Pedalling technique improvement

Dippydog3

I have just bought a new bike and did my utmost to set it up exactly the same as my other bikes. The setup on these is as per my BG fit and has worked for a year or so. The geometry on the new bike is almost to the mm the same so it's all very, very close.

However, on the new bike I feel really comfortable being able to pull my feet back across the bottom of the pedal stroke. on other bikes it feels possible, but slightly awkward and seems to put a lot of weight on my rear end.

My suspicion is that as the saddle is not identical it may be very slightly lower. It's hard to tell by measurement alone as the saddles are not flat.

So, here are my questions.

1. Is this likely to be down to seat height, or would a small difference in something else, like saddle setback cause the same feeling?
2. Is this a good thing from a power standpoint? I can see on my Wattbike that changing the pedal stroke this way certainly changes the power shape, but is it really more efficient?

The temptation is of course to drop the saddle on another bike to try, but that's not simple as the seat tube will need to be cut. Happy to do that if need be, but it seems harsh for an experiment!

Bobbinogs

Dippydog3 wrote:

I have just bought a new bike and did my utmost to set it up exactly the same as my other bikes. The setup on these is as per my BG fit and has worked for a year or so. The geometry on the new bike is almost to the mm the same so it's all very, very close.

However, on the new bike I feel really comfortable being able to pull my feet back across the bottom of the pedal stroke. on other bikes it feels possible, but slightly awkward and seems to put a lot of weight on my rear end.

My suspicion is that as the saddle is not identical it may be very slightly lower. It's hard to tell by measurement alone as the saddles are not flat.

So, here are my questions.

1. Is this likely to be down to seat height, or would a small difference in something else, like saddle setback cause the same feeling?
2. Is this a good thing from a power standpoint? I can see on my Wattbike that changing the pedal stroke this way certainly changes the power shape, but is it really more efficient?

The temptation is of course to drop the saddle on another bike to try, but that's not simple as the seat tube will need to be cut. Happy to do that if need be, but it seems harsh for an experiment!

Blimey. I obviously don't worry about the right things when riding

arthur_scrimshaw

You say the geometry is the same to the mm but what about the frame angles, are these the same? Also crank length may be different, however I don't know if you can feel the difference between a 172.5 and a 175 crank? Different seatpost/setback?

Dippydog3

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

You say the geometry is the same to the mm but what about the frame angles, are these the same? Also crank length may be different, however I don't know if you can feel the difference between a 172.5 and a 175 crank? Different seatpost/setback?

Same setback, Same cranks.

I even checked the leg angles. Within a degree.

Must be my imagination, or I am enjoying the new bike too much.

JayKosta

The difference could be due to your body position on the bike - are you sitting more upright on one than the other?

There is much discussion and debate about 'pedaling technique', but I think everyone agrees that you shouldn't use muscle effort in a 'negative' direction, or waste muscle effort in an non-effective direction (such as pushing down at the bottom on the stroke). Also the pedaling motion should rotate the cranks at a continuous and smooth speed - not push-pause-push.

"rubber down - skin up" , the rest is personal style.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

diy

Are you getting a peanut or a circle on the wattbike?