Postby a.twiddler » 3 Nov 2020, 3:22pm
Clip? Unclip? What sorcery is this? Despite having initial qualms about foot retention, on my Linear I find that my feet stay put without mechanical assistance on flat wide BMX type pedals with ordinary shoes or trainers. In comparison with my folder which has smooth plastic folding pedals where they are prone to slip in the wet, or on my tourer with the security of toeclips and straps, on the recumbent they stay put until I want to come in to land. No frantic attempts to clip/ unclip involved, they just work through friction.
When I first came to the darkside I thought that clips or some kind of retention would be essential to keep my feet from dropping once I became weary on a long ride but this just has not happened. As it's a recumbent bike it would not be a disaster if it even happened rarely, unlike on a tadpole trike where you might run over your own leg. Now that I've been riding it for a few months even stop start riding and hill starts, or even stop start hill starts, have lost their terror. It just takes a bit longer to get started again than an upright.The flat wide pedals also give you something to aim for -if you don't get your foot square on immediately you can shuffle it about a bit once you get rolling. However, it's a LWB recumbent with the BB axle slightly lower than the seat, it might be a bit different on a SWB with the BB axle mounted higher. Anticipation, conservation of momentum and loads of practice are the thing.
The Linear is not the thing for trackstands but I have found that by giving a little extra space to traffic in front (traffic almost invariably gives you plenty of space) you can often delay the moment of having to put your foot down to the extent that you can avoid it as they get moving while your wheels are just still turning.
Some weeks ago I was having a go at getting through an "A" frame barrier uphill. Earlier on that day I had passed through it successfully going down hill without stopping or putting my feet down, by putting my elbows out. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get into a low enough gear going up and stalled. I then fell over into a small but strategically placed clump of nettles. I feel steve6854's pain! First time I've fallen off this bike, though, and apart from the stinging nettles, it was a soft landing. Must guard against too much hubris next time round.
