One leg inducing wobble - any suggestions?

[battleaxe0]

Coasting down an incline I can rotate the cranks slowly and everything is perfect until my right foot gets to about 3 o'clock (fully extended). From there to about 4-5 o'clock, it pushes the boom left (from my perspective as the rider). I'm fairly sure this is not shoulder induced as I can ride one handed no problem with my left hand which easily counters the wobble with a push, but I have trouble riding one handed with my right because it requires a pull to counter it. Also, I can feel the pressure mount on the palm my left hand if I coast one handed, open handed, down my incline and very slowly revolve the cranks.

My right foot does duck out foot out 10-20 degrees from my knee when I do Charles' jump test. It also feels better on my knee over long rides on a df or my other recumbents to have the right foot angled out. On my trike I have a pedal extender to allow it to duck out and remove heel strike on the cranks.

Moving the boom out some reduced the severity some. Moving it out further hasn't changed it. Swapping in clipped versus unclipped pedals doesn't help. Pedal extender on the right doesn't help. Moving my feet all over the pedals to different positions hasn't helped.

What can I do?

 

[telephd]

Axe, I experienced a similar wobble. My solution was to ride more and to think about pedaling smooth round circles with both feet. I was mashing a bit causing an unequal force at the pedals and that induced the wobble. For me it was fine at slower speeds but showed up when I was cruzing at faster speeds and higher cadence. After about 200-300 miles it diminished very significantly. Now after 600 is pretty much nonexistent.

 

[ratz]

+1 on pedaling circles.

The wobble may seem a more exaggerated for you because you have recumbent experience; and as such you aren't struggling with other things early on. Laying back for instance isn't' giving a host of other more important things to worry about. So you are naturally stable on everything but the pedaling; thus making it jump out at you.

As an experiment put your feet in the normal spots; and slide your back-side way forward almost off the front of the seat. This should put you uncomfortably close to the frame. Now pedal around; If you see much less wobble; or a more equal effect left and right; then Telephd is right, you are pedaling squares; and more predominately so on the LEFT side (big dead spot a the top of your stroke). You can counter act that by bringing the entire boom back closer to you, or by shortening the boom.

In your fit thread MrSteve was on point with the conventional wisdom in post #8 for beginning MBB riders a shorter boom is advantageous and that as they get better most people move the boom outward, because they now pedal smoother and start to feel hemmed in.

The other more aggressive change would be to remove the extension; which would lower your feet and change your power positioning. You would probably adapt faster at that angle but it's a lot of hassle and then you'd have to re-adapt when you put it back in. Probably save that as course of last resort.

The other thing that you could check is to see if your have half legs that are slightly different lengths, then it could be as simple as needing a shim in one of your shoes. It's a more come problem than you'd think. DF bike fitters frequently have to shim the cleats of riders whose legs are 3-4 mm different in length.

 

[JOSEPHWEISSERT]

Coasting down an incline I can rotate the cranks slowly and everything is perfect until my right foot gets to about 3 o'clock (fully extended). From there to about 4-5 o'clock, it pushes the boom left (from my perspective as the rider). I'm fairly sure this is not shoulder induced as I can ride one handed no problem with my left hand which easily counters the wobble with a push, but I have trouble riding one handed with my right because it requires a pull to counter it. Also, I can feel the pressure mount on the palm my left hand if I coast one handed, open handed, down my incline and very slowly revolve the cranks.

My right foot does duck out foot out 10-20 degrees from my knee when I do Charles' jump test. It also feels better on my knee over long rides on a df or my other recumbents to have the right foot angled out. On my trike I have a pedal extender to allow it to duck out and remove heel strike on the cranks.

Moving the boom out some reduced the severity some. Moving it out further hasn't changed it. Swapping in clipped versus unclipped pedals doesn't help. Pedal extender on the right doesn't help. Moving my feet all over the pedals to different positions hasn't helped.

What can I do?

If you have access to a friend's CompuTrainer, you could watch a graph of your pedaling forces. This type of feedback can show you in realtime how you are pedaling. Then you can change how you pedal, while watching the graph in realtime, to learn what it feels like to pedal in circles. Once you know how it feels, you can consciously practice it on the road. With enough practice, it becomes habitual. This, of course, would work best if any necessary shims were installed first, or any other problems were addressed first. Myself, I noticed a big advantage on a V vs. on a DF when it comes to pulling back with the leg that is not pushing. On a DF, it just makes my butt hurt worse, and a DF saddle is painful enough without increasing the pressure on the saddle from pulling with the legs. On a V, I can pull back harder than I need to, and there is no saddle pain price to pay. So the bottom line is, I found pedaling in circles to be a more realistic exercise on a recumbent than on a DF.

 

[hurri47]

That hand position...

I rode that way when I was learning on my conversion, but the only reason I kept my hands that low (and elbows that far back) was related to fitting the bike in my van and not anything related to riding. When I put more conventional bars on, letting my hands go both up and out, the bike became much easier to ride. MUCH easier, and that was after over a year of experience with the down-and-back position.

Getting rid of the extension and/or exploring other bars may serve you well. Just a thought...

-Dan

 

[battleaxe0]

Don't know anyone with a computrainer - never even heard of one.

The hand position is about where I want it to deal with my wrist issues. I've ridden other recumbents where I was reaching for the bars and really didn't like it.

Pushed the boom out a smidge more and the wobble is a lot more manageable. I can ride with just my right hand now. Felt much more in control today, too. No rain so I did a lot of 8s, slaloming, up and down hills (well.. slight inclines, anyway). Am able to start from riding position without issue about 90% of the time now, even going up an incline. Will likely try one of my normal morning routes tomorrow.

I wonder if pedaling one foot clipped with the other hanging if that would help me train out the wobble.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

I wonder if pedaling one foot clipped with the other hanging if that would help me train out the wobble.

I'm thinking just ride, don't do anything you wouldn't do normally.....more miles. I think you are doing great, just give it a little more time. Try some longer rides perhaps. Stay positive, I've read where folks have reports kinks in the beginning, but they quickly got ironed out with a little more time on the bike. You will see progress mile by mile, day by day.

 

[ratz]

I wonder if pedaling one foot clipped with the other hanging if that would help me train out the wobble.

One legged drills are a very accepted way to to learn to pedal circles. I'd give it a week or two and if it's still troubling you it might be useful to do the drills; but it is better done on a Trainer than on the road. I have a work that is one legged drills. I do it at least 1 time every 15 days. It's a-lot harder than it sounds at first. 60 full seconds with one leg can be very tiring.

 

[Charles.Plager]

It's a-lot harder than it sounds at first. 60 full seconds with one leg can be very tiring.

I had bent by big ring on my Mantis and had removed and re-installed one of the pedals when straightening it out.

I was a half mile from home when I suddenly felt a wobble in my left pedal, quickly followed by the pedal falling off completely. Since I was moving at a good clip (err.. sorry for the pun), I decided to continue home with my right leg only.

I guess I really ought to have taken off the other pedal after re-attaching the first one to get more even exercise...

 

[1happyreader]

This may not apply to your problems.
My sofrider taught me just how dominant my right side is.
When pedaling higher cadences my left foot was always late.
Was following the power stroke and impacting the pedal just before the return.
Added one leg drills
added clip on pedals
And I'm working on applying power thru the whole circle.
I need my feet to be the crankshaft end, not the piston end.
smooth is fast , fast is power thru the whole circle.

 

[battleaxe0]

So I moved the boom back in and put on the new clipless.

If I'm coasting and very very slowly pedal (forwards or back), I can feel slight pressure in my right knee at the end of the stroke where the wobble happens.

If I concentrate and mash with the left leg and try to mostly pull with the right, the wobble goes away. I think my right may be stronger.

 

[ratz]

If I concentrate and mash with the left leg and try to mostly pull with the right, the wobble goes away. I think my right may be stronger.

Interesting...
Since you are clipped in; do some 1 legged pedaling, with the other foot unclipped and dangling. I'm guess you have the balance for that by now. If you are correct and your right is stronger, then your circles will be much better/easier with your right foot.

I'm much strong on my right foot and as such I have to focus on "pedaling" my left foot and letting my right do it's automatic thing. I don't wobble but I can see how I would if I didn't manage my left foot activity when hammering it.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

If I concentrate and mash with the left leg and try to mostly pull with the right, the wobble goes away. I think my right may be stronger.

My right leg is stronger than my left. But, depending on which knee or leg is giving me problems on that particular days, ride I will favor the sore/injured leg and compensate with the other. But I still never get a wobble. I can create a wobble when riding one-handed and then tighten my shoulder/arm/wrist like a death grip. But once I relax everything and melt into the seat it goes away.

One other thing to maybe narrow down the problem, try riding one-handed and switch off from right to left and see what happens.

Very strange happening indeed. Do you feel the wobble in the handlebars, like a shimmy or is it just the front end?

 

[battleaxe0]

My right leg is stronger than my left. But, depending on which knee or leg is giving me problems on that particular days, ride I will favor the sore/injured leg and compensate with the other. But I still never get a wobble. I can create a wobble when riding one-handed and then tighten my shoulder/arm/wrist like a death grip. But once I relax everything and melt into the seat it goes away.

One other thing to maybe narrow down the problem, try riding one-handed and switch off from right to left and see what happens.

Very strange happening indeed. Do you feel the wobble in the handlebars, like a shimmy or is it just the front end?

Basically - everything is fine until the bottom of the stroke of my right leg - even in super slow motion with no power being expressed to the pedals while coasting (and even backwards). At that point, the nose shifts left a bit. I feel the pressure in the palm of my left hand as it gets to that point. It's much easier to ride one-handed with my left hand because it's easier to compensate with a push. Riding one-handed with my right hand is more difficult because I have to pull to keep the bike straight. My left shoulder is getting tired fighting it If I truly relax my shoulders I wander all over the road.

Something in my ankle? It could be activated at the end of the stroke I guess. It wouldn't be activated while concentrating on pulling.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Something in my ankle? It could be activated at the end of the stroke I guess. It wouldn't be activated while concentrating on pulling.

Looking up your overall miles on Strava, it looks like you have about 100 miles in so far on the Silvio. So you are still an infant, and not a toddler yet ! Everyone has a little different learning period, some grow up fast, and some slower...but everyone does grow up sooner or later.

Somethings you might try, and don't forget Ratz's suggestions too. If you are using clippless, try adjusting the problem leg cleat forward or backward. I'm thinking move the problem cleat attachment forward and the non-problem back. You may need to adjust the boom to compensate for the cleat adjustments.

As far as ankle. Check it out with a Chiropractor. I found out recently mine was jammed, which caused a lot of recent problems for me in my knee.