How do I stop mashing???

[OakLeaf]

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, we used to do downhill intervals.

Climb the hill, turn around, stay in your low gear, and pedal as fast as you can on the descent. Don't coast if you can help it, but stay in the low gear so you're just keeping tension on the chain.

The benefit of descending is that you have more gyroscopic force from the wheels than you would if you were pedaling on the flats and traveling so slowly that resistance is minimal. So it's easy to stay upright as you learn to smooth out your stroke.

Safer than motorpacing, cheaper and better scenery than rollers.

[spokewench]

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, we used to do downhill intervals.

Climb the hill, turn around, stay in your low gear, and pedal as fast as you can on the descent. Don't coast if you can help it, but stay in the low gear so you're just keeping tension on the chain.

The benefit of descending is that you have more gyroscopic force from the wheels than you would if you were pedaling on the flats and traveling so slowly that resistance is minimal. So it's easy to stay upright as you learn to smooth out your stroke.

Safer than motorpacing, cheaper and better scenery than rollers.

I'm with Oak Tree on this idea. This is how I improved my spin when I was first riding. I would go down a hill, not a real steep hill but a fairly low level downhill and I would put my bike in a low enough gear where if I spun, I was just not making the bike go much faster, but was spinning as fast as i could! The definition of spinning as fast as you can is, put it in a moderately low gear, spin as fast as you can without BOUNCING on the seat. The more you practice, the faster your spin will get.

Also, go up a moderate uphill, put it in a gear one or two lower than you usually ride and try to keep your spin cadence up higher than you are normally used to.

All of this takes practice, it does not happen overnight, but it will help you be a much more efficient rider.

[OakLeaf]

Ha ha, I KNEW I didn't dream that I'd read back in the '80s someone saying that you were SUPPOSED to ankle!

I've been working on un-learning that for the past about 4,000 miles. Old habits sure do die hard!

[aicabsolut]

Ha ha, I KNEW I didn't dream that I'd read back in the '80s someone saying that you were SUPPOSED to ankle!

I've been working on un-learning that for the past about 4,000 miles. Old habits sure do die hard!

Why are you trying not to ankle? Some people will have a little more heel drop near the bottom of the stroke than others (more ankle movement), but in order to spin smoothly through the circle, your ankle has to move to keep constant force on the pedal. The only time I lock my ankles is in a sprint or anytime I want to try to eke out a few more rpms. When I'm already well over 100rpms, locking the ankles can get you to spin a little faster because it eliminates a little bit of wasted energy and wobble in the ankle....but I don't do it for long. I'm still far from using my legs like pistons at that point.

[pinkbikes]

Why are you trying not to ankle? Some people will have a little more heel drop near the bottom of the stroke than others (more ankle movement), but in order to spin smoothly through the circle, your ankle has to move to keep constant force on the pedal. The only time I lock my ankles is in a sprint or anytime I want to try to eke out a few more rpms. When I'm already well over 100rpms, locking the ankles can get you to spin a little faster because it eliminates a little bit of wasted energy and wobble in the ankle....but I don't do it for long. I'm still far from using my legs like pistons at that point.

I hear you! I think I'm almost never not ankling just a little. I probably exaggerated it a bit more when I was learning and when I need to drill it a little (I get a little mashy sometimes on the MTB) but the rest of the time it's just a gentle ankling through the circle. Sometimes a little heel down on the entry to the bottom of the stroke to get just a little more pull through if I'm going up a hill too!

I have heard about shifting the cleats a little further back on the shoe and riding a little more "heels down" if you have serious problems with calf cramps. One of the guys I ride with has done this with some succes. But I don't think it would be really comfortable to stay in one locked position all the time if all else is well?

[aicabsolut]

I hear you! I think I'm almost never not ankling just a little. I probably exaggerated it a bit more when I was learning and when I need to drill it a little (I get a little mashy sometimes on the MTB) but the rest of the time it's just a gentle ankling through the circle. Sometimes a little heel down on the entry to the bottom of the stroke to get just a little more pull through if I'm going up a hill too!

I have heard about shifting the cleats a little further back on the shoe and riding a little more "heels down" if you have serious problems with calf cramps. One of the guys I ride with has done this with some succes. But I don't think it would be really comfortable to stay in one locked position all the time if all else is well?

I dunno. I suppose that if you ride more toes-down then you could be flexing the calves too much that would lead to cramps. I tend to have a more heels-down kind of style naturally, and I got killer calf cramps today! haha I was doing some power starts, and I really pull up hard on those. Plus, I'm sure I was dehydrated.

I say if you are are comfortable and having no issues, don't mess around with your cleats.

[TrekTheKaty]

I have heard about shifting the cleats a little further back on the shoe and riding a little more "heels down" if you have serious problems with calf cramps. One of the guys I ride with has done this with some succes. But I don't think it would be really comfortable to stay in one locked position all the time if all else is well?

I just asked my DH to check my cleats (spinning class is hard on them) and he asked if I liked my cleats all the way forward? I do have tight calves--may be I'll move them back a hair and see how it feels.

Something new to concentrate on this year!

[Geonz]

I would work on the actual technique at whatever cadence happens before fixating on the exact RPM. My technique got a whole lot better when I got on a trainer at the bike shop on a February "open house" day and could just focus on the skill (with coaching from whatever video he had going).

We have two very fast riders in the club. One is slow cadence, the other fast. They both have efficient pedal strokes - it's just one goes faster than the other. I tend to have a low cadence myself. If I go too fast, I am more likely to "mash." I'm going to try those downhill drills (on what passes for hills around here) to improve my pedal strok when my legs are moving fast... could be fun