Originally Posted by
Yaniel
ok carry on with your superior platform pedals. I hear they'll be using platforms at the grand tours this year, because they gain no efficiency from clipless pedals.
They are racing, I said they are worth it for racing because you need maximum power, which using extra muscles will give you. From the point of how heavily you need to breath/how much food you need, more muscles does not = better.
Originally Posted by
Yaniel
as for the muscle comment. If you're just pushing down, you're using your quads and your hamstrings aren't doing anything. Muscles get fatigued eventually, if you split the load between more muscles then obviously they'll take longer to be fatigued.
Yes, that is true. It's not something that bothers me though. The fact I find them comfier outweighs it and I can move my feet on the pedals to use slightly different muscle groups.
Once again though I bet in normal cruising along your not pulling up as much as you think.
try pothole riddled roads coverd in ice and snow, I know you don't get that often in england.
one bad step and your platforms and shoes are frozen and very slippery.
Once again, please stop making assumptions without doing a bit of research first. We've had lots of snow this year, it's gone for a week without coming above 0, and we have had grit/salt shortages, which means the roads are even more slippery. Also once again I live in the countryside, there are potholes big enough that even 4x4's try and go around them.
I also live in a very clayey part of the country, ever ridden a bike across wet clay? If anything it's even more slippery than ice/snow, at least that gets broken up a bit.
higher cadence is generally better than slower, especially for your knees. general ball park figure is 95rpm.
I can hit a good 160rpm going down hill when I'm all out of gears. It's very hard to do that with platforms even if you have a good technique.
and just try platforms with a fixed gear.
Yes, I know higher cadence is better for your knees, 95rpm is no problem with platforms. If I was pedaling 160rpm in my hardest gear I think I'd be going over 60mph, hills around me are too twisty for that so it's never really a concern. Why would I want to try platforms with a fixed gear? This isn't the fixed gear forum and this thread isn't about them.