dennisa

I've put in about 70+ miles on my new bike/ I'm quite comfortable now with the clipless pedals etc.. So I'd like to improve my pedaling efficiency. I've read that you should pedal as if you were scraping gum off the bottom of your shoe and pedal in circles. I've been trying to do this while riding but I'm unsure if you should be doing the scraping gum technique thru the entire pedaling cycle or only on when pedal/crank arm is down and leg is near full extension (for lack of a better word) when the back stroke begins and then transition to a push down on the down stroke.

So have I interpreted what I've red correctly or am I doing it all wrong ??

andrace

It seems your over thinking it, just focus on being fluid in your pedal stroke. Rollers also really help the pedal stroke.

MegaTom

So does pedaling one-footed.

Ygduf

I think the tendency is to stomp down on the pedals. Try instead to push forward with your foot through the top of the stroke. You'll know you're doing it right when your legs start to burn along the inside of your guads.

dennisa

Thanks for the responses

graphs

The gum-scraping motion should be at the bottom of the stroke, not during the entire revolution.

NickDavid

Get yourself some PowerCranks.

echappist

oh lord, def not these torture devices. those are for the quite advanced rider. do single leg pedalling drills if you need. make sure your toes are pointed down so that when the leg goes up, your calf muscles are doing some work, too

pigmode

As you probably know there are different conceptualizations for describing the smooth and efficient pedal stroke, and lots of incomplete tidbits that fail to take the entire process in consideration. I've found Emma Colson's essay on the subject to be excellent both for beginning and more advanced levels. Her descriptions can be technical, but the basics are there if you look for it.

She answers your question on the "scraping gum technique" describing how it fits into the complete pedal stroke, as well discussing the transitioning through the different muscle groups. Start by checking out the "Pedaling Pointer" box at the bottom of the second page, and the diagram above and to the right of it.


https://www.topbike.com.au/pdfs/colso...ly_aug2002.pdf

bikeybikebike

good initiative but at 70 miles i would be worrying about other things

superdex

+1 on single leg drills. Start with 15-30seconds each leg, and work up from there.

njkayaker

What is your typical/average cadence?

pigmode

Single leg drills are for more advanced riders who know what they are looking for, can perceive it when they feel it, and understand the parts of the one-legged stroke that are proportionally out of whack due to the imbalance. Many basic riders can become screwed up with those drills without coaching and supervision.

dennisa

Thanks for the Emma Colson article I'll look forward to reading it.

I'll keep this in mind, I'm most likely going to barrow my Bosses rollers soon.

I'm only 70mi into my new bike, last year I was averaging 50-60 a month on an old bike that was way to big for me at 60cm.

At the moment I really don't know my cadence as I don't have a bike computer yet. Will be investing in one soon. If I have to take a guess just I'd say at a minimum my average would be close to 70.

Daytrip

I read the whole article and then read the shaded box. My advice is: read the latter; ignore the former. Something about that Aussie/Brit grammar mutilation that I find really distracting.

loreley

Ultimately, it's not rocket science. You want to pedal smoothly. If you can do 1 legged drills smoothly without thinking about it, you'll most likely pedal pretty efficiently under normal circumstances as well.

Don't overthink it.

njkayaker

I wonder if it make sense to work on that first.

Note that some techniques/approaches don't really work with a high cadence.

rm -rf

Use a watch with a second hand, or the timer on a cheap bike computer. Count your right leg pedal strokes for 10 seconds and multiply by 6, or do 15 seconds times 4.

A cadence over 80 will be the biggest efficiency improvement.

dennisa

Thanks for all the advice. It looks like I should also focus on improving my cadence as well.

loreley

In a way, it goes hand in hand. Up until a point, a faster cadence necessitates a smoother pedaling technique. If you focus on increasing the cadence, your stroke efficiency should follow suit.

Grumpy McTrumpy

my advice is to forget everything you have read here and just ride for a year or so.

SpongeDad

before going for the more specialized drills, I'd try riding around at slightly elevated cadence (just at the point where you fell like your bouncing) and reduced tension. The elevated cadence will make you smoother at your more natural cadence and help develop the capacity to keep your cadence up / consistent on longer rides. If your cadence is already in the 95-100 rpm zone, this is probably not necessary.

superdex

Not necessarily.

bobbyjimmy420

get a fixed gear bike
easiest most fun way to improve pedaling