First ride

pedlpadl

pedlpadl

Well-Known Member
I got my V20 put together and took it to the local school parking lot. I started on the Prescribed Method For Learning to Ride a Cruzbike. Coasted down the parking lot with my feet in the air several times. Like a drunken sailor. It's very disconcerting not being able to shift your weight to maintain balance. Coasted down with feet on the pedals, again like a drunken sailor. Started pedaling and immediately felt more stable, but still very wobbly. I had several near death experiences :eek: but by the end of the session I managed to pedal around the school a few times. No damage to self or pretty new bike. :) It will be a while before I will try clipping in or riding on the roads, but I think I will get the hang of this beast eventually. I'm stoked!
 
super slim

super slim

Zen MBB Master
Watch the Cruzbike Videos, AND read Ratz's learning instructions, and do many 10 mins. practices EACH day, instead of 1 hour long practice every second day!
Then Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

Once your brain has relearnt how to ride, you will wonder why you did not "Cruze" much earlier!
 
LarryOz

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
... of course what they said - but - once you feel like you have a good balance - clip in - and you control will double immediately.
Just don't don't put yourself in any dangerous situations until you feel 100% comfortable! That means riding next to or with cars or anything larger.
 
Charles.Plager

Charles.Plager

Recumbent Quant
Just to continue with the good advice above:

1) When learning to ride a Cruzbike, just ride the Cruzbike (if possible). This will speed up learning.

2) I completely agree with clipping in and waiting to clip in. When learning, the biggest piece of advice is to take your feet off of the pedals when you feel like you're losing control. Once you don't need to do this anymore, clipping in will give you an amazing connection to the bike (I hold on to my handlebars about 2/3 of the time. :D ).
 
castlerobber

castlerobber

Zen MBB Master
pedlpadl said:
It will be a while before I will try clipping in
Click to expand...

You do need a certain comfort level with the bike. I tried clipping in too soon on my first Cruzbike, a Q451. Even after several outings, I was still so nervous that I almost dreaded riding, so I went back to pinned MTB pedals and stayed there. OTOH, when I bought a Silvio nearly a year later, I was ready for clipless within a couple of weeks, and it felt natural.
 
DavidCH

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
If you decide to try with clips make sure they are very loose... nice easy exit strategy is the best policy
 
Robert O

Robert O

Well-Known Member
I know that others have put this out there, but just to reinforce:

A lot of the practice that Ratz and others preach is because there's a subconscious component to riding a bike. I've ridden recumbent for a couple of years now, but when I got my V20 built up in December, it was like I'd never been on any bike. I wobbled around for awhile, and gradually smoothed out. About two weeks in with nothing but V20 rides, I decided to ride my RWD high racer to work. I couldn't do it. I rode about one wobbly block, but I felt so disconnected from the bike that I turned around and headed home. I couldn't consciously shut off the little body English corrections that let me ride straight on the V20. I only had about 60 miles on the V20 at the time. It's not so much a conscious learning as a conditioning exercise. And with about 350 miles in on the V20, it's fast and smooth!

Have fun!
 
MrSteve

MrSteve

Zen MBB Master
Robert O said:
I know that others have put this out there, but just to reinforce:

A lot of the practice that Ratz and others preach is because there's a subconscious component to riding a bike. I've ridden recumbent for a couple of years now, but when I got my V20 built up in December, it was like I'd never been on any bike. I wobbled around for awhile, and gradually smoothed out. About two weeks in with nothing but V20 rides, I decided to ride my RWD high racer to work. I couldn't do it. I rode about one wobbly block, but I felt so disconnected from the bike that I turned around and headed home. I couldn't consciously shut off the little body English corrections that let me ride straight on the V20. I only had about 60 miles on the V20 at the time. It's not so much a conscious learning as a conditioning exercise. And with about 350 miles in on the V20, it's fast and smooth!

Have fun!
Click to expand...

A bike has two wheels; a motorcycle is a bike.
Wanna have some fun?
After exclusively riding your Cruzbike FWD MBB, for a year or so, hop on a motorcycle.
If your body's muscle memory is much like mine, your motorcycle will wobble under you
as you unconsciously correct for your habitual pedaling cadence!
Once you realize, fully realize, that you are not riding your bicycle... things snap back to normal.

Now, I don't own any RWD bicycles that are together enough to ride anymore, but
they're bikes and they wobbled under me too... just like the motorcycle... until you
realize what's going on and consciously switch your reflexes from, "FWD MBB" to "RWD".

So, practice!
 
Robert Holler

Robert Holler

Administrator
Staff member
Yea!!
Remember: The confidence on a bike that fast will increase rapidly and before long you will be able to achieve speeds that are well higher than you might be actually ready for.

On the "wind-up" once you are at speed, learn what that cadence is and in what gear. You want to carefully re-apply the power and be in a gear that you can do so (as opposed to suddenly flailing your legs around because you end up coasting to a speed that is way higher than the gear you WERE in - like after cresting a hill.

I had to learn to not just "pop the clutch" at speed. This is where people I see have the most close calls. Its like just getting confident steering the F1 car - dont lay the hammer down too fast because the dynamics of maintaining control are different than any other recumbent (or upright) bike.

Robert
 
hurri47

hurri47

Well-Known Member
Robert O said:
I know that others have put this out there, but just to reinforce:

A lot of the practice that Ratz and others preach is because there's a subconscious component to riding a bike. I've ridden recumbent for a couple of years now, but when I got my V20 built up in December, it was like I'd never been on any bike. I wobbled around for awhile, and gradually smoothed out. About two weeks in with nothing but V20 rides, I decided to ride my RWD high racer to work. I couldn't do it. I rode about one wobbly block, but I felt so disconnected from the bike that I turned around and headed home. I couldn't consciously shut off the little body English corrections that let me ride straight on the V20. I only had about 60 miles on the V20 at the time. It's not so much a conscious learning as a conditioning exercise. And with about 350 miles in on the V20, it's fast and smooth!

Have fun!
Click to expand...

SAME!! Very enlightening experience - I was half a mile from home before I could control my old RWD again after Cruzbiking. Now I can hop back and forth between FWD and RWD recumbents without a hitch. My body must have learned adaptability somewhere along the line, but at first it was important to practice the new skill exclusively.

-Dan
 
pedlpadl

pedlpadl

Well-Known Member
Second Ride :)

I haven't been on the bike in a week. Took her out today and did much, much better than the first day. Managed some slow speed turns, level starts without doing the Bedrock shuffle. Kept a straight line much better. I concentrated on keeping a light touch on the handlebars. Learned to sit up and coast to a stop smoothly. I still can't lay my head back without feeling unstable. I did have a couple of panic stops, but feeling much better about mastering this beautiful machine. Thanks to all of you who've taken the time to provide tips and encouragement on this forum. Without it, I may never have had the guts to jump into this.
 
Rick Youngblood

Rick Youngblood

CarbonCraft Master
Glad to read about your progress Mark. It will be no-time before your are fully confident and everything you are thinking about now will be second nature.
 
ratz

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Boy I'm loving all the new 3rd/4th wavers that have decided that the water is fine for swimming. I think the Cruzbike production runs are going to need to be hirer volume in the future. Keeps the reports coming Mark
 
jond

jond

Zen MBB Master
pedlpadl said:
I still can't lay my head back without feeling unstable.
Click to expand...
i found this too. i was able to position my headrest so that my head when laying on the rest was virtually upright and this helped a lot. the headrest is something that all of us have fine tuned......generally a lot. keep up the good work and you will rewire your brain. the vendetta really does just keep on giving. stay safe
 
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