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Message started by hornsmw13 on Aug 26^th, 2009, 6:37pm

Title: New to it
Post by hornsmw13 on Aug 26^th, 2009, 6:37pm

Alllright, I understand there is a learning and retraining curve to these bikes, but when do my legs quit hurting. Not bad pain, good pain. After a month of riding I have increased my top average by more than 1 mph but that's only when I get after it and my legs are screaming to slow down. I'm not the guy to slow down so I want to know how long does it take? I have been trying to stay off the gas to retrain muscles that obviously haven't been doing much on the uptight, sorry (upright) I used to own and I want to keep progressing. Also, It seems the standard seat distance measurement with the heel on the down stroke doesn't work for me. I need more distance, is this a common issue? Thanks for any advice.

Title: Re: New to it
Post by goatstick on Aug 26^th, 2009, 7:32pm

Legs quit hurting??? I think happens about the time you quit sweating.

Just ride. Enjoy. Ride insanely long distances that you'd never have thought possible on your old bike. The speed will come when your body is ready for it.

You might want to get with another Corsa rider to help get fitted to the bike. There are a few little tricks that might help things along.

Title: Re: New to it
Post by AustinSkater on Aug 26^th, 2009, 8:19pm

hornsmw13 wrote:

Goatstick said it right, legs quit hurting? I've been on my Corsa 6 months now, and my legs are always screaming when I get serious about it. The best part is, usually the DF riders legs have stopped screaming by then - 'cause they've stopped pedaling.

Where are you located? There are lots of Corsa riders (fast/ultra-distance) in the DFW area.

Title: Re: New to it
Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Aug 26^th, 2009, 10:12pm

hornsmw13 wrote:

Alllright, I understand there is a learning and retraining curve to these bikes, but when do my legs quit hurting. ....... Also, It seems the standard seat distance measurement with the heel on the down stroke doesn't work for me. I need more distance, is this a common issue? Thanks for any advice.

Not sure about the legs hurting -- maybe you're "mashing" more than spinning, but it would take some visual observations to tell....

About the seat distance, this may be related to your shoe cleats. Most recumbent riders move their cleats (assuming you're using SPDs or related "clipless" methods) as far towards the heel as they will go, so you're not pushing with the ball of your foot. If you haven't done this, and are still connected more towards the ball of the foot, this may be the reason. However, it's not an absolute adjustment, really, it's just a starting reference point. If you need to move from there to make it work, move!

Where do you live, and where/when do you ride? Tell us more!

Title: Re: New to it
Post by barlows on Aug 26^th, 2009, 11:11pm

You guys' legs hurt? [smiley=shrug.gif] Sorry for your bad luck! [smiley=happy.gif]

I just changed over too, and there's a bit of learning curve with the new seat position. I'm on a Corsa too. I don't know if the other guys do it too, but I move forward and back in the seat a lot depending on how my legs (and knees) feel. Also, I had a little trouble getting used to turning a higher cadence. I find I'm a lot faster overall on the bent if I keep a little higher cadence than I was used to on the DF. It just seems to take some time before the speed comes.

Are you riding long distance? A couple good long days with the bike sure helped me get used to some things.

Steve

Title: Re: New to it
Post by goatstick on Aug 26^th, 2009, 11:54pm

As typical, everyone is different. Even likely moreso than on a road bike, a Corsa has a lot of ways to set your riding position. Most people (including me) start out with a pretty closed riding position that favors a higher cadence, using mostly just leg muscles. As your glutes and lower back muscles get stronger, you can assume a more open/aerodynamic position that is harder to spin with but much faster. Then you discover your pull muscles wherein your distance/endurance lies, and then you go on to using both most of the time, with possibly a predominance towards pull muscles except when climbing, sprinting and especially rolling over hills. In this new position your glutes don't rest much on the seat except when you slack off. That's one of the reasons highracer riders seldom get recumbutt - it's not really resting on anything when you are cranking. With your glutes off the seat much of the time it really becomes inconvenient to spin much though. Then is when you really start working on technique. Riding century after century, you have enough time to start analyzing different pedal strokes; what stresses your ankles and what doesn't, what stresses your forearms and wrists and what doesn't (yeah barcons!!!), what to do about supporting your big ole noggin laid way back like that all day long. Then out of the blue you ride halfway across the country and back averaging an insane century a day. Then you wake up one morning after foolishly riding for 357 miles in a stupid race that a bunch of your so-called friends talked you into, totally unprepared and ignorant, but yet, to your complete and utter amazement, you somehow finish. Then one day the stars line up and you get that special tailwind century ride. You blow through entire towns at 30-35 mph floating along with traffic and get a weird sort of tunnel vision experience from cranking so hard and going so fast for so long.

Your Corsa has become your friend. An amazingly wonderful and totally insane friend.

Then you get an even faster and more totally insane speed bike and have to start all over...

Title: Re: New to it
Post by barlows on Aug 27^th, 2009, 2:50pm

goatstick wrote:

Your Corsa has become your friend. An amazingly wonderful and totally insane friend.

Great post. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]