can someone please define "mash" versus "spin" for me

[SadieKate]

Mom, I completely agree with you. I think we sometimes get sloppy about how we use the terms and generally assume that when someone uses the term spinning they mean a high cadence . One-legged drills are a good example. You can't mash because you couldn't pull up on the pedal, but your cadence is very low. Therefore, technically, you are spinning because your stroke is even.

Here's my take on the definitions --

Mashing = only pushing down on the pedals

Spinning = Probably best described by Greg LeMond as driving forward with your knee across the top of the stroke and wiping goo off the bottom of your foot across the bottom of the stroke. It is very difficult to get a good spinning motion without clipless pedals.

Cadence - the speed at which your cranks/pedals are rotating.

[CorsairMac]

Thanks for the praise Grog - but it was Mom that said it! LOL

I always think of it as pedalling without resistance vs pushing the pedals. Hope that helps

[Geonz]

In our club it's a cadence thing. I go all the way around even when I'm mashing; I guess I'd grind those potatoes in a nice circle. I try to back off when in doubt, but as I've never had any issues with the knees I figure I'm okay and I'm just geared to those big gears, so to speak.

[han-grrl]

From experience, mashing is stomping on the pedals, depending on the high hard gear to propel the bike forward. think of the legs moving as pistons, up one side, down the other (repeat)

spinning has four components to the pedal stroke:
the bit of the push down, the drag across the bottom (like you are wiping mud off your shoe), the unweighting of the pedal then the driving the foot forward across the top. the unweighting is very subtle, and i have heard it described as basically getting your foot out of the way so the pedal moves up more freely. but essentially...think CIRCLES. think of drawing out circles with both feet. drills are easier to practice on a stationary bike and eventually the movements become much more instinctive. its better to think of scanning your pedal stroke as you pedal (like when you are climbing) as little reminders.

that's all i can think of...

H

[RoadRaven]

Just want to agree with the bulk of replies here...

Spinning should be/feel easy... like a spinning top, the effort is even around the circle of the spin... it should feel easy... hence the recommendations in cycling articles to change down to low gears and spin in order to save your knees.

Mashing is like Veronica said... a violent thing you do to spuds.
In terms of your legs on a bike it is grinding, a bit of a grunt, something you push your muscles into doing.

You can do both at low speed, and low cadence...
You can do both at high speed, and high cadence...

Mashing or spinning is told in how your legs work to achieve the cycling action...