General Category > The Dark Side
Lead Me To The Darkside
Kim:
--- Quote from: clarion on August 18, 2012, 04:18:09 PM ---He noticed I didn't sit straight, and speculated I had one leg slightly shorter than the other. When these were compensated for, I think I did OK.
--- End quote ---
Recumbents are completely unforgiving of this. With a saddle, you can take up a degree of slack by sitting with your pelvis at a slightly odd angle to no ill effects[1], but a recumbent seat holds your back straight, so you either end up rocking, under-extending one leg, over-extending the other, or sitting at an an angle. As you can't honk with locked knees, under-extension can be a bigger deal, too.
So you have to actually do something about it. If the difference is small, you can fudge it with cleat front/back position and an ankly pedalling technique. Or you start building up the pedals/cleats/soles. Or, I suppose, doing something funny with the seat.
Probably worth investigating. It's the sort of thing physioterrorists can spot just by looking.
[1] Though it's worth noting that after jibbling my cleat positions to compensate for leg-length on a recumbent, I immediately found the saddle of my DF bike more comfortable.
arallsopp:
--- Quote from: Kim on August 18, 2012, 06:21:45 PM --- If the difference is small, you can fudge it with cleat front/back position and an ankly pedalling technique.
--- End quote ---
Worth noting that I have done this for my own riding, and that Clarion was using my shoes... If the man doesn't have the sense to have exactly the same discrepancies as me, this may well have worked against him. :D
Von Broad:
--- Quote from: clarion on August 18, 2012, 04:18:09 PM ---Andy offered that I could borrow the SMGTe for a bit, but I need time to think about things. I reckon it could be a possibility, and I could see myself on a Grasshopper fx ere long if I get a decent compensation payout.
--- End quote ---
Regardless of what you end up riding, I'd say that the seat is all important. How your body shape is cradled in the seat is the hub of the whole experience imo. Regardless of low, mid or high you really want the seat to be as good as you can get it. It's like riding a DF frame that is an incorrect size and regardless of what ever you do vectify it, it will never feel right. The ergonomoics of recumbents are really important, as they are on all bikes. So if you test ride a bike and really don't like it from the outset, just make sure that the seat isn't obviously unsuitable.
Personally, I don't like being either too high or two low. Dual 26"'/700c high racers are out for me. As much as I'd like the better rolling resistance with larger wheels I'm just not happy in that position so have to for-go that luxury. Likewise to be 2" off the ground lying back looking at the stars doesn't appeal either! [Trikes excluded of course!] If funds were unlimited [both for bike and shipping] I'd buy [with a different seat] a Ti Barcroft Vriginia. Really nice bike.
It's worth trying what you can. What can seem perfect at first can soon become not so perfect and then you're looking around at other options.
Wonky:
--- Quote from: clarion on August 18, 2012, 04:18:09 PM ---He noticed I didn't sit straight, and speculated I had one leg slightly shorter than the other. When these were compensated for, I think I did OK.
--- End quote ---
Could this be compensated for with using slightly different crank lengths? Or different pedals on each side?? Just thinking out loud.
Kim:
Other than in exceptional circumstances, different length cranks is a poor solution to this problem, as what you gain at one end of the stroke, you lose at the other - chances are that things will end up even more asymmetrical at the knee. Better to shim the shoes or cleats or indeed as you suggest pedals, so you're pedalling the same size circles in slightly different places.
It's also better to have your leg-length discrepancy below the knee rather than above it, for the same reason.
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