Foot placement on pedals

Murphybarnes

Odd one this.
When I cycle my feet seem to naturally rest on the pedals on my instep rather than the balls of my feet, ie half way along my trainer. I seem to be constantly readjusting. Standard Voodoo frame, saddle height adjusted correctly etc.
Is this a saddle adjustment problem or a frame issue or am I just a paranoid cyclist from the nineties with potential rickets and feet just too big for flats? ..........size 11s by the way.

cooldad

No you just have your feet in the wrong place. But possibly your saddle is a bit low.

Murphybarnes

Height is fine but I do tend to feel pushed slightly forward at times. I used to scoff when conversations turned to frame geometry, but as a noob to "modern bikes" it does feel pleasantly weird. I used to ride a 21"/23" frame on a Claude Butler and thought a 20" Hoodoo might be like riding my nieces steel generic pink mtb down Mont Blanc without brake pads. Hmmmm. I"m 6ft, carrying some mid life girth and apart from being extremely comfortable on the Voodoo I always seem to find myself shuffling backwards to get a better attack position, seated or otherwise.
Anyway, no drama, just interested on thoughts or general noob abuse.

dusk

get spd's then your feet can't move, frame size should be ok as I'm 6'5" and ride 19" bikes

julesreece17

I was pretty much exactly the same. I always pedal with the pedal in the middle of my foot. Just assumed thats how you were supposed to pedal.

Then i read that your supposed to pedal with the balls of your feet, and i would make an effort to do so, but id always slide back to my original position.

I've bought spd's now for both my bikes, it felt really odd at first, and i had to play about with my seat post a bit, but now it justy feels normal, and anything that helps keep you correct has got to be a good thing.

Although on my first couple of rides, i did have a few embarrising falls to the side, not getting my foot out in time lol.

FatMikeUK

When I was younger I used to pedal with the middle of the foot, it was only when I started riding more that I realised it was wrong. Just make a conscious effort to stop yourself doing it and pedal properly. Whenever you catch yourself pedaling with the middle of your foot move to the balls. Eventually you'll do it without thinking.

Northwind

Pedal should go where you feel most comfortable tbh, but for bike control the arch is better than the ball, for flats. As demonstrated by our hobbitlike assistant:



For pedalling power I reckon the ball is better (it's where my foot most naturally goes) but then if you want pure pedalling power the correct foot position is probably on top of an SPD pedal.

nicklouse

true but there we are talking about DH.

For general cycling then the ball of the foot should be over the axle. with adjustment for the terrain.

Northwind

nicklouse wrote:

true but there we are talking about DH.

Same reason applies for any sort of rough terrain though, doesn't have to be dh. As you say, adjust for the terrain.

shigllgetcha

I was reading about saddle adjust last week

It was said that with your pedals at 3 and 9 oclock, on the pedal that is forward, if you hang a weight from the front of your knee cap, the string should rest at the centre of the pedal(the axel of the pedal).

If its off it can mean that your saddle is too far forward or back

rockmonkeysc

Northwind wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

true but there we are talking about DH.

Same reason applies for any sort of rough terrain though, doesn't have to be dh. As you say, adjust for the terrain.

For DH the ball of the foot should be over the pedal axle and heels dropped. This helps with bike control and rider stability and helps stop the foot moving on the pedal.
Most DH racers use SPD's anyway to keep feet in position on pedals and get better pedalling efficiency.

The Rookie

shigllgetcha wrote:

I was reading about saddle adjust last week

It was said that with your pedals at 3 and 9 oclock, on the pedal that is forward, if you hang a weight from the front of your knee cap, the string should rest at the centre of the pedal(the axel of the pedal).

If its off it can mean that your saddle is too far forward or back

Source?

cooldad

Might work for road bikes, but as you are standing up over all the fun bits, saddle position is not that important.

Northwind

RockmonkeySC wrote:

[For DH the ball of the foot should be over the pedal axle and heels dropped.

Nope. Pedal in arch as demonstrated by Sam there (you can go and tell him he's wrong, if you like ) Heels dropped yes, goes without saying that I reckon.

rockmonkeysc

Sam Hill does have an unusual style and massive amounts more talant than other riders. I had a few coaching sessions with a couple pro DH racers and was told that I kept moving my feet forwards and I should be keeping the ball of my foot over the axle as it helps put you in a better position on the bike.
If moving your foot forward was normal then why would nearly every top level DH racer use spd's?

shigllgetcha

The Beginner wrote:

Source?

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr ... ike-a-pro/

Northwind

RockmonkeySC wrote:

If moving your foot forward was normal then why would nearly every top level DH racer use spd's?

Why would the 2 be connected? Different pedals, different techniques. You move your foot forward with flats to secure it better- no need for that with SPDs obviously. Most DH riders use SPDs because they believe it makes them faster (and some use flats because they believe it makes them faster)

There's nothing unusual about sam hill's foot placement. Have some Fairclough:


If you want coaches, maybe a little bit of jedi? Or Cathro?

styxd

Northwind wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

[For DH the ball of the foot should be over the pedal axle and heels dropped.

Nope. Pedal in arch as demonstrated by Sam there (you can go and tell him he's wrong, if you like ) Heels dropped yes, goes without saying that I reckon.

Absolutely spot on.

With flats I (you?) tend to pedal with my feet in a more "mid foot" position than on clips. This seems to be the best interms of grip, probably the most comfortable. Perhaps its because flat shoes arent stiff enough to deal with "ball of the foot" pedalling? Look at any BMX rider. Always well behind the ball of the foot.

RockmonkeySC wrote:

If moving your foot forward was normal then why would nearly every top level DH racer use spd's?

To keep their feet in a set position on the pedals? The same reason anyone uses SPDs.

It just so happens that SPD shoe manufaturers put the cleat placement under the ball of the foot (or even further forward sometimes). Why is this? I dont know......

Murphybarnes

I only asked. Lots of colourful pics and austere conflab. Most interesting. Just wondered about getting an efficient action, on the flats, and whether this is a geometry conundrum or am I a freak of nature? Is it certain bikes that "force" your foot forward, or am I just ( and I am guilty of this), too reliant on years of toe clips. Anyway, what the hey, that's what forums are for. Cheers.

cooldad

Balancing - the middle of the foot like the heroic types in the pics above.
Pedalling - using your whole leg, ankle and foot gives you more power and a smoother action - otherwise you're just pumping up and down like pistons.