Considering a recumbent due to chronic low back pain - tips/advice?

[Oxford_Guy]

Lalalalala not listening...   

This does mean I will then have 4 bikes (2 DF and a Brompton, as well as this one), which is arguably one too many...

So at least one DF will have to go.

Well one is a 2009 Hewitt Cheviot SE tourer, the other a 2019 Mercian Strada Speciale road bike... Neither would be easy to let go, the Mercian would be the more logical choice, but...

[fd3]

Once it gets wall mounted it counts as object d'art, not a bike, so I think you're in the clear there.

[Oxford_Guy]

Once it gets wall mounted it counts as object d'art, not a bike, so I think you're in the clear there.

 

[PaulM]

Have you decided on the style of bars to get? Tweener bars aka aerosteers are much more "bike-like" than tiller. I've never been able to re-program my brain to be confident with tiller bars. YMMV.

[Oxford_Guy]

Have you decided on the style of bars to get? Tweener bars aka aerosteers are much more "bike-like" than tiller. I've never been able to re-program my brain to be confident with tiller bars. YMMV.

Yes, Schlitter Double J Handlebars, which are very adjustable, as shown here:



I will be using 11-speed XT M8000 rapid fire shifters and hydraulic brake levers for the controls and XT (long cage) rear derailleur, but Ultegra BR-R8070 Flat Mount disc calipers and R7000 105 (160mm) chainset and front derailleur. Gearing will be 11-42 and 50/34.

I will be getting a Thor seat, but there's a choice of two possible suitable styles, with different seat angles - not sure which to go for - any recommendations?

1) Thor Seat Easy Carbon <http://www.thorseat.eu/en/store/Seat-Easy-Carbon-p139004203> -  Recommended degree: Sitting 35°- 60°

2) Thor Seat Sport Carbon <http://www.thorseat.eu/en/store/Seat-Sport-Carbon-p138791037> - Recommended degree: Sitting 15°- 35°

Whilst I don't want a very upright position, as want to be reasonably aero (for riding with my roadie friends) and also not to put too much "stack" weight onto my lower back, I'm not going to be actually racing either (something like the Cruzbike Vendetta V20 looks way too reclined for me!) and do want a good view of traffic etc., so am thinking probably would would somewhere in the middle, but I'm new to all this! Think "endurance", rather than "race". Perhaps 35-40°??

[PaulM]

Usually it's easier to get your feet down with a narrower "Sport" seat than with a wider "Comfort" seat, so I'd suggest that. You should be ok to start off learning with it set to 40 degrees anyway, but you'd probably need to get it down to 35 degrees or less to stop sliding off the front. Jacquie Schlitter in the photo probably has hers around 27 degrees or less. She looks like she needs that headrest (which is actually a neck rest).

[Oxford_Guy]

Usually it's easier to get your feet down with a narrower "Sport" seat than with a wider "Comfort" seat, so I'd suggest that.

I hadn't thought of that, but that is a very good point!

You should be ok to start off learning with it set to 40 degrees anyway, but you'd probably need to get it down to 35 degrees or less to stop sliding off the front.

I think this is one of the reasons why the "comfort" seat has more of a turned-up lip at the front

Jacquie Schlitter in the photo probably has hers around 27 degrees or less. She looks like she needs that headrest (which is actually a neck rest).

I'll be getting a Thor Comfort headrest, I think (again more of a neckrest - needs to fit below the helmet): http://www.thorseat.eu/en/type-of-recumbent-seats/neckrest-comfort/

[PaulM]

I'm using my Nazca Carbon Sport seat at around 38 degrees I think, but I had to reshape it with some camping mat to increase lumbar support and to raise my shoulders - both of these helped to stop me sliding off the front.

[Lightning Phil]

Have you decided on the style of bars to get? Tweener bars aka aerosteers are much more "bike-like" than tiller. I've never been able to re-program my brain to be confident with tiller bars. YMMV.

Yes, Schlitter Double J Handlebars, which are very adjustable, as shown here:



I will be using 11-speed XT M8000 rapid fire shifters and hydraulic brake levers for the controls and XT (long cage) rear derailleur, but Ultegra BR-R8070 Flat Mount disc calipers and R7000 105 (160mm) chainset and front derailleur. Gearing will be 11-42 and 50/34.

I will be getting a Thor seat, but there's a choice of two possible suitable styles, with different seat angles - not sure which to go for - any recommendations?

1) Thor Seat Easy Carbon <http://www.thorseat.eu/en/store/Seat-Easy-Carbon-p139004203> -  Recommended degree: Sitting 35°- 60°

2) Thor Seat Sport Carbon <http://www.thorseat.eu/en/store/Seat-Sport-Carbon-p138791037> - Recommended degree: Sitting 15°- 35°

Whilst I don't want a very upright position, as want to be reasonably aero (for riding with my roadie friends) and also not to put too much "stack" weight onto my lower back, I'm not going to be actually racing either (something like the Cruzbike Vendetta V20 looks way too reclined for me!) and do want a good view of traffic etc., so am thinking probably would would somewhere in the middle, but I'm new to all this! Think "endurance", rather than "race". Perhaps 35-40°??

Even 60 degrees is very aero compared to a road bike.  It really depends on where you think your roadie friends will drop you.  Will it be on the flats or more likely the uphills? It also depends on relative fitness.  It does take time for the legs to adapt to the new position. So don’t worry if you are slower than your road bike at first.  You’ll have to experiment with the seat angle to find the right balance between aero and climbing ability for you.  It’s my belief that the more upright the seat the better the climbing ability. An Italian fella has experimented with this and he reckons 40-50 degrees is kind of optimal for climbing. But do experiment to see what works for you. There no right or wrong answer, just preferences.

[Kim]

I've never found seat angle to make an appreciable difference to my climbing performance (not that I've investigated it scientifically), but a more upright position does make it easier to get a foot down and gives you more confidence balancing at low speed, which are clearly advantageous when climbing.

A more reclined position is however an easy aero win, up to the point where the neck angle starts to affect your endurance.  While they're sometimes necessary I'm not a fan of head/neck rests - they're mostly a way of transmitting bumps from crappy road surfaces directly to your head.  And if you're reclined enough to need one, you won't have a very good view of the road in front of your wheel...

As ever, you have to suck it and see.

[fd3]

I'll be getting a Thor Comfort headrest, I think (again more of a neckrest - needs to fit below the helmet): http://www.thorseat.eu/en/type-of-recumbent-seats/neckrest-comfort/

No experience of that headrest,but I do have a fixed headrest on the SPM and one that can be moved about on the Catrike.  I find that the angle I (want to) hold my head at doesn't lend itself to a headrest that won't rotate forward/back.  On the SPM I have a sock rolled up which moves the headrest forward and adds cushioning.

[Tigerbiten]

I've set up my exercise bike in a recumbent mode at home.
I can alter my hip angle by ~90 degrees on it.
I don't feel any difference within the range of normal seat angles, but I can feel a difference at the extremes.
Being in a very laid back position puts much more strain on my quads vs being in the more normal almost crank forward recumbent exercise bike position.
But I've no way of measuring sustained power output on it so I don't know if it alters that.
But my guess is that you'll fatigue quicker if your more laid back, hence hill climbing will suffer.

Luck ........... 

[Oxford_Guy]

Also not sure whether to go for a 2cm or 3cm Ventisit pad - is thicker always better (other than being a bit heavier), or are there any potential drawbacks. I don't have much of my own "padding" on my back, as am quite slim (and about 65Kg).

[Kim]

I bought a 3cm one for my tourer.  When I wanted another for the Red Baron, I bought another 3cm and rotated them round, as they do squish down a bit with use (particularly where you put your leg down, as it skews the structure sideways).

I've lost a lot of weight this year (and most of what remains is on my thighs and arse), to the point where my back is now considerably knobblier.  I had a bad experience with the ICE mesh seat back in August, which hasn't previously been a problem (possibly because I wasn't trying to race on it), but have had no issues with my usual hardshell seat and Ventisit.

I don't think there's an obvious downside to thicker, other than weight and being slightly trickier to pluck bits of foliage out of.  It probably ventilates slightly better, as well as giving you a bit more padding.

[Tigerbiten]

I started with a thin pad on my seat and changed to a thick one when I wore it out.
My arm harness rubs against the pad and wears it away, hence I killed the first pad.
The major difference I noticed was it filled the bowl in the bottom of the seat more.
So if you're going to slide forward then the thinner pad will give you a better bowl shape to the seat to hold you in place.
But it also means there less of a edge to the seat and it's more comfortable for me there.
But my seat is very reclined so that edge is probably more prominent than most.
Didn't really feel much difference in actual cushioning between pads.

If you want to lock yourself in position better then go thin, otherwise I'd go thick if you want a little more comfort.

Luck .......... 

[Kim]

Trike seats have more need for a bowl shape than bike ones, on account of the sideways forces.

[ElyDave]

I found the M5 seat angle at near 25degrees to be very aero, but a bugger to see over the front wheel. The 40 deg angle of the S40 is good for touring and visibility, but less so for absolute speed

[Oxford_Guy]

I found the M5 seat angle at near 25degrees to be very aero, but a bugger to see over the front wheel. The 40 deg angle of the S40 is good for touring and visibility, but less so for absolute speed

Sounds like I'm probably going to need something between about 30-40 degrees, which is close to the extreme (but at different ends) for either seat...

[fd3]

Is it worth getting the cheaper (fibreglass) sport model and then upgrading to Carbon once you graduate to a lower seat angle?

[Oxford_Guy]

I've spoken to a few other people (some of whom own the Schlitter Freestyle) and they reckon for my use case to go for the "Easy" rather than "Sport" model, it's still quite a "sporty" seat. Also possibly to go for the 3cm rather than 2cm Ventisit pad, though I might still go for the latter. I'll also get the Thor neckrest.

[Lightning Phil]

Is Laidback still doing the import and getting all these other things for you?

[Oxford_Guy]

Is Laidback still doing the import and getting all these other things for you?

They're doing the frame import, I'm sourcing the seat, wheels (Scribe) and most of the components, because I like doing that

[Lightning Phil]

Any news on when they expect to build your frame?

[Oxford_Guy]

Any news on when they expect to build your frame?

Probably early December, the frameset has shipped from Taiwan, and I have all the components now (including an R7000 105 compact chainset in 160mm, which took some tracking down), apart from the Scribe carbon wheels, which probably won't ship until December.

[Brucey]

... I suffer from chronic lower back pain, I've not been completely pain free for about 4 years now, and in the last 6 months it's got much worse and seems to get aggravated by anything but really (non-recumbent) short bike rides....

IME if walking doesn't aggravate your back but cycling does, it might well be that your legs are not quite the same length as one another. This very commonly causes problems of this sort, and/or makes any given problem worse.  Obviously it won't be the whole story if there are diagnosed problems of various kinds but it might be key to making cycling comfortable again.

cheers