Remaining January I handled myself to a seventieth birthday provide of a brand new seat for my recumbent. Sadly because of supply-chain problems, it ended up back-ordered, and I simply were given it.
This seat is probably extra at ease as a result of it may possibly recline extra. It additionally will have to be extra aerodynamic. The principle goal of the brand new seat is consolation, now not aerodynamics, so I’ll get just right use out of it. However being a retired engineer, my inside nerd used to be curious in regards to the doable pace benefit.
The seat at the left used to be the unique seat, referred to as the “recurve”. The only at the proper is named the “Euromesh”. There’s a restrict to reclining at the recurve as it makes the entrance stick up too a long way and whack into the again of your legs. This isn’t a subject at the Euromesh on account of its form. The 2 are proven aspect via aspect with the usual incline.
You’ll see there’s loads extra space to decrease the Euromesh. I attempted out the brand new seat with it reclined a couple of extra inches than the recurve. I did a pace trial on considered one of my usual Strava routes, the Coyote Creek path to Bailey Ave and again. Unusually, I used to be a couple of mins slower than my best possible time. It felt like I may now not put out as a lot energy. I will push actually exhausting at the seat again of the recurve when going rapid, however at the Euromesh it felt like I might waste some power sliding at the seat.
Skilled cyclists on typical motorcycles have additionally run right into a trade-off between being extra aero and the power to position out energy. However I hadn’t heard of this on recumbents. I do know that all of the pace information on recumbents are set on very reclined seats.
I’m cussed and wasn’t able to surrender. It grew to become out that the duration of the remains preserving up the seat within the again avoided reclining so far as I sought after to take a look at, even if telescoped to the shortest duration. I didn’t wish to minimize the remains as a result of that will lead them to improper for the opposite seat. So I kludged in combination brief remains the usage of dowels. If this had labored I will have made it extra legitimate via purchasing some tubing. The “prototype” is proven beneath.
This place is much more aerodynamic however would take some being used to comfort-wise. I attempted performing some brief sprints with it to check pace, and once more, strangely, it used to be now not any quicker. However this additionally would possibly were as a result of pedaling felt extra awkward. This can be only a subject of having used to the brand new place and adjusting my pedaling taste.
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