Spring Time - Learning To Ride Time
- Thread starter ratz
- Start date
deadbeatdon
Member
I thought I replied to this but must have flaked and forgot to post it. The rose was a parting gift from a retreat that kicked off the tour. I dropped it off at this shrine as it would not have fared well on the road.
The trike was built by Freedom Concepts. Sadly they aren’t around anymore. http://web.archive.org/web/20120401...com/the-sensible-utility-vehicle-aka-the-suv/
The riding is going well. I’ve only hit the ground once and had a great grocery run today. It’s turning into a great pack mule!
https://www.strava.com/activities/3659662311
So after a single afternoon parking lot practice ride on the T50, I started hitting bike trails and while my skills very slowly improved, I was not enjoying the rides and was waking up sore the next day (upper body).
Found this post, and went back to the parking lot today.
The advice here about figure 8 loops, and the lean to the opposite side of the turn were spot on.
I think I’m just going to stick to the parking lot as my default ride for the foreseeable future. I think it makes sense to allow my body a wider playground to get the feel of the T50. I think we steer upright bikes more with out bodies than we realize, and for some reason on the Cruzbike I default to wanting to control everything with my arms.
One thing I did was to hold the grips with my fingertips, or just loosely “ring” my grip around the grips. So they were there if needed in a balancing emergency, but so I wasn’t relying on them or allowing them to dominate. In essence, I was sort of teaching myself to ride no-handed.
Lots of left- and right-handed circling like this, in addition to the figure-8pm loops, to just let my body get the feel for how to lean and “steer”.
A couple of times I even briefly felt like I got the hang got of it.
But yeah I am setting aside my anxiousness to get on the bike trail, and just allowing myself as long as necessary to practice in the parking lot. I could feel my skills and balance improving significantly today after implementing the advice here. Thank you.
Found this post, and went back to the parking lot today.
The advice here about figure 8 loops, and the lean to the opposite side of the turn were spot on.
I think I’m just going to stick to the parking lot as my default ride for the foreseeable future. I think it makes sense to allow my body a wider playground to get the feel of the T50. I think we steer upright bikes more with out bodies than we realize, and for some reason on the Cruzbike I default to wanting to control everything with my arms.
One thing I did was to hold the grips with my fingertips, or just loosely “ring” my grip around the grips. So they were there if needed in a balancing emergency, but so I wasn’t relying on them or allowing them to dominate. In essence, I was sort of teaching myself to ride no-handed.
Lots of left- and right-handed circling like this, in addition to the figure-8pm loops, to just let my body get the feel for how to lean and “steer”.
A couple of times I even briefly felt like I got the hang got of it.
But yeah I am setting aside my anxiousness to get on the bike trail, and just allowing myself as long as necessary to practice in the parking lot. I could feel my skills and balance improving significantly today after implementing the advice here. Thank you.
Mathew Fy
GRU
Good decision. I went out on day #2, feeling good and slipped on some gravel. Paid with some flesh.
benphyr
Guru-me-not
There you go. Good observations. Before you know it you will be proselytizing and teaching others about the merits and how to’s of Cruzbiking.
This is my first post. I'm trying to learn to ride the Q45 I just purchased.
My figure 8's are just fine, I think. My biggest problem is that I cannot ride in a straight line. The bike instead weaves a foot to the right, a foot to the left, a foot to the right, etc. Going uphill is worse--the steeper the hill, the less confident I am that I can keep from weaving across the lane. (And the gearing doesn't seem nearly low enough for the steep hills in my neighborhood (and elsewhere in Seattle).)
I'd be grateful for pointers on how to ride straight. (I've read here that replacing the platform pedals with my clip-ins could help, but I'm not confident enough yet to give up the platforms.)
My figure 8's are just fine, I think. My biggest problem is that I cannot ride in a straight line. The bike instead weaves a foot to the right, a foot to the left, a foot to the right, etc. Going uphill is worse--the steeper the hill, the less confident I am that I can keep from weaving across the lane. (And the gearing doesn't seem nearly low enough for the steep hills in my neighborhood (and elsewhere in Seattle).)
I'd be grateful for pointers on how to ride straight. (I've read here that replacing the platform pedals with my clip-ins could help, but I'm not confident enough yet to give up the platforms.)
jond
Zen MBB Master
practice and time. Rewatch videos. Open palms. Push handlebar. So much info on how to ride here .
benphyr
Guru-me-not
@David 19 Soon you will be asking the same question about riding uphill no hands.
Realistically, some have their brains, legs and pedal stroke adjust easily and some it takes more time but we all get to the point that we are not thinking about it.
The drills help to speed the process. Higher cadence (and therefore less force per stroke) helps smooth things out.
+1 many good tips on this and other threads. Feel free to ask any questions too.
Realistically, some have their brains, legs and pedal stroke adjust easily and some it takes more time but we all get to the point that we are not thinking about it.
The drills help to speed the process. Higher cadence (and therefore less force per stroke) helps smooth things out.
+1 many good tips on this and other threads. Feel free to ask any questions too.
1happyreader
zen/child method
These may not help. A few memories of my first rides. I had to stop micro managing my steering,
relax, shoulders back , chin up, look farther up the trail, I even pointed my index fingers to show me I going the right way. Kids just "go there" no mater how wobbly and smooth out later. Adults worry and tense up.
being unable to see the front wheel , I sometimes use my outside foot as a guide, mentally stepping near or even on the edge of the path.
Enjoy,,, soon these days will only be memories .
chicorider
Zen MBB Master
Try to keep a relaxed grip. Eventually, your feet will offer steering inputs rather than being something that you feel that you need to fight against.
I have been relaxing my grip, and I think it is helping my steering. Slow progress is still progress.
I have another question: is the Q45 a slow bike? Sunday afternoon I rode 25 miles with my wife, who was on her upright bike. When I'm on my upright bike, I have to slow down for her. Sunday, she had to slow down for me. Nearly every other rider going our direction (and there were many, all on upright bikes) passed us.
I assume that as my technique improves, I'll go faster at the same level of exertion. But I'd have to go a lot faster, I think, to match my normal speed on an upright bike.
I understand that the V20 is super-fast, and I think I've heard that the S40 is also rather fast. Does the description of the Q45 as an adventure bike mean speed was sacrificed in its design?
I have another question: is the Q45 a slow bike? Sunday afternoon I rode 25 miles with my wife, who was on her upright bike. When I'm on my upright bike, I have to slow down for her. Sunday, she had to slow down for me. Nearly every other rider going our direction (and there were many, all on upright bikes) passed us.
I assume that as my technique improves, I'll go faster at the same level of exertion. But I'd have to go a lot faster, I think, to match my normal speed on an upright bike.
I understand that the V20 is super-fast, and I think I've heard that the S40 is also rather fast. Does the description of the Q45 as an adventure bike mean speed was sacrificed in its design?
jond
Zen MBB Master
is any suspended adventure bike fast. Probably not.
Technique recumbent fitness tyre selection seat layback and terrain selection. You will get faster. As fast as your own roadbike..... maybe not. But it’s early days and the df is a lighter more restricted machine. Gravel bikes are the df go to I think.
I rarely ride my carbon wonder bike .
Be fun to get close on the q. 45. And all in super comfort with hauling capacity and ability to handle light off road. Great choice in bike. Wish I had one.
Do a 1000 klm. See how you fare then.
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benphyr
Guru-me-not
He’s got it right. Practice will bring your fitness to the same level for this new skill. Add in a laid back seat of 40 degrees and you will likely be similar to your your road bike speeds - not climbing nor accelerating because the Q is heavier - but probably similar but withmore comfort from position, from tire size, from suspension. If you match your road bike components for wheel and tires you may surpass it. I prefer the larger tires.
waltersj2002
New Member
I
Ive read those threads and they’re helpful but I’m 74 and worried about getting hurt. Also getting more and more anxious which makes everything worse. I’ll probably keep trying unless it sells.
I know how you feel, I'm 72 and have ~500 km on my Q45. I spent several short days doing loops in a very quiet neighborhood. Balance only started to come as I relaxed, and even then my old brain reverted to upright bike techniques when I panicked. At about 300 km I got out on quiet roads and got more comfortable, though in tense situations the old brain can still revert, so it takes a bit of concentration to just relax! Now I am riding with the old group, though at the back and not the front. I does get more fun every ride.
Al the videos and tips helped, but everyone learns a bit differently. Hope you can get comfortable on it.
Bob
SteveY
Member
I bought Scoutie22's moss green S40 from the classifieds. I have taken a few short rides over the years on recumbents, but today was my first ride on a Cruzbike. I read some training posts and watched some videos and today took my first ride. I did about 4 miles of flintstone, rolling, pedaling, turns, figure 8's, and a few stops to make adjustments. I could ride in a fairly straight line and decided to take it in on my usual Saturday morning longer ride of 3.5 hours today. Mostly 8' wide concete trails. No falls, but a few quick stops and feet down! I don't think I have anything to share that hasn't already been said, but here are the things that I noticed:
It is weird not seeing the front tire. I practiced looking further ahead (like on a motorcycle) especially on turns. Looking too near the front of the bike seems to cause wobble.
My bike has a viscoset, but it isn't very restrictive. I think if I could tighten it, that would help.
For the first couple of hours I could not comfortably rest my head on the head rest. Then after a break at the 2 hour mark I could - it is very nice!
I could ride about 45-60 minutes and then things would get wobbly. I stopped and took a 5 minute break each time to relax and it was better when I restarted.
My bike has the standard seat (I wonder if I should get new padding as this is used) and it was comfortable. I am 5'10, 165lbs, and 62 years old. I found I could lift my butt up a to ease the pressure while riding to let it relax a bit without stopping.
It was breezy today and it seems that I could ride faster into the wind with less effort than my DF bike. Love that!
I need to practice starting on inclines and turns, tight corners, riding in a straight line, and no hands. I could ride with either hand fairly well.
I bought a recumbent because I had a herniated disk 30 years ago that flares up a couple of times a year and frankly my butt/sit bones have been telling me to find a different option for a couple of years, and I choose the Cruzbike because it checked the boxes of 'not clunky', fast'ish, well designed and built, able to add racks and bags, fits on a normal bike carrier, and has a great community of riders! Thanks to the forum contributors and the Cruzbike team.
It is weird not seeing the front tire. I practiced looking further ahead (like on a motorcycle) especially on turns. Looking too near the front of the bike seems to cause wobble.
My bike has a viscoset, but it isn't very restrictive. I think if I could tighten it, that would help.
For the first couple of hours I could not comfortably rest my head on the head rest. Then after a break at the 2 hour mark I could - it is very nice!
I could ride about 45-60 minutes and then things would get wobbly. I stopped and took a 5 minute break each time to relax and it was better when I restarted.
My bike has the standard seat (I wonder if I should get new padding as this is used) and it was comfortable. I am 5'10, 165lbs, and 62 years old. I found I could lift my butt up a to ease the pressure while riding to let it relax a bit without stopping.
It was breezy today and it seems that I could ride faster into the wind with less effort than my DF bike. Love that!
I need to practice starting on inclines and turns, tight corners, riding in a straight line, and no hands. I could ride with either hand fairly well.
I bought a recumbent because I had a herniated disk 30 years ago that flares up a couple of times a year and frankly my butt/sit bones have been telling me to find a different option for a couple of years, and I choose the Cruzbike because it checked the boxes of 'not clunky', fast'ish, well designed and built, able to add racks and bags, fits on a normal bike carrier, and has a great community of riders! Thanks to the forum contributors and the Cruzbike team.
I have a Quest 2.0. I live in the Berkeley hills. There is no such thing as riding it on level ground. The hills were impossible or very difficult. But going straight occurred pretty quickly, there is a rhythm between pushing on the pedal while pulling on the bar that develops. Also mysteriously as I progressed it seemed to just go straight. Also a big trick is always be in a high cadence, that means lower gears then you normally use on your diamond frame bike. Hard pedaling means you have to push against your hand pulling. You may need to change your gear ratios to achieve that. Mine came with an out of round I think 42 tooth that I changed to a 36 tooth round. Also I changed the sram 3speed hub with cassette for an internal geared hub. But when I got the bike home to Italy, which is just as but hilly, the final solution was a front hub motor on the rear wheel. I still have a workout on the many long climbs but my concentration is on technique as the motor gets me going and keeps me going even riding off road. The motor is to me the best training augmentation you can add for hills. Especially for hills like you have in Seattle. It will cost you about $500 though. I have three other motorized bikes that I love, but I haven’t ridden them once since I got the Cruzbike setup. I ride it everywhere. And the hills are a fun workout now.
