Breathing and seat angle

[rullskidan]

Hello! I understand that a flat seat inclination is necessary for the least air resistance and therefore sometimes advantageous, but if you want to do a climb a flat seat inclination forces you to have your chin close to your chest If you want to look at the road and it therefore closes your airways and limits your oxygen uptake. I find it very hard to climb like that as I get tired much faster then when I have a upright position in the seat and my neck is straight. Am I doing it wrong or do I have a strange body anatomy?

 

[tieflieger]

It may also have to do with the relation of your body to the specific Recumbent you are riding.

- If you are a new rider, or not experienced with such a flat position, working up to it gently may help. If your recumbent has a seatangle that can be changed, start in a high setting and slowly, over months lower it.
- If the seat is not the correct size, it may put your shoulders, upper body in a wrong position, causing an uncomfortable, unergonomic point between head and torso.
- Your head may not need to be in such an upright position as you are holding it.
- Lastly with this cold weather, clothing may be in the way for a comfortable free movement. Perhaps open the zipper a bit, loosen things around your neck.


edit; just saw your other post, looking for a more comfortable seat. You are riding a Streetmachine, wich is not know to have a very flat seatangle. Seatangle is unlikely the cause. Having a seat that does not fit your body, could very well be the root of your problem.

 

[HenriP]

Yeah, sounds plausible and a bit familiar. Also at the other end your legs can press into your guts and your guts into your lungs, so you'd also want to keep BB height and crank length in check.

Aspects in the troat area: Where does it bend? Like is your whole neck lifted or is your chin pressed against your throat? Is the bend happening in a short segment at a sharp angle or is it a gentle curve through your whole neck and even a bit of your shoulders? (But lifting the shoulders too much can constrict the lungs themselves.) With enough practise you might be able, to not lift the head as high and get used to looking forward with your eyes angled "down" relative to your face.
A technique some people have found usefull is to lift your upper body out of the seat when climbing, preferrably you'd have a sturdy handle bat to pull on. They say it opens up and engages the upper body to improve lung function, also you would straighten the airways. They even say the increased body tension was beneficial for power production in the legs. A wide and neutrally angled hand position would probably be ideal for this (like a gravel bike or dutch city bike or cruiser bike style handle bar)
There is also the topic of blood circulation. On a flat seat when going uphill you may be more reclined than your body is comfortable with, maybe even exceeding horizontality. I guess, this could result in a feeling of weakness, pressure in your upper body including your chest and throat and a feeling of emptyness in your legs. Rhose circumstances can probably be trained for. If I had a home trainer, I'd set it up in a hill climb simulating angle. Placing a screen for training data and entertainment can also be done so that you should be able to train your gaze to look while laying flat. Other than a home trainer, depending on your bike, you might be able to train by putting in a smaller back wheel?

 

[GerdB]

I have the same problem.
It's not for nothing that the head has to be overstretched when giving breaths.
If the head is on the chest, breathing becomes more difficult and the view forwards is poor.
For me, the seats should be more curved in the upper area or adjustable like the Slyway seat

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/310255861800775804/

Recumbent experience since 1992

GOOD BIKE
Gerd

 

[rullskidan]

One of the criticisms I have for the Streetmachine is the way they have angled the boom. It is pointing slightly upwards and if you have long legs and pull it out you get a sharper angle between the bottom of the seat and the BB and I do not see any advantage in this as it puts unnecessary stress on the hips and limits your power transfer. Azub were smarter about this as they made the boom go horizontally out instead so it does not effect the angle between upper body and legs when you pull it out.

Ps. I discovered one advantage to the Streetmachine - they chain line is straighter.

 

[rullskidan]

Found an interesting link about this topic:

Klimmen op de ligfiets – Fietsers Afstappen

 

[Nemberch]

Build a spindle in.