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[Bkizz]

Hi, my name is Brian from Columbus, Ohio and I am 26. I always commuted to and from work on my bike and loved every second of it. Until one day last September a woman on a cell phone ran me off the road and kept going. I hit a tree helmet first and was paralyzed from the chest down. (T2 complete) Since, I have been trying to get my life back on track and refuse to let my condition hold me back from what I love. RIDING!!

I have been working on modifying my bike for a couple months with help from friends. I rode for the first time on June 19th 2010 and it was an awesome feeling!! I am still working on getting the bike back in shape and perfecting the kit. I have a Pingel electric shifter and the linear actuator that raises and lowers the landing gear. I am currently trying to find a way to link the front and rear brakes. I just thought I would say hello!

[backwoodsrider]

Right on Brian I know that smile.  Took me years to get back on the bike but not stopped grinning since.  As far as brakes go I got a 2 master cylinder brake and put one line to each brake and a perportoning(sp) valve to adjust.  That way I could used both brakes with the one  lever on the throttle side and adjust more or less juice to 1 brake or the other.

[Don]

Brian, I do not recommend linking the brakes.  Though I have done it on several of my earlier projects, including my Ninjamatic and my Ridley, I had a bad experience that showed me the flaw in the idea.

I was several miles from home in hilly terrain when I noticed a sharp drop in brake actuation with my hand lever.  What I suspected and proved to be true was the bike was losing brake fluid rapidly.  Having all the brakes connected meant I was losing all braking.  I ended up riding the last mile to my home with practically no brakes at all.  At the top of my driveway, I needed to have friends and neighbors help me walk the bike downhill to my garage.  It could have been much worse but it was a wake up call.

I suggest you look into either purchasing one of a couple of rather expensive double brake handle units sold by vendors listed on this site or build your own as the member called Shorts did for her bike.  I am sure Shorts would be willing to share her design information with you.  You will save hundreds of dollars if you can build your own.  Here is a link to pictures of her set up. Check out the closeup of the double lever unit:
http://disabledriders.com/forum/index.php/topic,509.msg2136.html#msg2136

[hot wheels]

Welcome Brian and Congrats!!! I agree with Don. I  have a double lever brake system on my bike and it works great. Ride safe. Good luck.

Hot Wheels

[Desmo Demon]

Welcome and it's terrific that you got back into riding. I hope the Pingel treats you well. My wife has four bikes equipped with Pingel shifters, and overall, we haven't had any complaints. She's logged around 60k-70k miles with them.

I also agree with a dual master cylinder arrangement. I rarely use my rear brake on any of my bikes, but it is nice to have just in case I have an issue with the front brakes.