Progress With Standard Frame Bike

The two wheeled bike many of us rode as kids goes by many names:

• standard bike
• diamond frame bike (DF)
• upright bike
• road bike
• cross bike
• mountain bike. 

This is an example of a contemporary `standard' bike.

Recumbent bikes tend to not have so many `names.'  But recumbent bikes all share a key feature of allowing the cyclist to `recline,' more or less, on the bike. 

I've been training on my DF Airborne Zeppelin road bike for the past few weeks and am relearning and learning some useful things.

First, I've confirmed that the DF bikes are faster when climbing.
 
Second, my heart rate when climbing on the DF is about 15% higher, in general.  Part of the increase is due to the fact that my heart has to pump blood perpendicular to the road surface.  On a 'bent I'm partially reclined and my heart doesn't have to fight gravity so much.

Third, getting re-acquainted with the hunched over discomfort in the DF position has been difficult.  But I'm surprised that only 12 - 15 hours of training (over several days) has resulted in a dramatic reduction of discomfort.  It's working.

Fourth, now that my heart rate is elevated and my upper body (shoulders, arms, neck) is more intensely used I'm becoming stronger and more fit.  I'm riding faster and with less perceived effort. 

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I recently read an old thread that keeps coming up in cycling email forums about `best way to pedal.'  This is an area that is very unique and different for each cyclist.  So your experience may be different than mine. 

But I find that my cadence is faster, and that I'm much more quickly enlisting the entire leg (thigh, calf, shin and ankle) when I turn the crank.  And my cadence with strength and power is much faster. 

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I'm really enjoying the DF and I'm even more pleased that my body is `learning fast.'