Recumbent - Now I Know What "Twitchy" Means

In spite of my knee, I wanted to get out on my Lightning Phantom. I had to lean against a fence to start out, but once going I kept going. At first I was all over the road, which is why I was riding around the subdivision. The handlebars "twitch" all over the place while going down the road. I was going left and right, trying to stay on one side of an imaginary center. I think a lot of this is balance, and some from pedaling. I had ordered the pedal extenders to help cut down on the chance of my foot hitting the front tire on turns, but they put my feet too far out, so those are coming off.
The good news was that there were a few moments when I was going straight and just gliding along, so I think it's a matter of getting used to the bike. The handlebars did seem a bit close to me, so I might be contacting Lightning later about a set that doesn't have a bend that brings them up so close.
My ride was only a couple of miles, but it showed that that this will be a great ride after getting used to the SWB 'bent.

Most cases of twitchiness can be cured by simply relaxing your upper body. Bents don't handle or balance quite like uprights, and trying to ride one like an upright produces some strange results. So, take a deep breath, let it out and relax, then pedal.

I tried this bike yesterday during a group ride --> http://blogsimages.skynet.be/images/002/676/275_9eef3d09335c6b35feee69deee2662b3.gif

This is the creation of a fellow recumbentist. He experiments a lot with FWD lowracers, and he claims this one is one of the most relaxed, easy to ride he's ever made. He even rides it without hands for miles on ends.

Let me tell you: I know what twitchy means. I don't think I managed more than 3 yards without taking a tumble :)

(His blog is here by the way: http://les-velos-de-laurent.skynetblog.be/. Click around and check out his fantastic bikes)

Ah....twitchiness and heel strike....

Those are two players in the SWB game. No explanation can fully do their charactistics justice. But once you have experienced them a bit, they fade away.

I have a Canto. I started out with it in SWB. I had never ridden an SWB before then. Now I seem to prefer it. Though the LWB mode does get its share of attention, there is no comparison to the feel of an SWB.

yeah, relax your arms a bit.

Most cases of twitchiness can be cured by simply relaxing your upper body. Bents don't handle or balance quite like uprights, and trying to ride one like an upright produces some strange results. So, take a deep breath, let it out and relax, then pedal.

Yeah, I figured that. I think the bars are WAAAY too close to me. I looked at other recumbent manufacturers sites, and I need to contact Lightning about it. I think a stem that comes straight up would be better. My hands seem to be less than a foot from my shoulders.
The moments when I was relaxed were the ones that showed me the potential of 'bent riding. :D
The nearest Lightning dealer is near Sacramento, but it might be worth the ride.

That is why they call it the chipmunk or praying hamster position. Try riding around a big parking lot with just your fingers gently curled around the grips and no thumb. Contact the grips with no more than half a finger length. Your control should improve significantly. Keep that in mind as you go back to a more normal grip. There should be no tension in the gripping fingers.
steve

Thanks, Steve, I'll try that. The road was giving me a lot of buzz, too. I'm going to put it in my trainer and make sure the boom is set right. It definitely was in too far, so I felt a bit cramped. The course my club's race team uses for their criterium is deserted on Sundays, so I can go there and ride for hours with no obstructions.