Wheels4MeLondon is a free cycle loan scheme helping disabled people access non-standard cycles. Katie Renker is a specialist advisor who provides support for people looking for a cycle that meets their needs. Here, Katie shares her cycling story and how she loves pairing people with the right cycle for their situation.
Katie has found the right cycle for her specific needs, and now helps others to do so via the Wheels4MLondon advice line. Photo: Copyright Katie Renker
Wheels4MeLondon, launched in the capital in May 2024, is a service developed in collaboration with Wheels for Wellbeing and Peddle My Wheels and funded by the Motability Foundation.
A crucial part of this project is providing participants with the right advice and cycles suitable for their needs. Wheels for Wellbeing offers consultation sessions to understand people’s needs and provide them with essential support and guidance in the search for non-standard cycles suitable for their particular situation and disability.
We spoke to Katie Renker, Wheels for Wellbeing’s Specialist advisor, about her role and her cycling story.
What made you interested in applying for the position of Specialist Cycling Advisor?
When I first became disabled, I had to no idea where to start researching mobility devices. Advice was confusing, every brand claimed to be the best and nothing seemed to suit my needs.
I ended up having to take things into my own hands and bite the bullet alone, buying a second-hand handcycle. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
The world of adaptive cycling can be incredibly overwhelming but I’m a firm believer that, with the right mobility aids and the right attitude, we can get anywhere and do anything.
Having now had several years immersed in this world, I love the idea that I can make it easier for someone else to find the same joy I have.
Katie readjusted her expectations of navigating her university city. Photo: Copyright Katie Renker
How did you start cycling and what was your main motivation?
Cycling has always been a part of my life in the casual, joyful, freedom-giving way that it is for many people around the world.
Cycling took me from childhood rides around the countryside on summer holidays to borrowed wheels that got me to lectures in my university town.
It was a way to live in line with my strongly felt principles of environmentalism, engagement in the natural world and simple living.
What has been your experience as a disabled cyclist?
But it wasn’t until I broke my neck that I truly understood all that bikes and access to them means.
In 2019 I found myself in a bed in rehab, desperately trying to find a way I could get back to doing all the things I loved: off-road forests, going on long adventures…
I had a university place waiting for me in Edinburgh and the hills and cobbles had been an attraction but now I knew I would have to find a way to navigate a two-year Masters degree and a career in a city that wasn’t built for wheelchairs.
As Wheels4MeLondon's specialist cycle advisor, Katie helps disabled people to explore options for non-standard cycles. Photo: Copyright Katie Renker
A long search for the right cycle
I spent hours researching various off-road wheelchairs online, all claiming to be the best on glossy brochures, but I was unsure if they would meet my needs.
I attended a 'WheelPower' ‘try’ day at a local stadium and grinned at the freedom of being able to power myself at speed once more. But I couldn’t see a recumbent bike, which I had tried on the day, as a solution that could work for my needs.
With no-one to advise, eventually I came across an advert for a second-hand clip-on cycle on Facebook. I took the risk of purchasing it and a steep but liberating learning curve of knowledge and experience was opened.
I have explored this passionately since, feeling privileged to have been able to learn from and advise others in similar situations.
"I dream of a world in which, one day, disabled people have the same access to the joys of cycling as those riding standard cycles," says Katie. Photo: Copyright Katie Renker
Tell us about the cycle you use now
My hybrid handcycle has not only become my legs to get me everywhere I need to be. It’s my freedom.
It’s taken me to work, on dates, to protests, through woods, across beaches, travelled on trains and ferries and got me to places many disabled people think are off-limits.
I still encounter barriers: kissing gates, barrier styles and infrastructure that fails to take into account non-standard cycles are a constant battle.
But things are changing, and thanks to the work of organisations like Sustrans and Wheels for Wellbeing, the world of cycling is opening up to more and more people.
What can people expect when they contact the Wheels4MeLondon advice and cycle hire service?
We have done our best to develop a system that can help us find a cycle that works for your specific needs. Our website is the best place to start, where you can find all the necessary information about our service, see if it sounds suitable and find out how to access further advice.
Here you can view our available fleet of non-standard cycles.
You will also find a link to complete an eligibility check to launch an enquiry. At this point we can review your needs and get in contact to discuss how best we can help you.
At any point we are here to support you through the process in whatever way suits you best. You can give us a call to have a chat (on 020 7346 8482), send an email (to info@wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk) or get in contact through our web messaging service.
If it turns out the London loan scheme isn’t suitable, we are still here to signpost you and provide whatever advice we can to support your cycling journey.
What would you say to someone who is unsure about enquiring with Wheels4MeLondon or even about considering cycling as a mobility choice?
My best advice would be to maintain an open mind. It’s very important to know that just because you may have tried something in the past or have no idea what aid could possibly work for you, that doesn’t mean there doesn’t exist a cycle or adaption to meet your needs.
Whatever your needs or aim, whether you need a stable cycle for leisurely family rides around a park or want something to tour the country on, it is likely that whatever we can’t provide, we can advise on.
There is never anything to lose by enquiring.
What is your long-term vision for Wheels4MeLondon?
I dream of a world in which, one day, disabled people have the same access to the joys of cycling as those riding standard cycles and are not further disadvantaged by exorbitant prices or limited availability.
To have a scheme that would allow people all over the country to access a long-term loan or purchase a mobility device that works for them, subsidised or funded, would benefit not only the individual but the wider communities and opportunities we are then given access to.
Contact Wheels4MeLondon to explore your options for hiring a free non-standard cycle.
