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A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

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Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#41

Post by shiroiushi »

mcdow wrote: post #8

Super cool. One improvement: get a different bike saddle. One that doesn't put pressure on the perineum. There's evidence to suggest extended time spent in a bicycle saddle can cause ED.[1] 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S17436...

What makes you think that saddle puts pressure on the author's perineum?

A properly fitted road bike saddle is sized so all your weight is on your "sit bones", parts of your pelvis around the perineum.

If your saddle is putting pressure on your perineum, that means it's the wrong saddle for you.

The problem is different people have different-sized gaps between their sit bones, so different people need different saddles. They are absolutely not a one-size-fits-all part. A narrow saddle might fit one person (probably a man) just fine, while being too narrow for someone else (possibly a woman, as women tend to have wider sit bones).

If your saddle is causing you pain, you should see your local cycle shop and have them do a proper fitting. Properly-equipped shops will have a device that measures your sit bones so they can recommend a properly-sized saddle for you.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#42

Post by NAR8789 »

rendaw wrote: post #37

So are you putting pressure on your wrists with your wrists bent at an angle while typing? I think this is totally awesome in principal, but isn't that basically asking for some carpal tunnel issues? It's kind of hard to tell from the photos and videos though which are both at weird angles.

I think with proper cycling posture you can take the pressure off of your wrists.

Use your back and shoulder muscles to support your upper body and arms, so that you can ride with elbows bent. If you can bend your elbows, you can avoid pushing on the handlebars for support. That will make for more comfortable wrists with or without a keyboard.

Reference: Sheldon "Ouch!" Brown https://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#wrists

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#43

Post by prmoustache »

djmips wrote: post #29
castrodd wrote: post #5

This is madness. But having said that, I might try to do the same.

This is madness. I will never try this!

Same, I don't understand zwift, nor do I understand using a trainer outside of warming up before a time trial, xc or cyclocross race context.

The whole fun of cycling is to actually ride a bicycle, feel the wind, the road texture, notice the changing seasons in the landscape, rail corners at high speed...trainers annihilate all this and reduce this nice and enjoyable activity to a boring and terrible fitness activity. No screen would change that.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#44

Post by zeroq »

shiroiushi wrote: post #41
mcdow wrote: post #8

Super cool. One improvement: get a different bike saddle. One that doesn't put pressure on the perineum. There's evidence to suggest extended time spent in a bicycle saddle can cause ED.[1] 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S17436...

What makes you think that saddle puts pressure on the author's perineum? A properly fitted road bike saddle is sized so all your weight is on your "sit bones", parts of your pelvis around the perineum. If your saddle is putting pressure on your perineum, that means it's the wrong saddle for you. The problem is different people have different-sized gaps between their sit bones, so different people need different saddl…

+1

Also, and speaking from experience after having a professional bike fit, a "saddle issue" often is not directly related to the saddle itself. You might be placed too forward and slipping just ever so slightly on the saddle, so you're sitting on the "rod", instead of the back part of the saddle; the saddle might be too high or too low, etc.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#45

Post by zeroq »

NAR8789 wrote: post #42
rendaw wrote: post #37

So are you putting pressure on your wrists with your wrists bent at an angle while typing? I think this is totally awesome in principal, but isn't that basically asking for some carpal tunnel issues? It's kind of hard to tell from the photos and videos though which are both at weird angles.

I think with proper cycling posture you can take the pressure off of your wrists. Use your back and shoulder muscles to support your upper body and arms, so that you can ride with elbows bent. If you can bend your elbows, you can avoid pushing on the handlebars for support. That will make for more comfortable wrists with or without a keyboard. Reference: Sheldon "Ouch!" Brown https://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#wrists

Funny you referenced Sheldon. He's like Knuth of cycling.

The industry will keep shoving down your throat their new "advancements" every year, but at the end of the day, bikes hasn't changed a lot, and the common knowledge will remain the same.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#46

Post by k1kingy »

NAR8789 wrote: post #42
rendaw wrote: post #37

So are you putting pressure on your wrists with your wrists bent at an angle while typing? I think this is totally awesome in principal, but isn't that basically asking for some carpal tunnel issues? It's kind of hard to tell from the photos and videos though which are both at weird angles.

I think with proper cycling posture you can take the pressure off of your wrists. Use your back and shoulder muscles to support your upper body and arms, so that you can ride with elbows bent. If you can bend your elbows, you can avoid pushing on the handlebars for support. That will make for more comfortable wrists with or without a keyboard. Reference: Sheldon "Ouch!" Brown https://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#wrists

Unsurprisingly, core strength is a big part of cycling. It's a good test to lean down in a more aero position and lift your hands slightly off the bars and see how long you can hold it.

so less pressure on your wrists while typing would be quite the core workout over an extended period of time.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#47

Post by rob74 »

rendaw wrote: post #37

So are you putting pressure on your wrists with your wrists bent at an angle while typing? I think this is totally awesome in principal, but isn't that basically asking for some carpal tunnel issues? It's kind of hard to tell from the photos and videos though which are both at weird angles.

I would also be worried about putting pressure on other body parts (groin area). This is a nice idea, but I'm not sure if a racing bike is right for it - the lean-forward posture minimizes drag while cycling, but that's of course irrelevant here. So a bike with a more upright sitting position, or even a recumbent bicycle, might be better?

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#48

Post by rconti »

sailfast wrote: post #4

I love Zwifting, but the idea of riding in that position while also trying to concentrate seems really stressful :) Maybe on a hybrid I could look at my monitor while typing, but that seating position makes things quite hard. Good on ya for trying though! Allez!

Yeah, I don't think I could do zone 2. Zone 1, yeah.

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#49

Post by memalign »

SpicyP wrote: post #39

Love the idea! My gym has stationary recumbent bikes -- I wonder if rigging up a keyboard to one of those would be better? If you don't need to put your upper body weight on handlebars, maybe it'll be easier to have a more traditional mouse/keyboard setup. Won't be as cool though

I use an AirDesk with a stationary recumbent bike:

https://memalign.github.io/p/airdesk.html

It’s been life-changing!

Re: A cycling desk / Zwifting with a split keyboard

#50

Post by mariusor »

muti wrote: post #2

A split kb with integrated trackball would help alleviate the awkward mousing situations, e.g. the charybdis [1]. I'm in a similar position having gone down the ergo split keyboard rabbit hole and vim everywhere, now building a charybdis myself 1. https://github.com/Bastardkb/Charybdis

I went with the less DIY model by getting a UHK with a trackball thumb module: https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/product/trackball
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