Going backwards

[starhawk]

Anyone have a good solution for moving backwards on a tadpole? As for now I use the spokes on the front wheels to roll backwards but it's hard if your not on level ground. The obvious solution to free your feat from the pedals is not the preffered solution, getting them back is always an issue. The best solution would be a shifter to go in reverse but that's complicated to say the least

 

[byegad]

Releasing a foot and heeling back is my accepted method of reversing (And for most recumbent trikers I know.) and clipping and unclipping is a breeze. I don't understand what's so difficult about it!

 

[Tigerbiten]

Unless its downhill backwards, I always unclip, either one foot or both feet, and back the trike up with it/them.

My record is only a couple of yards backwards with the trailer on before it jack-knifes.
On a single track road, if the other driver is being a ***** about backing into a passing place, I can waste so much time trying to back it up if I want to .........

 

[markg0vbr]

Unless its downhill backwards, I always unclip, either one foot or both feet, and back the trike up with it/them.

My record is only a couple of yards backwards with the trailer on before it jack-knifes.
On a single track road, if the other driver is being a ***** about backing into a passing place, I can waste so much time trying to back it up if I want to .........

he he he, it is amassing how hard a fully loaded trike can be to peddle through narrow roads / pinch points when some one is tailgating revving there engine, it just saps all the strength from my legs

the reverse thing, on the q my heals can just catch the ground when i back peddle so it looks like i have a reverse gear or i put my hands on the ground and push back. on the hand crank i can grab the back wheels like a wheel chair.


i don't use the spokes to pull the wheels back as i think it is putting unnecessary strain on them.

 

[byegad]

With my Trail I can hand push backwards using the top of the front wheels. Not possible with mudguards of course.

 

[starhawk]

Well I used the top of my front wheels until I got mudguards, the reason I don't want to unclip is that it's not a breeze to clip in again, sometimes it's real easy sometimes you have to sit a long time to find that position

 

[byegad]

Well I used the top of my front wheels until I got mudguards, the reason I don't want to unclip is that it's not a breeze to clip in again, sometimes it's real easy sometimes you have to sit a long time to find that position

So your cleats are not proud enough. Try a shim. Really, once set up, clipping in is no problem at all.

 

[ufkacbln]

Unless its downhill backwards,

Where I park the trike at work is a slight incline, I just sit and it rolls backwards

Then the other week, someone asked me how I selected reverse gear as they couldn't see a specific lever!

 

[byegad]

I can reverse my QNT by going forward very slowly and grabbing the front brakes then releasing as the appropriate point. The stored energy in the frame rolls me back. Up hill and on poor surfacing a heel in the ground works much more efficiently.

 

[starhawk]

So your cleats are not proud enough. Try a shim. Really, once set up, clipping in is no problem at all.

How would a shim help? Just because you have no problem clipping in doesn't neccesary mean the same goes for everybody else. For me clipping in can be from very easy to very timeconsuming you never know from time to time.
I have no real problem going in reverse anymore, mostly going round the problem by planning my route so I can "turn out" of the situation, just wondered if their was an easy solution without freeing your feets if you got into a a corner

 

[Tigerbiten]

How firm/tight are your pedals set to.
The firmer/tighter the cleats are held in the pedals, the harder it is to clip them in as more force is needed to push the cleat home.
You could try ajusting the setting on the pedal so that the cleats are held slightly less.
I endded up setting mine to the easiest possible setting to clip/unclip and now I rarely have a problem clipping in and I've never yet to pull a cleat out of the pedal under load.
Also at that setting it putts a lot less twisting force on my knees when I unclip.
It does not make that much difference if I only unclip a couple of times on a ride, but it does make a difference if you constantly unclipping/reclipping as you do a lot of stops, gates, etc, etc, by yourself.

Also try and get a feel of how it feels right before the cleat slots home.
The better you can reproduce that feel, the easier it is to clip in.
You basicly training you musles to get it right every time, so you don't have to think about it.
It took me a couple of month working on it to get it right, but now its so easy to clip in.

Luck ...........

 

[byegad]

If you are having trouble clipping in one reason can be the cleat is not proud enough from your shoe. Removing the cleat and fitting a thin shim under it will push it out and make clipping in easier. If you are using SPDs they have a grub screw to adjust the tension, try screwing that out a half turn at a time, but be careful not to screw it right out as they can be beggars to get back in.

Even when everything's set up properly I've known a lot of people have trouble clipping in to begin with but the knack comes soon enough. I've not met anyone with a normal range of movement who found it difficult once set properly. If you do there are other types of pedals. I now use Crank Brothers pedals which have an eggbeater centre. I had SPDs and rode several thousand miles with them and found the cleat transfers too much of the effort onto the cleat area of the shoe giving foot issues. I had no issue getting clipped in, after I shimmed the cleats on one of my pairs of shoes. Unshimmed it was almost impossible to clip in with those shoes but easy with another pair.

 

[starhawk]

The problem is not clicking it in, it is the aim that is a problem if I get the foot in the right position theres no problem to click, but if I aim wrong, well you see the problem

 

[Fiona N]

The problem is not clicking it in, it is the aim that is a problem if I get the foot in the right position theres no problem to click, but if I aim wrong, well you see the problem

But that does support Byegad's point - if the cleats not proud enough, it's difficult to locate it in the front of the pedal probably before pushing down to snap in. I had the same problem with my Quattros (Crank Brothers also with eggbeater centre but more platform as befits a road pedal). I use mtb shoes which have slightly too deep recesses for the cleat and I have a devil of a job locating the cleat in the pedal. With a shim of barely 0.5mm, the problem just disappears. You should try it

 

[starhawk]

But that does support Byegad's point - if the cleats not proud enough, it's difficult to locate it in the front of the pedal probably before pushing down to snap in. I had the same problem with my Quattros (Crank Brothers also with eggbeater centre but more platform as befits a road pedal). I use mtb shoes which have slightly too deep recesses for the cleat and I have a devil of a job locating the cleat in the pedal. With a shim of barely 0.5mm, the problem just disappears. You should try it

OK but how are they to walk on then? I find them a little slippery as they are now to walk on (besides that where do a find a shim?)