Combatting "Recumbutt"

After couple hours in the saddle of my Cannondale Bent I, my butt started to become uncomfortable. I would try to shift it around, but the dull pain feeling kept on returning. I developed a "recumbutt".

Next day I went for a ride, and a recumbent butt returned in about 45 minutes. Wow, sore butt is back so quick!

Next day I just rode around town - quick runs to work, home, to the store. Not enough time for sore butt.

On the fourth day I went for a longer ride again, and sore butt was back, but it took more than an hour to occur.

Eureka!

I think it is all about conditioning your butt. More riding will make your butt muscles stronger, and you will be able to sit in a saddle (or on a piece of foam in my case) longer.

I also look forward to a lower, more weight distributing seat in a future. Like a BodyLink seat from HP Velotechnik...

Dream machine?

Lately I have been investigating different bents. I am seem to be on the mission for an "ultimate" bike. I want to take it on a world tour, I want to commute on it. I want it to be reliable. Hp velotechnik grasshopper fx? Maybe.

Also, I am writing this from my iPhone, just to see how blogging from the road would work. I do no see a way to add images, that link seems to be gone. It would be cool to be able to add camera photos to the blog.

Day at the BentUpCycles

Today I went back to the BentUpCycles and spent couple hours test riding bents.

I rode HP Velo Scorpion FX and FS. There is my take on them:

Both are good trikes, but as I pedal they seem very sensitive to steering. I had to constantly work on keeping them going straight. That was not fun. On a smooth surface, FX is just fine until you tried the FS version. It is very smooth on the any suface. Pretty amazing stuff once you compare it to a non-suspension trike.

I also rode SWB steel frame Barcroft - owned and manufactured by BentUpCycles.

Barcroft is a fun bike, but I am spoiled by my rear suspension on Cannondale. I would not own a bike without a rear suspension on a recumbent. Barcroft, as zippy and fun, was hard on my tush riding over the hard stuff. Also, I was not in love with the handlebars - they were way too close and just after 10 minute test ride my hands were already little tired. There is an aero bar option for the Barcroft, but I still would want a rear shock on my bent.

Dana (guy in a red shirt) and Kate were super helpful and informative, too bad they did not have a HP Velo Grasshopper FX on display to try. And, according to Dana, they will not carry it anymore. The Grasshopper just did not sell well. He said that many dealers are not carrying the Grasshopper FX anymore because of that. And, even with the wheels off Grasshopper does not fit into a suitcase. It is just too bulky. So much for my "suitcase bent".

BentUp folks were building up a HP Velo Streetmachine GTe for a customer, but they did not have one to ride. So I could see it, but I could not experience the ride. Hence, I played with the Barcroft.

The Keen cycle shoes work well in cool weather. They keep feet a little warm, but while riding there is enough ventilation through the slats. My feet were comfortable. To put them on and off is also a cinch - thanks to the stretchable construction. Thumbs up so far, but let's see how long they will last.

So I am starting to lean towards a Streetmachine, especially if I could figure out how to transport in my car. Grasshopper folded should fit in a trunk. Again, more testing is required.

My take on bicycle shoes

I found out that riding bicycle for more than couple miles with soft soled running shoes quickly transitions into a foot pain.

I have purchased single sided Shimano PD-M324 SPD pedals for my Specialized Allez. I tried two different shoes - Sidi road shoe (over a $100 in 2008) and Cannondale mountain bike shoes ($40).

Sidi road shoe was a road shoe - on the bike they were ok but not comfortable, eventually giving me a knee pain. I tried riding them for about a month, after that they went back to REI.

Cannondales were more practical, but not that useful. Their soles were not stiff enough and after riding for a while my foot would start getting sore. So after another month, Cannondale MTB shoes went back to REI. I decided to continue using my Chaco Z1 sandals.

Chaco Z1s have pretty stiff soles so the pressure from the pedal gets distributed evenly and I would not get sore spots in my feet. They work very well in dry weather. When the weather got wet (doesn't happen too much in Santa Monica) the rubber becomes slippery, and you have to be careful not to let the foot slip off the pedal. Because my pedals are not that high on Long Base Compact recumbent, I did not have too much of a problem. But I realized that one slip could be my last, so I started looking for a better solution.

This is what I want: I would like to have Chaco sandals, but with SPD plates. Too bad Chaco doesn't have a product like that. Other sandals were made by Shimano ($99), Nashbar ($50) and Lake ($77) and Keen ($70).

I tried a pair of Lake sandals at BentUpCycles, and I did not like them too much. They were pretty hard on the top, just didn't feel super comfortable.

I did research on the net, and ended up ordering Keen Commuter Shoes.

Today they came in, and I was glad to notice that their soles had good traction and stiffness. I rode my Cannondale Bent to work and the soles almost felt glued to the pedals, even before SPD plates were attached. They were OK for walking too - I am sitting with them at my desk right now. On the downside they do not have the ventilation of Chaco Z1s- I can feel my feet getting clammy inside. I think I will wear them for riding, but will have a pair of real open sandals for walking and work.

I will take Keens on a longer ride on Saturday and see how they feel with SPD plates attached.

11-14-10 Update:

I have been using Keens all the time for commuting. So far - great cycling "shandal" - it is not quite a sandal due to closed toe box. But now as weather is getting colder, that is a benefit.

Life journey on a cycle - introduction

I have been riding bicycles since I was 5 - I remember having a blue bicycle with fat red tires. There were red training wheels too, but soon I did not need them, and I was zipping around our summer house near Vilnius on my red wheel terror.

Two summers later my Fat Red has been retired - I just simply outgrew it. The next bike was Russian made "Shkolnik" - student. That bicycle did not last too long either - by the next summer somebody swiped it.

Then came a blue "Ereliukas" - Little Eagle. It was manufactured in Siauliai by Vairas company. Since my youth the manufacturer has been privatized and sold to some foreign consortium, but to me my Ereliukas was my best buddy for number of years. Trips to outside of the Vilnius to our summer house on Nemencine's road, to the lake further up the road, and around Vilnius - those were great days of my childhood. Eventually somebody stole it, but by then I was outgrowing it anyways.

For couple years my father got me a folding Minsk, similar look to 20" Dahon. As all bikes before it, there was only one gear and rear drum brake (activated by pedaling backwards). Again, I rode it around town and beyond. That bike stayed around, even when I got a brand new golden metallic "Turist" - tourist. Turist had a friction shifters with gears, and center pull caliper brakes (I think). It had big size wheels and was my "adventure" bike. I still remember going to Kirtimai store to pick it up, then I rode it back home to old town Vilnius. It was a beautiful spring day, and it was just me and my new bike. Perfect!

There were more adventures with my Tourist - I did a trip to Moletai observatory - my classmates father was an astronomer there. I took a train to Utena, then rode bicycle to Moletai. I did not have much "gear" - just my tools that came with the bicycle. Fortunately, I made it in one day and spent a night in a canvas tent, and a horde of mosquitoes. Next day my face started to swell from bites, and when I got back home to Vilnius following day (my classmates came by bus and the bus took us all back) I hated mosquitoes even more. Still, this is my first "un(der)supported" bicycle tour. I think I was 11 or 12 then.

At ripe age of 16 I relocated to Santa Monica with my family.

I inherited an old Nishiki 16 speed (I think) and rode it to school and to my first job - McDonalds. After summer of "cleaning and not leaning" I bought a silver Raleigh Technium. I think it had a Suntour components, and cost me $600. It was a non-suspended mountain bike that I only rode on the streets. But it sure looked cool! Eventually I left it overnight by my current job locked to the parking meter, and next day I only found a piece of the lock. I think they used a rotary tool to cut through the lock.

At those days through the circumstances beyond my control I inherited a blue Specialized Allez. It had Shimano 105 components (which some of them I still have and use on a new carbon fiber fork Allez) and I rode it for number of years around Santa Monica. Eventually one of the chain-stays broke, and Specialized replaced the old frame with the new one. I moved the majority of components to the new bike, but was never too fond of the new Allez. Eventually I started getting wrist and neck pain on it, and I knew it was time to move on.

I found a silver Cannondale Bent I at my local bicycle shop. They had it for over 3 years and it was not going anywhere. So I got a good deal ($1000) and have been riding it around town for past 3 years. The wrist pain is the distant memory, I ride 3-4 miles to work and around town. It has been great, but with approach of my 40th birthday, I have been bit by a touring bug again.

As good as Bent I is around town, I don't see it as my ultimate tourer. My intention is to acquire an ultimate touring bent suitable for quick tours around L.A., and eventually cross country. Also, I would like to make it down to Cabo. Ah, dreams...