Amputee Cruzbike Riders?

[3bs]

God is funny how he play the game.

i never felt fully trained till i went down the first time on the v20. i went out and the did an ugly hill in our area, which unbeknownced had just been chipsealed and so the chip was still loose. i actually was going to do a loop involving the hill until i rode the rough gravel. well anyways i get to the top totally mashed. legs were shaking, heart rate zone 50, not a pretty sight. and as i am trying to just stay upright and roll onto the flat roadway, a guy comes by on his motorcycle right next to the fog line. to avoid him i jammed on my brakes and turned the front wheel hard. total stall out. we did not hit but i went down. i chipped the bone in my forearm and demonstrated good blood flow. i was laughing at my self for being so impressed with myself that i made that stupid climb that God had me fall over and wreck at zero miles an hour to remind me that i was not in charge.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I think you are right on the purpose for the entire ride. Good on you for getting sharp of the sow speed stuff. I need to do that more often for personal safety and to not look like a dork.

 

[DocS]

It takes time...
It took me a while to get used to it...
Just when I thought, "Ok, I've got this now", I would drift left or right or startle myself... like you, I had to go back to the basics... about a month or so, I was doing much better...

Just stick with it brother!

Blessings,
Rudy

 

[Frito Bandito]

God is funny how he play the game.

i never felt fully trained till i went down the first time on the v20. i went out and the did an ugly hill in our area, which unbeknownced had just been chipsealed and so the chip was still loose. i actually was going to do a loop involving the hill until i rode the rough gravel. well anyways i get to the top totally mashed. legs were shaking, heart rate zone 50, not a pretty sight. and as i am trying to just stay upright and roll onto the flat roadway, a guy comes by on his motorcycle right next to the fog line. to avoid him i jammed on my brakes and turned the front wheel hard. total stall out. we did not hit but i went down. i chipped the bone in my forearm and demonstrated good blood flow. i was laughing at my self for being so impressed with myself that i made that stupid climb that God had me fall over and wreck at zero miles an hour to remind me that i was not in charge.

I've been lucky on the V20 so far, but I can totally relate on my DF bikes. I can imagine the words some drivers and pedestrians have going through their heads when they are stopped at an intersection with me.
"Oh, look at that bike. I've never seen one of those. It looks fast. Go honey, the light is green. Oh Wow! What is he doing? Hey! He looks like a newborn giraffe. Watch out! JEEZUS! Is he drunk? My god that was funny but I don't want to see that again! I wonder if we got that on dash cam."

 

[vmi1056]

Hi Vaughn,
Welcome to the Cruzbike tribe. All great comments so far from everyone.
My 2 cents:

Power:
I think over time you will find that you will be able to apply pretty equal power to both sides as riding recumbent seems to not use the calf muscles as much. I any case the body is so wonderful at adapting with training. I had ACL repair back in 1982 (When they still thought it was good to leave you in a full leg cast for 12 weeks!) My left thigh and calf atrophied horribly, so bad that to this day neither are the size of my right, even after pretty extensive PT.
When I started riding Cruzbikes (about 6 year ago) I was really curious if my left leg was "pulling its weight" so I bough dual sided power meter pedals. Much to my surprise my leg consistently pushed more power than my right. It was not much, but 52%-48% on average. That blew me away, but more interesting: I never really noticed in my riding that one side was contributing more power than the other, so no I did not ride in circles or notice I always was leaning one way or the other. If you have the cash I would invest in some dual power meter pedals. Even with your "Schlitter Freestyle" since you can just move then around to whatever you end up riding. These pedals also have the ability to give you real time feedback on you power stoke, power, foot position, etc. It might be helpful to you if you if you want to work on your left side.

Seat Angle:
It is easy to temporarily adjust the seat angle so you can test ride a V20: Go to Lowes or HomeDepot and buy some of that 2" rigid foam. Shape it in a wedge the length of the top part of the seat (I did this for the really steep hills when I did RAAM (for the power difference) and it really worked well). Taper it from a point to the 2" for the length of the seat and that should just about do it. Just stick it behind the seat pad and tap the edges with duct tape so it won't slide on you.

I highly recommend getting acclimated to the FWD-MMB format of Cruzbike with a higher seat angle. It is really just about re-training your mind and muscle memory to the pedal steer of the bike what you are riding. A T50 would be even better to ride if you find someone with one of those.

I live on Hilton Head Island, SC so if you are close to me I invite you to come by. I have a T50 and V20 (and wedges too), power meter pedals (and other cool stuff too) - I'm sure I can get you riding down the street on a Cruzbike in no time!

Larry, as I ride more, we can totally see the benefit of the seat wedge idea. Question, how far down the back of the seat do you recommend? Lower back up? Mid back up? I have broad shoulders as well so that might help as I can feel the center of the seat up my spine but my shoulder blades almost wrapping around the back edges, if that makes sense.
Thanks,
Vaughn

 

[vmi1056]

I've been lucky on the V20 so far, but I can totally relate on my DF bikes. I can imagine the words some drivers and pedestrians have going through their heads when they are stopped at an intersection with me.
"Oh, look at that bike. I've never seen one of those. It looks fast. Go honey, the light is green. Oh Wow! What is he doing? Hey! He looks like a newborn giraffe. Watch out! JEEZUS! Is he drunk? My god that was funny but I don't want to see that again! I wonder if we got that on dash cam."

Ain’t that the truth. I remember Jim telling me that he would sometimes go out after dark in his neighborhood when everything was quite so people wouldn’t see him! I have a headlight, I might try that, newborn giraffe is about how I felt today. Onward and upward my friend!

 

[vmi1056]

God is funny how he play the game.

i never felt fully trained till i went down the first time on the v20. i went out and the did an ugly hill in our area, which unbeknownced had just been chipsealed and so the chip was still loose. i actually was going to do a loop involving the hill until i rode the rough gravel. well anyways i get to the top totally mashed. legs were shaking, heart rate zone 50, not a pretty sight. and as i am trying to just stay upright and roll onto the flat roadway, a guy comes by on his motorcycle right next to the fog line. to avoid him i jammed on my brakes and turned the front wheel hard. total stall out. we did not hit but i went down. i chipped the bone in my forearm and demonstrated good blood flow. i was laughing at my self for being so impressed with myself that i made that stupid climb that God had me fall over and wreck at zero miles an hour to remind me that i was not in charge.

I’m sure that zero mph fall was all in slow motion (no pun intended). We’ll keep at it. I am comparing my trip too much to how that loop, which I have ridden dozens of times, felt on my freestyle, which I became very comfortable on. This is a totally different experience for sure.

 

[bladderhead]

newborn giraffe

Moving off from stationary in traffic. That did it for me. On the way home from work is a big roundabout. Getting out into a gap in the traffic was a nightmare. I used to approach slowly and then go for it. Then, if I lost my nerve and stopped I was stuck in a high gear. The Grasshopper has IGH. These days I am like a greyhound out of the traps. Usually. Commuting is the way to learn quickly.

But the bike only does it when there is lots of traffic or, ideally, pedestrians. What is the point of making you look like a twit if there is no audience?

 

[Frito Bandito]

I did about 90km today, and quite a bit of it the traffic was light enough so I could time the traffic signals without having to come to a full stop. The times I did have to stop I actualy stayed on the seat and pedaled from a standstill instead of getting a running start like a bobsledder. When you look less foolish pedaling than you do pushing off you know it's gonna be alright.

 

[DocS]

I still use the butt slide method with my Vendetta... I'm able to start with one foot clipped in and pedal with one leg on the S40...

My riding buddies kid me about the butt slide..

Blessings,
Rudy

 

[LarryOz]

Larry, as I ride more, we can totally see the benefit of the seat wedge idea. Question, how far down the back of the seat do you recommend? Lower back up? Mid back up? I have broad shoulders as well so that might help as I can feel the center of the seat up my spine but my shoulder blades almost wrapping around the back edges, if that makes sense.
Thanks,
Vaughn

Hi Vaughn, I have not experimented with that. I just tapered it from "zero" where the seat turns up to max at the top. If you have wide shoulders you might need something considerably stronger if you want to support them beyond the sides of the seat as it goes up. Maybe make a friend who does CF.
Good Luck.
Looking forward to see what you come up with
Larry

 

[Sonnybea]

I still use the butt slide method with my Vendetta... I'm able to start with one foot clipped in and pedal with one leg on the S40...

My riding buddies kid me about the butt slide..

Blessings,
Rudy

I love the butt slide on the V20

 

[Kufman]

I haven't tried these myself but they might be easier to get "latched" into than regular clipless pedals as the magnets should help your foot (and your prosthetic foot) to align correctly with the pedal.

https://www.magped.us/?v=7516fd43adaa

There are a couple different companies offering magnetic pedals so look around on google and see what you can find.

 

[chicorider]

Hi all,

Eventually, a fully reclined seated start from a dead stop is easy. It is a matter of being in the right gear at a red light (or any stop). For example, I ride a 36/50 front and an 11-28 rear. I have figured out that 36/25 is a good starting off gear. There I am, flying along in my 50/14, when the light turns yellow. That's when I start shifting up in the rear, and then down in the front, until I reach 36/28. Then I shift down once to 36/25 and coast to a stop. The light turns green and I'm already in the right gear to start off without strain. I shift down twice to 36/19, and then shift the front to the 50, to avoid cross-chaining. From there I'm ready to shift down into whatever my cruising gear will be for the road ahead.

Short version: Your gearing is fixed and predictable. Use that to fit the also predictable situations that you will encounter on the road. (Oh, the red light--or whatever--has me starting on an incline? I will start in my 36/28 instead of my 36/25).

Post script: I do not mean to make this sound easy. It took a lot of practice and trial and error to understand this. I only hope to make the journey a little easier. It is worth it. Eventually, it becomes ingrained.

 

[vmi1056]

I haven't tried these myself but they might be easier to get "latched" into than regular clipless pedals as the magnets should help your foot (and your prosthetic foot) to align correctly with the pedal.

https://www.magped.us/?v=7516fd43adaa

There are a couple different companies offering magnetic pedals so look around on google and see what you can find.

I have not tried the magped but hear they are good quality. I have tried a brand called maglock, where you could adjust the strength of the magnet pull by removing some of the extremely strong magnets. Currently I use the SPD multidirectional release clipless on the lowest tension setting and they seem to work fairly well to get in and out of. Haven't had to bail out quickly yet so not sure how they work under emergent situations. I will take a peek at the magpeds, thank you.

 

[vmi1056]

Hi all,

Eventually, a fully reclined seated start from a dead stop is easy. It is a matter of being in the right gear at a red light (or any stop). For example, I ride a 36/50 front and an 11-28 rear. I have figured out that 36/25 is a good starting off gear. There I am, flying along in my 50/14, when the light turns yellow. That's when I start shifting up in the rear, and then down in the front, until I reach 36/28. Then I shift down once to 36/25 and coast to a stop. The light turns green and I'm already in the right gear to start off without strain. I shift down twice to 36/19, and then shift the front to the 50, to avoid cross-chaining. From there I'm ready to shift down into whatever my cruising gear will be for the road ahead.

Short version: Your gearing is fixed and predictable. Use that to fit the also predictable situations that you will encounter on the road. (Oh, the red light--or whatever--has me starting on an incline? I will start in my 36/28 instead of my 36/25).

Post script: I do not mean to make this sound easy. It took a lot of practice and trial and error to understand this. I only hope to make the journey a little easier. It is worth it. Eventually, it becomes ingrained.

You are right on with this point. Currently the bike has the stock single in the front so that's even less to think about when down shifting to get into the right gear. I can totally tell, while practicing, that the correct gear is critical. Also committing to that first pedal stroke and relaxing. Every now and then I will get it right, correct gear, solid first pedal stroke and other foot coming up smoothly. When done right, goes nice and easy, just need to practice, practice, practice to make it second nature. Thank you.

 

[bladderhead]

@chicorider and @vmi1056 both make great arguments in favour of IGH.

 

[vmi1056]

My mind’s playing tricks on me!

I’m not sure if anyone has had a similar experience but today I decided to take my Freestyle out after several days in a row of learning to ride my S40. You know, get a good comparison, ride one, then the other. I have ridden my Freestyle over 2000 miles and gotten very comfortable on the bike so I figured no problem. Boy was I surprised when I rolled down my driveway! You would have thought I had never ridden that bike before. I was wobbly, couldn’t keep my balance, shaky, it was the weirdest thing. Got half way up the street, coasted back to my driveway and promptly swapped out the bikes and off I went.

I think the re-wiring of my brain I have heard so much about has begun! I was actually laughing out loud the entire time because I knew I was a sight to see! Just wanted to share. Take care everyone.

Vaughn

 

[Frito Bandito]

Same here. Even after about 12,000 miles on only 1 of my DF bikes over the previous 3 years I felt like I was going to do a front flip if I used my front brake the first time I rode it after less than about 10 rides on my CB. Weird stuff.

 

[Kufman]

My mind’s playing tricks on me!

I’m not sure if anyone has had a similar experience but today I decided to take my Freestyle out after several days in a row of learning to ride my S40. You know, get a good comparison, ride one, then the other. I have ridden my Freestyle over 2000 miles and gotten very comfortable on the bike so I figured no problem. Boy was I surprised when I rolled down my driveway! You would have thought I had never ridden that bike before. I was wobbly, couldn’t keep my balance, shaky, it was the weirdest thing. Got half way up the street, coasted back to my driveway and promptly swapped out the bikes and off I went.

I think the re-wiring of my brain I have heard so much about has begun! I was actually laughing out loud the entire time because I knew I was a sight to see! Just wanted to share. Take care everyone.

Vaughn

My opinion on why this happens is the following, your body gets accustomed to using your arms and core to produce power and get the bike going straight by counteracting the steering that peddling produces. Your body instinctively tries to correct the steering effect that isn't present on a non-mbb recumbent.