Vision Fitness R68, R44, R45, R54, R65, R64, R55, R50, R40 manual Riding the Vision, Final Inspection

Chapter 3: Riding the VISION

Riding a Vision recumbent is no more difficult than riding a traditional diamond frame bicycle, just slightly different. If you are new to cycling, you’ll find it easy to learn to ride on a Vision. If you are an experienced rider, you’ll have to learn some new habits, but the benefits of riding a recumbent far outweigh the small learning curve involved. Either way, it’s important to spend a little time adjusting to your new bike before riding in traffic or committing to a long ride. In this chapter I’m going to discuss some things that will make the transition to recumbents, or learning to ride on a recumbent, easier.

First of all, be sure to read the previous chapter about set up of the bike. To ride well you have to be comfortable, and to be comfortable you need to be sure that your Vision is adjusted to fit you properly. The seat angle is adjustable, and really affects how you feel on the bike. If you’re just starting out with recumbents you will probably want to set the seat as upright as possible. Later you can recline the seat incrementally until you find your own ideal position.

If you’re comfortable on your bike, it’s time to go riding. First and foremost, the most important part of riding any bike is to wear proper safety equipment. We discussed safety equipment in Chapter 1, but I will repeat it here. It is essential to wear a helmet, all the time, anytime you ride. It’s also very important to wear gloves when you ride. If you do have an accident and fall over, you’ll probably catch yourself with your hands, so save your palms and wear gloves. You should also wear protective eyewear; road grit and flying insects do not make for happy eyes. Wearing cycling shoes, shorts and jerseys can help you be more comfortable, but they are not as essential as the helmet, gloves and glasses.

Now you’re all set to hop on your Vision and pedal away into the sunset, right? Wrong! The key to riding smoothly and in a controlled fashion on any bicycle, recumbent or not, is to be comfortable enough to relax. If you are nervous and tense, you will tend to ride in a jerky, overcontrolling fashion. Not only does this make you more uncomfortable, which leads to even worse riding, but it doesn’t look cool. So you need to approach the bike as your friend, someone you’ll enjoy spending the day with. The intent here is to spend some unpressured time getting to know your bike before you get 20 miles into nowhere, or involved with city traffic. Pack a lunch and head for the park, relax and enjoy the day for a bit, and then set yourself up to ride in the parking lot, or any open space with no traffic.

Chapter 2: (Continued)

Final Inspection

Before each ride be sure to inspect all the nuts and bolts on the bike, looking for any parts that may have loosened.

Check the alignment of the wheels, and inspect the brakes to make sure the shoes contact the rims squarely and don't bind.

The handlebars should be aligned and able to turn from side to side without binding or interference.

Check that the wheel skewers are secure, and that a sharp blow on the wheel while you hold the bike off the ground will not jar the wheel loose.

Check that all seat and wheel skewers are secure.

See Chapter 1 for more details.

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