Cranks
My part of the world is quite hilly, and recumbents are famous for not being able to climb hills. A recent test ride on the Seymour Valley Trailway reinforced this in no uncertain terms.
picture by cvarles
I found the longer climbs quite challenging: it’s very hard to balance when you’re going so slowly. It’s possible that my general level of fitness may increase and that I may lose a few pounds but lets not count on either of those. A better hope might be to increase cadence, i.e. drop to a lower gear and spin the pedals faster.
On my regular bike I can maintain 80-90 rpm on the flat. It’s easier to spin if you reduce the circumference of the circle your feet turn, so for my recumbent I’ll shorten the cranks.
It was trivial to drill them out, and the best bike shop on the North Shore John Henry Bikes tapped the holes for me. All I have to do is trim and round off the ends and I should be back in business.
Progress Note: The second idler and the cable guides are all attached. Once the bike is assembled again I’ll be spinning back up that hill.