Pedal hard, sure, but that's only 1/3 of the secret. You've got to pedal fast too, and until the finish. I can often get one or two OK, but combining all three is tough.acoggan said:Hard - preferably using both legs.
Pedal hard, sure, but that's only 1/3 of the secret. You've got to pedal fast too, and until the finish. I can often get one or two OK, but combining all three is tough.acoggan said:Hard - preferably using both legs.
Mine sure can't.n crowley said:... and for many riders their lower backs are not able to cope with this unnatural continuous strain.
jerryz said:I pretty much find the harder I peal the faster I go. Not the more circular, smoother or anything else. Just the harder. Funny thing is, that's what my power meater says also. Harder I stomp on the pedals the higher my power is. The higher my power is the faster I go... funny how that seems to work.
Someone is finally speaking some sense on this thread.n crowley said:It's more powerful than the circular style because the smoother you make your circular style, the weaker it becomes due to the fact that you are reducing power input in the area where most pressure can be applied. A stomping style is power application concentration in about only 150 degrees of the pedalling circle, a circular style is attempted concentration through the entire 360 degrees. This means with circular pedalling you are trying to concentrate on both feet at the same time and this also contributes to a reduction in overall power.
Ah but he thinks that it can't be maintained. And thus circular is better. LOL I guess he's right. I concentrate on pushing down hard all the time and just keep getting faster. That darn Coyle fellow says that the Div 1 Pros all stomp on the pedals. Woner how much faster I would be if I learned how to pedal in circles?Smartt/RST said:Someone is finally speaking some sense on this thread.
jerryz said:Ah but he thinks that it can't be maintained. And thus circular is better. LOL I guess he's right. I concentrate on pushing down hard all the time and just keep getting faster. That darn Coyle fellow says that the Div 1 Pros all stomp on the pedals. Woner how much faster I would be if I learned how to pedal in circles?
In this context, pedalling in circles means attempting to apply the force vector perpendicular to the crank arm at all points of the circle (ie, tangentially to the circle) to maximze the length of the torque arm and achieve maximum torque with less force. The non-circular pedallers may apply the force primarily vertically downward on each stroke, or some other variation.Squint said:I don't see what all the fuss is about. The crankarm is a fixed length rotating around the BB spindle therefore one can't help but pedal in circles.
Did I misunderstand? that is funny. Perhaps I took it out of context...I thought crowley was simply saying that circular pedaling reduces overall power, so you shouldn't worry about doing it.jerryz said:Ah but he thinks that it can't be maintained. And thus circular is better. LOL I guess he's right. I concentrate on pushing down hard all the time and just keep getting faster. That darn Coyle fellow says that the Div 1 Pros all stomp on the pedals. Woner how much faster I would be if I learned how to pedal in circles?
jerryz said:Ah but he thinks that it can't be maintained. And thus circular is better. LOL I guess he's right. I concentrate on pushing down hard all the time and just keep getting faster. That darn Coyle fellow says that the Div 1 Pros all stomp on the pedals. Woner how much faster I would be if I learned how to pedal in circles?
Did you say "hand crank?" Are you talking about adding an offset handcrank to a typical bike to apply power through the dead spot? I've read your pedalling style posts for quite some time now and never really picked up on that until now. Is that what you meant, or is "hand crank muscle power a term for something else?"n crowley said:It's done by the successful combination and synchronization of upper body hand crank muscle power with lower body muscle power and is the technique which Anquetil used to fool the cycling world even to the present day.
frenchyge said:Did you say "hand crank?" Are you talking about adding an offset handcrank to a typical bike to apply power through the dead spot? I've read your pedalling style posts for quite some time now and never really picked up on that until now. Is that what you meant, or is "hand crank muscle power a term for something else?"
I recently started cycling, and just the other day I went out for a 23k spin close to my home. I completed this course 3-4 times already, I alway push it for the first 20k But this day I focused on pulling "lifting my knees" while pushing down with the oppisite leg. It was hard to do at first but I soon got the hang of it. It was also very tiring as I was using muscles never used before. when I did get tired I would focus on pushing for 2 circles and pulling for 2 circles this gave my quads a 50% rest while still keeping momentum. I could then revert back to the pushing/pulling at the same time when I felt a bit rested. at about 12k I reach a short climb. usually I drop to 10-11kph on this climb it is only about 400m long. however this day 13kph was the minimun on the climb while using this technique and instead of taking 5-7 min recovering, I felt revovered in far less time. Overall for my 20k split I increased my average speed by over 2kph with no noticable difference in weather conditions.n crowley said:The hand crank muscle power is real, the hand cranks are not. But it is possible to discreetly generate this power on fixed bars (hoods or drops) and divert it back to increase and extend leg power application to the pedals. For those who like to argue, by power here I mean resistance and pressure which would correspond to pulling and pushing on the hand cranks.
Of course you have a choice. There has to be a reason to try to apply force (torque) throughout the stroke. Personally, I don't and I see no reason to. I can't wait to get my foot to the 5 o'clock position so my leg can start resting for the next downstroke. So, a one-legged pedal drill makes sense only if it helps solve a problem.fiend said:I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned one-legged pedal drills. Admittedly, I'm only about a week into this new sport, but did a fair bit of reading and messing about on my cycle commutes to and from work.
The idea is pretty simple, just get into a quite easy gear and unclip one foot, alternating feet after 20 or so strokes. The dead spot in your pedal stroke becomes immediately evident and one has no choice but to learn how to smooth the stroke through it.
And why is that?chrispopovic said:You're supposed to use the whole stroke as you pedal.
Hey Ric, here's another average cyclist who's gained 40% by learning to pull up. Add him to the list...grahamhyland said:I recently started cycling, and just the other day I went out for a 23k spin close to my home. I completed this course 3-4 times already, I alway push it for the first 20k But this day I focused on pulling "lifting my knees" while pushing down with the oppisite leg. It was hard to do at first but I soon got the hang of it. It was also very tiring as I was using muscles never used before. when I did get tired I would focus on pushing for 2 circles and pulling for 2 circles this gave my quads a 50% rest while still keeping momentum. I could then revert back to the pushing/pulling at the same time when I felt a bit rested. at about 12k I reach a short climb. usually I drop to 10-11kph on this climb it is only about 400m long. however this day 13kph was the minimun on the climb while using this technique and instead of taking 5-7 min recovering, I felt revovered in far less time. Overall for my 20k split I increased my average speed by over 2kph with no noticable difference in weather conditions.
As I mentioned I am new to cycling and I will now attempt the high cadence practicing for a while to see if that has any difference on my times. but I believe that the push/pull technique is nothing to be snubbed at.
frenchyge said:Hey Ric, here's another average cyclist who's gained 40% by learning to pull up. Add him to the list...
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.