[graaja]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Would love it if the experts like graaja and ninja and Amitoj could comment on what they see. Any suggestions.

I notice two points from the series of pictures.

1. You seem to pedal with the arch of your feet. The right way to pedal is using the ball of the feet.
2. From your head position, it looks like your line of sight is quite close to the front wheel. You should actually set your line of sight farther by looking straight. This will give you time to execute evasive maneuvers like braking or steering when you see obstacles like stones, or potholes.

Upper torso and arms position. The stem is at its highest position. I find this the most comfortable. I could put the stem lower and more forward, to get a lower more stretched out upper body stance, but I find that puts too much pressure in the hands and I get low back pain (especially on the right for some reason) if I'm doing a hard climb or over 100 Kms.

An important point to remember in cycling is that you need to use your core to hold your body in position and not the arms to support your weight. You arms should actually be just resting on the handlebar and is meant for steering, braking, gear shifting etc. Your core should support most of your weight. However, this is easier said than done Start consciously engaging your core now and then and remove weight off your hands. Do this consistently for shorter distances and slowly increase the distance. Last time I had been to a bike fit session, the bike fit expert gave me this idea of putting a sticker on the handle bar with "Engage Core" written on it. This will remind you to engage your core whenever you shift your weight to hands.

How about the knee extension and saddle height? And the knee over pedal spindle at 9 o'clock position (did not manage a good sideways shot for that).

This one is very difficult to judge. The actual saddle height and knee extension varies between individuals based on their flexibility. The best way to judge this is check if your hips move when you pedal. With optimum saddle height, your sit bones should totally support you on the saddle and there will be no oscillation of the hip joints during pedal stroke.

Hope this helps

[ebonho]

Thanks Ganesh. Always great to learn from you guys!

Originally Posted by graaja

1. You seem to pedal with the arch of your feet. The right way to pedal is using the ball of the feet.

I have lost count of the number of times I start a ride consciously doing that. But somehow the feet always slip back into that default position for effort or with time/fatigue. It feels most natural. Could be frame related.

2. From your head position, it looks like your line of sight is quite close to the front wheel. You should actually set your line of sight farther by looking straight. This will give you time to execute evasive maneuvers like braking or steering when you see obstacles like stones, or potholes.

Agree. But this is an easy one bro. I was climbing. at 12-14 kmph. On butter smooth wide roads. And when I climb I find it mentally (psychologically) helps to look just ahead and plod on rather than look into the distance and get depressed/demoralized by the number of corners and following uphill straight sections you can still see with no end in sight. That and counting are my go-to techniques.in

On flats while driving a high gear hard or fast twisty downhills, I do exactly what you mention.

Last time I had been to a bike fit session, the bike fit expert gave me this idea of putting a sticker on the handle bar with "Engage Core" written on it. This will remind you to engage your core whenever you shift your weight to hands.

Great advice again. Can you explain how you "engage the core" while riding? How long can you sustain that? On climbs, I find my low back getting a serious workout. To the extent of beginning to ache on the longer climbs.

The best way to judge this is check if your hips move when you pedal. With optimum saddle height, your sit bones should totally support you on the saddle and there will be no oscillation of the hip joints during pedal stroke.

Nope. The backside is properly planted and there is no rocking. On hard efforts (steep sections of climbs) there is the torso and low back being recruited for the additional power though. As mentioned above.

Thanks once again. That was really helpful.



Cheers, Doc

[graaja]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Great advice again. Can you explain how you "engage the core" while riding? How long can you sustain that? On climbs, I find my low back getting a serious workout. To the extent of beginning to ache on the longer climbs.

Nope. The backside is properly planted and there is no rocking. On hard efforts (steep sections of climbs) there is the torso and low back being recruited for the additional power though. As mentioned above.

Even I am training to do this and this is proving to be quite a difficult one. I am able to do this maybe 5 minutes at a stretch now. I will keep working on this.

It is a little difficult to explain how to engage the core. In simple terms, if you hold your cycling position (body leaning at an angle that you do while riding) without any support on the handle bar, you will be using your core muscles. Check out the below video. You will feel the load on the core muscles when you do these exercises. And while cycling, you need to do something similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmHqBYFYwmc

Also, if you strengthen your core and engage it while riding, that will also address your lower back pain during high intensity efforts.

[dailydriver]

Came across this interesting video about a new manner of cycling. I am not an avid cyclist nor am I well conversant with the technicalities. Hence, wouldn't dare make any comments.

https://youtu.be/ldcdiu82-_Y

Needless to say, no affiliations whatsoever.

[RishikeshK]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I have lost count of the number of times I start a ride consciously doing that. But somehow the feet always slip back into that default position for effort or with time/fatigue. It feels most natural. Could be frame related.

You could try using the strapless toe-clips from Decathlon. I've been using them since a long time. They are very useful in maintaining the correct position of balls of the feet and also arresting the feet slipping ahead during fast/hard peddling.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by RishikeshK

You could try using the strapless toe-clips from Decathlon. I've been using them since a long time. They are very useful in maintaining the correct position of balls of the feet and also arresting the feet slipping ahead during fast/hard peddling.

Thanks Rishikesh. Coincidentally I fitted those last night and had my first ride with them today morning.

The left foot was reasonably comfortable (though even in that towards the end I was getting numbness/pins n needles sensation) but the right foot was really not comfortable. As in the foot was slightly deviated outward anatomically, but the gap in the front of the toe clip was not aligning with the tip of the shoe, so that the tip of the shoe was constantly pressed against the right bar of the toe clip arch, instead of in the gap just to the left of it.

Also while both my feet (size 9) have the ball over the pedal, it does not feel natural to me. A little more space for the foot to move forward (even a cm or a bit more) would have been better.

I'll first try and switch left to right tonight and see tomorrow morning.

Cheers Doc

[RishikeshK]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I'll first try and switch left to right tonight and see tomorrow morning.

AFAIR, both the clips are identical. May be it's about getting used to. You can always try swapping though.

Also, during long rides I do feel a need to alter the foot position temporarily. That's when I just flip the pedal over to the non-clip side and place the foot the way I please . Thankfully, the clips haven't scrapped the road doing so till now !!

[sujithsidhardha]

Originally Posted by ACM

Replaced seat for comfort.

I'm also looking to change the seat to a more comfortable one on my RR520. Now its stock. To what model you changed the seat and how it feels after the change? Any suggestions for a long ride that lasts around 4 hours?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by RishikeshK

AFAIR, both the clips are identical. May be it's about getting used to. You can always try swapping though.

Also, during long rides I do feel a need to alter the foot position temporarily. That's when I just flip the pedal over to the non-clip side and place the foot the way I please . Thankfully, the clips haven't scrapped the road doing so till now !!

What's your shoe size Rishikesh?

I think I will needs spacers.

The angle of the clips is better now with the switch last night.

But I still feel as if I am pedaling with my toes (not enough of my foot inside). And the inside of the right foot keeps brushing the crank arm.

Cheers, Doc

[ACM]

Originally Posted by sujithsidhardha

I'm also looking to change the seat to a more comfortable. Now its stock. To what model you changed the seat and how it feels after the change? Any suggestions for a long ride.

I am large so selected this one. I bought the Btwin gel seat earlier. It was a waste of money.

If you ride seated reasonably upright rather than bent over the handle bar this works well. It is neither too soft nor too hard. I normally ride a max of 2 hrs though.

[RishikeshK]

Originally Posted by ebonho

What's your shoe size Rishikesh?

My shoe size is 8. So yes, spacers will be useful. Do try and let us know.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by RishikeshK

My shoe size is 8. So yes, spacers will be useful. Do try and let us know.

I'm wearing size 10 running shoes for cycling. My second pair is exactly the same as my first one.

I took the clips off. Did a short run to get my feet in my normal natural position, then rode back into my compound and held on to the gate post without shifting my feet on or off the pedals.

My son was instructed and waiting. He slipped the clips on to the front of my shoes and then made a line with a piece of chalk on each sole along the front top edge of the pedal.

I then took my shoes off and measured the gap between the base of the clip that usually bolts on to the pedal, and the line on the sole.

3 cm on each foot.

So I would need a spacer of 3 cm.

As a stop gap I went to my hardware guy and bought 4 hardened steel 4.5 cm bolts.

For the spacer, ideally I would have liked cylindrical one piece tubes to slip over the bolts. But since no one seemed to have those, used a series of nuts instead. 4 large ones slid over the initial non threaded part of each bolt, and then tightened them down with 3 smaller threaded ones on the threaded ends of the bolts to make exactly 3 cm stack height.

Tightened the washer bolt on the inside of the pedal, and now I had extended toe cages on each pedal.

Important to check that the clip does not foul with the front wheel on moving the handle left and right with each crank arm in the 9 o'clock position.

No fouling. At least a couple of cm clearance. If they fouled I would have taken off a threaded not from each bolt and checked again. Was not needed.

The clips however do touch the ground on each side with the crank arms in the 6 o'clock position. But I'm thinking that's really not going to be an issue while riding. Even if flipped to the opposite non-clip platform side.

Looking forward to the trial run tomorrow morning.

Cheers, Doc

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ACM

If you ride seated reasonably upright rather than bent over the handle bar this works well. It is neither too soft nor too hard. I normally ride a max of 2 hrs though.

Please provide more details of the seat you're using, a link would help a lot if possible.

The stock narrow seats on the Shwinn are a pain to ride on, not so evident when you ride but the pain does linger for some time after.

As an update on my riding, have started to use the cycle for nearby commutes, and since its hard to keep track of distance and speed I'd be attaching the Sigma to it shortly, would post updates once done.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Please provide more details of the seat you're using, a link would help a lot if possible.

The stock narrow seats on the Shwinn are a pain to ride on, not so evident when you ride but the pain does linger for some time after.

It is the Decathlon Comfort Wide Seat saddle. It is currently not listed on Btwin site. It is shown as out of stock on flipkart.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ACM

It is the Decathlon Comfort Wide Seat saddle. It is currently not listed on Btwin site. It is shown as out of stock on flipkart.

Managed to source something identical from the nearby cycle store for Rs.1890/-

Stock:




Aftermarket:



Thank you for steering me in this direction, the new seat being Jel makes a whole world of difference.

Edit:

Just Googled a bit and got to know that the seat is hand made by a German company called 'Wittkop', a screencap of the same in their brochure;



The model is 'Big Classic', hope that helps.