Foot position on the bike
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RV posted 2 years ago.
Are you changing the angle of the foot as you go through the stroke? i.e. toe pointing up or down, rather than keeping it level?
RV
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trimedic posted 2 years ago.
That's the thing, I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing. I think that I stay faily level thoughout but then I get to thinking I should be moving my foot through the circle. like pulling with my heel up and then pushing it back down so that it's leading on the down stroke. Is that right or should I just try to keep it level the entire time???
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runpuddrun posted 2 years ago.
bump this, because i find that when i am leading with my toes, and not keeping my feet level, my arches cramp up like the dickens. What are you supposed to do?
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kylie posted 2 years ago.
The way I have heard it is to always keep your foot level or even heel dropped. Through the whole stroke. Why waste the energy of using a joint (ie ankle) that does nothing to increase the power of your stroke? This method also turns your leg into a single lever, making it stronger. I definitely feel the difference if I'm climbing and check that my heels are down (they often aren't and as soon as they are, I feel stronger). And as a bonus, it saves some of the muscles you need for running :)
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TBRAVO posted 2 years ago.
I was taught by roadies to think of the pedal stroke as follows:
From 9-4 imagine you are trying to roll a barrel forward with your foot (heels down).
From 5-9 imagine you are trying to pull your foot out of the mud without loosing your shoe (heels down) keep it smooth (don’t jerk) or your shoe will come off in the mud.
Keep in mind I ride a road bike with clip-on aerobars, not sure if this would be different on a tri geometry bike.
- T
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trimedic posted 2 years ago.
Thanks for the imput. I think you are right about the foot position based on a few other things I have read. Great analogy TBRAVO. I tried to really consintrate on my foot position and keeping it level or heel down and it really does seem to make a power difference like you said Kyillee. I just have to make sure I keep it that way. I have a tendancy to want to use my ankle and move it around.
Thanks again.
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kylie posted 2 years ago.
I ended up asking a biking only friend about this, and from that point of view it seems to be heel down on the down part, and up on the pull. If you look at pics of some of the great cyclists you can see it. However, I still think I'll go heals down for now... and maybe it is just a saving run muscles approach. Not sure.
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I have read through a few of the posts regarding cadence and form etc. but it's not real clear whether the heel should lead on the stroke or if it should be the toe. I find when I am on a hill or when I am in spin class on a heavy gear I lead with my heel on and do the scrapping the mud off my shoe technique but should the heel always lead???
:confused: