Improving Cycling Form
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Member
886 days
ChunkyB posted 2 years ago.
I would get a professional fit for your bike. It could be an issue with your saddle fore/aft position, or even the cleat positioning on your shoes. At any rate, I would definitely go to a good bike shop and get a professional fit.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
2916
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1563 days
tri-ac posted 2 years ago.
if it's a fit issue, you'd probably have some muscle strain issues (as it sounds like you do have some miles under you)...it certainly wouldn't hurt to have someone knowledgeable check you out. do you have a tri bike? or clip-on aero bars? did you do your own installation?
it may just be that your body is new at this motion and needs some time to get it down correctly
some time on the trainer, or rollers, away from the distractions of traffic may help you focus on getting those smooth circles.
3487
Member
1886 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Second the advice given - get a proper fit for the bike - especially when in areo - also single leg drills on the trainer and using rollers really help the pedal stroke.
4218
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1842 days
Anton posted 2 years ago.
Bike fit first, then rollers.
"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men."
658
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1038 days
Iron Dan posted 2 years ago.
I finally got a bike fit after knowing for 2 years that I needed one. Got it on Tuesday and it was the best money I have ever spent. I just got done with a 50 miler today and my legs feel so much better that they used to. Everything seemed to be working so much better than before. I would get a bike fit in and just put more time on the bike. I think your problem will be solved after that. Good luck.
3487
Member
1886 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Depending on how much changes in the bike fit - it sometimes takes time (up to a couple weeks) for the body to adjust to the new position. And a good bike fitter will work with you for slight adjustments as you adapt to the new position.
It is definitely money wisely spent.
2905
Member
1804 days
Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
Rollers, single leg pedals, spin ups. You dont need much else. I do the spin ups and slps once a week. Bike fit is important, the lack of power in aero definatly indicates a potential fit problem. Or a lack of riding in aero. Or both. The #1 may cause #2. Get the fit, do the drills, ride in aero all the time, no excuses.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
491
Member
979 days
stewarba posted 2 years ago.
Triguy98 wrote:
Rollers, single leg pedals, spin ups. You dont need much else. I do the spin ups and slps once a week.
+1 - I have been doing these workouts once a week for the past 3 weeks and have noticed a significant improvement in my cycling. My workout has been 10 sets of 45 sec. one legged spin ups for each leg. I alternate legs and use 15 seconds to tranition from one leg to the other. Overall spin up workout lasts for 20 minutes with a ten minute warm up and a 30 minutes Zone 2 ride at the end. My legs are really screaming after about 30 seconds.
Think small circles!
Pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body!
I've done a few olympic distance tris and one half ironman, but I have set the ambitious goal in 2008 of trying to not completely suck on the bike. I have been getting a lot more time in the saddle, but I am also trying to work on form. Specifically, I am trying to provide power all around the revolution of the cranks instead of just pumping down with my quads.
When I am sitting up in the saddle my form is getting fairly good. The problem is that when I am down in the aero position I can't come up with any power around the entire circle. I don't know if that is normal given my lack of experience, or if I have a poor bike fit.
I have started to try to do some single leg work to grind all the way around the axis of rotation. Any thoughts or advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks.
Pastyboy