I got an idea borrowed from the patented Powercranks where one pedal works independently from the other. Users report that after only a few minutes their hip flexors are screaming and they have to stop. I wanted a cheap way of trying out this principal, so I mounted both cranks in the down position. I mounted the bike on a trainer and tried to pedal. The most I could manage with an even stroke was 60 circles with any smoothness before the whole thing degraded into slop. My hip flexors were pumped and I was also surprisingly a little out of breath. I did a few sets and I'll report back over a period of weeks to tell if my power output and overall speed on the road improves after a few sessions with this. This feels very different from one legged pedaling excersices I've done in the past. Try it, you might be surprised too.

Garth

Way painful.

Yes, this program is painful but in comparison to what? I am always looking for smart ways to improve performance, and being in my 50's the Spineverval push till you vomit program or the ride with the pack at 27 mph while gasping is not my cup of tea. If a little work on my own to keep my cadence to around an easy 110 and these five minutes of work to learn about the upstroke on the trainer will get me to where I want to be than great! I dream of riding with the fast pack comfortably without busting a gut. I think for me that's still possible but I have to be smart and maybe a little innovative.

Garth

Keep looking...

Those methods are known to work for a reason. High cadence drills and "spin" drills are over rated. They can have a purpose when included in a much larger training program, but focusing on them as the cornerstone of your training is a mistake. A smooth spin and a high self-selected cadence will come naturally from large volumes of training including intensity.

I saw a kid at an engineering school riding around town with his cranks setup like that. Pretty funny.

A smart way to simulate this is probably just to ride with one leg and switch legs every minute or so.