No Wasted Movement in the Pedalstroke

Simplify

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If we were to closely analyze video footage of our pedal stroke most of us would find several areas where movement is being wasted and thus we are not getting the most power for our energy investment.

Areas of wasted movement:

1) Seat bouncing. With seat bouncing force that should be focused on the pedal is instead wasted pushing our torso upwards, resulting in seat bounce. Work on keeping the upper body still so that force is directed to the pedal stroke

2) Improper skeletal alignment Hips, knees and feet should be kept in line with each other. Bowing the legs so that the knees are not in line with the feet is another major power robber.

3) Forgetting to unweight the leg on the upstroke. Many cyclists inadvertently leave pressure on the upstroke pedal while their other leg is entering the power stoke. Thus, the power stroke leg is fighting the resistance of the upstroke leg. Unweighting is learning to relax the upstroke leg so as not to put pressure on the pedal.

4) Applying force after the 5 o'clock position in the stroke. After 5 o'clock, any pressure that is applied is wasted movement. Maximum pressure should be between 12 and 5.
 

Simplify

Active Member
Messages
301
Points
43
Location
Arizona
Here is a good video on maximizing pedal stroke. It is about 6 minutes long. The more you delve into the subject, the more you see that the pedal stroke is an exact science.

 
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