Dudelsack 

There are no stupid questions....

only dolts who ask them.

I definitely qualify as a dolt on these 'bents. Rather than start endless threads every time I have a dumb question, I thought I'd consolidate them into one thread, a clearing house for the clueless, if you will.

Anyway, I'm pretty amped because I got started from a standing stop, ie. non-Flintstone style for the first time ever, including one start going very slightly uphill.

Here are today's questions:

1. If you ride uprights with clips, do you change cleat position when you ride a 'bent? I have SPDs with the cleats as back as they will go for the DF. I sense that on a 'bent I might want to move them forward a bit.

2. Is there such thing as cross-chaining on a 'bent? Those chains are really long. I lubed it yesterday and it felt like it took me two hours or so.

3. Does anyone ever flip backwards going up a hill? That is a primal fear of mine.

VegasTriker

Does anyone ever flip backwards going up a hill? This one sure got a laugh from me. If you ever find a hill that steep it must be almost vertical. You don't mention which recumbent you ride but most become quite unstable at around 4 mph so I have seen a lot of my friends walk up a very steep hill because they were weaving all over the place. No so on trikes. My GS GTO has a low gear of 14 gear inches with the Schlumpf Mountain Drive in low gear. It can be agonizingly slow though.

About cross-chaining. The only thing I would worry about is using the largest chainring and the lowest (largest) gear in the rear. As long as the chain length is OK, even this combination will not cause excessive wear on the chain as it will on a regular bike. If the chain is a bit short, you will put a lot of stress on the rear derailleur and may even bend the cage.

dcrowell

1. I ride my DF bikes with normal pedals, so not much for me to compare to, but I have the cleats pretty far back... for the 'bent. I don't always use clipless on the 'bent either.

2. Cross-chaining isn't as much of an issue, but it's not a good habit to get into. For around town riding, I'll keep it in the middle chainring and just shift the back. If I'm out in hilly territory, then I'll use all the gears, but still avoid cross-chaining.

3. Uh, no. I don't think it's possible unless you're climbing walls, or have a really weird 'bent.

Have fun!

gcottay

1. If you ride uprights with clips, do you change cleat position when you ride a 'bent? I have SPDs with the cleats as back as they will go for the DF. I sense that on a 'bent I might want to move them forward a bit. I rode DF's with cleats about midway in the slots. On bents the best position for me is as far back towards the heel as the slots allow.

2. Is there such thing as cross-chaining on a 'bent? Those chains are really long. I lubed it yesterday and it felt like it took me two hours or so. Cross chaining is not as big an issue as with a DF unless your chain is a bit too short.

3. Does anyone ever flip backwards going up a hill? That is a primal fear of mine.On some bents, some riders, some hills it has happened but it's so rare that being hit by a low flying aircraft is in the same ballpark of risk.

BlazingPedals

Don't move them forward! If anything, they might have to be moved back. But try them where they are, first. They may be OK there.

Cross-chaining isn't the issue with bents that it is with uprights. Only a problem if you cross big/big and you don't have enough chain to span it.

I've done it on my V-Rex. Many SWB are susceptible. Yes, it was a *very* steep hill. I was sandwiched by other bikes - you know how steep hills tend to concentrate bikes - and I forgot to moderate my pedaling. A smoother pedal stroke would have kept me on the ground. My feet came out of the pedals, BTW. No' Club Tombay;' I just stood up and the bike came out from between my legs.

JanMM

On 'bents going up very steep hills I have more of a feeling of leaning too far back but have never even lifted a front wheel off the road. The more reclined I have the seat, the more I feel it.
Spent a lot of time down to 3mph on hills on the Sunday of the recent Hilly Hundred - this was on our tandem.
Dumb question: Is it possible to flip a tandem 'bent backwards on a very steep hill? Is this a serious question?

Doohickie

Is it true that if you ride a recumbent, you need to grow a beard?

What about women who ride recumbents?

Are women even allowed to ride recumbents?

dcrowell

I can't seem to grow a beard, but I do have the required aerobelly.

I friend of mine rides a 'bent... as does his wife. The female 'bent rider is a rare prize, but not a myth.

gcottay

Is it true that if you ride a recumbent, you need to grow a beard? Nope.

What about women who ride recumbents? They tend to be smart and beautiful.

Are women even allowed to ride recumbents? Yes, but there is that risk of them becoming smarter and more beautiful.

charly17201

I ride both with clipless pedals. I did, however, make the release tension as loose as possible on the bents. I found I had less leverage/strength in my ankle in that position to unclip quickly when needed.

Cross-chaining? I actually had to look at some other posts to figure out what you were talking about. I "think" though, that the long chain-line eliminates a lot of the side stress on the chain. I will say that I've replaced my chains on bents more frequently than DFs. At the same time, I must say that on a DF I only replaced my chain when it failed - I was much less 'maintenance' savy.

Flipping backwards I've never heard of. However, if you're riding a tadpole trike and brake hard - you can find the crank nose-diving into the pavement.

Jeff Wills

True. This is Mrs. Wills. Definitely more beautiful and quite a bit smarter than me:

Dudelsack 

Sir, the Office for Intelligent Questions is down the hallway.

Dudelsack 

This isn't a stupid question, just a well-deserved moment of schadenfreude.

My son is in for the weekend and had nothing nice to say about my foray into the land of 'bents.

Nonetheless he was intrigued and wanted to give it a whirl.

"Sure, it's easy. Nothing to it. Go for it".

This is him trying to be cool:


This is him clutching to handlebars in terror:


After about ten minutes he finally was able to go up and down the street, much to the merriment of his old man and his brother-in-law:


He hasn't mentioned disowning me once since then

BlazingPedals

Now you're just trolling...

Doohickie

Orly?

rydabent

BTW there are no stupid questions. If a person doesnt know the answer, and wants to learn more power to them. When I was in company tech schools, it was amazing how many times other guys were very happy I asked "stupid" questions because they were to shy to ask.

Dudelsack 

That's what I'm talking about.

So Bacchetta has a 15% sale this month, and the LBG can get me a very tempting deal on a Strada.

Today's (possibly) stupid question: the Strada is cro-moly, while the Corsa (next level up and more $$$) is aluminium. Other than weight, I can't see the material the frame is made of as being that big a deal. Anyone here think one would be better than another?

dcrowell

Steel vs aluminum (vs carbon fiber) is a never-ending debate.

The Strada and Corsa have some other differences besides frame material. Choose the one that fits your riding style and budget best.

Comparison.

Strada is 3lbs heavier, $200 cheaper, has lower gearing, lower-end rear derailleur, different tires, different shifters, adjustable stem instead of "stiffy" riser different standard seat, has a higher weight limit, and is red.

Dudelsack 

Yep, saw it already.

1. With the never-ending debate in material in mind, I don't see how the difference in frame material would make any difference in the handling. When I hit a bump in the road on the Strada, my ever-enlarging butt just settles all the more in the luxurious Euro-mesh seat.

2. Diffences in the other components don't strike me as terribly important. Its not as if the components will take a beating on single track.

3. And it's red. Everyone knows red is the fastest color.

BlazingPedals

LOL - dude, red is way down the list! I mean, ya ever seen a red NoCom?

Jeff Wills

Hmmm... how 'bout a pretty blue FauxCom:

Dudelsack 

Holy moly Jeff, what a great bike.

Anyway, I thought of a great stupid question as I was day-dreaming: are 'bents allowed on L'Etape?

For those not familiar with it, L'Etape is a mountain stage of the TdF that is open to anyone who can pay the entry fee, usually run about a week prior to the pros. It's timed, but most riders are happy just to be alive at the end of it.

BlazingPedals

Heeey, didn't that one start out being red? I think blue is even further down the list from red.

Jeff Wills

I don't think so. All I see are blue bikes, black (natural carbon) bikes, and a bunch of guitars: https://s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo72/JohnMorciglio/

yakmurph

Color?
That usually implies a painted surface and paint is heavy.
The fastest color is no added color.

Strip that bike and keep it polished: that is the fastest color!img, #cubbies-overlay{ -moz-transition-property: margin, box-shadow, z-index; -moz-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: margin, box-shadow, z-index; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; ** .cubbies-selected{ z-index: 9999; box-shadow: 3px 3px 8px -1px blue !important; cursor: pointer !important; margin: -3px 3px 3px -3px; ** .cubbies-selected:active{ box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px -1px darkblue !important; margin: -1px 1px 1px -1px; ** #cubbies-overlay{ position: fixed; z-index: 9999; bottom: 30px; left: 30px; box-shadow: 0 2px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.8); border: none; ** #cubbies-overlay:hover{ box-shadow: 0 2px 3px rgb(0,0,0); **