Re Intro

[Dave_C]

<br>One thing I have noticed is that I get an intangible sense of fun on a recumbent that I don't get any more on an upright. <br/>

Agree whole heartedly! !

[Kim]

Certainly I would recommend to new riders like myself to get out with a slow, relaxed group who aren't going to be too fazed by you wibbling about like a fool. As the ride headed back into Sheffield and along a road with some tram tracks I decided it would be better not to hang around with the group though. Someone, myself included, was likely to do something that would induce a crash and nobody needs that.

Yeah, I have mixed feelings about that sort of thing.  I really honed my low-speed balancing skills riding with the Wowbaggers' tandem, but I'm always wary of things like Critcal Mass (and shared-use paths in general) where people random people aren't going to be prepared for you to do something recumbenty and odd (strange turning circles, scary looking but inconsequential wobbles, powerful braking, blind spot in the wheelsucker position, etc).

[swscotland bentrider]

I never felt completely 'at home' on my 'bent until the first touring holiday. After three weeks of riding in all sorts of situations I came home feeling my bent to be as instinctive to ride as my DF's had before. A lot of it is low level anxiety in the rider. I noticed that when I got home short steep hills on which I had difficulty holding a line suddenly felt much more relaxed and the bike much more stable. Oh, and that was on an ICE B2!

[Quint]

<br>One thing I have noticed is that I get an intangible sense of fun on a recumbent that I don't get any more on an upright. <br/>

Agree whole heartedly! !

The first time I rode Cyclemans Q-NT I found myself with a feeling of belonging to this strange beast that I didn't know existed a month previously, now exactly 8 years on the 15th April later I find myself trikling along on my NT framed 26 Sprint (second trike, I just lusted after it) and for some reason a large recumbent grin spreads over my face, yes even in cold rain, it just does that to me.

[cycleman]

 

[Bunker22]

Accepted wisdom is that your cardiovascular system doesn't work quite as hard on a recumbent. The improved aerodynamics usually cancel this out, unless it's the wrong kind^[1] of hills.

I feel more restricted across the chest/lungs on my recumbent than my DF, more noticeable when I start out. Is that a positional thing do you think, I have had trouble getting that balance between sitting too upright and restricting breathing, and getting neckache if I recline the seat too far.

Do the group recommend head rests?

[Quint]

Don't use a headrest (ICE 26 Sprint on Max recline) just relax which sounds contradictory but actually is not and breath to a rhythm and it will come.
     I use a HRM and my rate is good on a df and my ICE, I also have a cadence on my Garmin 800 which paired with the HRM is bloody useful

[windmiller]

I find recumbents more fun for sure and much more comfortable, but more likely to induce  injury when riding hard due to the fact that I can produce more power from them. I know this from my younger power lifting days and using the leg press machine which shares a similar seating position to a recumbent. I am aware of spinning low gears but I like the odd manic blast too.

[Dave_C]

Well two weeks of half commuting (1 day on df, 1day on bent), and I'm getting the hang of it. My commute is 18miles each way along a varying route, hills descents,  long straights and tight twisty turns. I'm loving the new bike and have moved the seat up and down to find out where is most comfortable.  I'm not there yet, for instance at first my knees hurt above the knee in the muscle but its fine now. At one point the seat was low and my bum closer to the pedals. I couldn't get full reach and my bum felt like I'd spent the full 1hr 15 clenched. Its a little bit better now but I fear for the Deeside Loop at the weekend and not so much the climbbutjust 12hours incase I cramp up.

I am going to try 3 days on the bent this week and see if I can sort my position out.

Bought mudguards and Kojaks which are running well.

Meed to drill a hole in my seat as on Friday water pooled in the bottom of the seat and only sloped out when I got home as O lay the bike agaist the house. :0@

[Kim]

I'm not there yet, for instance at first my knees hurt above the knee in the muscle but its fine now.

This is normal for anyone new to recumbents, I think.  They make you use your quads a lot more than an upright bike.  The cure is simply more miles.

At one point the seat was low and my bum closer to the pedals. I couldn't get full reach and my bum felt like I'd spent the full 1hr 15 clenched. Its a little bit better now but I fear for the Deeside Loop at the weekend and not so much the climbbutjust 12hours incase I cramp up.

Numb bum is a tricky one.  I find a more reclined seat angle (more weight on the shoulders) helps.

As for cramping, I think you do need to make an effort to stop and stand up from time to time when riding a 'bent.  On a DF bike you can get out of the saddle, ride no hands, look over your shoulder and so on, which means you don't end up staying in exactly the same position for such a long time.  I find that sometimes I just need to stop for half a minute to stretch my back and bear some weight on my knees (my digestive system is sometimes grateful for a change in position, too).

Meed to drill a hole in my seat as on Friday water pooled in the bottom of the seat and only sloped out when I got home as O lay the bike agaist the house. :0@

Ah yes, that essential modification.   

[Kim]

I find recumbents more fun for sure and much more comfortable, but more likely to induce  injury when riding hard due to the fact that I can produce more power from them. I know this from my younger power lifting days and using the leg press machine which shares a similar seating position to a recumbent. I am aware of spinning low gears but I like the odd manic blast too.

Yes, I think this is what caused my knee problems a couple of years ago.  You can exert terrifying amounts of force pushing back into a recumbent seat, which is great if you're trying to remove a stuck bottom bracket, but not so good for your knees or drivetrain.

These days I resist the temptation to push hard in higher gears for a short boost of power.  That and physiotherapy to stabilise the knee on my weak leg seems to have solved that particular problem.

[tom_e]

I've had some cramp on longer rides, but got rid of it by watching my salt intake.  More crisps on rides.  I'm not a huge fan of salt in my normal everyday diet.

And yeah, find position by experimenting.  I find a commute is ideal because you can change one thing each time then run the same test.

[Dave_C]

I took a look at the Driveline? Triple crank you gave me Tom. Many thanks btw, that was very kind, not selling them separately. 30, 42, 52 seem a little on the high side for the bent in Scotland. Perhaps ok in Western East Anglia where the local riders are scared of the hugh climb upto the mountain pass at Ely?

Anyway even though 170 cranks might suit me better I think I'll stick with the triple FSA crank as it looks like a full blown MTB crank and has more suitable ring sizes for my climbing this weekend.

[Nethypete]

Within a month of buying my Giro I changed the front rings to 48 36 26 to cope with life in the Highlands and my weak legs... Never felt the need for anything higher...I think this is now the standard set up on the 2014 Giro.

[tom_e]

I took a look at the Driveline? Triple crank you gave me Tom. Many thanks btw, that was very kind, not selling them separately. 30, 42, 52 seem a little on the high side for the bent in Scotland. Perhaps ok in Western East Anglia where the local riders are scared of the hugh climb upto the mountain pass at Ely?

Yeah, aside from the crank length I thought it was probably a touch overgeared for interesting terrain too.  I think bike manufacturers like to sell stuff like that to make it look fast.

The 22/32/44 is low but ok with the short cranks.  It's nice because you can keep the revs properly up high and smooth when climbing steeply, which makes it easier to balance.  If you were using 170mm cranks then a 26/36/48 combination might be better, but it depends how much you care about pedalling down hills.  I don't, personally.

Edit: I kept the cranks in because I reckon anybody buying a 2nd hand bent is the sort to fiddle and adapt the bike to suit them.  Best to assume I won't recognize it if I see it again. 

[Dave_C]

Well my progress is going well. Nethypete and I rode the Deeside Loop 200 together. The B2 was comfortable but I can't help thinking I need to move the boom out. I had a good chat to Pete and had alook at his seat position and leg extension. I may try altering my seat and boom again before the Southern Uplands 400 on the 17th May. I was glad of the 22 on the front for the Cairn o Mount as it was a killer. The ride up Cairnwell was bad too. Not (as) steep but hard wprk spinning.  Managed to get a slow speed wobble which kept in time with my cadence so not all bad.

I got up the Cairn o Mount without having to dismount so happy there but a felt weeker and more tired after 130km.

[ElyDave]

I took a look at the Driveline? Triple crank you gave me Tom. Many thanks btw, that was very kind, not selling them separately. 30, 42, 52 seem a little on the high side for the bent in Scotland. Perhaps ok in Western East Anglia where the local riders are scared of the hugh climb upto the mountain pass at Ely?

That's at least 25m elevation - how dare you!

That is the one thing I miss round here, got my hill fix in the alps last summer. 

[Tigerrr]

I must admit that however much I wish otherwise, recumbent in a group of uprights has never really been ideal. The speed dynamic is different, so it can get frustrating on the flats and dropped on the hills.  You never fall into the harmony of a good group. You can ride with looser groups, breaking and reforming as happens on audax, but less well I find with eg the local club run where they like tight bunch and single pace. Mostly I resign myself to a less social way of riding.
There is also the fact that the upright riders tend to be a bit uncomfortable and distrusting around recumbents and their riders, it isn't something they really understand. If you have spent a load on a fancy carbon that confirms ones rank as a cyclist, it is disconcerting to find a wacky contraption sharing the same space.