Originally Posted by
Old Dutchman
I tried this out on my morning ride, and WOW, you're right, just taking the weight off your hands makes you pedal way harder. It's hard to do on the flat, 'cause you just keep going faster and needing higher gears. But on the hills, I tried to do this instead of down-shifting. It allowed me to stay about a gear higher (like I'd stay in 1-4 where I normally would have gone to 1-3).
This is a technique that deserves a lot more use. But it sure makes you appreciate how nice it feels to go back to leaning on the bars for a while.
awesome - I just came back from 32 mi on my core muscles, and I feel great - my shoulders and neck are so relaxed...
oh, and I took all those gears...
and you're right, leaning into your core muscles is like getting a tailwind
The next trick is get your bike set up so you can do it all the time.
I only consciously lean on the bars when I'm braking, and then everybody has to.
Maybe it's my injury that got me here, but if you look at the pros, they ride 100% on their core muscles, too
