Avalon test flight at the Millington Naval Air Station

[buyagain]

I'm not suppose to be on my leg just yet but I don't suppose it could do any harm with a little coasting around. I'm also wondering how many out there are where I'm at right now. The bike is ready to go and I'm ready to just drive away, right? Not quite yet!! I've finally got the Avalon in usable condition and ready to test but I've not tried this thing they call peddling yet. I had my first test just before I popped that thing in my calf last week (non-related injury). My first ride ever amounted to picking up speed on a slight decline and shortly after peddling away I broke into a series of quick correcting oscillations with the handlebars. Also I quickly jammed the brakes and slammed my feet onto the pavement for a resounding foot stomping stop. So that was last week and today I packed that baby on my rack and took her out to an old abandoned airfield and Naval base just North of Memphis. The base was once known as the Naval Air Technical Training center. Breaks your heart to see it abandoned and a ghost of its former self. Turns out the the FAA still operates the north edge as an airfield so I got the bike off the rack climbed on and started to signal the tower that I was getting ready to do a little taxing down the runway. Now there I go again. I do get a little carried away at times. Truth is I ran into a couple of aircraft fuel technicians and wasted the whole afternoon talking airplanes and what flies into that field now that it's no longer Military.

I did make it to a rather large and vacant on base parking lot to do some coasting around. I would send a picture but its not a pretty sight, me coasting around with my feet in the air. Oh well at least I was spared the humiliation of anyone else watching me too.
Does this constitute a "Ride Report"?

Regards

Bob

 

[teacherbill]

buyagain wrote: I'm not suppose to be on my leg just yet but I don't suppose it could do any harm with a little coasting around.
Does this constitute a "Ride Report"?

Not a "Ride Report" but a confessed "Coast report". But you took the master's advise and tasted the soup. You should do they same thing multiple times, riding not coasting. As many starts and stops until you think you got it right, then since is it an open area, learn to do figure eights as on ice skates. I would suggest knee pads and bandages in a medical kit but you are not supposed to be there yet.....

 

[buyagain]

Day 2;
Spent 45 minutes at a parking lot. Yep you got it. I'm one cool coasting dude. I gotta know there are some out there doing exactly what I'm doing. That is trying for the first time to ride a conversion version of the Cruz bike. So let's hear your version too. I mainly concentrate on hitting (and missing) certain targets on the pavement and also doing right and left and "s" turns. At the end I progressed to going the distance with my feet on the peddles and towards the end I actually made 6 peddle stokes while under way. Although I did not engage or cause power to the bike with the peddles.

Bob

 

[teacherbill]

buyagain wrote: At the end I progressed to going the distance with my feet on the peddles and towards the end I actually made 6 peddle stokes while under way. Although I did not engage or cause power to the bike with the peddles.

Very good grasshopper. One trip at a time and soon you will graduate to at least 8 peddle strokes, but with power.

 

[WhiteSilvio]

buyagain wrote: Day 2;
Spent 45 minutes at a parking lot. Yep you got it. I'm one cool coasting dude. I gotta know there are some out there doing exactly what I'm doing. That is trying for the first time to ride a conversion version of the Cruz bike. So let's hear your version too. I mainly concentrate on hitting (and missing) certain targets on the pavement and also doing right and left and "s" turns. At the end I progressed to going the distance with my feet on the peddles and towards the end I actually made 6 peddle stokes while under way. Although I did not engage or cause power to the bike with the peddles.

Bob

Hi Bob,
This sounds like my "journey" when I started riding my Silvio. Somewhere on the forum there are innumerable (well quite a few) accounts of the first tentative coasting and then riding on Cruzbikes. I found it great comfort to know that it was possible, I'd seen the videos and heard the reports!! Didn't make it any easier though. But there was evidence it could be done.

For me it was when I decided I wasn't going to let "it" beat me and finally got pedaling, putting some power to ground. Very carefully and very much in the oscillatory style you describe but none the less pedaling. There were a number of very short rides but gradually they got longer, still just up and down the street and avoiding the bike path obstacles, which loomed up larger than life really fast. But one just has to keep going.

5,500 km later I feel reasonably confident. Fell over really early in the peace doing a tight U turn on the side of slope. Grazed knee resulted.
But these days it's pretty good.
You can do it. You're past the coasting stage now, most of the basic work is done.
Regards, John R

 

[John Tolhurst]

Hope you folks all appreciate that Mr WhiteSilvio here has the sister bike to Maria's yellow record breaking one!

oh, and yes, grasshopper - well done! Isn't the mind a marvellous thing how it adapts to what you need it to do?

 

[WhiteSilvio]

johntolhurst wrote: Hope you folks all appreciate that Mr WhiteSilvio here has the sister bike to Maria's yellow record breaking one!

I just wish I was as fast!! And had the endurance!
Maria is a pretty amazing athlete.

 

[John Tolhurst]

WhiteSilvio wrote:
I just wish I was as fast!! And had the endurance!
Maria is a pretty amazing athlete.

The downside of course is that now every knows what a crap rider I am. No more appreciative comments of how fast I am, I'm afraid.

 

[buyagain]

Day 3 and 4.
I've learned so well and so fast that I'm already up to the "over confident" level on the learning curve. (how'm I doin teacherbill?) A couple of days ago I had six timid little peddle strokes. Now I've gone to driving on parking lot parts that are delineated and curbed as narrow streets indeed about 30 feet wide on average. A car came up on my left and I said, "where did he come from?" I guess cars are allowed in the parking lot too. The road circled and opened back to the wide sections of the lot. Just as I approach there is a blind corner to my left where any car could come from. So rather than stop I stretched way too far to check for on coming. Nothing was coming but i had not paid enough attention to balance either so I had to lay it down. The bike that is. Maybe 7 or 10 mph. No damage to me but I twisted or torqued the handlebars out of alignment so no real damage there either.
Normally there are just not that many cars about. I saw only two in my direction all day but we all know its the one you don't see that gets you especially in a parking lot. Thus My biggest lesson today was that you can't be craning your head in every direction like a fighter pilot. So I need a mirror like they had in the Spitfires. LOL . ( I already have one I just haven't put it on yet.)
I'm a little upset that my legs just can't muscles their way out of trouble as in my younger days. I guess I have to be a little more wily instead. LOL

PS Thanks for your comments, White Silvio. This encourages me even though I claim the over-confident stage. By the way, are you old enough remember an hombre who had a white horse named Silver. Oh I know, I know its all been said before. I just hope we never hear you yelling Hi-Yo as you ride . LOL

 

[WhiteSilvio]

buyagain wrote:
PS Thanks for your comments, White Silvio. This encourages me even though I claim the over-confident stage. By the way, are you old enough remember an hombre who had a white horse named Silver. Oh I know, I know its all been said before. I just hope we never hear you yelling Hi-Yo as you ride . LOL

Hi Bob buyagain,
Yes, I remember the Lone Ranger and his fearless white steed, and his trusty sidekick, Tonto. "Yes, Kemosabe"
I do however manage to control myself and not call out "Hi-yo Silvio!" That would attract attention. And I get quite enough of that from the DF riders I ride with, none of whom want to be passed or, more importantly, beaten back to the after-ride cafe by someone laying down on a "funny looking" bike. I think it just encourages them go faster, but it still doesn't stop me from sneaking under the radar on long downhill sections where I just "roll on by". (Uphill is a different kettle of fish, although I'm probably midpack with this group; unless I'm carrying momentum from a series of rolling hills, in which case move on over!)
I'm sure your leg muscles will pick up with a little more riding, and get better with a lot more riding.
All the best and, as Doug would say, "ride safe".
Regards, John R.

 

[buyagain]

I'm up to day 5 and 6 so I won't be boring anyone with many more of these progress reports. No crashes but I don't go past any blind spots either. I still need those wide open parking lots with as much turning space as possible.
I finally put the rear mirror on. It still gets to me how I can look anywhere for too long and loose my concentration and a little balance loss too. I even cast a quick glance to the rear. (I think that's a little too risky too.) I'm gaining balance at lower speeds and that is a confidence builder, let me tell you. So look out I can become too confident again. Anyone got a good recommendation for a handlebar computer or odometer?

Regards

Bob

 

[Gromit]

buyagain wrote: Anyone got a good recommendation for a handlebar computer or odometer?

Cateye Strada

 

[buyagain]

Gromit wrote: Cateye Strada

I Took your advice. Only you forgot to mention cadence as a minimum. At least that's the way I see it so I got the Cateye CC-RD200 Strada for 32.78 with free shipping from Amazon.

How am I doing Teacherbill? Thanks again Gromit.

 

[teacherbill]

buyagain wrote:

Gromit wrote: Cateye Strada

I Took your advice. Only you forgot to mention cadence as a minimum. At least that's the way I see it so I got the Cateye CC-RD200 Strada for 32.78 with free shipping from Amazon.

How am I doing Teacherbill? Thanks again Gromit.

Have returned from the land of OZ and will start back on the bike in the morning. This will start the commute back and forth to school. Can't remember what the mileage is, but I do know the short way will be in the morning and the tour after I leave in the afternoon. But then a good deal with be weather dependent. Currently we have a few waiting for us .....

You are doing good, just keep on riding at the Air Station. I would not worry about your "cadence" so much, just ride at the leg cadence that feels right for the speed you are traveling. That is the one of the first keys to riding a recumbent, in my opinion. Learn to use the gears as much as possible. When you start over spinning or having a high cadence you start getting into the area that I call harmonic imbalance. This phenomenon happens right before disaster or crash...... When this happens to me I start coasting and pedal slowly as I change gears. or until the resistance is on the chain to begin pedaling safely.

 

[buyagain]

buyagain wrote: that I call harmonic imbalance. This phenomenon happens right before disaster or crash...... When this happens to me I start coasting and pedal slowly as I change gears. or until the resistance is on the chain to begin pedaling safely.

Welcome back, Teacher bill.
Bill, I know that this peddling yourself out of control can be a real issue and I do take it seriously but it strikes my funny bone too. So please don't take offense at the following;

Darn, Teacherbill, the only reason I wanted cadences was so I wouldn't have to get it later. Now I see that I've got these harmonic resonances to worry about too. I wonder if a bike computer can signal as these resonant oscillations starts to over take the frame. Wish someone had a video of a bike spazzing and jirating out and veering off the road under one of those "harmonic imbalances". I wonder how many unexplained accidents like wind sheer can be attributed to it. Maybe we can develop a black box to record it. Like maybe it would pick up the guy screaming for dear life as he disappears into the bushes missing for possibly days.

I do digress don't I. Sorry.
On the serious side..... Of My seven gears I'm moving though 2,3,4 mostly now because those are the speeds I'm most comfortable with so far.

Bob

Gromit;
Please get back here and tell us what bike you will have next.