: TiLite 15X18 Aero Z Aluminum Wheelchair SN-11908669.

Because we needed something quickly, we bought a chair from someone on this forum, with the plan that it will be for backup and spares when we finally purchase a new chair, and it worked out well. I think this also really helped me to understand how to interpret measurements better and know what we really need for the full-time chair we plan to order soon. If you go this route, probably the most important thing is that you get the same model you think you will need later or the parts won't be compatible.

Also expect to need to tweak it, which can be expensive if you need to order a lot of TiLite parts. Some things cost a lot, like changing the forks, while other things can be done for less money. You can find the Options Brochure and TiLite Parts eStore on the TiLite website, along with the suggested retail prices Parts Price List. You can also order options and parts through online retailers such as Sportaid.

I can understand your concern for access for parts and repairs, and would make sure you go with a brand that you can order online. Some chair manufacturers have started to make a problem about people who order internationally online instead of through local distributors, so you may want to contact the manufacturer and make sure you can do this before you go too far. Especially when you have no other choice with local distributors, which I believe to be the case in India with TiLite, they may allow you to do this.

Originally Posted by tonyjjose

Since i dont have access to spares or any repairs, i need a make and model that is most durable and trouble free. Do you have any suggestions (2k$ Max)?
I liked the Tilite Aero Z Aluminium.

[elarson]

About your question:

Originally Posted by tonyjjose

Rear Tyre: Pneumatic or solid?

We do not have solid tires, but have airless inserts, which are similar, on a TiLite chair with Spinergy wheels. I love the fact that I have exactly zero maintenance for them, but they are quite heavy, and kind of negate going with such lightweight wheels, because they are harder to propel. They are also a rough ride, and on cobblestones really toss my husband around.

Here are pictures of the TiLite solid treaded tire and airless insert that helped me to better understand what they are:




On the new chair we plan to get Marathon Plus Evolution tires. Although they are expensive, most people on this and another forum I use say things like this post: Schwalbe Marathon tires really are puncture proof!. Here is an article about them on WheelchairJunkie.com.

Some things to consider...

- If your roads/sidewalks are really rough, solids or airless inserts may be good for durability, but pneumatics will be better for shock absorbing.

- If you do not have strong hands or a nearby bike shop, solids or airless inserts may be really hard to remove/install. See this post about Tires: Solid vs Air which has a link about installing them.

- If you don't have a really high pressure pump, pneumatics may be hard to keep at the correct pressure. See this post: Schwalbe Marathon Plus PSI?

- If you have problems with spasms, the harder ride on solids or airless inserts may make spasms worse.

I'm sure there are other points that people will add, but these are the biggest I could think of for our situation.

[chasmengr]

elarson gives great feedback above. Regarding Rear Seat Height, an easy, general rule is when sitting upright with your arms hanging down, your middle fingertips should be near or at the center of your axles.

I found this measurement for me by sitting on a hard level chair, having someone measure from my fingertips to the floor, and measure from the chair's seat height to the floor. Then convert those two measurements with appropriate arithmetic to a RSH. Remember the chair's specified RSH does not include the cushion thickness. Making a sketch will help.

[ABox]

Anybody notice that Tony has been banned?

[~Lin]

That may be a mistake.... Since he only has one post. He may have inadvertently been caught in a spam sweep.

[tonyjjose]

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply. I was banned and coudnt even access the site from my computer. As Lin said, one of the moderator mistook me as a spammer.

I had gone through various other threads and was getting more confused (as i have never seen or used an active WC) Thats when i started a new thread here.

@ala I get the point. I hate flat tyres and it will be difficult to get spares here. So it seems the best will be solids at the moment.

@elarson Thanks for taking so much pain to explain every point in detail. The links you gave me have really helped me to make a decision.
I had seen that ebay demo WC before and finally decided to buy it. The seat depth(and frame depth) is i think 1-2" more than what i need. But buying a new chair along with minimum accessories (side guards, antitips etc) plus shipping will go beyond 2k$. So at the moment ebay seems the best option. Hope it works!
I never understood what was this airless inserts, I thought it might be some gel or something .
After reading about Schwalbe and Spinergy Spox i really like them. Though inflating them will be problem, and i think the valves in India might be different too. Perhaps ill try them in the next upgrade.

@chasmengr I will try the way you suggested . As the RSH can be adjusted, hopefully i can experiment and find the best one. The same with COG too, ill start with the safest point and increase it step by step.

Thanks to all of you for your time and inputs.

tony

[elarson]

Nice to see that you got back on the forum.

Congratulations! It looks like a nice chair. Be sure to post some pictures.

About valves, you can always get a Presta adapter so you can use a standard air compressor or car pump.

Originally Posted by tonyjjose

@elarson Thanks for taking so much pain to explain every point in detail. The links you gave me have really helped me to make a decision.
I had seen that ebay demo WC before and finally decided to buy it. The seat depth(and frame depth) is i think 1-2" more than what i need. But buying a new chair along with minimum accessories (side guards, antitips etc) plus shipping will go beyond 2k$. So at the moment ebay seems the best option. Hope it works!
I never understood what was this airless inserts, I thought it might be some gel or something .
After reading about Schwalbe and Spinergy Spox i really like them. Though inflating them will be problem, and i think the valves in India might be different too. Perhaps ill try them in the next upgrade.

[tonyjjose]

Thanks elarson,
That little thing looks nice and simple