Hey,
I totally concur with Nathan, having made the exact same mistakes, and a
few more. I'm still interestd in speed Cokering, but now, after three
months, I realize two important things that I wish someone had told me
the day I jumped onto my Coker. For whatever that's worth, here they
are:
First (according to what Kris Holm told me), many people have
miscalibrated their cyclometers, and claimes of 20+ MPH with 150 cranks
are, by and large, vastly exaggerated; trying to chase after those
speeds, at the outset, only got me frustrated and damn near killed (I
can wind up a road bike upwards of 35MPH on the flats, but it's taken me
3 months on the Coker to learn to hold a true 13-14 MPH for as little as
a couple miles). Second, providing you have the leg strength/quickness
to wind up a road bike, Cokering speed comes from learning to relax
(especially your stomach and core) and developing a smooth, even stroke
(read--fluidly spinning, not punching, the peddles), without which the
speed wobbles are so scary you simply can't move your legs faster
without the terrifying feeling that you're going to eat asphalt any
second.
So now my focus has shifted to developing control and fluidity, and
having fun. I trust the speed will come, but chasing it has not worked
for me so far.
In short--have fun, work on gaining fluid peddling mechanics, and put in
a stack of miles.
Lastly, if you really are a die-hard for speed (like me), ocassional
work on the Ultimate Wheel has helped smooth out my peddling mechanics,
likewise, seat-out work on my Muni.
Enjoy!
JL
--
vivalargo
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