NILES — When the weather warms up, many people like to get outside and enjoy the atmosphere on their bikes.

It is an activity that Adam Ewing, of Niles, has never felt right about doing, without his wife Brandi Stephens-Ewing by his side. Because Brandi is wheelchair-bound, this outdoor excursion was something that the couple could not enjoy together.

“I guess I didn’t feel comfortable saying ‘hey, I’m going to be gone on a bike ride,’ and knowing she is stuck at home,” Adam said. “She should be able to get out in the fresh air, too.”

But thanks to some innovation from a local business owner, Adam and Brandi have been able  to bike ride together since Memorial Day.

Adam asked David Rees for some help with the project. Rees is the owner and operator of Swift Cycle, 1717 Oak St. in Niles. While Rees makes basic repairs and sells bikes at the business, he also said he likes when customers can challenge him with a unique project. So, when Adam asked him to create a bike Brandi could enjoy, too, Rees said he was up for the challenge and touched by Adam’s mission. 

“They wanted to be able to share their adventures together,” Rees said. “Which is where this whole thing becomes cute and adorable to the rest of the world.”

Adam had done his research and was able to track down a part that is made in Spain and used for the purpose of affixing a wheelchair to the front of a bike. The part is called a KIT ADAPTA and is made by a company called Pineda Movilidad.

It took several months and a bit of innovation to engineer the unique tandem-style bike. Rees had to remove the bike’s handle bars and find a way to fuse bike and wheelchair. 

One thing Rees wanted to assure was that the ride would be as smooth as possible for Brandi and Adam. To do so, Rees enlisted some help from his friend, Karl Erdman, who was able to weld the bike parts together, instead of using screws. This, Rees said, would make the front of the bike sturdier and better absorb the shock from the pavement in a way that would be less jarring to the riders. Safety was also in mind with the design and the bike includes several safety features, including a seat belt and shoulder straps for Brandi.

“Karl painted it up and everything, so it looked really nice,” Rees said. “It was the first time I had ever done this, so we wanted to be careful to figure out our ideas before we preceded with executing them.”

By Memorial Day, the bike was ready for Adam and Brandi to take the bike out for a spin.

“It was very cool to see it finally came around,” Adam said.

For her part, Brandi said she was relieved that Adam was enlisting the help of an expert and not attempting to build the bike in the garage.

“I was a little nervous,” Brandi said.

The couple has since taken the bike out for several rides, including near their home, and showed it off to their mother-in-law by riding it around her neighborhood. The wheelchair can also detach from the bike, so they can explore their destination once arrived.

The bike did come with a little bit of a learning curve, but the couple said they believe they will get the hang of it.

“Yeah, I’ve got to remember not grab onto the wheels,” Brandi said.

While Rees got the chance to help a local couple enjoy a hobby many take for granted, he said it was also a chance to showcase some of his creative design and it gives him hope that others will request him to work on new challenges, too.

“That is the concept of what my bike shop is,” Rees said. “I want to work with weird things and make the strangest of situations successful for people trying to enjoy riding a bike.”