Vision R82 Owner's Manual page 7

Chapter 3: Riding your VISION Chapter 3: Riding your VISION
Chapter 3: Riding your VISION Chapter 3: Riding your VISION Chapter 3: Riding your VISION
The last thing you should practice before hitting the open road is
your shifting. You really need to be work on being aware of how
the gears work. While the modern shifting systems work
wonderfully, it's best to only shift with a light load on the
pedals. That is, you should ease up on the pedaling pressure
before you shift. This does take some practice, typically you
only think to shift when it's almost too late; like when you're
right in the middle of a monster hill.
Try to anticipate what gear you will need , and when. Typically,
the front derailluer (your left handlebar control) with it's three
positions controls a bigger "jump" in the gearing, but shifts
slower and is more prone to pressure-induced miss-shifts. The
rear derailler (controlled by your right hand control) operates
over a range of seven or eight gears, shifts faster and cleaner
when you need it, but each shift is a smaller "jump". The most
important thing to remember is to practice shifting back to a nice
starting gear BEFORE you come to a stop.
Try to start the bike in a high gear (like starting your car in
fourth) and you will see why it's so important to remember to
shift back to your favorite start gear. With a little practice, you
will know what gear you want for different condition starts
(uphill, level terrain, etc.) and be able to quickly dial in that
gear.
Now it's time to add your partner. While everyone will
probably find their own favorite method of mounting and starting
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Keep your pedal cadence high —You can overstress your
knees with the tremendous leverage you have on a recumbent.
We recommend that you pedal in the 80-90 RPM range. If you
experience knee pain, spin faster and check your leg length
setting. It is probably too short - see Chapter 2 for leg length
adjustment. You might also change your seat back angle.
Communicate — The key to successful tandem riding is
teamwork between the captain and the stoker. Captains - tell
your stoker when you are shifting, stopping, and if there are any
bumps comming. Stokers - become part of the bike; don't make
sudden movements that startle your Captain. One of the best
parts of tandem riding is being able to talk to each other -- Do
it!
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