Positioning to seat and distance to pedals

Trial run last weekend with the Revo and was having difficulty getting the correct settings on the drive with seat to back positioning...I found whether close or a little back from pedals I was trying to keep my foot on the pedal as well as pump at the same time, which was difficult. If the pedal had a rest on the bottom or slight ledge it would be a piece of cake. In that Hobie hasn't designed this feaure makes me feel as I am not in the right positioning. When you ride a bike your motion is up and down...simple...on the revo I am trying to keep the foot on the pedal while pumping..not so simple...your advice appreciated.

signed "all cramped up" !!!

Hi Mickeyfin,

I can empathize with your experience. Roadrunner has addressed this issue and has created a pretty creative fix involving "stirrups". You can find his solution towards the bottom of the following thread

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12143

One adjustment that helped me was to increase the size of the foot straps on the pedals. I have wide feet and this adjustment allowed my feet to fit better (and further into the straps) on the pedals so that the straps now seem to help hold my feet onto the pedals a little better.

Take care,

Mike

Hi Mickeyfin,

You do not mention if you are wearing shoes or pedaling barefoot. Adjustment of the pedal strap is of course important to allow enough of your foot in and to keep your foot on the pedal snugly. I find a good water shoe makes all the difference. I was wearing Keen watershoes but now found a skecher shoe that is cheaper and just as comfortable.

The website for the shoe:
http://www.skechers.com/shoes-and-cloth ... nges/olbk/

These shoes have proven to be comfortable and non slipping.

Seat position I use the rear two holes. The pedal position I use is the #7 position since I am 6'2" tall. For an exercise more gut burning stroke I shorten the distance by moving to #6 or #5 seems the more my knees are bent the more it rips my abs. You can sure feel it afterwards.

I found in the beginning it took a couple trips to get the settings just right. You need to try a few different settings until you find the ones that fit you perfectly. I did find my feet slipping out a few times until I got used to it and found the settings that fit me best.

The more you venture out you will find so many variations to the pedal stroke that fatigue is a rarity even on long excursions.

skinny shallow water of course the flutter stroke - pedals far apart fins close to hull and short quick flutters of the pedals (amazing how quickly you can move with a flutter)
The full stroke - goes without description
The half stroke - get moving then just pace yourself with half strokes maintains speed and less effort
Foot Rock - this one I found quite by accident - once moving you simply rock your feet toes first almost no knee bend producing a 1/4 stroke while pedals are together and fins are deep in the water - this short stroke is very efficient and keeps the craft moving right along. The faster you rock your feet the faster you go.

You will find the Mirage Drive is so versatile and variable in its simplicity and it does not take a full sweep of the fins to move you or keep you going. When you get tired or fatigued change your stroke.

Hope this is helpful

Revo

_________________
I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Revo...great stuff that will be very helpful...I am working on a setup for stirrups that I would like to try....as an option for long fishing outings....Iam going to test this weekend and have taken full set of pic's for set up...if I get success I will post for others...I am sure part of it is practice and lot's of it....

I like a good distance between me and the pedals. It keeps me from cramping up. I glued some weights to the pedals that help keep the pedal upright. I didn't like the straps. They kept in getting in the way. Removed them after a few trips. I do full pedal strokes when pedaling a good distance. I do half pedals most of the time. I fish near the rocks. I have bent too many masts and downsized from turbo to st fins. I feel that has help with the half strokes in preventing me from bending and scraping the masks/fins.

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John

Well, tried my set up last weekend and it works great...the stirrups are much better, for me!!

These were the materials I purchased...Fin straps, large D-Rings for straps, wire, crimps and rubber shrink tubing for clean look:


Crimping wire with vise grips to secure tight fit to pedal


Linkage to pedal crimped with loop for D-Ring


Shrink tube over linkage


Linkage applied to both both sides with D-Rings for adding straps...One length is longer on the inside of pedal to match the same length of the outside set up so strap hangs evenly and is centered


Finished product

Neat stirrups, and a whole lot easier than screwing L-brackets to the bottom of my shoes to hook the L-brackets over the top of the pedals (Also hard to walk with the L-brackets attached.) Seriously though, I'm a barefooter 99.999% of the time anyway, I can't see buying shoes just to pedal. I guess I could wear my "go-to-church-flipflops," but I like the stirrups ideas.

Hi mickeyfin,

Kudos to you for a well thought out design. Well Done!
Hope the cable is Stainless Steel so you don't have a rust issue.

Revo

_________________
I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.