Straight Heels or Angled Heels During Pedal Stroke ?
07-08-14, 07:30 AM
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Straight Heels or Angled Heels During Pedal Stroke ?
I have read on different online pages 2 different techniques to maximise pedal stroke power and minimise wastage :
1) Keep your heels relatively flat, pushing through your heels not the balls of your feet.
2) Angled heels at around 10 degrees up (hence toes point down).
Fig.2 in this link shows one popular view of heel orientation during the classical pedal stroke:
https://www.bikesplit.com/bsa4.htm
Which method do you believe is the most efficent and strongest power delivery on the pedal stroke?
AGO VELOX
1) Keep your heels relatively flat, pushing through your heels not the balls of your feet.
2) Angled heels at around 10 degrees up (hence toes point down).
Fig.2 in this link shows one popular view of heel orientation during the classical pedal stroke:
https://www.bikesplit.com/bsa4.htm
Which method do you believe is the most efficent and strongest power delivery on the pedal stroke?
AGO VELOX
Last edited by Ago Velox; 07-08-14 at 07:35 AM.
07-08-14, 07:38 AM
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Different strokes for different folks.
Greg Lemond recommended feet level, pedaling should be like scraping mud off your shoes.
Jacques Anqueteil was famous for his downward pointing toes.
Both were badass riders.
Greg Lemond recommended feet level, pedaling should be like scraping mud off your shoes.
Jacques Anqueteil was famous for his downward pointing toes.
Both were badass riders.
07-08-14, 07:44 AM
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07-08-14, 08:04 AM
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Just ride your bike, push down on the pedals, and your feet will figure out what to do.
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07-08-14, 08:12 AM
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apparently, it doesn't make any difference. but i have noticed pro's that have "pointy" toes will set the saddle higher than those that don't. the heels angled approach essentially extends the reach, i guess.
07-08-14, 03:23 PM
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07-08-14, 04:24 PM
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Pumps for me.
07-08-14, 07:35 PM
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I find that a relaxed ankle goes a long way towards consistency...I drop it.
07-09-14, 08:46 AM
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I'm a relaxed ankle pedaller. I pedal with the heel cups, don't ankle. The engineers say that having the lower leg closer to the pedal spindle confers some very slight mechanical advantage. One would get more drop by pedalling with pointy toes, though. My weak point is climbing, and I'm plenty aero, so I don't worry so much about drop.
07-09-14, 10:32 AM
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Paul Levine of Signature Cycles does a wonderfully entertaining demonstration as part of both his Lectures and when he's doing a comprehensive bike fit. It's based on the physics of levers...and, for the science geeks amongst us, remember that your thighs + shins + ankles/feet + pedals/crank arms constitute a series of Class 3 levers (or maybe they're Class 2, wtf do I know?)
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
07-09-14, 10:35 AM
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07-09-14, 10:41 AM
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Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
07-09-14, 11:32 AM
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I'm by no means an expert. Far from it. But unless you're competitive, and making it an exact science could possibly shave off a few 10th's, then I figure what's the point? I've spent some time concentrating on what's considered the ideal technique, and all I gained from that was an unenjoyable ride. So I did exactly what was mentioned. Just went out a rode in a way that caused me no pain. This of course is just my own opinion.
07-09-14, 11:55 AM
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Paul Levine of Signature Cycles does a wonderfully entertaining demonstration as part of both his Lectures and when he's doing a comprehensive bike fit. It's based on the physics of levers...and, for the science geeks amongst us, remember that your thighs + shins + ankles/feet + pedals/crank arms constitute a series of Class 3 levers (or maybe they're Class 2, wtf do I know?)
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
07-09-14, 12:18 PM
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Paul Levine of Signature Cycles does a wonderfully entertaining demonstration as part of both his Lectures and when he's doing a comprehensive bike fit. It's based on the physics of levers...and, for the science geeks amongst us, remember that your thighs + shins + ankles/feet + pedals/crank arms constitute a series of Class 3 levers (or maybe they're Class 2, wtf do I know?)
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
Anyway, Paul likes to show how the direction of output force on the pedals changes depending on the angle of that lever connected to the pedals (i.e., your foot/ankle).
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot angled toe-down, the crank arm will naturally turn backwards.
- With the crank arm at the 12 o'clock position and your foot flat or angled ankle-down, the crank arm will naturally turn forwards.
Now, which direction do we want the crank arms turning?
07-09-14, 05:46 PM
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And the opposite hold true at the bottom of the stroke when you are pulling up. Toe down will increase the efficiency of the upstroke as you pull, rather than wasting that bit of energy/stroke on simply moving your ankle up to where you are actually pulling on the pedal or you are wasting energy holding your foot in position while you pull. Either way, its less efficient in making your perfect little circles.
07-09-14, 05:59 PM
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And the opposite hold true at the bottom of the stroke when you are pulling up. Toe down will increase the efficiency of the upstroke as you pull, rather than wasting that bit of energy/stroke on simply moving your ankle up to where you are actually pulling on the pedal or you are wasting energy holding your foot in position while you pull. Either way, its less efficient in making your perfect little circles.
Combining the pushing of the down stroke and the pulling of the upstroke, I agree, you can visualize a flat foot but I hope your pressing down and then pulling up, 50-50.
Personally I "see" my toes pointed up on the upstroke and down on the down stroke but in reality, the knee pulls up the downward turned toes on the upstroke and pushes down the upward turned toes on the down stroke.( I stand all hills
)
07-09-14, 07:27 PM
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There is a lot of shtty advice on this thread. Don't purposefully "ankle"; you'll kill your achilles tendon.
When you are pushing a big gear, your feet will be rather flat on the downstroke. When spinning high RPM, your toes will tend to point down on the downstroke. It's just a question of coordination and force leverage (your calf supporting your foot). Don't make it a habit to pull on the upstroke with any unnatural force either... unless you like tendonitis in the tendons behind your leg.
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07-09-14, 07:31 PM
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It's all about body proportions and pedaling style. The guys with pointy toes will be in the habit of spinning higher gears; climbers mostly. The time trialists and sprinters will have lower saddles and flatter feet because they typically push bigger gears at lower rpm.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
07-09-14, 11:01 PM
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But at least that is true for me. And yes I use a compact.PS
I think Contador has the smoothest pedal stroke in the Peloton. On a TT bike I think Wiggins has a very fluid (not necessarily strongest) pedal stroke.
Last edited by KantoBoy; 07-09-14 at 11:05 PM.
07-10-14, 08:58 AM
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I'm a relaxed ankle pedaller. I pedal with the heel cups, don't ankle. The engineers say that having the lower leg closer to the pedal spindle confers some very slight mechanical advantage. One would get more drop by pedalling with pointy toes, though. My weak point is climbing, and I'm plenty aero, so I don't worry so much about drop.
