Pedaling technique

tommyjay

tommyjay

Not-So-Venerable Asshat
It's already been established that I'm not very bright, so it's not surprising I don't know what is meant by "pedaling as if you were scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe."

At the top of the stroke when your foot is moving forward?

At the bottom of the stroke as you pull your foot backward?

Both? Neither?
 
I believe its bottom of the stroke as you pull your foot up. Most people get the pushing down on the pedal part, its the lifting with the pedal that does not come natural.

Riding rollers can help you develop a smooth pedal stroke and train you to keep you body quit/still.

Also there are powercranks which are basically pedals that spin independently.

But really if you ride your bike a lot your pedal stroke should improve. Most folks are limited by there fitness level, not their pedal stroke.
 


downward stroke far more important than upper.. some will argue concentrating on upward will make u slower esp when u are talking about cruising on roads
 
Perhaps I am supposed to pedal differently but I only pedal down. The only time I ever pull up is if I need a little extra boost to accelerate
 
I went through this a year ago this month. You should learn to pull or flick a lil after pushing down at 5/6/7 o' clock and pull up to 12ish o' clock. Just like anything else, you have to spend a lot of time doing/focusing on this motion cause it's new, your body and mind are like WTF and of course while you're teaching your muscles you will be slower focusing on lift. You want it to become 2nd nature and then you will be faster once you learn the sweet spot and relize you don't need to be high stepping like Neon Deion. POORIGGY IS 100% right. Get rollers! Changed my life. I get sloppy, my form needs a tune up or I simply ain't in the mood for roots or red lights I'll spend a week straight on the rollers. Sell your trainer tonight. Take time to learn to take complete advantage of the pedals it be worth it. My first few rides I was slower and felt stupid. Now I'm still slow and know I am stupid
 
Tommy - just...just ride your bike. Absolutely do not think about this topic again, ever. Just go ride your bike and enjoy riding your bike. And if you think there's some part of riding your bike you want to get better on, then ride your bike more.
 
why is it that when we get older, we over analyze everything we do, I'm the most guilty of this
I can't run a few miles anymore without thinking about foot strike and posture

I spin bike once a week and do my pedaling practice there indoors, time's too short outdoors to waste time thinking about this at the parks
 
i think about it more climbing, to bring more muscle groups into my slow trudge uphill....
my adductors and vastus cramp before my hammies, they must be doing something.
 
I have been using clip ins for years (I cant see calling them clipless anymore). And when I ride with out them, I feel at a disadvantage when it comes to power. I do actually pull up. In some cases more than others. You can pedal in circles without them, but I never tried. But every rider is different and what works for one may not work for another.
 
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