Experienced Recumbent Rider

[OldAZCyclist]

Hi Everyone! I am excited to receive my V20c on October 5th and am anxious to get rolling. To level set the thread, I have been riding recumbent bikes for over 10 years, although not the Cruz brand. I received a welcome to Cruz bike email from the owner where she suggests starting out slowly to acclimate to the bike's unique qualities. Given my extensive experience riding recumbent bikes would this still apply to me?

I do remember how long it took for me to feel comfortable riding a recumbent but at this stage of my riding career I am well past the rookie stage.

Thank you for any input.

Chris

 

[Greg S]

If your other recumbents were rear wheel drive it might take a few sessions to get used to the moveable bottom bracket on the Cruzbike. You'll most likely feel comfortable in the reclined position given your long experience on recumbents so I'd expect your learning curve to be quite brief.

Good luck!

 

[CruzRider]

Welcome to. Cruzbike,

For what it is worth, I recall hearing Jim Parker on a podcast saying that some Recumbent riders do find it challenging to transition to Cruzbike, if they keep riding their other bike. If you are planning to do that, consider reaching out to Jim/Maria for some tips.

Wish you a fast ramp onto Cruzbikes!

 

[Doccus]

Hi Everyone! I am excited to receive my V20c on October 5th and am anxious to get rolling. To level set the thread, I have been riding recumbent bikes for over 10 years, although not the Cruz brand. I received a welcome to Cruz bike email from the owner where she suggests starting out slowly to acclimate to the bike's unique qualities. Given my extensive experience riding recumbent bikes would this still apply to me?

I do remember how long it took for me to feel comfortable riding a recumbent but at this stage of my riding career I am well past the rookie stage.

Thank you for any input.

Chris

Keep us posted on the transition !

 

[Frito Bandito]

Welcome to CB @OldAZCyclist. I believe like @Greg S writes your familiarization should be quite short to get the hang of it. IIRC 1000 miles is often considered the distance needed to be comfortable on the bike for newbies but I don't think that will be your case.

Probably the biggest issue RWD 'bent riders might have is getting used to the pedal steer on MBB. I went straight from a TT position to a V20 so it took me about 2 weeks of puttering around my neighborhood before I was confident enough to take it out on my bike path and open it up. The combination of laying so far back after essentially going head first and my V20 being an MBB made the transition so long. I saw videos of other riders being efficient on it so there was no way in hell I was going to give up. Now with almost 60,000km on my V20 I cannot only ride hands free, but I can dig around in my tail box for headphones, food or my phone but I can also use pedal steer effectively, albeit at a lower power output since I am not pulling on the bars. Death grip was the hardest thing for me to overcome but it is totally doable. Feel free to ask here so you can get answers to your specific questions. Looking forward to updates of your progress.

 

[Henri]

I'd say the transition from rear wheel drive to moving bottom bracket was at least as much of a process for me as the transition from an upright (folding) bike to a recumbent bike. Probably more. But the V20c was also considerably higher and flatter than my previous models, so that might have played a part as well. And riding a softly suspended rear wheel driven recumbent again the first time after one or two days of practice with the moving bottom bracket was weird.

The interaction of pedaling and steering (or just your legs hindering your steering) is a completely new mechanic, not just a different orientation and geometry.
Also front wheel drive on a two wheeler is something quite special as well, where traction on the front wheel is an especially sparce resource. Riding on wet or otherwise slippery roads with some speed and power and then on a little bump having a bit of wheel spin on my steering front wheel was a bit unnerving. Could have wiped out on a straight road from a little ridge that I wouldn't even have registered on another bike.

But innthe end you'll have to see for yourself. Some need more time and some need less time. I wouldn't recommend planning any ultra distances or technical riding for the next month, just yet, but it's also not impossible that you'll be ready even sooner.

 

[Rolling Along]

OldAZCyclist, I also came from over 10 years riding recumbents (Bacchetta Corsa, CA2). At the time I got the V20c, I was mostly riding the CA2.

After about an hour of learning in a huge parking lot, I was able to try the adjacent trail. I was weaving a bit on the trail, but at least I was able to pedal without falling. I stopped after about 2 hours or so. The next session I improved where I was no longer weaving. So after that I was able to ride my neighborhood streets. The problem then was starting and sharp turns, especially right hand turns. With practice this all improved.

I was going back and forth between the CA2 and V20c. I decided to just focus on the V20c and that helped a lot. But it still took lots of riding for me to feel like I was getting the most out of the bike.

I recommend focusing just on the V20c and give it several sessions over different days. It takes time to build muscle memory with the new bike. I also recommend starting with the stock regular pedals because you can put your foot down to prevent falls. Once you feel confident then change out the pedals and clip in.

The V20c is now my favorite and fastest bicycle.

 

[Rolling Along]

Just thought of something else. I am about 6 foot 3 inches and the stock chainstays were too short. This made the V20c geometry less than ideal. Once I purchased chainstays that are about 3 inches longer the geometry improved and made it easier to ride. So if you are as tall as me or taller then you may need longer chainstays.

 

[MNBentRider]

FWIW...I've ridden recumbents for years, and got my S40 only last year. I spent about an hour in a parking lot, practicing turns and starting/stopping. The next day, I rode 25 miles on a flat, straight trail without a problem. I chose the easiest and safest routes for the next week or two for my daily rides, just to give myself time to adapt, but I was riding regular routes pretty quickly. I never fell while I was starting out, but the bike differences did take some getting used to, and I can imagine that the additional reclined position on the V20c will mean it takes more time.

So....I don't know if you will need to go as slowly as some of the advice suggests for a complete newbie, but expect some time to get used to it.

 

[Robert Volk]

Don’t keep the legs stiff so u can turn lol

 

[Boreen bimbler]

So the answer is.........you'll find out when you get on it.
I'd never rode a recumbent before and took my S40 on the road after about 20min in a car park and could ride safely enough. It did take me a while to learn a few harder skills and feel completely comfortable but you probably have a lot of that already.
Hope you enjoy the V20.

 

[Henri]

Oh and in the beginning your arms are still working quite hard to control the stwering against the input from the feet. You might feel good and save, but on a longer ride your arms would start aching. Another point where you should be aware out how far you can comfortably go, before you commit to a longer ride.

 

[Beano]

You'll be used to the recumbent position but this imo will be as good as it gets. I came from riding a Metabike and thought I'd be able to ride a Cruzbike straight away and learnt the heard way that you do have to learn how to ride a bike again. There is a a 4 point plan to learning:-

1) Find a slight downhill and coast down it bringing your feet up to the recumbent position, do this until you feel comfortable.

2) Use the 'Fred Flinstone' method, using your feet on the floor to scoot along on a level road to get some speed up on the bike and then bring your feet to the pedals, coast to a stop. Do this until you feel comfortable and have good control of the bike.

I'm guessing with your experience in riding recumbents, point 1 should be okay, point two might take a little practice.

3) Using point two to get going, start pedaling the bike, preferably in a low gear and in an empty car park/wide open area. Getting used to the pedal steer and the input that your upper body has on the bikes steering. Once you feel comfortable, practice pulling away from a stopped position. There is where the bulk of your practice should be. As I recall when I learnt, I spent about 90 minutes just riding around my local car park, starting from a stopped position and done a couple of sprints just to see what the bike would do.

4) This is best done in a car park. find some car parking spaces and practise riding in circles within a given grid of spaces. For example, two car parking spaces long by five car parking spaces wide. Ride in circles going one way, then the other and then finally doing figure of eights within a given grid. This will help you practise handling at slow speeds and tight tuning of the bike.

Good luck and enjoy your new ride.