Thread: What do I wear?
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Old 07-25-19, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by kingston
Took the Strada out for a 47 mile ride this morning, and now have 185 miles on the bike. While I'm getting PR's on a bunch of downhill segments, my legs are still holding me back. Sounds like I need a few hundred more miles to get past that, which I should be able to get in the next couple of weeks. I have really enjoyed my rides so far and feel like I lucked into a bike that may be exactly what I would have chosen for myself if I had taken the time to pick out my own recumbent. It's nice when the universe deals you a good hand. My 559x1.1 tires arrive today, which I can install on my existing 26" wheelset, so I can ditch the 650c's with the mangled front rim. It will be interesting to see how different 559x28 feels from 571x23, and to see if there is any room for something wider on the smaller rims. My new wheel parts should arrive sometime next week, so if the stars align, I could have new wheels for my 400k on 8/3, which would be awesome, although no big deal if not.

The Strada is very well suited for my type of long-distance solo rides, so I can definitely see myself adding this bike to the regular rotation. Although I don't see myself bringing the Strada to brevets if there's a chance I'll be riding with other people on DFs. I like riding with a group on brevets when there are other rides at approximately my same level of fitness, and that will work better for me on a DF, which got me thinking. If I spend a lot of time getting my recumbent legs, will that ruin my DF legs? I'm not so much worried about it for this season, as August is always my last big mileage month, and my fitness is pretty good right now, but it may influence how I build up my speed and endurance next spring.

The light is fine, by the way. There's a little bit of illumination on the side of my shoes, but the light is forward enough that it does't illuminate the tops to create the flash.
I don't find that bent riding ruins my DF legs, or vice versa. I actually think recumbent legs is more of a neurological / technique issue, and not so much a muscle thing. It IS a muscle thing for the first several hundred miles, or perhaps the first 500 miles, but your muscles adapt pretty quickly. Its the brain that takes longer. Effective bent riding actually requires a little different pedaling technique, and it takes a while to get your spin equal to what it is on your DF.

What bent riding does do is wreck your DF butt. You may not have realized how much your tissues have adapted to a DF saddle, and if you don't stay in contact with the DF enough, you will soften up.

I think you will find that if the route isn't too hilly, you can ride with DFs just fine on the Bacchetta.

At this point, the only advantage of the one arm bandit is that it could allow the mounting of a backup light (unless your backup light uses the same bracket as your primary light, that is).
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