The title of this blog may seem a little self-evident. If you can ride a bike, you can pedal, right? Well, sort of. There is a way to pedal and a way not to pedal. When I’m out riding, I often see people pedalling badly. They don’t look as though they’re enjoying the experience much either. Now there may well be three reasons for poor pedalling technique:
1) The bike is too small or the saddle is too low for the rider
2) They were never taught how to pedal correctly
3) Both of the above
So what do I mean by “correct pedalling”? Pedalling should always be done with the balls of your feet and not the arch or the heel. There are a couple of reasons for this: when you pedal with the balls of your feet, you are delivering more power to the pedals. It’s also friendlier to your knees and ankles and you will improve your cadence (rate of pedalling). When you pedal with your arches or your heels, you will not deliver sufficient force to the pedals. You’re also storing up knee and ankle problems for the future.
If you already use SPD pedals, the choice has been made for you. The cleat is in the correct position on the sole of the shoe.
This illustration indicates the correct foot position for pedalling.
Courtesy Bikeradar.com
Happy cycling!
Guy Debord's Cat 