I’ve been riding with a Mert Hand for about 10 years now (3 on mtb). I love it and could never ride without it. Best advice I would give is go straight to full engagement pressure on all the screws. Mert told me the same thing when I first got it for riding my dirt bike. I’ve never had a time where it didn’t disengage during a crash with that setup. I’ve also never had it come off when I didn’t want it to on my dirt bike or mtb so after awhile you won’t even think about that happening again.
Yeah I noticed when I change body position real quick, like on a G out or when I get my front tire up on a large climb and then shift my weight forward, it pops out. Thanks for the tip!
I feel your pain with insurance as an LBKA. I had to make my own foot for road rides. Good thing I am a mechanic and machinist. My MTB leg was an argument with my prosthtist on trim lines but I got it done. It's just my thoughts but I've been through many prosthetic places and Hanger was the worst. I have a horror story on them that only people who have a limb missing would believe. All I'm saying is do your research and don't settle for just local prosthetic places if you want the best.
Holy shit, way to go man. Glad to see you found something that works. I hope that it only gets better. I have two arms, but if I had one, you would be my inspiration. I am 100% positive you are giving thousands of people hope. Kudos dude.
It’s so awesome to see it come this far… crazy to think that you shredded MTB AF with a limited range of motion compared to the new one… you’ll be shredding even MORE AFFFFFFFF😅
Hey dude! I just looked you up, so cool man, very inspiring! Enjoyed hanging with yall today @ berm creek and barn burner, yall enjoy the rest of your time here in Bentonville. 👊🏽🚴❤️
I like the aesthetics of the Mertz Hand being surrounded by traditional grip. I was thinking I'd need to find one with clamps on both ends of the grip, but yours has me rethinking that. How did you get the outboard section to stay put?
Hi David! I'm only two rides in and it hasn't fallen off yet, but if it does, I'm thinking hairspray 😂 I don't think it will take a lot of additional tension to get it to stay put.
Wow you are an inspiration to others who are in the same situation. Thankyou so much for sharing your journey. Happy that you can still ride your mtb bike 🙏
I even cut out the part with the fully articulating prosthetic arm that moves by sensing small electric pulses discharged by muscle movement. It's really mind blowing!
Hollaa!! Super interesting! I too, have one viable hand for mtb and can relate a lot to this video! I also made a video a while back about my journey with mtb prosthetics. I feel your pain with how long it takes and also the stupidity of health system/access to funding for these things, it's the same in Ireland. I don't understand why they think funding prosthetics only to survive is enough like damn b*tches I want to have my fun too!! I recently forked out over 3k for new prosthetic bits and it frickin hurts because you don't even know if they're worthwhile they might be shite!! Anyway haha its great to have you make a video on this too - its nice to have company in this sh*t show! It's also got me fired up about getting a new prosthetic it's in the very early stages at the moment so I need to starting pushing for it more! All the best man, so stoked for you to get a better connection with your bike, no better feeling! YEOW! 🤟🏼
Yeah, not only that, but isn't it in the insurance's best interest to keep you healthy (and happy)?! Less money they have to shell out over time! So far, I really recommend the Mert's hand! I had a TRS attachment before, but that was made for more XC riding, NOT for enduro & park, which is more my style. Have you reached out to Tom Wheeler in the UK?
That was super cool to see the process. I'm stoked you did the history lesson at the beginning. Before I started watching I was thinking if I made the video I'd include a little about how you got to where you were. Glad we were on the same page. LOL, because you know my channel is just amazing and obviously I know everything. Hahahahahaa!
This is a fantastic video, man. I just started the process of getting a custom prosthetic for mountain biking myself within the last month, after not having had or worn a prosthetic for over two decades. I'm trying to decide which terminal devices to shoot for, whih is how I cam across your channel.
@@nofrontbrakes big difference might be I haven’t done ANY biking not on a road or paved path… so I don’t see myself investing so much right now. I dropped you an email, if you have time to reply, love to chat. Again, love the vids, got me totally revved up.
your determination is so inspiring., cant wait to see how far you go now with this improved prosthetic. Also, i got curious how you do you break with 1 hand without flying over the handlebar? (sorry if its already answered, could not find it tho)
Nice one Eric. Thanks for sharing the process. I have the same attachment as your old one and I'm interested to see how you go with the new one feeling so free to move around. I have to say I kinda like how the TRS one has a sort of tension or friction to the way it moves. Definitely always worried about what happens when I crash though... So far I've not had any injury caused by it so I've got my fingers crossed
So far, so good! I love the range of motion, and THUS FAR haven't had any premature pop outs. I need to take it to a proper jump line and see how it handles under a pressure test of me yanking and landing.
Sure! At a certain angle, the arm pops out. That happens in 360 degrees and I am able to control the tension necessary for that pop. Previously, I had to hope that if I wrecked, that the rubber bands would snap and that before/during/after that snap, I would be weight neutral enough for the attachment to come off the pole on my bars... 😬
@@nofrontbrakes awesome. I think I’m going to try and talk to my prosthesis about this. I have that same attachment you had previously and have really injured myself on wrecks.
Has that quick release popped off on you since you had it reworked? My quick release is a string attached to my left wrist. I have a different type of terminal device though. I’d love the range of motion you’ll get but I’m an above elbow amputee. I don’t think that kind of range of motion would work for me. It would be hard to control.
It has, but I'm dialing it in.That kind of motion would only be good for you if you had some sort of additional elbow suspension. Check out what Tom Wheeler in the UK has.
Hey man I have about the same amputation and was actually going to try to get this device to ride motorcycle again. With the right modifications of course do you think it’ll work?
I’ve been riding with a Mert Hand for about 10 years now (3 on mtb). I love it and could never ride without it. Best advice I would give is go straight to full engagement pressure on all the screws. Mert told me the same thing when I first got it for riding my dirt bike. I’ve never had a time where it didn’t disengage during a crash with that setup. I’ve also never had it come off when I didn’t want it to on my dirt bike or mtb so after awhile you won’t even think about that happening again.
Yeah I noticed when I change body position real quick, like on a G out or when I get my front tire up on a large climb and then shift my weight forward, it pops out. Thanks for the tip!
I feel your pain with insurance as an LBKA. I had to make my own foot for road rides. Good thing I am a mechanic and machinist. My MTB leg was an argument with my prosthtist on trim lines but I got it done. It's just my thoughts but I've been through many prosthetic places and Hanger was the worst. I have a horror story on them that only people who have a limb missing would believe. All I'm saying is do your research and don't settle for just local prosthetic places if you want the best.
I had good luck with Hanger. I also knew exactly what I was looking for going in. But yeah, the insurance was totally bonkers.
Holy shit, way to go man. Glad to see you found something that works. I hope that it only gets better. I have two arms, but if I had one, you would be my inspiration. I am 100% positive you are giving thousands of people hope. Kudos dude.
Can I borrow your other hand? 😂
@@nofrontbrakes Depends on what you want it for. :D
It’s so awesome to see it come this far… crazy to think that you shredded MTB AF with a limited range of motion compared to the new one… you’ll be shredding even MORE AFFFFFFFF😅
Time will tell. Monarch Crest 2023 reunion? 😘
That's rad, Eric. I wondered if there was some kind of sport specific attachment. Glad to see you got the upgrade!
Thanks! So far, so good!
Great to see you keep shredding! Here's some dough towards the arm costs.
Oh wow, thank you so much! I've already paid for the arm, but I will definitely use that to keep making videos about riding with a prosthetic arm!
Cool to see the process. Stoked you got a rad upgrade!
Lots of planning, but it's pretty cool! Thanks, Alan!
@@nofrontbrakes 👊🏾
Hey dude!
I just looked you up, so cool man, very inspiring!
Enjoyed hanging with yall today @ berm creek and barn burner, yall enjoy the rest of your time here in Bentonville. 👊🏽🚴❤️
Awesome! Thank you! Thanks for hanging with us and towing us into Barn Burner!
Man. Such an upgrade. Happy for ya.
I still remember the first attempt with rubber bands.
Oh yeah! Your first race!
@@nofrontbrakes so damn muddy.
Nice Erik! Im glad you were able to upgrade! Very well done video too! I know that pain of custom parts.
Thanks! 👍
My three-year-old daughter likes this video and keeps asking for it. She likes to see how the doctor works with you. Interesting one!
Start saving for med school! 😂
Sick! I didn't know you were on this version. Glad it seems to be working...let's ride soon!
Any time! Hit me up and let's plan something!
Very cool, Eric! Stoked you were able to document and share the process. I'm curious to hear how you adapt to the added movement over time.
Right now, I'm super wobbly 😂 Can't wait to see the bicep gains over time 💪
I like the aesthetics of the Mertz Hand being surrounded by traditional grip. I was thinking I'd need to find one with clamps on both ends of the grip, but yours has me rethinking that. How did you get the outboard section to stay put?
Hi David! I'm only two rides in and it hasn't fallen off yet, but if it does, I'm thinking hairspray 😂 I don't think it will take a lot of additional tension to get it to stay put.
Wow you are an inspiration to others who are in the same situation. Thankyou so much for sharing your journey. Happy that you can still ride your mtb bike 🙏
Thank you so much!
saw you at revile today shredding, had fun talking to you. The new prosthetic looks gnarly!
Hey buddy. You were the kid on the Bronson? You were killing it!
@@nofrontbrakes yep, thanks so much, you too!
Love it! That's such a great improvement over an already awesome design!
I think so too! Give me a few months to get sketchy and let's see how it plays out...
Really cool to see the process! Amazing to see how far this stuff has come, but really excited to see what we have in 10 years!
I even cut out the part with the fully articulating prosthetic arm that moves by sensing small electric pulses discharged by muscle movement. It's really mind blowing!
Hollaa!! Super interesting! I too, have one viable hand for mtb and can relate a lot to this video! I also made a video a while back about my journey with mtb prosthetics. I feel your pain with how long it takes and also the stupidity of health system/access to funding for these things, it's the same in Ireland.
I don't understand why they think funding prosthetics only to survive is enough like damn b*tches I want to have my fun too!! I recently forked out over 3k for new prosthetic bits and it frickin hurts because you don't even know if they're worthwhile they might be shite!!
Anyway haha its great to have you make a video on this too - its nice to have company in this sh*t show! It's also got me fired up about getting a new prosthetic it's in the very early stages at the moment so I need to starting pushing for it more!
All the best man, so stoked for you to get a better connection with your bike, no better feeling! YEOW! 🤟🏼
Yeah, not only that, but isn't it in the insurance's best interest to keep you healthy (and happy)?! Less money they have to shell out over time!
So far, I really recommend the Mert's hand! I had a TRS attachment before, but that was made for more XC riding, NOT for enduro & park, which is more my style. Have you reached out to Tom Wheeler in the UK?
That was super cool to see the process. I'm stoked you did the history lesson at the beginning. Before I started watching I was thinking if I made the video I'd include a little about how you got to where you were. Glad we were on the same page. LOL, because you know my channel is just amazing and obviously I know everything. Hahahahahaa!
I tried to make it quick! You're killing it lately! Don't sell yourself short!
bad ass dude!!!! glad to see this coming to life!!
It's pretty cool!
Nice, Bro! I hope the new arm and attachment work well.
Yeah me too
This is a fantastic video, man. I just started the process of getting a custom prosthetic for mountain biking myself within the last month, after not having had or worn a prosthetic for over two decades. I'm trying to decide which terminal devices to shoot for, whih is how I cam across your channel.
That's the same boat I was in a few years back! So far, I really recommend the Mert's Hand!
@@nofrontbrakes big difference might be I haven’t done ANY biking not on a road or paved path… so I don’t see myself investing so much right now. I dropped you an email, if you have time to reply, love to chat. Again, love the vids, got me totally revved up.
Very cool. I hope it's a great change for you.
I hope so too!
your determination is so inspiring., cant wait to see how far you go now with this improved prosthetic. Also, i got curious how you do you break with 1 hand without flying over the handlebar? (sorry if its already answered, could not find it tho)
I have my brakes stacked on the left side. I can pull both.
Nice one Eric. Thanks for sharing the process. I have the same attachment as your old one and I'm interested to see how you go with the new one feeling so free to move around. I have to say I kinda like how the TRS one has a sort of tension or friction to the way it moves. Definitely always worried about what happens when I crash though... So far I've not had any injury caused by it so I've got my fingers crossed
So far, so good! I love the range of motion, and THUS FAR haven't had any premature pop outs. I need to take it to a proper jump line and see how it handles under a pressure test of me yanking and landing.
Super cool to see the process!
Yeah, it's pretty intense. The anticipation is real in between all the appointments!
Very happy for ya. I look forward to seeing riding content from you again! I always enjoy what you post to UA-cam!! Go ride that #&$^ bike!!!
That's the plan! I have a goal to get 225 more miles in this year.
Awesome arm! Could you explain how your quick release system works after the revision they did to it?
Sure! At a certain angle, the arm pops out. That happens in 360 degrees and I am able to control the tension necessary for that pop. Previously, I had to hope that if I wrecked, that the rubber bands would snap and that before/during/after that snap, I would be weight neutral enough for the attachment to come off the pole on my bars... 😬
@@nofrontbrakes awesome. I think I’m going to try and talk to my prosthesis about this. I have that same attachment you had previously and have really injured myself on wrecks.
Has that quick release popped off on you since you had it reworked? My quick release is a string attached to my left wrist. I have a different type of terminal device though. I’d love the range of motion you’ll get but I’m an above elbow amputee. I don’t think that kind of range of motion would work for me. It would be hard to control.
It has, but I'm dialing it in.That kind of motion would only be good for you if you had some sort of additional elbow suspension. Check out what Tom Wheeler in the UK has.
You wanna come race at the adaptive mountain bike world championship? You would rip with some other stand up adaptive riders
Where is that? I've never really considered racing against other adaptive people. I'd rather see how I stack up against the normies 😂
Nice! How does the quick release work?
When it gets beyond a certain angle, it pops out.
Hey man I have about the same amputation and was actually going to try to get this device to ride motorcycle again. With the right modifications of course do you think it’ll work?
I think it was made initially for moto, so it should!
It’s shameful how multi billion dollar insurance companies deny claims because they can !
Depends on what's "medically necessary".
Here before this blows up
Fingers crossed! Haha do me a favor and give me a hand 😂
Ridiculous the custom thing that took multiple iterations was cheaper than some universal part. Gotta love all of that capitalism!
Yeah, it's really just the healthcare system taking advantage of capitalism 😡