When pedaling on my bicycle my leg on the downstroke of the pedal is almost fully extended. When I ride my unicycle I use to do the same. I recently lowered my seat and now have more bend in my leg. It seems to allows me to be more efficient in my pedaling…Anybody have any thoughts on this? I have a 29 in and a 36 in unicycle.
It might feel like it but I don’t think it is more efficient.
I think it’s just more comfortable.
I find with time my seat has migrated down (on purpose). I’m guessing because my skill level is going up and so is my cardio so the comfort overrides the efficiency.
I ride this way: legs always flexed on every sizes of unis.
I was forced to do so cause if my legs are too much straight (when the seat is too high) I suffer from ITB syndrome.
Anyway this way of riding allows me to handle holes, bumps, curbs better.
Is it more efficient? I don’t know.
Since I started riding, ever time I raised the seat slightly, I liked it, and as a result, my seat is very high right now. I generally sit on the very back edge of the seat, and if I have to drop off a curb (or do most things technical), I use my hands to push the seat slightly out-in-front, giving me more clearance.
Someone correct me, but I think it’s generally considered more efficient to ride with a higher seat / straighter leg. But, we are all different, we ride different unicycles, on different terrain, etc. If something works for another rider, that’s valid, but I am curious why it works.
If our legs are straighter, there is more chance the seat is getting wedged between the groin area. Maybe bent knees contribute to a more comfortable experience on the seat because the rider sits with their legs slightly more spread.