Roger Philo

 

 

 

Roger Philo writes . . . .

 

Some of you will know that two months ago, whilst staying at my sister’s house in Ilkley, I slipped when walking on a wet path and broke my left femur. A little under three weeks ago, I had recovered sufficiently to travel home to Guildford, where I managed to put my Thorn Audax on a turbo trainer. I found I had enough flexibility in the left hip to turn the pedals, but I needed a mounting block to get on the bike, so this wasn’t practical  for riding outside. Since I still need crutches to walk and can only manage about 1mph, being able to ride again would be a huge advantage.

No problem, I thought, I’ll be able to get on the Brompton quite easily and I can strap the crutches to the frame. It turned out I could straddle the Brompton and get my right foot on the pedal but the stiffness in my left leg meant I couldn’t get started safely. So, if I changed the right hand pedal for an SPD, of which I had a spare pair, I would be able to ride just using the right leg if necessary. That required removing the original pedal and this I could not do. Last Saturday, I gave up trying and decided to order a new crank/chainwheel. SJS sell these but so also do Brilliant Bikes, for the same price but no P&P. So, I ordered from them and as, an afterthought, ordered a cable lock as well. On receiving an email saying the lock was out of stock, I phoned them to ask if they would send the crank/chainwheel without waiting for the lock. To this they agreed and only at this point did I realise that their shop is in Chobham. The crank/chainwheel duly arrived on Monday morning. Excellent service.

I fitted the crank and SPD pedal and found I could get started safely. I decided, having got started, to ride to Budgens about half a mile away to buy a bottle of wine to celebrate. On arriving there I found it had closed down, so it was off to the Little Waitrose in the Shell garage near Stoughton crossroads. OK, the whole trip was probably only about 1½ miles, but it’s a start.

 

4 Comments
  1. Well done Roger. I was very sorry to hear of your accident after you were bombing along so well on the Settle weekend. It’s too late now but I have a standard 50 tooth Brompton crank in my eBay pile after I lowered the gearing on mine. Trouble is that some Brompton cranks have recessed pedal mounting holes & pedals can grind their way down into this & won’t come back out. Anyway, if you need anything else picked up from Brilliant Bikes in Chobham, I am nearer than you are so call me on 01483 829705.
    Dave Williamson.

  2. Well done Roger! So glad to hear you are returning to mobility. If you want a tiny crank to provide for less range of motion on the injured side, we might be able to help.

  3. Well done Roger. Only a veteran of PBP and LEL would have the get up and go to be on the bike again after such a nasty spill. Lets hope the crank and SPD pedal get you covering the miles and you’ll soon be back on your bigger bikes with the group before too long.
    Very best wishes for a full recovery,
    Paul

  4. Absolutely amazing achievement Roger, given how immobile you were when we went to the committee meeting last Thursday. I really do hope this gives you more flexibility and much needed mobility. Well done!