Regular vs. Clipless pedals for proper muscle balance

Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to get
back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary bikes at
my gym don't have clipless pedals.

I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals create a
muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull back without
your foot slipping off.

Thank you.

 

"Roger Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to get
> back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary bikes
> at my gym don't have clipless pedals.

It's not too cold to ride, it's too cold for *you* to ride.

> I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals create
> a muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull back
> without your foot slipping off.

Pulling up or back do nothing for pedaling power or efficiency. Clipless pedals are really about
preventing foot slip, typically not a concern on a gym bike.

 

Peter Cole wrote:
> Pulling up or back do nothing for pedaling power or efficiency. Clipless pedals are really about
> preventing foot slip, typically not a concern on a gym bike.

Huhhhh? You're the first I heard say that. Could you explain please. Besides you're not answering
the original question at all.

--
Perre

Remove the DOTs to reply

 

Peter Cole <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Roger Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to
> > get back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary
> > bikes at my gym don't have clipless pedals.
>
> It's not too cold to ride, it's too cold for *you* to ride.
>
>
> > I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals
> > create a muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull
> > back without your foot slipping off.
>
> Pulling up or back do nothing for pedaling power or efficiency. Clipless pedals are really about
> preventing foot slip, typically not a concern on a
gym
> bike.
>
>

My riding style is as a spinner and would try to maintain a spin around 90-100 rpm. This almost
forces a pickup of the foot on the upstroke. I can feel this in the muscles of my shins, as a matter
of fact, these muscles will get tired on a long ride. These muscles also become very well defined. I
guess my question is how would this happen if they were not being used as part of the power curve. I
learned this riding rollers and can feel the burn in the shins when you "take off". This happens
during a sprint as well. It does drop off quite a bit though when mashing a higher gear or hard
climbing. I will add that I am not a racer and am more interested in a maintaining a steady fast
pace but not at maintained racing speeds. Would hope to not be way off base here, been doing it this
way for 25 years. L8tr PB

 

I think it's a matter of degrees and very small degrees at that. If you want to get better at
something, most (if not all) training should be as close as possible to the actual activity. This is
the idea behind "specificity of training", which I believe to be true. HOWEVER, riding a trainer
without cleated pedals is still pretty darn close to riding with them in terms of the muscles being
targeted. I do it all the time on my trainer and I have made significant improvements without any
muscle imbalance issues.

The downside to platform pedals on my trainer is that I can't really train at very high cadences. I
can get to 100 rpm pretty easily, but much beyond that and my foot starts slipping around. It's not
really an issue for me since I'm happy with a cadence around 90 rpm like I use on the road.

Ride on, it's all in the quads anyway, Don

"Roger Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to get
> back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary bikes
> at my gym don't have clipless pedals.
>
> I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals create
> a muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull back
> without your foot slipping off.
>
> Thank you.

 

The rubber straps on most of the stationary bikes really don't make much of a difference. Make sure
you are adjusting them for a snug fit and make every effort to keep your foot in the same position
relative to the pedal shaft.

If the bikes don't have straps, take a look at the pedals. If there are tabs on the side, ask the
person at the desk if they have any in the back. The one gym I went to had them, but you had to ask.
The current one has 'em on all the time, and most people use them, although without adjusting
properly (and run with the tension set the whole way up and turning a 30 RPM cadence, but that's
another story).

The larger issue is not the pedals, but the seat. The upright's seatposts are adjusted with a peg
with about a 1/2" resolution, which really doesn't work closely enough for me. Also, the seat is
designed by someone who never rode a bike, but at least the overweight housewives have a cushy place
to read their magazines.

E

[email protected] (Roger Carlson) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to get
> back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary bikes
> at my gym don't have clipless pedals.
>
> I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals create
> a muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull back
> without your foot slipping off.
>
> Thank you.

 

The rubber straps on most of the stationary bikes really don't make much of a difference. Make sure
you are adjusting them for a snug fit and make every effort to keep your foot in the same position
relative to the pedal shaft.

If the bikes don't have straps, take a look at the pedals. If there are tabs on the side, ask the
person at the desk if they have any in the back. The one gym I went to had them, but you had to ask.
The current one has 'em on all the time, and most people use them, although without adjusting
properly (and run with the tension set the whole way up and turning a 30 RPM cadence, but that's
another story).

The larger issue is not the pedals, but the seat. The upright's seatposts are adjusted with a peg
with about a 1/2" resolution, which really doesn't work closely enough for me. Also, the seat is
designed by someone who never rode a bike, but at least the overweight housewives have a cushy place
to read their magazines.

E

[email protected] (Roger Carlson) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Since it's too cold to ride here in Michigan, I want to use the stationary bikes at my gym to get
> back in the swing of things. I am used to clipless pedals, but unfortunately the stationary bikes
> at my gym don't have clipless pedals.
>
> I'm primarily worried about creating a muscle imbalance. Will regular (non-clipless) pedals create
> a muscle imbalance? It seems to me that they would, because you're unable to really pull back
> without your foot slipping off.
>
> Thank you.