how many mile until comfortable

I see this question posted often so while it is fresh on my mind I thought I'd share. I have had my bent since early December. I rode about 10 miles on a few different bents before purchacing my own. Cafe Since then I have loged 233 miles in just over 2 months. I was pretty comfortable after the first few rides (around 30 miles total) and I would say that after 100 miles I was very comfortable. I still have a little trouble getting started but no fear of wrecking and I am still learning and developing my climbing legs. Of coures I say all this afer my first fall on my last ride but that was due to new clipless pedals. But I would say that after 200 mile most folks should be fairly profecient. YMMV LOL

Coy Boy
PS I keep up with my milage here and it is pretty close to what my odometer says. I accidently cleared the odometer after about 150 miles but it was close to what I was getting online.

<http://www.mapmyride.com/user_training?username=coyboy>

 

Have you thought of keeping track of your mileage on the "Bike Journal"?

 

Has anybody but me had problems using Bike Journal? I've even contacted Sean and he answered. Said he would get back to me but I'm still waiting.

The problem I have is I always get a session timeout when I am trying to register. Not sure what that problem is. I've also tried this in both Firefox and IExploer.

Coyboy, it depends upon both the bike and the rider as to how long it takes to get comfortable on a recumbent. Different bikes ride much different the same as different riders react differently. For example, I rode a couple LWB bikes when checking out bents and I could be comfortable on them immediately. However, the Giro 26 took me a little longer. Then I noticed a huge difference after about 1000 miles or so and even more at 1500 miles.

As for the legs, I've heard anywhere from 1000-2000 miles to get your full recumbent legs. I don't have a lot to go on with that because my legs don't get much stronger with miles due to a physical problem.

Keep smiling!
Dennis

 

OK, I'll weigh in here a bit with a somewhat off-center answer. I tell people it depends really on two things: You got to have the want-to, and you got to have the seat time. If you've been into cycling and have ridden uprights seriously for a significant period of time, morphing over to recumbents will not be an issue for you if you want to do it and you put in the time. Conversely someone who has not been a regular cyclist and has just gotten one to ride occassionally on bluebird days in the spring will have quite an adjustment period, and may never feel fully comfortable. And Dennis is right, a low Bottom Bracket, low seat height bent will feel more intuitively comfortable than some others. However, entry-level bikes are soon "outgrown" for those truly committed, and if you're committed, you have the "want-to", so some of the higher BB bikes can be overcome. It really just depends on two things......

Don
'03 V-Rex
'06 Formula 26
'03 Vivo
'51 Engine...

 

Don, Dennis

Sounds reasonable. I rode just one year and a few months before getting a bent but I was purdy serious (100 to 200 miles a month) about riding. It took me several hundered miles on the DF to ride no hands and another couple of hundred to ride no hands while pedaling. with around 300 miles on the bent I have 700 to go to get my bent legs...that dont sound right...

Coy Boy

 

along the same lines. Speaking of bent legs. I rode 20 miles yesterday and was tard. dint feel all that tard right after the ride but after supper (pizza) I could bearly hold my head up. took a nap from about 6 to 8 last night. then was wide awake half the night. today, same deal. I rode 12.5 miles then went for about a 2 mile hike down to the holler. probably about a 400 ft climb back to the house. again, after supper i got sleepy and took a 2 hour nap. i dont do this after all rides but some seem to make me want a nap. I know part of the problem is my job and sleeping wierd hours anyways. When I get off in the morning (after a 24 hour shift) and take a nap til noon which sometimes makes me stay up too late and it is a vicious cycle...cycle lol

Coy Boy

 

Maybe when Spring arrives you can increase that mileage coyboy. I don't think 100-200 miles per month is all that serious. Once I start riding I start looking at 20 milers and then increase from there. By late May (if the weather cooperates) I increase to 30 miles and then up from there.

For me the most difficult thing has been to get my cadence up much with the bent. I'll work on that for sure this summer. Sure wish I could ride during the winter like some of you but it just is not great riding up here in the winter. Then Spring comes and the frost starts coming out of the roads and they can get pretty messy. Of course, there are the Spring rains to contend with too.

This year, as last, my riding will take a back seat for a couple weeks in June (good riding weather finally) while I go on RAAM.

So what do we do in the winter up here? Today I was out again dropping maple trees for the deer to browse on. You should see the runways into the area where I've been cutting! They appreciate it for sure this time of the year. However, we've had them in our yard a lot and all of them look great. But the roughest time is the next 30 days. They are getting hungry and there will be no green up for quite some time here.

Keep smiling!
Dennis

Keep smiling!

Dennis

 

Dennis, hate to rub it in but today was a great day for a ride...here is my entry for todays ride.

"64 F, cloudy, no wind. perfect riding conditions. rode with steve, he liked my new pedals. I still couldnt keep up with him but was closer. With the flat terrain and him pushing me I averaged 14.24 mph, a new personal best. wore the warmfront over a tee shirt and under a flannel button up shirt. it was just a tad too warm but I didn't sweat too much. chest and neck slightly damp by mid ride through rest of the ride."

We saw several eagles and a lot of folks out taking thier pictures. mabye I need to stop long enough to git one one day and upgrade my membership...

Anyways, I know these 20 mile (and less) rides dont seem serious but for me they are purdy close. I just went over 118 miles for the month today. I probably rode 200 miles in a month 1 time last summer and around 150 the rest (on a DF of course) but my rear end was always killing me. I do have knee problems and I am leary of pushing up my miles too fast. what I really need to do is find a few days when I can just ride and start early, poke along (ok not poke but not hurry either) all day. I am thinking I can do 50 easy and probably more miles if I stop and rest when I need to and also might take the hammock for a noontime seista...Steve is trying to talk me into riding a couple of centuries this summer. I am in training right now. I figgure by this fall I should be ready fopr the one in Clarksville and maybe the SSCC all you can eat century practically right here in my back yard

Coy Boy

 

I looked at it and signed up but I am so used to MapMyRide that I doubt I'll use it...didn't seem as usere friendly but that probably because I didnt use it to start with.

Coy Boy

 

That's okay Coy Boy, go ahead and rub it in. I'm happy for you people that get to ride this time of the year. But, I sure am getting the itch.

Today it warmed up into the 30's and we got ice followed by rain. Now everywhere there is ice. I pushed slush out of our driveway and the neighbor's too otherwise it will be darned awfully rough tomorrow when it is colder. Now we'll just have to wear ice cleats no matter where we walk around here. Darn, I looked at that bike sitting in the barn too and it looks ready to ride...but not in this junk.

Keep smiling!
Dennis

 

I heard Michigan described as 4 months of winter and 6 months of bad skiing. Why don't you sell the woodpile to help finance a move down here where riding 11-1/2 months a year is typical for some of us. It's been in the 60s all weekend here, too. But of course home is where the heart is.

Dave

 

Depends on which part of the state you are talking about Dave. In the U.P. you hear of either 9 months of winter and 3 months of tough sledding or else that there are two seasons: Winter and the 4th of July. Indeed, some summers make you think that, especially when it freezes on July 1 or even in August.

Believe it or not, we have seriously thought about selling out and moving to a warmer climate. We came close to either Arizona or SE California. We kind of enjoyed the desert. We also really liked some areas of North Carolina as long as it was at higher elevations. What we both detest is high humidity. We hate it with a passion and it seems to be getting worse here in MI. Of course the humidity or muggy days are only those days over 70 degrees. Seems below that temperature it is not so uncomfortable.

Then there is our place. We have a wonderfull piece of ground that really suits us nicely. As you see, we burn wood and we have enough to keep our butts warm as long as we live so we don't have much costs involved there. Plus our land taxes are not out of hand as they are in so many areas.

We have lived in a few other areas over the years (and had no problems adjusting) but probably like this place the best of any that we've lived in. But we do always like to leave the doors open so you never know...

Keep smiling!
Dennis

 

Then don't come to Tennessee!!!! You can cut our air with a knife in summer.