Anyone like to share their tips for riding recumbents? Little tricks or techniques that work for you?

Here is mine. It is a tip for dismounting from a lowracer or maybe one of those low trikes. As anyone who owns a lowracer knows, they are hard to get out of gracefully. It's kind of a drag to pull up in one of thee sci-fi creations and then look like a bug on its back as you try to get off it. I call my trick the jack-in-the-box dismount: As you approach your stopping point unclip one foot and let it skim over the ground to gauge your speed. At about 5 mph or so unclip the other foot and put them both on the ground and start to stand up. Your forward momentum will propel you upright like a jack-in-the-box. Or maybe that vampire in that 1930's movie Nosturatu (sp) who just sort of levered upright from his coffin. Looks and feels cool

When I ride recumbent it's on a Bacchetta Cafe (2 wheel, above seat steering). I like riding witout my feet attached to the pedals, and use the placement of my foot on the pedal similar to shifting gears. This helps mostly with climbing hills since we can't stand on the pedals to use our weight. On flats or downhill I place the axis of the pedal across the top of my arch or ball of my foot. Going uphill I place the pedal axis across the middle of my arch to lower arch. The lower you go, the more direct (from leg) power you give the stroke (less utilization of the heel muscle). Note this effects x-seam lengths, and the technique should only be used when you are at less than your maximum extention, otherwise you'll feel the effects of overextension in your lower knees. Or at least that's what I've found.

In terms of getting adjusted to riding a recumbent for the first time, if you have above seat steering the difference in how you apply pressure to your handlebars (from upright bike) can take a bit of getting used to. I suggest when on a flat straight run, lift the handlebars slightly, so that there's no pulling pressure, and notice the difference between that and how they react when your natural arm weight sets on them. I find that I was so used to continually applying a "pushing" pressure to the handlebars, that I wasn't noticing the subtle differences that "pulling" (towards you) created. Also, remind yourself, that you can't steer by shifting your body weight. Those are the two main things I learned in the 50 miles it took me to adjust to a recumbent, and imagine that if it had been pointed out to me on the front end, I might have adjusted a little more quickly.

Oh, and think ahead about downshifting for stops, etc. Your doomed everytime you come to an unanticipated stop in too high a gear since you can't just stand on the pedals.

I do that jack in the box stop and dismount thing too. Not so much on my trike, but certainly on my T-Bolt.

I used to do the jack-in-the-box on a SWB that had a tilting handlebar, but it's hard to imagine my upper legs being able to clear the grips this way on my Baron. I'll give it a try.

Here's another tip: Always pedal on downhills, unless you're going so fast that riding the brakes seems more sensible. You don't have to pedal hard, just keep some power going to the wheels. The reason: a bent's terminal velocity is higher than an upright's, so by pedaling you're taking advantage of the bent's speed profile.

ps - this might not work on some bolt-upright bents or semi-bents that catch a lot of air, but it works for the majority.

Here's a trick: I miss a "cockpit" with my USS bent, that is, a handlebar that holds my maps, and a bag to throw in loose change, my cellphone, my keys, my glasses, etc... So I have a fanny pack on my tummy that holds all my junk, and I sewed a transparent map sleeve to it that I just have to flip up to look at the map while riding.

Another trick that works very nicely with any bike, but especially with bents: carry a long rope (15ft or so) with you at all time, with one end knotted into a loop. If you have to do something on the road to the derailleurs, change the chain, remove the wheels, etc... anything that requires lifting the wheels, find a tree with an overhanging branch, or a wide street sign, pass the loop in the left handle, around the branch, around the right handle, and pull up to lift the front of the bike. Then pass the rope around the branch again, around the rear rack or the seat, pull up to lift the rear of the bike, then tie the rope somewhere on the bike. Voilà, instant workstand.

I can't do it on my Baron. For one thing, I'm short and the tiller comes back very far. If I popped up fast, I'd hit myself at the bottom of the sternum!

Also, it keeps the muscles loose and the blood flowing even if you just float the pedals.

Speaking of creative stopping techniques, here's a fun way to get off a Condor:

https://cybercondor.free.fr/debentage.MPG
https://cybercondor.free.fr/debentagehard.MPG

Whoa
That's awesome!

Pedaling for me that works pretty well especially over 30 mph. I feel I have more control.

I thought one of the safety advantages of bents was that, unlike upright bikes, an endo was unlikely. That exit maneuver looks somewhat like a controlled endo. Maybe the rider should wear an athletic cup - the second video almost ended in testicular trauma.

A Condor can flip easily: it's quite high, the wheelbase is that of a regular MTB, and I think the center of gravity isn't much different than a DF with the rider on it. It's quite easy to unload the rear wheel on that bike, especially when stopping hard on a downhill slope. The difference with an upright is that a Condor will throw you on your feet and not on your face.

As for consequences of the stopping method shown on the videos, the blurb in french that describes the procedure on the website specifically warns about nut hazards: "one detail (very important): be careful to hold the bent so it comes back down softly without squashing our virility (if unsure, try it out with a protective cup). Note: not for serious people".

hmm, I always thought you peddled on the downhills because you couldn't catch me on the uphills.

If you're gonna whup me on the climbs, who am I to argue if you don't take full advantage of the downhills?

I'm guessing everybody knows this trick. However, here is another I use on my commutes. There are a couple of places where I have to maneuver in tight spaces or negotiate snow banks or some such. In such circumstances, I uncleat one foot and keep my balance with it while pedaling with the other. This is how I get through a narrow gate to a bike path I use taht is too narrow for my handlebars.

Keeping my foot on the pedal, but tipping the knee to the point of having a horizontal leg, is a great way to help turn a tight corner, on my ride.