Day 12 - By Jove, I think I've got it! - Touring on an electrified Crank Forward bike

July 26, 2021

Day 12 - By Jove, I think I've got it!

A good touring road except where the shoulder goes away north of Harrodsburg. Even there I felt pretty safe riding without a shoulder but with a wide outer lane on the four lane road. because the drivers were very good. No one came nearly close enough to worry me. I stopped for lunch in Harrodsburg and a nice local sheriff showed up to tell me that a driver claimed to have almost hit me on that stretch. I told the sherriff that I was totally unaware that any incident had occurred and pointed out that I was much more likely to have been aware of it than a driver since I was a very experienced bicycle tourist. I also told him about my 911 experience yesterday.

I was feeling good and my back was not hurting after ten miles of riding.

This was how the road looked most of the time

A not so good shoulder construction that led to lots of shoulder problems. When the pavement is so weak that it cracks and grass grows through those cracks, the result is often paveent breakdoawn that leads to pothole in the shoulders. I saw a lot of that today, som of it so bad that I was forced to ride in the lane. briefly.

Yesterday, I worked on getting the left- right weight balance problem fixed and the handlebar position fine tuned. I'm embarrassed that it has taken me two weeks on the road to understand how important those things are and how different riding a CF bike is from both upright and recumbent bike riding.

This evening, my back and neck feel better than they have since this tour started. I know that there are some serious challenges coming in the next two days with much steeper climbing than I had deal with today, but I'm reasonably confident that they won't overcome overcome the comfort I've been able to attain with the bike properly balanced side to side and my body and the handlebar correctly positioned for riding this bike.

During my ride today, I moved a Keen sandal from the left pannier to the right pannier and that noticeably improved the ride. This bike is much more sensitive to left-right weight imbalance than any of my other touring bikes, upright or recumbent. The handlebar adjustment is also much more critical for being able to maintain good posture while riding hard.

A few days ago, trying to deal with the weight imbalance, I discovered that keeping my back posture erect really helped. That was on my ride from Madison to Columbus. Riding back the next day, which required about 3 times as much climbing, I wan't able to maintain the erect posture and had a much less pleasant ride. Tomorrow and, much more so the next day, I'll be doing rides with lots of climbing. If I can manage those rides without posture loss and back pain, I'm confident I'll be able to finish my planned tour.

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 501 miles (806 km)

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Kelly IniguezThat takes some fine tuning - moving one sandal but not two? How about when you stop and buy a few items at the store? Eeegads - I'm glad you have the knowledge and patience to make it all work.
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3 years ago

Mark BoydWhat I said was that I could notice the difference. If i hadn't been very focused on the front wheel I would not have noticed it. That one sandal is a Keen sandal which, by sandal standards, is rather heavy. I'd guess around a pound. My point, which is important, is that the Fusion, and I guess most RANS CF bikes, are more sensitive to load balance than any of my other bikes. Part of this due to the seat which is flat and supports my weight on my butt. When the bike tilts, my upper body is shifted more than on a regular bike and, unlike on a recumbent, it doesn't have a seat back to support it. As a result it sags more to the side and this leads to a sore back, makes the unbalance greater, and hurts which reduces my ability to generate power.
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3 years ago

Adam KanczulaI've been away for a few days and just caught up with your reports. Glad that you're managing to carry on with your tour.
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3 years ago

Mark BoydTo Adam KanczulaYes, I really would have punted on this tour if I'd been able to rent a car in Madison. I now hope that I'll be able to complete it. See yesterday's ride report which I just completed, or part of the reason why.
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3 years ago