Pedaling question

yes, your pedal stroke should be as smooth as possible, which means no mashing! Believe it or not, I actually got shin splints from mashing.

genedan said:

yes, your pedal stroke should be as smooth as possible, which means no mashing!

+1. There's more to it than just pushing down and pulling up, try to think of it as turning the pedal cranks the same way you would use your hand to turn a crank, smooth circular motions. There's somewhat of a learning curve with it, but you'll catch on.

cyberlegend1994 said:

+1. There's more to it than just pushing down and pulling up, try to think of it as turning the pedal cranks the same way you would use your hand to turn a crank, smooth circular motions. There's somewhat of a learning curve with it, but you'll catch on.

If a (180 deg.) hand crank user was turning a very high gear, in what sector of the power application circle would greatest torque be applied?

*cough* Powercranks *cough*

😄

Literally pulling up the pedals between the "dead zone" of 7 o'clock and 11 o'clock is misleading and a myth.

In fact elite cyclists draw very little power from pulling up if any. Only sprinters and racing hill climbers derive power from pulling up on the pedals when they are pedaling at maximal effort and that's been debatable and at the very most minimal power from pulling up. If a rider pulls up too hard on her pedals during a long ride, then he will needlessly fatigue his hamstrings. Instead, focus on pulling your leg up just enough that the opposite leg doesn't have to compensate for the dead weight. Once pushing through the whole pedal stroke is mastered, riding at a higher cadence without bouncing is easier. In fact at higher rpm's like what Lance does (100rpm's) it's impossible to pull up with any effectiveness, but on lower RPM's like in mountain biking on a difficult trail where your pedaling speed is far lower it's possible to pull up but not enough to be efficient.

According to PubMed.gov pulling up resulted in no gain, see: Effects of pedal type and pull-up action during cy... [Int J Sports Med. 2008] - PubMed result

It's a circular motion instead of a pumping action that is the most efficient.

Here's more on the subject of pulling up: http://funnyfarmart.com/Qring.htm

And: Top 3 Clipless Pedal Myths | MTB Strength Training Systems

And: Best Way - Road Bike Pedaling Technique | eHow.com

hhhhhhooo hhhhhoooo cough!!!

Froze said:

Literally pulling up the pedals between the "dead zone" of 7 o'clock and 11 o'clock is misleading and a myth.

In fact elite cyclists draw very little power from pulling up if any. Only sprinters and racing hill climbers derive power from pulling up on the pedals when they are pedaling at maximal effort and that's been debatable and at the very most minimal power from pulling up. If a rider pulls up too hard on her pedals during a long ride, then he will needlessly fatigue his hamstrings. Instead, focus on pulling your leg up just enough that the opposite leg doesn't have to compensate for the dead weight. Once pushing through the whole pedal stroke is mastered, riding at a higher cadence without bouncing is easier. In fact at higher rpm's like what Lance does (100rpm's) it's impossible to pull up with any effectiveness, but on lower RPM's like in mountain biking on a difficult trail where your pedaling speed is far lower it's possible to pull up but not enough to be efficient.

According to PubMed.gov pulling up resulted in no gain, see: Effects of pedal type and pull-up action during cy... [Int J Sports Med. 2008] - PubMed result

It's a circular motion instead of a pumping action that is the most efficient.

Here's more on the subject of pulling up: http://funnyfarmart.com/Qring.htm

And: Top 3 Clipless Pedal Myths | MTB Strength Training Systems

And: Best Way - Road Bike Pedaling Technique | eHow.com

You can pull the pedal back with the hamstrings but you can use the hamstring to pull up...

swampy1970 said:

You can pull the pedal back with the hamstrings but you can use the hamstring to pull up...

Of course you can you pull up, that wasn't the point, the point is how much power are you able to get by doing that; so read the articles and judge for yourself.