The Joy of Riding a Bike

Kent Husa is a retired engineer with a passion for cycling and for empowering people with special needs to experience the joy of riding a bicycle. A few months ago, Kent approached EMJD with a unique concept to design bicycle pedal stands for the nonprofit, iCan Shine.

iCan Shine uses adaptive bicycles to open the world of cycling all across the U.S. and Canada to communities of athletes with disabilities. Riders begin on unique adaptive bicycles featuring changeable “rolling pins” in place of rear wheels. 

This gradually challenges students' balance, coordination, and muscle memory, embracing and nurturing each person’s abilities in a safe and fun environment. The athletes transition to adaptive two-wheeled bikes and finally onto their own bicycles. 

iCan Shine enables a feat many never thought possible, accomplished by most camp participants in just one week. 

"Success in learning to ride a bicycle is a major milestone in anyone’s life, shared Kent. "When learning has been a struggle, the accomplishment and its impact are even greater.  For these riders, learning to ride a bicycle infuses them with confidence and an improved self-image that has a positive ripple effect, inspiring them to conquer other challenges they face."

Kent approached EMJD with the idea of designing adjustable height stands that would enable campers to learn the pedaling motion in a stable and stationary manner. This first step helps students learn the mechanics of riding a bike before moving on to the adaptive bicycles.

EMJD's engineers helped bring Kent's initial concept to life. Together with Kent, EMJD designed the parts, considered ways to ease manufacturability, and then cut, welded, and assembled a prototype for testing. After approval, full-scale production commenced.

Savannah Kanehailua, sheet metal apprentice at EMJD, with the iCan Shine pedal stands

"Things turned out just as I had hoped," Kent said. "The campers were able to learn how to pedal, and that helped them take steps toward eventually riding a bike independently."

The pedal stands in action