| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2283.1 | Up and Down; Round and Round | COMET::VOITL | | Mon May 18 1992 20:18 | 14 |
| Hey Everybody,
RE:-1,
I have been told, and I read in one on Lemond's books, that when
one is pedallin', on the down stroke heal should be down. On the up
stroke heel should up. This is the same movement the foot goes through
when one is walking. With heel down on the down stroke, one "pushes"
with the gastrocnemius' (calves) muscles and hams. With the heel up in
the up stroke, one is "pulling" with the tibilias anterior (shin) muscle
and the quads. There are other muscles involved, of course, but these
are the major muscles that one uses when pedallin'. I also learned a
little about this in first semester anatomy and physiology. Well take
this for what it is worth. My 1 penny worth.
Keep Pedallin'
Bob
|
| 2283.2 | What do you want to do? | PAKORA::GGOODMAN | Born Victim | Tue May 19 1992 01:38 | 24 |
|
It's the old 'Do whatever you feel comfortable with.' The method
that Bob mentions in .1 is certainly the most common, and usually the
one preached by coaches. But one very famous name that rode 'toes down'
was Bernard Hinault and from today's pros, Etienne de Wilde also rides
'toes down.'
The main difference between the two seems to be on the physique of
the rider. With the toes down, you have a tendancy to spin more. There
is less power in the stroke, but you are more fluent and it is easier
to keep the momentum in your legs going. Etienne de Wilde is slightly
built for a track rider, which is why I'd suggest that he uses this
style. The 'heel down' method is pure power. Your whole body puts more
effort into turning the pedals, but the reward is in the power output.
Both styles have their benefits and drawbacks, so what feels
comfortable?
One piece of advice that I would give if you do ride 'toes
down' is that you may want to put your saddle higher than normal to
compensate.
Graham.
|
| 2283.3 | :-) | NOVA::FISHER | Rdb/VMS Dinosaur | Tue May 19 1992 07:20 | 5 |
| one thing is sure. Keep you feet below you.
:-) Couldn't resist. Now I'll go home ....
ed
|
| 2283.4 | NATURALLY... | WMOIS::GIROUARD_C | | Tue May 19 1992 07:43 | 12 |
| Re; .1 - Agreed... Walton is a champion of parallel feet, but it's
rare to see it in the pros. I have LeMonds book that
illustrates (through photographs) HIS style. The foot
angle moves precisely as described in .1...
I guess I have to agree with the addage "if it feels good,
do it!"
I play with it from time to time, but end up tiring a quad
or calve quickly and let nature (and habit) take over.
Chip
|
| 2283.5 | check saddle height, too | SHALOT::ELLIS | John Lee Ellis - assembly required | Tue May 19 1992 09:50 | 9 |
|
Graham's right on the mark here. Physique has a lot to do with it,
and individual style. Conversely (what I was going to suggest), *if*
you are pedalling toes-down, *then* you should check your saddle to make
sure it's not too high. (In other words, toes-down pedalling could be
an artifact of the saddle's being too high - I've seen that in a few
riders. Just something to check out.)
-john
|
| 2283.6 | JA | IDEFIX::HEMMINGS | Lanterne Rouge | Tue May 19 1992 13:03 | 12 |
| Probably the best known "toes-down" pedaller was the late and great Jaques
Anquetil. It didn't seem to affect his power as he was one of the earliest
uesrs of windmill gears and was pretty useful uphill as well. On the other hand
he was pretty good on the track and one of the most stylish you could wish to
see.
As I said to JW last Sunday, the best way we found to upset some-one's pedalling
in the old days was to wait until we were descending a big hill on 66 fixed, and
say -
"...did you hear about old Fred? He was going down this hill the other day, his
pedal seized up and snapped his leg like a rotten carrot..."
|
| 2283.7 | I'm certianly not an Anquetil | MOVIES::WIDDOWSON | Its (IO$_ACCESS|IO$M_ACCESS) VMS | Tue May 19 1992 13:19 | 8 |
| This is a real interesting thread. I'm a bit of a toes downer,
specially when `rolling' a biggish gear on the flat or up a faut-plat.
I haven't really analysed how I am when `en danseuse' but this might be
toes down. Does the panel think that I should perhaps drop my saddle
a bit (� to � an inch) and try to hell down to see what happens ? (I
do like having my saddle high)
/r
|
| 2283.8 | | NOVA::FISHER | Rdb/VMS Dinosaur | Tue May 19 1992 15:55 | 6 |
| Well, I hope to live longer than Jacques did.
I understand that the "pedal seized up" gig was the reason
that pedals are opposite threaded these days...
ed
|
| 2283.9 | Thanx | AIMHI::LARSON | | Wed May 20 1992 18:13 | 8 |
| Thanx everyone. I have had a FitKit done and haven't re-adjusted
anything since. I'll keep on the way I have. FYI, I am new to the
sport and love the suffering. It feels soooo good when you stop. The
long climbs are well worth the view when you get to the top of a
favorite hill (which there are many in the Bedford NH area).
rit, rit, rit (that's the sound of the 39x21 when I am suffering)
|