Pedalling Position - Is mine all wrong? Does it make any difference?

[Upstream]

Hi all,
I wouldn't usually post such a thread however recently I have had two independent people spontaneously tell me that my feet are all wrong when I'm riding my bike. How wrong...?

Well if you imagine an analogue clock with my foot represented by the little hand, my toes point downwards somewhere around the number 4. I don't do this consciously, it just feels natural and comfortable to me but on a recent sportive, a friend who was riding behind me came alongside and said that I wouldn't be getting much power to the pedals in this position, then on Sunday while riding with another rider came up alongside me and said the same thing!

I gave riding with my feet more level a try but it sort of feels a bit like walking flat - footed. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[HLaB]

This is a good vid and it would suggest that ideally you want to have your foot more level to get a balanced pedalling motion but if what you are doing works for you I wouldnt get hung up about it. On a long ride I think I pedal for short sections like you describe just to relieve things a bit.

 

[Rob3rt]

I wouldn't worry about it if you are not experiencing issues. Look at the pictures from various races (i.e. where performance is paramount), pro or amateur and you will see all sorts of foot angles. If I understand you correctly, your foot angle is not particularly extreme, it sounds fairly normal to me, if you experience any issues, maybe this is somewhere to look 1st by means of a resolution, but if everything is going well, leave it be.

Like yourself, I have quite a toes down pedalling style, I have had it commented on by a club mate once after I complained about some aches, the same situation occured with the fact one of my heels flicks out a bit at one point on the pedal stroke. I have tried to address both, the heel thing I successfully managed to reduce to some degree, the toes down pedalling, it remains as such. I tried things such as lowering the saddle thinking the toes down position might be caused by reaching down for the pedals, this didn't help, as I still pedalled toes down, creating a large knee bend etc. Being able to objectively measure my power output in various positions and bike setups, I can conclude that the way I currently pedal is the best way for me to get the power out.

However, for these people to have approached you, it is possible that the degree your toes point down might be worse than you suggest/realise, alternatively, it is possible that there has been a recent article in some crap magazine that sportive types read religiously telling people your foot ought to be whatever angle and they were riding about on the look out for someone to impart their newly found "knowledge" on.

 

[Ian H]

Are they referring to the angle of your foot, or are you pedalling with your instep on the pedal rather than the ball of your foot? It used to be that 'ankling' was thought the most efficient way to pedal. You dropped your heel before the top of the stroke and pushed forward, then down so that your toes pointed down at the bottom.

 

[Upstream]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the info. I use cleats so I have my ball of the foot above the pedal. The guys were definately referring to the toes down pedalling style. I must say that I did try the flat approach a few times but in addition to feeling flat footed I felt a little strain around the ankle as if I'd need to drop my saddle by around 2 inches also. If it were the case that I could get a reasonable power increase by making the change then I'd drop my saddle and try to learn it but if it's unlikely to make a noticeable difference to power output I'll leave as is.

Thanks.

 

[Rob3rt]

The only way to find out if you can produce more power with a different foot angle (and saddle position, or any other bike fit parameter) is to try it. The problem being, you don't have an objective way to measure the effect.

You would need to test before and after over a number of durations from a well rested state making very certain to maintain the foot angle.

 

[Blue Hills]

Interesting thread upstream - out of interest does this favoured style of yours mean that you have your saddle higher than some people would suggest?

<edited for typo>

 

[VamP]

I am a recent convert to the concept of getting a performance fit. For a fraction of the cost of a decent wheelset, you might get performance improvement, but more importantly you will head off potential long term injury problems before they appear.

Other than my power meter, it's the best investment I have made in my cycling.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

If it's not broke - why fix?

 

[ayceejay]

The style you describe is the style of one of those old time greats (Coppi I believe) who had quite a measure of success. Anquetil invented the ankling technique that worked well for him. A lot of riders today (inc. Wiggins) use Bont shoes that allow you to put the cleats further back so that you have a full flat foot strike.
All this to say that there is NO correct way you should continue with whatever works for you.

 

[Ian H]

I wonder if you've developed a toes-down style because your saddle is too high.

 

[Upstream]

I've always been a spin - type rider and I find that when I'm on my mountain bike going along trails (with my saddle a good two or three inches lower and with shorter crank arms), I ride with my feet in the same position. Just out of interest I'm 6ft2 with a 34 inch inside leg for trousers. My saddle height when measured in a vertical line from the ground to the top of the saddle is at 1050cm. Sometimes people do comment that my saddle is quite high but then I tend to have much longer legs than most people I end up chatting to at events.

When I set my saddle height I did the sit on the saddle and try to pedal backwards with the heels approach. I'm also careful to ensure that when I'm riding that I don't need to rock from side to side in order to turn the pedals. I definately don't feel uncomfortable at all even when I rode my first 100 miles about a month ago - tired yes, but not uncomfortable ;-)

 

[Hip Priest]

If it isn't giving you any pain or discomfort, then I'd keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Ian H]

... My saddle height when measured in a vertical line from the ground to the top of the saddle is at 1050cm...

Blimey!

 

[TheJDog]

I've thought about ankling a lot over the years, and I've always come to the conclusion that it is just an artifact of the pedalling motion. As you push down, your toes will naturally come up, and when you pull your foot up, your toes will naturally point down. I'm sure someone watched someone very powerful doing this, and thought it was some sort of deliberate technique. When I just don't think it is.