Superhero on three wheels

When Samuel rolls around corners with his trike, no eye remains dry. And his parents stay in a good mood as well as on the road. The boy is in real sunshine — and thanks to TRIX, he can really enjoy moving again.

Behind the well-manned field, you can hear approaching engine noises. Not real ones: A child buzzes, grumbles! Then suddenly a boy on a trike around the curve with a hoot. Hum. Haunted by a small cloud of dust, he's gone on again.

“Samuel is our sunshine,” says Betty Fernandez, the boy's mother, later. “He wakes up practically laughing in the morning and is in good spirits all day,” says father David too. When the parents go for a walk with Samuel, like now, it looks like this: 13-year-old Samuel lets Betty and David chase him in his TRIX, they play catch. Or he drives ahead until an agreed stop and waits there.

When the parents then — finally! — Once there, Samuel will have gummy bears waiting. “We're not bike freaks ourselves,” says mother Betty almost apologetically, “that's why we go for a walk with him. But it's still totally fun! “Especially Samuel. But that hasn't been the case for long: Samuel has Sjögren-Larsson syndrome, a gene-related disease that actually mainly occurs in Sweden. The special thing about it: In many cases, it worsens during strong growth phases in childhood and causes severe spasticity. After puberty, it usually comes to a standstill. That is why Samuel has many therapy sessions right now at the age of 13: occupational therapy, speech therapy, wheelchair sports.

Since his mental development is also severely restricted due to the illness, he can only be accompanied. He met Trikes at the summer party at his school for the physically handicapped. “TRIX is part of his therapy — but it is the part that he really enjoys,” says David, who himself works in the medical sector, namely in the quality assurance department of a pharmaceutical manufacturer.

In fact, the boy can only keep himself straight with orthotics, i.e. joint-supporting bandages, and needs four-point walking aids. But anyone who sees him riding a tricycle immediately recognizes how much he enjoys movement and mobility. “Because of his spasticity, he couldn't drive on the standard TRIX with gears and freewheel — he can't pedal smoothly. ”

This required more adjustment, but with the flexibility of HASE BIKES, there was no problem: “We had special pedals with calf retainers and a rigid gear installed. This makes driving perfect.” Without a freewheel, once set in motion, the pedals continue to rotate themselves, even when Samuel gets out of pedaling rhythm. And fixie driving is hip anyway...

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Another adjustment: The TRIX had to be matte black. After all, Samuel loves superheroes, like all 13-year-olds. And his TRIX is simply his Batmobile. With the rigid gait, Samuel can even reverse — in case he has rolled a bit further than agreed...

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All details about TRIX are available here.

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