Top Ways To Increase Pedaling Efficiency

 The Number One Rule Is: PRACTICE!

One pedaling drill you can do on any ride with downhills is spinning the pedals as quickly as possible as you accelerate down slopes. To do this correctly, leave the bike in a gear that's too easy, one that forces you to fan the pedals to keep up with the speed of the bike. Your goal is to rev your legs as quickly as you can while remaining seated. At first, you'll probably bounce a lot on the seat. But, with practice, you should be able to stay in the seat and maintain a calm upper body even though your legs are spinning at supersonic speed. If you do this drill a lot, your pedaling speed and efficiency will quickly improve.





Try Rollers
If you're willing to purchase a handy piece of cycling equipment, a great way to smooth your spin is to train indoors on rollers. Rollers consist of a frame with three spinning drums (one for the front wheel, two for the rear), with a rubber belt connecting the front drum to one of the rear drums. You put your bike on the rollers and start to pedal and you can balance and ride just like you do spinning down the road outside. Most rollers have optional equipment that allows increasing resistance because there isn't much drag from just the roller unit itself.

From bicycling.com

Hip-Knee-Ankle Alignment

Viewed from the top, your hip, knee and ankle should line up throughout the pedal stroke. If you can't correct this, or experience knee pain when you try to restrict lateral movement, you may need orthotics or another type of biomechanical adjustment.

Zone 1

Reference Picture Above For Zones



Known as the power phase, the portion of the pedal stroke from 12 o'clock to about 5 o'clock is the period of greatest muscle activity. Todd Carver, a biomechanist at Colorado's Boulder Center for Sports Medicine comments: "A lot of people think hamstrings are used only on the upstroke, but a good cyclist uses a lot of hamstring in the downstroke, because it extends the hip." The key to accessing the large muscles in the back of your leg is dropping your heel down as you come over the top of the stroke." He says. "At 12 o'clock, your toes should be pointed down about 20 degrees, but as you come over the top, start dropping your heel so that it's parallel to the ground or even 10 degrees past parallel by the time you get to 3 o'clock.

Zone 2

Using the same muscles as in the power phase, but to a lesser degree, this phase acts as a transition to the backstroke. "As you enter Zone 2, think about firing the calf muscles to point your toe." Carter says. As you come through the bottom of the stroke, the toe should be pointed down 20 degrees. "This ankling technique transfers some of the energy developed in Zone 1 by the bigger muscles to the crank," Carver says. He uses the advice popularized by Greg Lemond: "Act like you're scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe"  

Zone 3

Even though you feel like you're  pulling your foot through the back of the stroke, you're not. "When you look at even the best cyclists, they're losing power on the upstroke," says Carver. "The pedal is actually pushing your leg up, so the goal is to lose as little power as possible and get that foot out of the way"

Zone 4

As you enter the second half of the upstroke phase, think about initiating your downstroke. A tip: As you begin to come across the top of the stroke, think about pushing your knee forward, toward the bar. But only your knee, says Carver: "Your pelvis should remain a stable platform, not sinking down and not moving forward.


Forced Spinning 
 A classic cycling trick to improve pedaling technique is riding a fixed-gear bike in the winter. Constant pedaling is required because you can't coast. And you must accelerate pedal speed on downhills because you can't shift. These factors combine to smooth your pedal stroke and force you to spin complete circles. Pick ride routes that avoid steep climbs and descents. You don't need to buy a new bike to pull this one off, either. A threaded-hub wheel, a track cog, a BMX chain and a few axle spacing tricks can turn your regular bike into a fixed-gear rig. We can help with the conversion.

 

LA Velodrome

Try The Track
If you're one of the privileged few who can ride a track bike at a velodrome (a circular, banked track for cycling), you'll reap the same benefits as training on a fixed-gear bike. Never ride a track bike on the road, though. Brakes are a must on the street, and track bikes don't have them.









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