Getting into the recumbent cycling

[[XAP]Bob]

Just turn the clear - plenty of adjustment available, and some styles have more ‘float’ than others as well

Definitely recommend some positive retention mechanism

[UpWrong]

The boom is definitely extended too much. Bring it in an inch or two. +1 with regards to some foot retention mechanism.

[squeaker]

Cool, thanks, I'll push it further back again. I feel it quite a bit in my thighs though if the boom is closer, is this because my thighs are weak and they will get better as I ride more? Or could it be due to my CP?

Wouldn't like to say, but shorter cranks would reduce the angle your thighs have to flex to, so might be more comfortable for you (not to mention helping your knees, which is one reason a lot of 'bent cyclists use them, me included).

[UpWrong]

Shorter cranks affect reach of course. So on your case you might be able to leave the boom on its current extension, though I suspect you would still need to bring it in a bit.

[Tigerbiten]

Cycling shoes would be nice but my left foot turns in, not sure that is an option?

How badly does it turn in ??
I need to tap the crank with my heel to change the Schlumpf HSD.
So my SPD cleats are set so my heels are turned in slightly.
I do use straight cranks if that gives a reference line.
But I can turn them in a little more if needed, but then I start to change gear by mistake.

It's if your foot twists that hard to cope with when using cleats.
Because they then start to squeak ......

[Quicksilver89]

Cycling shoes would be nice but my left foot turns in, not sure that is an option?

How badly does it turn in ??
I need to tap the crank with my heel to change the Schlumpf HSD.
So my SPD cleats are set so my heels are turned in slightly.
I do use straight cranks if that gives a reference line.
But I can turn them in a little more if needed, but then I start to change gear by mistake.

It's if your foot twists that hard to cope with when using cleats.
Because they then start to squeak ......

They turn in pretty bad, to the point where the sole of my shoe is slowing wearing down because its rubbing against the crank arm. Here is another pic to give you an idea. My right foot is fine however as that always remains straight.

I went on another ride today, so I've done 100km in the past week. Varying the seating position doesn't seem to make a difference. I tried pulling the boom back by an inch or two but my thighs are that stiff I cannot do a rotation of the cranks. Maybe this will get better over time but I'm not sure.

My crank arms are 170mm, from my recently purchased shimano tiagra crankset. I thought that was the length of the previous crank arms but they were in fact 160mm.

I can see two ways in which I can get the most out of my bike.

- Get shorter crank arms to improve cadence. I could then also pull the boom further back. However would I be able to replace both Tiagra crank arms? Or modify them to make them 10-20mm shorter? From my limited experience so far I do find I can pedal at higher cadences with short crank arms.

- The other option is to go for a setup more suited towards grinding, this would mean my thighs ache less (less having to bend them) but I could only do it by getting a smaller rear cahinset. (I could change the 3 on the front but I only purchased a new crankset recently).

Maybe it will be less of an issue as I get stronger, I haven't bent my thighs much until I started cycling so maybe they will get used to it.

[hercule]

A pedal extender on the affected side might help too...

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/pedals-clea ... -916-inch/

[UpWrong]

100K in a week is impressive. I'd suggest sending your crankset to Mike Burrows to shorten them from 170mm to 148mm so you wont have to bend your legs so much and can bring the boom in.

I do stretches every day on my calves and hamstrings. A physio gave me the exercises a few year ago when I was having knee problems. Might be worth getting so physio advice some you can safely work on flexibility.

[OldBloke]

Maybe it will be less of an issue as I get stronger, I haven't bent my thighs much until I started cycling so maybe they will get used to it.

QS

It will take quite a while to develop muscle strength in your thighs. Have you checked with your physio or OT to see if you're overstretching or at risk of muscle/tendon damage.

If you wanted to contact another triker with CP you could check out Jason Forbes (https://www.facebook.com/JasonsVent). He is also on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/5016481.

OB

[squeaker]

Get shorter crank arms to improve cadence. I could then also pull the boom further back. However would I be able to replace both Tiagra crank arms? Or modify them to make them 10-20mm shorter? From my limited experience so far I do find I can pedal at higher cadences with short crank arms.

20mm is usually the absolute minimum that cranks can be shortened, due to the need to have sufficient metal around the outside of the new hole. (25mm will give a nicer looking job, IME.) There may also be issues if shortening hollow cranks: best call Mike Burrows to discuss if you are contemplating that route.

[Quicksilver89]

Maybe it will be less of an issue as I get stronger, I haven't bent my thighs much until I started cycling so maybe they will get used to it.

QS

It will take quite a while to develop muscle strength in your thighs. Have you checked with your physio or OT to see if you're overstretching or at risk of muscle/tendon damage.

If you wanted to contact another triker with CP you could check out Jason Forbes (https://www.facebook.com/JasonsVent). He is also on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/5016481.

OB

Thankfully my knees have felt perfectly fine, they have always been quite flexible so I'm not so worried about that. I think I will keep in cycling for the next few months and see if things change. Someone linked pedal extenders on the previous page, I'm curious about this as I hadn't thought about it before. Would they help?

If it provides any insight I feel the effect more on my left thigh then my right! I'd only been doing shorter cycle rides before this month so it may just be new to me. If I don't see a change over the next month then I may well take up the option for shorter cranks. I previously had 160mm crank arms and they felt fine but that was before I took up the longer rides...

Jonny

[Quicksilver89]

Just an update on the bike. I got some very nice crank shorteners

https://www.quest88.com/hase-crank-shorteners.html

They fit very easily on the bike now. I also managed to get a capreo wheel and casette meaning I can get some extra speed on the downhills and I can just about hack the uphills. Tyres as I mentioned a while back are greenspeeds although they only go upto 40 psi before they get under too much pressure. Sounds on the low side but I can't imagine its much of an issue.

Anyhow the cycling is really comfortable now, no more pain on the thighs and knees. Because of my CP my crank is shortened more on the left hand side to make rotations of the cranks easier. Just thought I'd update those curious about the whole recumbent cycling.

So this month I've been able to do a lot of cycling. I'm upto 210 km for the month so far and I've been cycling every 3 days when I can. I'm starting to take longer rides. Here is one from today just before the rain set in!

Here is the latest ride for example, a bit on the slow side but it was rather windy and the roads were a bit damp in some areas.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1854132294

Legs still feel weak but it was a very hilly route so they should build up pretty soon!

[Quicksilver89]

One final question is I've got some Greenspeed tyres that according to the instructions can be pumped to 40-100 psi. When I pump the tyres however they only seem to go up to 40 at best before it feels like too much.

Why can they not get upto 100 psi? and will it make much of a difference riding at 40 psi anyway if the tyres already feel solid?

[hercule]

Do you use a track/floor pump? Much easier to get high pressures, especially for multiple wheeled machines!

Trikes can get away with lower pressures than bikes as the mass is distributed via 3 wheels rather than two. The upright trike fraternity suggests trike pressures can be 10% lower than equivalent 2 wheel pressures.

I’ve used Big Apples at as low as 35 psi which gave a very comfortable ride on rough roads with minimal rolling resistance penalty, but found them a bit squidgy in enthusiastic cornering moves.

[Quicksilver89]

Do you use a track/floor pump? Much easier to get high pressures, especially for multiple wheeled machines!

Trikes can get away with lower pressures than bikes as the mass is distributed via 3 wheels rather than two. The upright trike fraternity suggests trike pressures can be 10% lower than equivalent 2 wheel pressures.

I’ve used Big Apples at as low as 35 psi which gave a very comfortable ride on rough roads with minimal rolling resistance penalty, but found them a bit squidgy in enthusiastic cornering moves.

I use a track pump which I think is easy to use. I realise when I got some new inner tubes I made a mistake! Instead of getting the 20x1.5 inner tubes I got the 20x2.0 inner tubes. These were wider then the correct inner tubes and it meant I couldn't pump up the tyres as much as they could be. Anything greater then 40 psi put the tyres under strain as a result.

I've ordered some correct size inner tubes off wiggle now so I can pump up the tyres more. I like to do a lot of road cycling so I think higher psi's should be beneficial. Less rolling resistance will hopefully make things easier! Although I did feel as though todays ride was a bit easier and slightly faster too. Running at low psi's must be good exercise....