unfortunately still zig zaging going occasionally

[Brad]

Bit frustrated, I read of new riders here that are banging out mileage after only 3 days. I am now able to ride relatively straight but then will hit a patch where I zig Zag to the point that if I was carrying any speed it would end very badly. I thought I would be further along after 5- 6 days riding

 

[Henri]

Well, of course it's different for everyone. Some learn different things faster, some have more prior skills that they can adapt, some have more prior skills that interfere! (I wonder how many come from upright bikes and how many already were on recumbents before, like I was.) Different body proportions, roads, wind conditions… Oh and of course the different models might be very different to learn.
Just do as many different trainings as you can come up with and look where you need the most work. (Figure eights in fast and in tight, straight lines, zig-zags and swerving, as slow as you can, lean with or against the bike in corners, rough bumpy roads, low traction paths like sand or grass or gravel, …)
Have another look if your bike is perfectly set up for you, sleep enough especially after your rides and maybe try different tire pressures. If you have a racy model with flat seat, maybe try to shim up your shoulders and head in the beginning?

 

[Robert Holler]

Which bike are you on? On the V20 models in particular the fit is critical for leg length and also tiller length on the backside of the steer tube. Over extending the legs and having the bars too far away from you can result in hard handling. Also the position of the arms is critical to the overall fit/balance/control equation.

I have a video coming soon that will show this - but basically (V20 and V20C) you want to have your arms from shoulder to elbow in line with your body, and hands/wrists in a neutral posion to the bars. This is a good power position - often times people have the bart too far away from their body and they have "straight arms" (not enough tiller) and it is actually the opposite that you want.

Also being overly tense in the body can exacerbate "twitchiness" a lot. When I started on an old Vendetta many years ago - after having a decade on other recumbents and MTB's - I never thought I would go faster than 12 mph and I was very frustrated. As I relaxed and dialed in my fit and learned the nuances, it very quickly became the most stable and fastest bike I had in the stable. My personal mistake for a long time back then was trying so hard to set up my Vendetta to be as much like my older RANS F5 high racer as I could get it... "are" and "superman arms"... but that turned out to be a mistake.

If you post a pic of you from the side on the bike that would be great to help assess any fit issues/recommendations.

 

[Brad]

I am on a new Q45

 

[Frito Bandito]

It took me two weeks of riding around my neighborhood before I felt confident enough to take it out on the bike path. The first few rides at decent speeds I had a few instances when a twitch would scare the Bejeezus out of me, and like Robert Holler said if you are set up properly and give it a bit more settling time you should be good to go.

 

[chicorider]

Eight years ago I went from a DF road bike to a V20. It took me many short practice sessions at first. It was pretty repetitive, but with each round my brain wiring for riding this kind of bike came in a little bit more. With each next outing, the bike was a little easier to ride. After about 1000 miles I was finally sailing along as fast and smooth as could be. It wasn't easy, but it was so, so worth it.

 

[cpml123]

Everyone is different. I spent 6 months riding only by myself in isolated bike trail before I dare to venture out.

 

[ratz]

Bit frustrated, I read of new riders here that are banging out mileage after only 3 days. I am now able to ride relatively straight but then will hit a patch where I zig Zag to the point that if I was carrying any speed it would end very badly. I thought I would be further along after 5- 6 days riding

3 things.

1) Get a a picture of you sitting on the bike so we can see if you boom is the right length for your body geometry; small changes make a surprising difference; like MM and it takes some time to learn. When you know what correct feels like you'll know when it's not.

2) See this thread. https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/spring-time-learning-to-ride-time.10889/ it's long but worth it, but frankly the first two posts are all you need. Now I will boldly state this; if you go do this silly little protocol for 5 days in a row each day like it's a first time. And do a lot of figure eights before or after a ride for the first month; you'll have it mastered.

3) Slow speed get your back separated from the bike; basically sit up and learn to do that without pulling on the handle bars. You want the bike and your body to move independently at slow speeds.

Everyone here sans a very small group had to stop and give themselves permission to remember that when we learned to ride a bike as a kid it took 1-4 days and after that it was years before we could do stupid things on a bike and get away with it.

I can now ride no handed with my hands behind my head on a v20 ; that's taken 13 years; no handed only took 1 year. It comes.

The good news is the best bike to learn on is the Q series; hands down the best.

 

[Robertas]

Which bike are you on? On the V20 models in particular the fit is critical for leg length and also tiller length on the backside of the steer tube. Over extending the legs and having the bars too far away from you can result in hard handling. Also the position of the arms is critical to the overall fit/balance/control equation.

I have a video coming soon that will show this - but basically (V20 and V20C) you want to have your arms from shoulder to elbow in line with your body, and hands/wrists in a neutral posion to the bars. This is a good power position - often times people have the bart too far away from their body and they have "straight arms" (not enough tiller) and it is actually the opposite that you want.

Also being overly tense in the body can exacerbate "twitchiness" a lot. When I started on an old Vendetta many years ago - after having a decade on other recumbents and MTB's - I never thought I would go faster than 12 mph and I was very frustrated. As I relaxed and dialed in my fit and learned the nuances, it very quickly became the most stable and fastest bike I had in the stable. My personal mistake for a long time back then was trying so hard to set up my Vendetta to be as much like my older RANS F5 high racer as I could get it... "are" and "superman arms"... but that turned out to be a mistake.

If you post a pic of you from the side on the bike that would be great to help assess any fit issues/recommendations.

Robert, waiting for the video.

 

[Always-Learnin]

I am on a new Q45

 

[Brad]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information. I set my q45 up by sitting on the bike and getting leg and handle bar clearance set. I just checked my bike against the set up method of using x seam measurements and it was almost spot on so I think my set up is right. I think I just need to now put in the saddle time

Thanks again everyone

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Hi Brad, I'm fairly new on a Q45 as well, got mine end of June and started up and down my road which has a slight incline. At either end the road is just wide enough to make the turn so I do 'elongated figures of 8', sometimes clockwise, sometimes anti-clockwise (one end you have to turn slightly uphill/downhill hence the change). I'm now at the stage that I happily do longer rides, however I do keep going back to my figures of 8 just to improve control, especially trying to make narrower turns. When I started off I also had the feeling that I would never get this wobble under control but now I'm mostly there. There are still areas that I want to be more secure, especially standing start in traffic and signalling with one hand while turning into a side street.
So, take every opportunity to practice and we'll soon be riding the coast-to-coast (that's my goal for next year - the C2C in the UK, a 3-day ride with some good climbs)

 

[RobbieTunes]

Bit frustrated, I read of new riders here that are banging out mileage after only 3 days. I am now able to ride relatively straight but then will hit a patch where I zig Zag to the point that if I was carrying any speed it would end very badly. I thought I would be further along after 5- 6 days riding

As a curious possible buyer, I watched the promo video of a pack of 'em. Some were wobbling noticeably, and that generated some concern. I'm very experienced, but not getting any younger (65).

 

[Bo6]

As a curious possible buyer, I watched the promo video of a pack of 'em. Some were wobbling noticeably, and that generated some concern. I'm very experienced, but not getting any younger (65).

I have ~ 1200 km on my Q45 and the wobble is gone except when peddling >95 rpm at 42km/hr. It gets more natural and smoother ever time out. Still wobbles a bit when my old (72) brain reverts to DF mode, or I get nervous. The learning process was fun if a bit nerve racking at times.

 

[RobbieTunes]

Thanks. As far as ">95 rpm at 42km/hr," I am satisfied I will see that only rarely. Is it just a different type of "brain/balance" thing than a normal bike. My words are not accurate, but I can walk, and I can ride, neither of which gracefully. I feel pretty natural doing both, almost more natural riding than walking, and I'm wondering if this type of riding will eventually become the same. Part of me thinks leaning back more, like on S's and V's, may be less wobbly, or more?

 

[IyhelM]

I’d say I picked up riding a Cruzbike rather quickly, at least enough to feel safe riding on open roads after just two practice runs on a parkway.
Two falls after a few months and maybe 2,000 km reminded me that it was still far from second nature, especially when I was tired. At that point, I had basically abandoned any idea of riding without at least one hand on the handlebars and was ok with that.
Then after more than one year, one day, I just needed to adjust my glasses and naturally removed both hands from the handlebars and everything went just fine. So it finally got hardwired enough in my brain to feel safe!

Not sure about the graceful part though

 

[Frito Bandito]

As a curious possible buyer, I watched the promo video of a pack of 'em. Some were wobbling noticeably, and that generated some concern. I'm very experienced, but not getting any younger (65).

I don't know the exact video you watched, and sometimes they can be wobbly especially when just starting, just like a roadbike, but they are stable at speed. I'll attached a screenshot from a recent Youtube video of 1 set of gates I pass through on my regular ride. There is about 4 inches of hip clearance on each side. Occasionally there are 4-5 sets of these gates set up on weekends for safety. On my V20 I routinely pass through them at 22-25mph, and when the conditions are right and there is only 1 gate up instead of a pair of staggered gates, I pass through it at over 30mph. When staggered at about 30 yards apart I have to slow down to about 18-20mph. I have been through a single gate while fully reclined on my V20 a few times on windless days, but now I always stop pedaling and sit up so I can tilt my V20 a tad in case the wheels are not tracked exactly in the middle of those bars. The screenshot above is near the end of this video.

Some CBers have mastered cold starts and circus-like slow speed maneuvering that rivals car drifters, and would even put my road bike balancing skills to shame, so don't let it worry you much.

 

[Henri]

Learning and getting used to new things is a super individual thing. I let go of old things so quick, I felt weird for a short while on my regular recumbent after the first day or two on the Cruzbike.
I guess it's important to not just ride, but keep practicing. Riding down a straight road is comparatively easy and invites you to feel save. But the real world tends to throw us off balance from time to time and to regain balance is harder. Look at children learning to ride bikes. First they fall don in the spot, then they are all over the place, then they get it and still fall down suddenly, ehanever anything happens.
So keep practicing around obstacles, over curbs, on loose ground. Do "random" maneuvers. Get used to the bike in ANY situation, not just riding straight down the road. Practice needs to be harder and more focused on certain details than reality. (Pretty much just like physical training, where your sprints are harder and your endurances are longer than what you are actually going to ride, so on the ride it all is there whenever you need it.)

 

[Flying Dutchman]

I'm a relative newbie, got my Q45 last summer and rode it for some 500km. Over winter I got back on my df while doing some upgrades on the Q45, so I didn't ride it for a couple of months. When I finished the upgrades, I took it out and I have to admit that I did have to get used to it again, especially the setting off but before the end of the road I was cruising away again and happily rode for some 2 1/2 hours with no concerns.
I've never fallen with my Q45. I've had one hairy moment when I had to cross a road with traffic where I pulled the bar with too much force but that was all. Note I've not gone clipless (yet) as I like to walk about at places that I visit with the Q45. I do think clipless will improve the power transfer though so I will transfer my clipless (Speedplay) from my df when I go for a longer ride this spring/summer.

 

[Bo6]

Been out riding a bit and trying to find the correct boom length to prevent knee pain or stretched hamstrings/calf muscles too much. Moving bottom bracket out a 1.5mm intervals and finally think I found the sweet spot, as a bonus the wobble decreased to almost nothing. Not surprising I suppose but goes to show how important the fit is on these bikes.