The Secrets Of Perfect Pedalling Technique: Is Smoother REALLY Better?

If you've been cycling for a while, you may have heard of unlocking the perfect pedalling technique to eke out those extra watts. But does souplesse even matter? Conor takes a deep-dive into the science of pedalling style, to see whether you should be working on your technique.

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Will you be working on your souplesse? Let us know in the comments below!👇

[herculesrockefeller]

I perfected perfect pedaling technique decades ago, and it goes like this:
1. Push down on right pedal.
2. Push down on left pedal.
3. Repeat as necessary.
Amazingly, it also works if you push down on the LEFT pedal first! It also works for left handed people, people of all races, creeds and colors. This AMAZING technique also works for people who have NEVER ridden a bike before!

[CatManDoSocial]

I've been riding on the road since 1986 and MTB since 1994. I also had a 5 year stint as a triathlete. I can promise you that regularly riding techy XC will do wonders for your road cycling. Not just in pedaling efficiency but in bike handling and confidence. I know not everyone is able to do it, but if you can, you absolutely should. It's also a full-body workout and some of the most fun you can have on two wheels.

[gabrielparra]

I've recently got in a bicycle after a 10 year hiatus, and I've to say it's been one of the greatest and most fun decisions I've made. Thanks GCN helping me fall again with cycling!

[billmccaffrey]

As an amputee, I can tell you that there is a difference in the power stroke on the prosthetic side. I generally can produce 1-2% more power on the prosthetic side, However, I'm still relearning how to pedal standing up. The prosthetic side almost seems dead once it hits 6:00 and I have to focus really hard to get that leg to come up on the back stroke. I also have to visualize the full stroke when seated to pedal smoothly. I was a mountain biker prior to loosing the leg and converted to a road/gravel bike post amputation. I've done over 1M pedal strokes (225 hr * 60 min/hr * 75 avg cadence) over the last 11 months and still have some learning to do.

[bikeyclown]

I don't race anymore so I don't care about my spin because I ride for health and enjoyment. However, I came from a track and road background. Track racers had the smoothest spins and overall pedaling style I saw.

I found that riding rollers helped smooth out my spin more than anything else. You can see and hear imperfections in your spin as you move side to side during pedaling. Pedaling in a circular motion smoothes out the sound and decreases wobble which I found made me both a more predictable rider to others around me and made it easier for me to maneuver on my bicycle.

I also found that spinning at higher RPMs helped alleviate buildup of waste in the muscles and blood because I did not push as hard on the pedals each turn of the pedals relative to those around me which I believe kept me from going into oxygen debt. What's more it was easier to accelerate compared to others as I was always in a lower gear and, with practice, I could spin at really high RPM's which allowed me to achieve high speeds in a low gear. Spinning higher RPM's did take some extra focus, but made me smoother which meant I had to focus less on others around me and where I was relative to them in a group. Spinning at high RPM's doesn't work as well, if you sprint standing up like a roadie, but overall I found more benefits in spinning at higher RPM's and smoothing out my spin compared to shifting back and forth in a big gear while turning the gears at low RPM's.

[lazzaboyman]

As a long time mountain biker I totally agree with the benefits. I ride MTB night ride once a week and ride road once a week with the rest of my time split between the turbo, running and swimming. I’m 57 and find that mixing it up has really helped avoid injury and also makes keeping fit (ish) fun and bearable. All that said my pedalling style is probably pretty poor! 😁

[clawsmayhem]

Great video. Used to obsess over technique until I realised it didn't make much difference for me. Also sucked the fun out of it stressing about it. My only comment on the advice would be to incrementally adjust saddle height rather than whack it up based on a couple of turbo tests.

[rayFrio]

The suggestion about raising saddle height is really about reducing the hip angle at the top of the stroke. Using shorter cranks enables a slightly higher saddle while also reducing the hip angle. This allows greater power application sooner on the downstroke. It may be undetectable to some riders, but I did notice being much more comfortable during the pedal stroke and no loss of power. Gains are always very hard to measure.
Two specific suggestions for any rider struggling with fit: 1) Go with the shorter crank option, 2) Move the cleat as far back as the shoe allows. Then experiment with fine tuning saddle height/setback, stem length and stem height...In that order.

[chrisridesbicycles]

Smooth and fast cadence. 30 years of mountainbiking have done the job. Interesting what Phil had to say about saddle position. Him and Bikefit James in a room would make an interesting video. Choose your fighter.

[djbayr]

What made sense for me was to find comfort while riding. Overall the height went up the settle, while moving forward. I felt planted just enough on the back of the seat. The other thing I found by mistake was not tightening the stem bolts properly. I just felt the "right" position and there was an improvement out of nowhere.

[GregLanz]

For me the biggest improvements comes in moving between muscle groups. IE you crank out peak watts to pass someone and then you use the other muscle groups(pulling up etc) for a bit to give the major muscle groups a bit of a rest

[deezynar]

You push the pedal down. Fine.
The big question is this: how do you lift it back up after it hits the bottom?
There are two options for getting a leg back to the top again.
The first one is to let it get a "free ride" back up by forcing the power leg to lift it.
The other option is to make the leg lift itself. It doesn't have to pull against the pedal while rising. It doesn't need to contribute any power input, but just the fact that it doesn't drain power by being dead weight makes a big positive difference.

[fgreen]

I'm old enough to have owned a fan based turbo trainer back in the 80s. Trying to get a steady roar out of that thing, vs a whoosh, whoosh sound, was the goal to achieve a smoother pedal stroke.

[better.better]

I only really bother with it on climbs, but I've found it really helps to think about it less as keeping each foot smooth through the entire stroke more about being an even transition of power from one foot to the other as they enter the power portion of the stroke... this allows for resting the non-power leg without losing momentum, which is the real goal.

[daves]

I found smoothing my technique made a huge difference to my enjoyment and endurance. It also made me far better at hills because I wasn’t exhausting the leg muscles so much. I’m still not perfect - I don’t consider myself to be a very good cyclist even though I have competed three half iron men, but a smooth technique is just so much more pleasant than stomping, IMO. And I think you get more power for the effort you put in, too.

[derekhartloper]

Great topic, improving pedalling technique is something I often wonder about. On slight uphill grades or level ground into headwinds I'll often shift to the back of the seat, hold the bars in the curved portion aft of the brake hoods, and almost push forward at the top of the stroke, then drag my heel downwards. I pull with the forearms for balance. I find this engages the glutes for more power, as opposed to level ground, tailwinds or slight downhill grades where I'll shift slightly forward, hands on the brake hoods, and use the quads more. The aftward position may also push bigger gears at lower rpm, while the forward position seems better for spinning at higher rpms. I typically seem to use the forward position more often. Its nice to periodically emphasize different muscle groups throughout a ride. For the same reason I'll usually stand in the pedals and rock slightly side to side, using the upper body, on the steeper hills. I only sit on longer climbs. I hope that makes sense.

[psycholist]

The "pedaling circles" method has been proposed, promoted, promulgated, then demoted and de-moded...but I think it's still a worthwhile concept to learn because if you think about it that way, what you eventually do may not be exactly what's being taught but it IS what is best. Musicians learn instrumental techniques in a similar fashion--they're taught to think of something in some way and even though that's not what's really going on, it nevertheless leads to changes in muscular response that lead to the desired effect.

[Cycle]

One thing I was unaware of for years was the correct arch and foot support inside your shoes. A pair of orthotic inserts that fit your feet will increase the contact surface/support inside your shoe and will make your feet feel so much better.

[fede]

I agree that some riders sit too far back, but most of them are also too high, not too low. While I agree that there is no place to pulling up on the upstroke, this should not mean to lift the saddle to only focus on the downward movement. There is a transition of the pedal from 5pm to 7pm where the push of the glutes and quads is diminishing to leave the hamstrings to complete the lower part of the movement (the scraping phase that Lemond described). If your saddle is too high you would not have the correct hamstrings recruitment for the lowest part of the pedal movement.