8 Ways To Smooth Out Your Pedal Stroke

Practice these pointers regularly, and you'll be riding with souplesse in no time.


Jason Sumner |

Practice these pointers regularly, and you’ll be riding with souplesse in no time. By Jason Sumner

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Talented riders make cycling look easy. While mere mortals labour when the pace ramps up or the road tilts skyward, the titans on two wheels spin along with an almost casual cadence. Yes, genetic ability plays a role. The Eddy Merckx’s of this world are born, not made. But no matter your birth-given abilities, your pedal stroke directly affects your bike riding. The smoother you propel the drivetrain, the more relaxed and stable your upper body becomes. The more motion there is in your upper body, the less efficient you’ll be. Indeed, pedalling is an art, an art that is definitely lost on some.

Truth is, there is a proper technique that produces a smooth pedalling style, which is typically expressed in the well-worn phrase “pedal in circles.” Indeed, if you are just pressing down at the top of the pedal stroke—and not applying force during the full 360 degrees of rotation—you are not pedalling as efficiently as you could.

You’ll occasionally hear cycling aficionados talk about souplesse, French for suppleness. In the two-wheeled world, a rider with souplesse is a stylish rider with a smooth, easy pedalling style. There is no wasted upper body motion, no squirming on the saddle. Just the perfectly steady spin of legs, and ankles and feet, effortlessly propelling the bike down the road.

Image via Flickr
Image via Flickr

Drills and Tools

Go One-Legged.
Among the best ways to achieve more fluidity in your pedal stroke are one-legged drills and riding a fixed-gear bike. One-legged pedalling forces you to pedal all the way through the stroke and develop your muscles accordingly. Whether you do this outside or inside on a trainer, try to make it a regular component of your off-season training. Start with 20 revolutions per side and increase to several minutes at a stretch. Repeat two to five times per ride for each leg.

Opt for a gearing that will help slow down the motion and really allow you to focus on your form. The idea is to eliminate the dead spot in your pedal stroke. The bottom of your stroke should mimic the motion of scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe. At the top of the stroke, think about driving your toes and knees forward. Remember that you want to keep your toes relaxed at all times. Resist curling them up or clinching the sole of your shoe.

Get a Fixie.
For an even more intense training session, consider jumping on a fixie, which behaves sort of like the tricycle you probably rode as a child. If the bike is moving, the pedals are moving, too. There’s no coasting—and that’s the magic. Because you are stuck in one gear and must constantly pedal, you are forced to smooth out your stroke. If not, you’ll get bounced around on the saddle–especially going downhill.

Decades ago, serious cyclists would ride a fixed gear for the first 1,000 or so miles of each season, reacquainting their muscles with the smooth, round pedal stroke. Use whatever training technique is best for you, but keep in mind that riding a fixed gear bike is a bad idea in hilly terrain. Because you can’t gear down when climbing, you will probably push too large a gear when going uphill. This can put undue stress on your knees, which can lead to injury. Going downhill on a fixed gear bike can be downright terrifying because the bike (and pedals) will want to spin faster than your legs are capable of turning.

Go Big Up Hills.
It’s also good practice to keep your upper body as motionless as possible. One good exercise involves riding up a long, gradual hill in a big gear. If the grade is around five percent, then a gear along the lines of a 53/15 is a good one to use. At first, ride for only a minute or so. Then build up to several five-minute repetitions per workout. Strive for as little body and arm motion as possible and stay in the saddle. Like one-legged pedalling, this gives you a feel for a complete, round stroke. It’s like weight lifting on the bike.

This drill is not suitable for anyone with bad knees, and it can lead to poor habits if done to the point of sloppiness (when you start twisting and lurching). In other words, don’t try it unless you already have a good base of fitness and your knees can handle it.

Image via Flickr
Image via Flickr

5 Pointers to Keep in Mind

Scrape your foot
When on your bike, think about pulling your foot back and up as if you were scraping something off the bottom of your shoe. You should feel some tension in your hamstrings, and when the pedal is lifting up the feeling should be one of lifting your knee with an assist from your hip flexors.

Smooth it out
Try to eliminate surges in your pedal stroke by focusing on just the second half of the rotation, when your foot is coming up.

Push your foot forward
Focus on pushing your foot forward in your shoe, touching your toes to the front of your shoe when you’re at the top of the pedal stroke. This helps you transition through the 12 o’clock position, which is a dead spot in a pedal stroke. Start out with an easy gearing and ramp up resistance as your technique improves.

Lift your feet
When pedalling out of the saddle, think about lifting your feet during the upstroke by pulling up with your hamstrings.

Set your saddle
Finally, make sure your saddle is set at the proper height. If it’s too high, you’ll rock back and forth. If it’s too low, you’ll put undue stress on your knees. To determine proper saddle height, sit on your bike while leaning against a wall. Now drape both feet straight down. If your saddle height is set correctly, your heel should just graze the pedal when the crank arm is in the 6 o’clock position.

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