Pedalling technique

There are three styles of pedaling;

[li]Mash[/li]
[li]Elliptical[/li]
[li]Smooth[/li]

To mash is to put all your energy and force on the down stroke.

Elliptical is to apply pressure to several parts of the stroke, usually both down and up with dead spots just off of the top and bottom.

Smooth is a constant application of pressure throughout the stroke.

I would've thought that most fixed and singlespeed riders would come out near the smooth mark, but by his own admission laplusgourmande mashes all the time, and I know that I pedal elliptical.

I know I pedal elliptical because a cycle fit showed this. But that was a year ago and I thought it might've changed. I rode geared this morning (first time in ages) and it felt horrifically spongy at the top and bottom. Basically I ride elliptical and have been using the motion on a fixed bike to pull my feet over and through the dead spots... not good.

So, what's the best method to progress from having an elliptical technique to having a smooth technique? Or for that matter from mashing to elliptical (because these things come in steps and you can't just jump to smooth).

Has anyone consciously done this before?

63xc has this: http://www.63xc.com/gregg/101_8.htm . But that doesn't really focus on the techniques, just some drills to improve cadence and power... which is fine except if you're mashing at 200rpm it's going to get messy.

• Get 'in touch' with the inside of your shoes. Think about the sensation of pressure on different parts of your foot at different points in the pedal stroke.

• Imagine you're pedalling in slow motion (even if you're doing 200rpm).

• Imagine you're turning the pedals under water against fluid resistance (but don't imagine too hard, or you'll rust up your bottom bracket).

• Keep your upper body still, braced, but relaxed.

Sometimes though, it's good to divvy up the pedal stroke, if you're feeling fucked or for specific purposes eg. climbing seated, accelerating seated, sprinting, etc.

Oh, and get a nice snug fit in your shoes with velcro, laces, ratchets - just short of numb-foot.

Laplusgourmande's got not straps/cleats, init? Mashing's gonna be his best option without doing some kind of über-ankling :-)

:)

My shoes are Sidi Dominators. I've got Sidas custom footbeds and the cleats are placed perfectly on the shoes. The geometry of my frame is custom for my riding position, and my knees are aligned over the ball of my feet when the pedal is furthest forward. There is no messy sideways motion at all, I have a lovely hinge movement at the knee and not a ball-socket movement.

All of that stuff I've got down fine as I've come from road cycling and spent a lot of time and money with Cycle Fit improving and tweaking stuff.

So I don't believe it's shoes, knees, etc. I think it's more conditioning. Training the body to move a certain way.

When I started cycling I had a cadence of around 70rpm. With a lot of spinning over 6 months I bought my cadence up to an average of 98rpm. Improving cadence took a long while, and the benefits were noticeable.

I'm hoping that I can improve pedalling technique through a similar method. But want to know if others have actually done this and if so what method they used.

Hmmm... just found this, and it looks good: http://www.tri-ecoach.com/art13.htm

I'll give the much lower gearing a go, and see if that helps produce a cleaner spin without the spongy dead spots.

Nothing wrong with working on leg speed, but you might gain greater physiological awareness by doing some lower cadence/higher resistance work.

It shouldn't be done at a pace to tax your legs or lungs particularly, just to enable you to concentrate on form. Any inefficiencies at slower cadences will just get amplified as you spin faster.

Faster cadences are definitely good for smoothing things out in the knees and hips department though.

Regarding, knee over pedal spindle, it doesn't work for me. I've got short legs/long body & arms, and if I follow the KOPS rule, I end up pivoted to far forward over the bottom bracket and get numb hands etc, regardless of stem length. Horses for clichés...

I always hear of the misconception that riding fixed will 'give' you a smoother technique. (not saying that's what you're talking about though...) A fixed wheel is only a tool to pedaling advantages, you still have to use it and work at it.
Try riding your chain as slack as you can without it coming off for a while. Focus on keeping the chain taught in the forward motion at all times (works best with a brake), you'll be amazed at how difficult it actually is unless you already have good, smooth technique.

Its certainly a question of conditioning. Concentrate on how you move your feet, ie around in circles, not on pushing or pulling or on imagining some shape or pressure. Having constant pressure on the pedals (as you should) provides constant muscle tension ; so develop smooth pedals with a low gear. Dont increase your gear size whilst complaining of "spinning out". Instead, when at the limit of your cadence, think of your feet in circles, and improve the dexterity and so the speed range of your feet.
Avoid a chain ring smaller than 42.
Remember that if you neglect your pedalling technique it will fade, and so requires continual attention.

That, is a lot of good advice. I'll bear it in my mind :) Very true about fading technique, I'll do my best to avoid it.

has this been resolved yet?

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wipes tears

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Has this been resolved yet?

You're ruining my joke. I'm going to hunt you down and kill you for this you forrun bastard.

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h

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