Decisions Decisions - The Chicken and the Egg

 I have a few dilemmas going on, let me explain. After parting ways with my Specialized Turbo Levo eBike, which I had had for about 4 years, a bike which was a fairly trusty companion and I really enjoyed riding, well I have not replaced her. 

Do I need another bike? specifically an eBike. My answer would be, "If I am going to get another bike, it most certainly would be of the electric variety".

My reasoning... Well as an above knee amputee, whilst I can ride an ordinary analogue bike, if I go out a few days in a row I find I am thoroughly knackered. Where as on an eBike I can use as little or as much assist and I am able to get out more regularly. It's not cheating as the majority of the time I rode my Specialized in Eco mode, it just kind of gave me my leg back.

Anyhoo whether to get a new bike is not the end of my dilemmas. There are a whole host of things to consider. I mean it's not just do I get an eBike, it's which one, do I go for a full power or opt for one of these new Mid Power bikes? And a big part of also getting a new ride is Wow they cost quite a few dabllons. The price of eBikes has shot up. The equivalent to my Specialized is now £1000 more expensive that when I purchased my bike. Also technology has moved on, as I see you can get bikes with wireless shifting, this being available on the AXS version of the Heckler.

I think I have it down to two candidates, either a Santa Cruz Heckler SL in Magenta and a size XL, more on the sizing in a moment or do I go for the Orbea Rise and get a model at the same price point. With the Orbea Rise you appear to get a lot more bang for your buck, and I see Orbea is offering a free range extender on some models. They come with top end kit and can be customised with colour and various parts.

 

Santa Cruz Heckler SL

Santa Cruz Heckler SL

Orbea Rise

Orbea Rise

With the Santa Cruz bikes I think you are paying top dollar for a boutique name. That said the Santa Cruz SL has had some really good reviews and apparently is top in its class for power and range.

Back to the sizing for the Santa Cruz. I am a tad over 6 feet, so I am between sizes Large and X - Large. I popped into Start Cycles a couple of weeks ago and got the chance to see a Santa Cruz Heckler SL in all its glory. A beautiful looking bike, the model on display was a XXL. One of Starts customer advisers Rhys was on hand to have a chat about the Santa Cruz and using a neat website called Geometry Geeks, he was able to see how a Santa Cruz Nomad which they had on display in a size XL compared to the Heckler. I was then invited to have a sit on the Nomad. Whilst the Nomad felt totally different to my Specilaized, it was a fairly comfortable fit, so this helped me decide if I went for a Santa Cruz Heckler an XL would be the best fit.

Okay so why the title Chicken and the Egg. Well more dilemmas. I mean for you "Norms" out there who don't have a limb missing it's a bit more simple, just save up and go and buy a bike. However for me I need a prosthetic limb to be able to ride my bike, and I am not talking just any knee. Nope my knee of choice as anyone who reads my waffle will know is the Bartlett Tendon. My current BTK is getting on a bit and starting to snap bolts, tendons and its rattling like hell in the frame where it is wearing. I mean fair play to this knee I have been riding 1531 consecutive days, and that is just when I started keeping track, so the knee gets a lot of use.

Bartlett Tendon Infinity Knee G3

A new knee is almost the same price as a new bike, and that is not including a new socket, something else I could do with as mine at the moment is way to big and my leg keeps slipping off. 

So as you can see, or rather read lol. I may be able to finance a new bike, no way I can stump up all the cash in one go, however then if my knee gives up the ghost not be able to ride it. Or I could attempt to finance a new knee, possibly socket, however then not have a nice shiny new bike.

Or I could just not buy either, sit on my ass all day and watch day time TV, feel sorry for myself and become a couch tattie. Fuck that it's just not in my Dna. Im way too proactive for that. I will continue moving forward and guess figure things out, whilst looking at bike porn online and rattling away riding on my current knee.

3 Awards From The IndieFest Film Awards

Following my ride out this morning I retuned to some fantastic news from my good friend Dragos who shot the short documentary telling my story. Dragos informed me that the film had been awarded 3 awards of excellence. This is awesome and hopefully just the start of more awards.

From my point of view I don't consider myself to be a Hero, that is the title of the film, which was created and presented to me way before filming even began. The concept and ideas, the creation to the final result all goes down to the dedicated hard work of the team of people who put so much time and effort into capturing part of someones life and retelling their story, trying to encapsulate the highs and lows and hopefully inspiring an audience.

I feel so grateful to have been invited to recount my story and as an added bonus met some amazing people. A huge thank you to everyone involved and also to Indie Fest for the recognition.

Meet The Local Hero - Glenn Johnstone has just been honoured with not one, not two, but THREE prestigious awards from The IndieFEST 

Film Awards

Award of Excellence Special Mention - Documentary Short

Award of Excellence: Disability Issues

Award of Excellence: Editing

We are over the moon with gratitude and excitement! 

 Huge thanks to The Indie Festfor recognizing our film in these categories.  It's a testament to the incredible efforts of our dedicated team.

To everyone who supported us on this journey, THANK YOU!  Your encouragement and enthusiasm mean the world to us. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to share the inspiring story of Glenn Johnstone, our Local Hero.

First Ride Out of 2024 Prosthetic woes and time to reflect.

Proper enjoyed the first ride out of 2024. Yes it was a tad chilly, yes my prosthetic leg was constantly coming loose and annoying me, and yes I had to wear a pair of gigs because my eyesight has continued to get to the stage where if I don't wear them everything is just a blur.

I went out for a ride with my long time pal John and he introduced me to one of his friends Peter. We had discussed earlier in the week via WhatsApp where to go and decided a short venture up to Hownsgill Cafe would suit us. John hasn't ridden for about 6 months and whilst I have been riding everyday, it's generally just 30 minutes or so indoors on my turbo trainer.

Usually my prep for heading out is a case of rushing around in the morning and trying to find things I have always mislaid, however lthe night before I had prepared my stuff, so this morning was a nice relaxed, well semi relaxed, as I was aggravated and stressed over my leg not fitting sort of morning.

I had made sure my Orbea Gain eBike was full charged. Deciding to take this, as it makes life a little easier, especially as I wasn't going to be wearing tendons on my Bartlett Tendon Knee. I am down to my last 2 shouldered studs for the cams, as I have been finding they have been snapping for some reason. I didn't want to risk snapping the last ones, until some replacements have arrived. So not taking my Fat Bike and therefore having to fit the tendons and cams, was the plan. As we were just going to be riding mostly on the C2C route and no muddy woodland trails. Ern (my Dad) has measured the shouldered studs and been able to source a place on line to get some replacements, almost £60 for 10, so quite expensive So hopefully I get out with tendons on soon. I have sold my `Specialized Turbo Levo and would dearly love a new E- mountain bike, it's just they are expensive and what with having my current leg issues I think I am going to have to put future plans on hold.

A nice steady ride up Durham Road and onto Wear Road and John's, yes I cheated slightly and had the bike on Level 2, however apart from coming up the bank I didn't have the bike turned on throughout the rest of the ride. I met John at his house and he introduced me to his new wee dog "Bruno", he is a Pomee something or other breed, definitely doesn't look like a Bruno, `I think `I am going to call him Frank. Nobbling after Peter rode over and John introduced us.

  

Glenn, John and Peter

We had a quick ride to Asda so I could get a few quid outdoor a breakfast then off we went heading to Consett . As we rode up towards Consett in certain areas single file, it gave me time to think, of how much I enjoy just being out in the fresh air and try to reflect on yeah things are not great prosthetic limb wise, nothing is fitting and a lot of stuff needs replacing. I have just been back to the Disability Services Centre, this is where I get my NHS funded bits and bobs. I attended yesterday to take delivery of a new socket.

I am currently on wearing it to see if I can get away with it. So far the jury is out, it feels uncomfortable compared to my old socket. When I fit a seal it feels like I am being pushed out of the socket and when I sit down I lose the vacuum seal which keeps it on. Im feel like Bambi on Ice walking. It is soooo! stressful and frustrating, I just want to get on and do day to day normal stuff, however at the moment almost every thought from getting up to going to bed is based somewhere around " Aww F@$king hell this poxy leg" or lack of it. So many people take for granted just being able to climb stairs, run, dance or even trip up but be able to catch themselves. I can deal with having my leg amputated, it's the fact of when my prosthetic leg doesn't fit, it just brings me right down. Anyhoo getting back to the reflection bit, I just thought "Glenn count your blessings, your out, your trying to make the best of a bad situation, and give yourself a little credit, you haven't given up". Maybe I am getting a little better at not being So hard on myself all the time.

  

Glenn on the Orbea Gain

My prosthetist from the DSC rang me in the afternoon following my visit to inform me my Rheo XC microprocessor knee is about buggered, so she is ordering me a new one, and would I also like a new foot. "Sure what ever you think best" I replied. Just a shame I cannot get a new Bartlett Tendon knee and socket from the NHS, as both of those need replacing. 

I can't imagine not being able to ride, it is so much of who I am, it has kept me going, given my opportunities and I have met so many awesome people through cycling. Being disabled... weird as I have just subconsciously stopped typing whilst writing this sentence and thought to myself " What I'm disabled ? I don't think of myself as disabled, I am just different". Yet being different is very expensive. Again it makes me realise how fortunate I have been in the past to be supported by various people and companies.

Moving on I guess I am going to have to look at approaching various foundations fort grants and doing a lot of saving if I want to continue cycling.

For the time being it's going to be a case of trying to prolong the life of my worn out bits n bobs, with replacement bolts and possibly some Gaffa tape to keep my leg attached LoL.

 

Parked up at the cafe

Anyhoo back to the ride, we ended up at Hownsgill Cafe, each of us ordered the full English breakfast and a cup of coffee. Not badly priced I think, I don't go out much for meals so not sure of the current cost of stuff, but £5.70 for the breakfast and £1.60 for a coffee which certainly hit the spot on a cold morning seemed like a good deal.

  

The ride back was as pleasurable as the ride there, a little easier coming back I would say, with some good craic, so all in all a canny morning.

 

Me and Peter

I couldn't be arsed to get my phone out and take pictures, so relied on John to send me some snaps through. John is like Inspector Gadget what with his new fangled Apple Watch and phone Lol.

Cheers John for the few pics.

The End.

A Teaser for " Meet The Local Hero" A Dragos Teglas Film

Hello and Best wishes for the New Year, its my first post of 2024.

Already a mixed bag of really exciting Highs "Yay" and really stressful and frustrating lows "Boo"! 

My blog as anyone who likes to follow it or comes across the various things I post, will know it is about keeping it real. I don't live in a Social Media world of fake news and endless rays of sunshine where my life is super hunky dory every single day. Nope I am just an ordinary bloke, who like a great deal of other people is trying to make the most of this thing we call life, find fun, love and happiness and try to put all the other crap to one side.

You may ask well what is going on ? Well I will start with the Low as I would like to end on a positive. I mean who wants to listen to someone whine on right?

Basically it's the same old same old and for those amputees out there you will totally get this " Socket Fit". I was off work 4 1/2 months at the start of 2023 as my socket was killing me. I was bottoming out and basically mobilising weight bearing on my cut femur. I attended the Disability Service Centre and after a number of visits a socket was produced and "Aww Crap" it didn't fit. I then just informed the DSC and my prosthetist to put my old socket back on to my knee and went back to work. Well it's been over a year, walking around with an ill fitting socket. I have tried all sorts, of temporary fixes, extra stump socks, two, even 3 seals and it hasn't really solved the problem. Tomorrow I am back to the DSC I have been seeing a new prosthetist and hopefully I will be getting a "Boa adjustable socket" and it will fit and I can go on my happy way. I am trying to keep an open and positive mind, as man this ill fitting socket has really knocked my confidence in my mobility and has me in a right moody frame of mind. It doesn't help that my cycling socket is an exact replica of my current everyday socket, so although I am still cycling everyday, mainly on my indoor Turbo Trainer, I am constantly having to stop and adjust my socket.

And that is all I have to really complain about.

Okay, positives, well last year I was invited to take part in a short documentary film. It has now all been put together and is just about due for release. Dragos the film maker and now very close friend keeps me updated and he was very pleased to announce that the film has been nominated so far for 5 film festivals. This is great news and so exciting.

 

I am no longer on Facebook, however I know "This is Insomnia" the production company has a Facebook page.

Checkout: https://www.facebook.com/meethelocalhero/

There is also a video teaser here at Vimeo : https://vimeo.com/901888387

I really would like to see the film do well, not because I consider myself a local hero as the title suggests, no its because Dragos and everyone involved in the making of the film have put so much hard work into its production. Dragos wanted a specific message to be taken from the film and I think he has captured that. The fact that as I have said I am just an ordinary lad, I was never going to be a world champ BMX'er or Downhill racer, no I just wanted to get back to doing something I had a passion for from being a young kid and that was riding on 2 wheels, making my own adventures and seeing where the trail took me. I am not a competitive person, the majority of challenges I have faced in my life have been personal ones, and these have all shaped me into the person I am today, hopefully with a positive message to do what makes you happy and try to overcome your own personal battles.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in the making of this film and I look forward to peoples take on the film.