Recumbents my ****



G

garryb

Guest
And it is my **** that is the subject of much pain.

Dear god, I can' remember in being in such a pitiful state.
I took my swb homebuild out for it's longest test today - a 68 mile
trip to Oxford and back. I was working yesterday so I didn't have the
opportunity to take advantage of the lovely weather we had here in the
UK, so I went today, expecting something similiar. Not so. Misty all
day where I am, and kind of chilly.
Anyway,this swb I've got is kind of fine. It steers ok, shifts,
brakes, is reasonably stable.... and has a plywood/foam seat - which I
thought on my shorter test runs round town was just dandy [longest
trip had been 15 mile]. I was well chuffed the bike made the trip,
that was the main purpose of the exercise, but dear god, does my ****
ache!!! Is this recumbent butt or just a bad seat? Guess I'll find
that out.
There are a couple of difficult climbs on the return journey that are
real killers [to me anyway], which I've always managed to do on my DF,
but I came so close today to caving in. But I didn't. But only just.
It was really, really hard. Much harder than I'd anticipated to be
honest. And I ws really kind of disappointed in a way. And my ****,
arrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How true is the notion that 'you use different muscles when riding a
bent'?

I'm not backing out now, not after all this work, but it's a reality
check, that's for sure.

I'm not normally one to relate ride experiences, but this takes the
biscuit as far as I'm concerned. I have lopads more to write, but I
need my arms for drinking beer now.

Anyway, thanks for listening :]

Garry
[moving around the place like an 46 yr old man]
 
garryb wrote:

> And it is my **** that is the subject of much pain.
>
> Dear god, I can' remember in being in such a pitiful state.
> I took my swb homebuild out for it's longest test today - a 68 mile
> trip to Oxford and back. I was working yesterday so I didn't have the
> opportunity to take advantage of the lovely weather we had here in the
> UK, so I went today, expecting something similiar. Not so. Misty all
> day where I am, and kind of chilly.
> Anyway,this swb I've got is kind of fine. It steers ok, shifts,
> brakes, is reasonably stable.... and has a plywood/foam seat - which I
> thought on my shorter test runs round town was just dandy [longest
> trip had been 15 mile]. I was well chuffed the bike made the trip,
> that was the main purpose of the exercise, but dear god, does my ****
> ache!!! Is this recumbent butt or just a bad seat? Guess I'll find
> that out.
> There are a couple of difficult climbs on the return journey that are
> real killers [to me anyway], which I've always managed to do on my DF,
> but I came so close today to caving in. But I didn't. But only just.
> It was really, really hard. Much harder than I'd anticipated to be
> honest. And I ws really kind of disappointed in a way. And my ****,
> arrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> How true is the notion that 'you use different muscles when riding a
> bent'?
>
> I'm not backing out now, not after all this work, but it's a reality
> check, that's for sure.
>
> I'm not normally one to relate ride experiences, but this takes the
> biscuit as far as I'm concerned. I have lopads more to write, but I
> need my arms for drinking beer now.
>
> Anyway, thanks for listening :]
>
> Garry
> [moving around the place like an 46 yr old man]


Garry,

Can you post photos of your bike someplace on the web?

What is you seatback recline angle (measured from the horizontal)?

The recumbent riding position does tend to use the muscles in the
posterior area more than an upright bicycle, so soreness can occur from
overuse. The solution to this is the same as with other physical activities.

Your seat may be too upright or shaped improperly. For an upright seat,
some padding is necessary [1]. A foam pad over a molded base (e.g. RANS,
Bacchetta mesh seats) or over a sling mesh (e.g. Lightning, Longbikes)
is generally used on bikes with a fairly upright seating position. Some
riders find a sling mesh with padding comfortable.

Molded hard-shell seats (e.g. Challenge, Optima, HPVelotechnik, M5) are
found to be comfortable by a lot of riders, but usually only when the
seatback is at an angle of 35 degrees or less from the horizontal.

[1] OK, I know a couple of people who can be comfortable riding on a
board covered with outdoor carpet in a fairly upright position, but they
are the exceptions to the rule.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth (Downstate Illinois, North of Forgottonia)
 
garryb <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>And it is my **** that is the subject of much pain.
>
>Dear god, I can' remember in being in such a pitiful state.

<snip>

I have two bikes - a Linear LWB with a flat padded seat like the one
you describe, and a Haluzak SWB with a "sling" seat ie starps hung in
a seat frame.

The padded seat is bad news after a while. Like yours. The sling seat
is no problem. I have contemplated making a sling seat for the Linear.

>biscuit as far as I'm concerned. I have lopads more to write, but I
>need my arms for drinking beer now.
>
>Anyway, thanks for listening :]
>
>Garry
>[moving around the place like an 46 yr old man]
 

>Garry,
>
>Can you post photos of your bike someplace on the web?


Tom, this is about the best I can do for now without taking more
photos, and right now, I can't move :)

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vindaloo77/pednor.jpg

>What is you seatback recline angle (measured from the horizontal)?


This is the angle, although I did set it back a touch more today
before the ride.

>The recumbent riding position does tend to use the muscles in the
>posterior area more than an upright bicycle, so soreness can occur from
>overuse. The solution to this is the same as with other physical activities.


Sure. I wasn't really suffering from bad numbness throughout the ride.
A bit, but nothing uncomfortable. It wasn't until I finished that it
really hit me.

>Your seat may be too upright or shaped improperly. For an upright seat,
>some padding is necessary [1]. A foam pad over a molded base (e.g. RANS,
>Bacchetta mesh seats) or over a sling mesh (e.g. Lightning, Longbikes)
>is generally used on bikes with a fairly upright seating position. Some
>riders find a sling mesh with padding comfortable.


Yes, to be honest, I hadn't given the seat a great deal of thought. To
use a bit of ply with foam was the quickest/cheapest option. Like I
said, for a few miles, this was ok....but I may have to reconsider!
Might have to ge tthe MIG out again and try and make one of the sling
seats I've seen plans for on the net.

>Molded hard-shell seats (e.g. Challenge, Optima, HPVelotechnik, M5) are
>found to be comfortable by a lot of riders, but usually only when the
>seatback is at an angle of 35 degrees or less from the horizontal.


>[1] OK, I know a couple of people who can be comfortable riding on a
>board covered with outdoor carpet in a fairly upright position, but they
>are the exceptions to the rule.


Ok, cheers for the input.

Garry
 
On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:21:46 GMT, [email protected] (Ian Boag) wrote:

>garryb <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>And it is my **** that is the subject of much pain.
>>
>>Dear god, I can' remember in being in such a pitiful state.

><snip>
>
>I have two bikes - a Linear LWB with a flat padded seat like the one
>you describe, and a Haluzak SWB with a "sling" seat ie starps hung in
>a seat frame.
>
>The padded seat is bad news after a while. Like yours. The sling seat
>is no problem. I have contemplated making a sling seat for the Linear.


I'm contemplating it too now :)

Garry


>>biscuit as far as I'm concerned. I have lopads more to write, but I
>>need my arms for drinking beer now.
>>
>>Anyway, thanks for listening :]
>>
>>Garry
>>[moving around the place like an 46 yr old man]
 
garryb wrote:

>>Garry,
>>
>>Can you post photos of your bike someplace on the web?

>
>
> Tom, this is about the best I can do for now without taking more
> photos, and right now, I can't move :)
>
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vindaloo77/pednor.jpg


If you are eating Dave Lister style vindaloo, I understand why you are
having problems. ;)

>>What is you seatback recline angle (measured from the horizontal)?

>
>
> This is the angle, although I did set it back a touch more today
> before the ride.


That appears to be a bit upright for the amount of padding over a solid
base.

>>The recumbent riding position does tend to use the muscles in the
>>posterior area more than an upright bicycle, so soreness can occur from
>>overuse. The solution to this is the same as with other physical activities.

>
>
> Sure. I wasn't really suffering from bad numbness throughout the ride.
> A bit, but nothing uncomfortable. It wasn't until I finished that it
> really hit me.
>
>
>>Your seat may be too upright or shaped improperly. For an upright seat,
>>some padding is necessary [1]. A foam pad over a molded base (e.g. RANS,
>>Bacchetta mesh seats) or over a sling mesh (e.g. Lightning, Longbikes)
>>is generally used on bikes with a fairly upright seating position. Some
>>riders find a sling mesh with padding comfortable.

>
>
> Yes, to be honest, I hadn't given the seat a great deal of thought. To
> use a bit of ply with foam was the quickest/cheapest option. Like I
> said, for a few miles, this was ok....but I may have to reconsider!
> Might have to ge tthe MIG out again and try and make one of the sling
> seats I've seen plans for on the net....


I believe a different seat or more recline would help, if gradual
accommodation to the seat and riding position does not occur.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth (Downstate Illinois, North of Forgottonia)