Proper Pedaling Technique – Top and Bottom of the Pedal stroke

[foldies4ever]

Hello,

Recently I’ve develop some foot pain after longer rides. My bike fit has not change so I’m wondering if my pedaling technique is bad. I’ve noticed I have a tendency to dip my toes downward at the bottom of the stroke. I’m wondering if this tendency to extend my foot is causing the pain. But what I don’t know is what a proper pedal stroke look like. Should my foot be parallel to the ground throughout the stroke? How much flexion or extension is allowed at the top and bottom of the stroke.

Looking for advice from experience riders.

Thanks,

Chris

Topic

[jrenaut]

Can you be more specific about the location of the pain?

For example, I had some persistent pain in the ball of my foot – lasted a couple of days and wasn’t feeling any better – and then I talked to my sister, a physical therapist, and she diagnosed it as tight muscles causing nerve pain. Some muscle massage and the pain disappeared.

I probably wouldn’t be able to diagnose it even if you are more specific, but someone else might.

[foldies4ever]

The pain wraps around from the back of my heel to the inside of my sole. Based on my research this type of pain is common to plantar fasciitis.

[jrenaut]

@foldies4ever 98754 wrote:

Based on my research this type of pain is common to plantar fasciitis.

That’s what people thought mine was, too.

I’d go see a physical therapist if you can. Could be a simple solution.

[chris_s]

In a similar vein, I’ve been wondering – is there a “proper” foot position on the pedal? Toes over the pedal? Ball of the foot over the pedal?

[vvill]

@foldies4ever 98747 wrote:

But what I don’t know is what a proper pedal stroke look like. Should my foot be parallel to the ground throughout the stroke? How much flexion or extension is allowed at the top and bottom of the stroke.

I’m no expert, but my understanding is that everyone’s pedaling style is a little different and although there are numerous articles talking about this online, there doesn’t seem to be a set consensus as to even where your foot should be over the pedal.

If you ride with clipless pedals and cleats, the shoes you wear will only have a certain range over which you can install them. If you ride with clips, it’ll be less limited but still restricted by shoe size/bulk and clip size. If you just go with flat pedals you have much less restriction.

Personally I prefer them further back, which I feel reduces unnecessary flexion/extension and allows me to have my saddle lower. My beater bike has flat pedals and I ride with pedals touching my shoes further back than on my cycling shoes.

There does seem to be a preference to get the distance between your foot and the pedal as low as possible (stack height) when you use clipless pedals. The best ones for that I reckon would be these
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/07/le-tour-tech-adam-hansens-shoes-cycling-computers-mattresses-and-more/

[Phatboing]

@chris_s 98763 wrote:

In a similar vein, I’ve been wondering – is there a “proper” foot position on the pedal? Toes over the pedal? Ball of the foot over the pedal?

I read somewhere that your cleat should be just behind the ball of your foot. I read somewhere else that you should shove your cleat all the way back and pedal closer to the middle of your foot. After I stopped using clipless, the proper position has been “top side of pedal” – I can move my foot around to use different muscles, for instance. If I’m spinning up a hill, I move my foot backward so that the ball is just above the spindle, and the little factory workers in my legs go all “deploy ze quads DEPLOY ZE QUADS”. And then, 10 seconds later when I’ve exhausted capacity, I move the foot forward again to distribute the load between quads and butt.

My point being, the ‘correct’ position is where you find most joy.

[PotomacCyclist]

Plantar fasciitis might be associated with/caused by tight calf muscles. (There are two calf muscles by the way, so if you do strengthening/stretching exercises, you should include both bent-knee and straight-leg calf exercises. Balance those out with shin exercises and plantar stretches too.)

As for cleat placement, some have experimented with a more midfoot placement. If you do this, you will have to change your overall bike fit because the distance between the saddle and the pedal will need to be shortened slightly. A midfoot cleat can help to take out the calves from the pedal stroke, but it could cause other issues if you move to the new positioning and do too much, too soon.

You might find this blog post from Joe Friel of interest, plus the links in that post:

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/03/midsole-bike-cleat-running-performance.html

[AFHokie]

Could it be the shoes? If new, they might feel fine at first, but then start to hurt on longer rides, or if older could be wearing out and causing the pain.

[Orestes Munn]

Does sound like plantar fasciitis, which is far and away the most common cause of foot pain. The plantar fascia is a sheet of connective tissue, which spans the sole and is subject to stretch when the foot bears weight on a flat surface, e.g. a shoe with insufficient arch support, or is otherwise hyperextended. As someone notes above, tight gostroc/solei can cause or exacerbate it. If it’s PF, it could be correctable by moving the cleat or a different pedal stroke, but each of those has its own unpredictable consequences, too. Just an Internet opinion, but I’d start with the shoe and make sure it’s got a nice stiff sole and as much arch support as you need. I’d also ice it after rides if it really hurts, wear supportive footwear off the bike, and do the classic PF therapy exercises found many places on the web. They can be curative.

[Author]

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