I have been meaning to write this post for what seems like forever. Back in November I finally purchased my very own custom made basketball wheelchair from Roma Sport. I had a lot of support in raising the money and I am so grateful. I had a generous donation from my old primary school along with support from my Aunty & Uncle. My parents also helped a lot. I am so lucky to have them.
You can see the rig in the pictures that the lovely Deidre took for me because I forgot my camera (great blogger). Literally every part of the contour body mapping system is adjustable. When you go in for your fitting they take the time to adjust every part to how you like it and take all the measurements needed. They can adjust the angle of the seat, the height of the seat, the angle of your legs. The list is endless. I was a little bit worried about this part because I'm not great at being the centre of attention and being asked lots of questions (I suck at decisions). However, the team made me feel so relaxed and comfortable. We had such a laugh.
The other thing that I absolutely love about Roma is that they offer a second fitting. This is a unique service that offers you the chance to go back and try the product in its "tacked" stage. This means that the chair is welded to approximately 80% which makes it possible to make small alterations if you don't find it 100% right for you. Basically you go and see your chair and get to have a sit in it and push around the showroom to see how it feels. This was a life saver for me.
When I went back for my second fit I found the chair too long. This was 100% my fault as during the measuring process I couldn't find a comfortable position for my knees. I ended up going with a measurement that meant the angle of my legs was completely wrong for how I like to sit when I play. I had a little freak out because it was my mistake and I didn't know if anything could be done. Safe to say the guys at Roma are amazing and they actually cut 3-4 inches off the front of the frame and put it all back together again with no extra cost to me.
The chair I got is the Elite Pro Basketball Wheelchair. You have a choice of colours but I went with the natural finish as I find it marks a little bit less than coloured ones. It also looks gorgeous. As I had never played in my own custom chair, it took a bit of getting used to but oh my god I love it. I can't imagine playing in a different chair now. It is so comfortable and performs perfectly. You can even get your name/nickname printed on it for a fiver. Obviously I did because who wouldn't want a personalised chair.
The customer service is next level and I cannot fault the service I had. I also cannot get over the turnaround. My chair was definitely ready in the 4-6 week time frame even with them being off at the Invictus games for some of it. Roma are also on the cheaper side compared to their competitors. However, their quality is still top notch and the bespoke fitting service is incredible.
So speaking of prices, you pay a £500 deposit before going for the measuring service and then pay the rest on completion. A bespoke chair with spinergy wheels is £2,495.00. I also got a spare wheel, a strap for my legs (seen in the pic above) , a strap for my brother & my name printed on the frame. So in total I paid £2891.00. Obviously this is a lot of money but wheelchairs in general are expensive let alone bespoke sports chairs. Also compared to my brothers chair mine is a pure bargain and is definitely exactly the same quality and it has the unique fitting experience.
They do chairs for various sports and they also do day chairs. I would love to try one of their day chairs one day and see how it compares to my Kuschall, especially with the fitting service.
Beth...x
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