Technical question on leg form

gman0482 said:

I'm kinda new to cycling but ride pretty much everyday. I was wondering if there is a good form to keep when pedaling. (Example: should knees be in towards the frame and feet at a set position.) I just got some clips and shoes but on backorder. My toes kinda get numb after like 5 miles. Any help would be great.

Wait, are you riding clipless pedals (ie, attached with a special cleat) with street shoes? Is that why your foot nearly slipped off the pedal in your other post? That in itself will make your feet numb, so that problem might go away when the shoes come in. Also, kinda dangerous.

Once you get your new shoes/pedals, I'd suggest you go to your bike shop and get a fitting done on the bike. They will address things like saddle height, fore/aft positioning, bar position, etc. to help make you comfortable and efficient on the bike. As you start adding miles to your workouts, you'll enjoy them much more without all the little (and sometimes big) aches and pains associated with an ill-fitting bike.

Knees should be straight in front of your hips (not bow-legged), which would most likely put them fairly close to the frame. Feet positioning on the pedals should roughly put the axle of the pedal under the widest part of the foot, but if you're using street shoes on a tiny clipless pedal then you're probably going to be forced to put the pedal closer to the toes for grip.

If you have or get the saddle at the correct height and tilt and are using decent good fitting shoes your legs will fall into their natural position. Everyone is built differently and if you try and force your legs into an un-natural position I predict they will cramp.

jhuskey said:

If you have or get the saddle at the correct height and tilt and are using decent good fitting shoes your legs will fall into their natural position.

For most people it will...

jhuskey said:

Everyone is built differently and if you try and force your legs into an un-natural position I predict they will cramp.

... and some have had previous "accidents" that have realigned various bits in addition to the usual suspects of leg length discrepancies. Cramp will be the least of his worries should he get the position on the bike wrong and cleat position messed up.

Although it's not that hard to get the bike setup well, it's amazing how many people have positions that resemble a frog squatting to take a dump...

swampy1970 said:

For most people it will...

... and some have had previous "accidents" that have realigned various bits in addition to the usual suspects of leg length discrepancies. Cramp will be the least of his worries should he get the position on the bike wrong and cleat position messed up.

Although it's not that hard to get the bike setup well, it's amazing how many people have positions that resemble a frog squatting to take a dump...

Not true, I happen to know that a frog doesn't need to squat to take a dump.😄

Thanks everyone, I have regular pedals right now, I've been told they are pretty good, I just added some toe clips to them, but can't wait for my shoes to come in so I can install my new pedals.

Next time I'm down the bike shop, I'm gonna buy some legs to do the pedalling for me😄