I am having problems with my pedal stroke - one leg skips quite strongly when I pick up the cadence. Now, as a beginner, this means that I am going from SLOW to NOT so slow

When my pedal starts "skipping" it feels like it is free-wheeling for at least half of the pedal stroke, and then there is a "catch" as it kicks in again - I hope that is clear

There seems to be three things that could be causing this:

  • Leg length (actual or functional)
  • One leg significantly stronger than the other
  • Use of platform pedals without clips or cleats (I clip in during spinning class)


While I do have a little strength difference between the two legs, my trainer has been hitting the bilateral strength difference in my lower body heavily over the past two months - I don't think the difference is significant any longer. Time will tell if number 1 or 2 is a part of this - and I have a fitting scheduled at my LBS in mid-January.

Someone on this forum suggested in another thread that it is very possibly due to the use of platform pedals without clips or cleats - my body is already accustomed to pulling/pushing through the full stroke and of course one can't do that with just platform pedals. I will talk with my trainer/spinning instructor about this to see what he thinks. Saturday I DID notice the smallest amount of "skipping" on one pedal of the spinning bike...

If the latter should turn out to be the case, I am considering my options. I really do not think that I should be clipping in this early in the learning process. Once I am a little more comfortable with starting/stopping at different speeds, and can signal properly/comfortably, then I will probably make the plunge - but I have to get there.

The problem is that the "skipping" is pronounced enough that my momentum is affected by this - and Saturday it affected both pedals - not just one. I do NOT like the floppy toe clips that came with my bike, and the actual toe cage is so small that I can't figure out how useful it could be anyway.

I've been looking on the internet for other options and found this:

http://powergrips.mrpbike.com/

Would this be a viable alternative to the toe clips until I am comfortable enough to start working with clipless pedals? Of course the underlying cause of my pedal-stroke problem still has to be solved - so I won't be making any purchases right away. I LIKE the idea of clipping in, but I just don't think that it is time for that yet and it may not be until late Spring.