Correct Pedalling Technique

djredrupp

Hey,

I have recently got some Shimano R540 pedals, with Specialized Shoes and have ridden about 70 miles with the combination so far.

Understanding that the benefit of using SPD's is that you can pull on the upstroke to get more power, is there any technique I can adopt to make this motion more "natural"??

So far I find my self only pulling on the up stroke if I am purposefully concentrating on doing so, or standing for a steep hill....

Also, What muscle is used on the up stroke?


Thanks!

Dan

boggybrn

From what I understand at best pulling on the up stroke takes some of the weight off the leg that is moving up so is of limited effect.

One thing that you can try as an exercise is to pedal with just one leg. This is easiest on a trubo trainer where you can unclip the other foot and rest it on a stool. It is also possible on the road, but take care! I do sets of 30 seconds on each leg and find it surprisingly hard to keep it smooth at a good cadence.

This teaches you to pull back at the bottom of the stoke - often described as like scraping mud off your shoe.

BrianTrousers

Sounds like you're doing ok as it is.

Ignore the theory about pulling up, there are various posts that will explain why this is an extremely difficult thing to achieve, primarily due to the difference in forces between the opposing legs. In effect you're trying to pull up whilst your other leg is pushing down.

In the same way, pushing down every stroke is also not correct.

Try to pedal in smooth circles. It's quite good to practise this on a turbo trainer if you can.

rdt

Take a look at the presentation slides for 'Myth and Science in Cycling: Crank Length and Pedaling Technique', covering research in these areas. The latter 1/3 is about pedalling techniques.

http://www.plan2peak.com/files/32_artic ... hnique.pdf

The upshot is that the most efficient technique for you is the preferred pedalling technique that you already naturally use. So forget about trying to intentionally pedal circles or overtly pull up, and just pedal in the manner that comes naturally to you.

While pedalling technique is a non-issue, having the correct bike fit isn't: correct fit can make a marked difference to comfort, performance and avoidance of injury, so consider having a fit done by someone good, if you've not already.

keef66

As far as I'm aware, the main benefit of clipless is simply keeping your feet on the pedals. The only time I'm aware of a pulling up component is when I'm trying to maintain a fast cadence when really powering over a small hill, and then it's only a part of the pedalling in circles technique. Most of the time I just concentrate on maintaining a comfortable cadence and level of exertion; the rest comes naturally.

Monty Dog

What you're aiming to do is to keep it smooth such that you're employing more muscles and therefore generating more power throughout the pedal stroke. Recent research suggests that pulling up has little benefit, but most agree that a cadence of around 90 rpm is optimal for economy - too low and you'll tire your muscles more quickly. What often differentiates a beginner is the stomp-stomp pedal stroke which only generates power for a short part of each rev.