SPD's power advantage....Myth?

1235»

Comments

  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Gussio wrote:
    SPD = Silly Pedal Dispute?

    yeah...didn't intend it to start a whole a is better than b type debate...but thats t'interfora for you!

    Really only wanted to know what the other benefits might be...the power one is used as an example quite often, and as i said...that line in the article caught my eye...
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    itsbruce wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    itsbruce wrote:
    You're missing the point. Somebody has noticed that other people willingly cycle in a way different to him. They must be wrong-headed and this has to be made clear to them.
    Aren't you rather missing the point of a forum? If you want some group where everyone is in complete agreement, a religious cult is what you are after.

    As for the debate - its mildly diverting and not in the least heated. You know- intellectual engagement? Not big brother or the national lottery draw? Hello?

    Do I have to put the smileys in to stop your default asshole mode?
    I'm not sure that ex post facto smilies have any legal effect, Bruce.
  • xraymtb
    xraymtb Posts: 121
    This whole thread is based on the premise that Dr Forrester saying not to pull up on the pedals equates to SPD's not having a power advantage. Nowhere if the Bikeradar article or on her own website does she state this (and the athletes they coach are all shown wearing SPD shoes so she obviously has no problem with them).

    I have been advised myself not to 'pull up' on the pedals but merely to use your own muscles to lift the leg through the upward stroke, thereby removing the resistance that it would otherwise provide to the downward stroking leg.

    I always assumed this was what was really meant by pedalling circles - moving your foot in a continuous circular stroke under its own steam but producing the power on the downstroke (rather than the piston effect of stroking down then allowing momentum of the chainset to lift the foot back to the top).
    exercise.png
  • wgwarburton
    wgwarburton Posts: 1,863
    xraymtb wrote:
    ...I always assumed this was what was really meant by pedalling circles - moving your foot in a continuous circular stroke under its own steam but producing the power on the downstroke (rather than the piston effect of stroking down then allowing momentum of the chainset to lift the foot back to the top).

    +1: think turbine, not piston... the benefit is in a smoother, more efficient action (souplesse), rather than in applying force all the way round the circle.

    Cheers,
    W.

Categories