Hello everybody,

This is my first post in Recumbents. I'm using a recumbent stationary bike as a trainer when I can't ride my regular bike, and I'd like to know how to set it up for seat-to-pedal distance. Do recumbents use the same rule of thumb for saddle heighton upright bikes? (i.e., leg straight when seated, heel on the pedal.)

Thanks,

See Bacchetta site page on rider fitting Link

Same rules apply for seat-to-pedal distance. Start with heel on pedal and leg straight but not locked, when pedal is at dead spot at 'bottom' of the pedal stroke. That should get you in the ballpark, feel free to make small adjustments from there.

When I started riding a Bent, I asked all kinds of questions on set up. I got a lot of answers some good some better.

I think that the style of Bent will also determine how you set up, you know; high crank, low crank, LWB, SWB etc.

The link above is good but would it apply for LWB, low crank, or SWB, high crank? Just a thought.

On a DF it's all about the same and done to the millimeter, on a Bent I've discovered a lot of variables. My experience has been to keep adjusting till it feels good.

its about the same as a rule of thumb, but not exactly the same for all. I ride DF and bent. On the bent I run 10mm shorter cranks (in common with many others) and I have also shortened crank to seat length by another 10mm. If you are comfortable about putting a little more bend into the knees throughout the pedal stroke, then by shortening your setup by 20mm like me you will avoid over-stretching/over-reaching when you extend each leg. I did too much of that last summer on my Baron and gave myself a nice dose of achilles paratenitis, which was a 6 week layoff.

Tough call. If you have too much reach to the pedals, you put too much stress on the Achilles tendon. If you have too little, you lose power. This is no different than on an upright. If you look at pictures of people pedaling, you will see that most of them have a slight angle to their ankles. Don't lock the knees while pedaling, and try to keep that natural angle at the ankles. The other thing to remember is that most recumbent riders put their cleats (if they use clipless) as far back as the cleats will go. That has the effect of shortening their legs slightly and reduces stress on the Achilles.