Paralympic champion. World record holder. Koalaa collaborator
Decorated athlete Clare Cunningham is a retired Paralympian, competing in both swimming and triathlon, a World Record holder and part of ParalympicsGB’s staff, supporting athletes competing at Paris24.
We’re thrilled to say Clare is one of three world class athletes who have collaborated with us on the development of our new road bike tool, the Sarah Pro, which is designed for both recreational and competitive road bikes users.
Here’s what Clare had to say about her experience of working with our engineering team and why she never sets off on a bike ride without her Koalaa now!
I've been wearing prosthetics since I was around two or three years old, but I’ve always hit challenges with road bike arms, especially when covering distances.
With a hard socket, especially in hot weather, my stump would get really swollen because of all the pressure going through it, and then I would get blisters and it would just be really uncomfortable if I was doing a multi-day ride. I'd have to think about what climates I would be cycling in and things like that. So, I was really keen to support Koalaa with the development of a new road bike tool to go with their soft prosthetic arm.
I have a Koalaa ALX sleeve and the Nicole Pro tool, which is what introduced me to the company and the world of yoga - something that I had wanted to do, but never quite got the right prosthetic for. I now teach BodyBalance, which is a mix of yoga, tai chi and Pilates, and I use the Nicole Pro for that.
When the Koalaa team mentioned they were working on developing a road bike tool for drop handlebars and would I like to be involved in creating it, I said, ‘Absolutely! I’d love to be, it would solve so many problems’.
I went on to test various prototypes, giving my feedback and ideas on each. To see the journey and the development of the tool has been amazing and I now ride all the time with the final version of the Sarah Pro tool!
Previously, I had used an NHS arm which I would hook onto the handlebar. It would only be resting there, so I couldn't pull on it. If I was climbing, I would have to rely on my core. But the hard socket was the biggest issue for me.
I think the new tool from Koalaa is great for people who ride road bikes and especially for doing longer distances, whether for recreational or competitive cycling. It’s soft and light to wear and really comfortable but is strong and gives you the security of having a grip on the handlebars when you're riding. When you’re climbing, you can also pull against it.
Using it gives you more balance as a rider, as you can hold on to both sides equally, you're not twisting your back or needing to compensate in any way.
I personally find the greatest benefit of the new tool is for long distances, because that's when you would often start getting pain, soreness and things like that with other prosthetics. But it’s not just for endurance. I use the tool on all my rides now, whatever the distance!
It's been a lot of fun to be involved in the development of the tool and I’ve really enjoyed being able to call on my own personal experiences to help create something that solves many of the issues faced by those with below elbow limb differences when cycling.
From the whole team at Koalaa we want to say a huge thank you to Clare for collaborating with us throughout the design process of the Sarah Pro - Clare's feedback, which has contributed to elements of the final design, has been invaluable!
Contact a limb buddy today to order yours - hi@yourkoalaa.com
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