Watch our video of ingenious Jamie Andrew who raided the cutlery drawer and grocery cupboard to adapt his one-off “bionic bike”.
A man who lost his hands and feet in a mountaineering accident has customised a bicycle for disabled use using soup spoons and lids from Marmite jars.
Ingenious Jamie Andrew raided his cutlery drawer and grocery cupboard to adapt his one-off ‘bionic bike’.
The former electrical engineer has also used paint tin lids to ensure he can cycle the bike.
Jamie, 44, said: “Cycling without hands and feet obviously presents a challenge but I was never going to be put off by a small difficulty like that.”
Brave Jamie suffered extreme frostbite after being left exposed on a blizzard-battered French mountainside for five days.
The 1999 incident claimed the life of his best friend, Jamie Fisher. He was finally rescued by helicopter after suffering temperatures as low as -30C.
But the dad-of-three has battled back from the Alpine horror and yesterday even took part in a charity cycle ride.
Of his unique bike, Jamie said: “I knew I needed some pretty novel ways to get me back on my racing bike so I raided the cutlery drawer.”
Sports-mad Jamie is able to use the brakes with the help of a spoon curved exactly the right way to support his wrists.
His arm stumps rest cradled in the natural groove of the cooking utensils.
And his prosthetic feet are able to fix to the pedals with help from the Marmite lids which have industrial strength magnets inside them.
They stick to metal paint pot lids, holding his prosthetics fast. The whole set-up is held in place using super-strong glue.
Jamie added: “My wife Anna warned me off the good spoons, so I ended up using a plastic serving one with the handle cut off.”
The amazing bike had a starring role in Jamie’s charity cycle through the Scottish Borders yesterday.
Jamie took part in a Tesco Bank Four Abbeys Challenge charity cycle through the Scottish Borders on Saturday to raise money for Aberlour Child Care Trust, Tiny Lives and Place2Be, all in aid of children.
“Some children have huge challenges in life and I am more than happy to overcome mine to help them,” Jamie added.
“If I can help inspire any other youngsters desperate to overcome disabilities then I am only too happy to.”
Jamie’s incredible courage has seen him take part in a variety of adventurous activities, including an abseil from the top of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.
To meet the wide variety of activities he throws himself into, specialists at NHS Lothian’s prosthetic Smart Centre have made him six pairs of legs and feet which he keeps lined up in his Edinburgh home for all eventualities.
Jamie is following in the footsteps of cycling legend, Graeme Obree, 48, of Irvine, North Ayrshire, who made his record-breaking bike from washing machine parts.
Video by Chris Austin and Andrew Cawley
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