Last August I did an analysis of the styles used by different kick-bikers. It involved reducing photos of them in action to line drawings, and scaling them so that I could make valid comparisons. I went through tens, if not hundreds, of photos trying to pick kickers at roughly the same position in their kicking strokes. I finally settled on these six examples:
Only one (C) is a woman. The other five are adult males of various heights and body conditions. At that time, my own style closely resembled kicker (E). I rode standing almost erect, put too much weight on the handlebars, didn't keep my knees flexible, and was extremely stiff.
Now, a little over six months later, my body has really loosened up. My joints are much more flexible. I bend my elbows, and rarely rest on the handlebars. My body is tilted at more of an angle, and when I complete a kick stroke the kicking leg and foot are extended out behind me. I feel like I am stretching instead of stepping.
At the same time, my physical conditioning has improved tremendously. I can kick much longer and further without having to stop to rest, and my average speed has almost doubled from last Fall. I have always had the desire to go out kicking, but now it's evolved into a passion. I actually feel depressed and down if I don't get to go out and kick because of inclement weather. I'm becoming an addict.
My short term goal is to improve my kicking style, and conditioning, so that I match kicker (F) by early this summer - the beginning of June. I'm not there yet, but I feel that it is definitely doable. After that, it will be fun to set a new, more challenging goal.
Why the big front tire? Does one really get going so fast that they need the centrifical motion of the tire to stay balanced? You have the big tires on regular bike mostly for the mechanical advantage, but I can't seem to come up with a reason for the two sizes of tires for this kickbiking vehicle.
Posted by: Chris Fugitt | March 19, 2005 at 01:19 PM