Improving your pedal stroke

[Eden]

I picked this nifty little tip up from cylingfourms yesterday. Someone had a question about whether or not they really needed to buy a riser block for their trainer and someone replied that he likes to put his front wheel on a scale. The steadier you can hold the needle the better your spin - the smoother your pedal stroke.

I gave it a try last night and I think that it is brilliant. It gave me instant feedback and a measurement. Having a visual indicator made it easier to concentrate on the spin and see what was working the best. I think I'll do this often!

[Pedal Wench]

That's a great idea! I just started spin classes - first time ever. I noticed that my front wheel wobbles all over the place while everyone else's are straight and unmoving. I wonder how to change my stroke to smooth that out? Not sure how, but I'll try to figure it out.

[Eden]

Single leg drills are probably the best for improving your spin. With both feet clipped in you can get by mashing the downstroke, but if you are only using 1 foot you can't cheat. It really helps build strength and endurance in the muscles that you use for the upward part of the stroke.
Another reason that you might be moving your front wheel around a lot is if your bike is a little long for you. If you are over reaching you'll have a tendancy to pull on the handlebars with each pedal stroke and it causes front wheel wobble.