Any suggestions on techniques for adjusting foot position on the move?
I have just started using pegged pedals.
I had managed to adjust foot position on my flat pedals but it is a lot harder with the pegs. I couldn’t go back as I realise the pegs really extend the effective power arc.
However I am struggling to shift my feet on the move when they are not in the right position.
I use ROC leather shoes with a hard flat rubber sole. Excellent when the feet are in the right spot as they never move.
If you can pedal with one foot, it only takes a little practice to get comfortable with lifting your foot while riding to reposition. I bet something good to practice would be to one foot pedal with your leg extended, rather than up on the frame.
I lift my foot just enough to move it quick and change position .
Practice is all I can suggest and expect some exciting upds.
Yes but that is an advanced skill. Adjusting foot position is something that becomes necessary quite early in the leaning curve. Moreover it can sometimes be desirable under considerable pedaling load which is not a situation for one footing it.
Over the past few days I have tried with pedals having different severity of pins. To some extent there is a trade off in pedal design between the ability to move and the propensity to stay put. My Nimbus pedals have bumps and this was easier to move about on than the Odyssey with pins but my foot would move at inopportune times in normal riding.
My conclusion was that the propensity for my foot to stay put was the most important and I would have to work out how to move on them when required.
After some experimenting I have made progress by moving the pressure point of my foot in a circle to generate a slow movement across the pedal. This technique actually takes advantage of the fact that the pin grip to my hard sole shoes is so good it is possible to reduce the hold to just a few pins while maintaining almost normal pedaling power arcs.
The movement on each cycle is small but, because it degrades power only minimally, the action can be maintained for multiple sequential cycles, accumulating the desired translation progressively without interrupting normal riding.
I’ll keep working at it an get a better understanding. Any feed back from anyone who wants to try the idea would be interesting.
I could be barking up the wrong tree but I keep thinking the principles of the harmonic drive has the potential to get involved here. Sorry I don’t have a better explanation of what I am talking about.
I find the easiest way, is to move one foot whilst the opposite foot is on the power stroke.
It is also easier if I am pedaling slowly, as I have more time.
Wearing spacious shoes can help for minor foot adjustments. For bigger adjustments I prefer to zig zag my foot across the pedal so that there is always foot pressure on the pedal.
I try to find the optimum foot position during the first 10 pedal strokes before quickening the cadence.
So how do you get on the unicycle and set your “initial foot” placement on the pedal?
1.) The traditional 3 & 9 o’clock “death mount”? This afford “great dominant foot” pedal placement but “totally random” weak foot placement. Unless, you do a few bunny hops to reposition. If you are a beginner, and you cannot bunny hop then you will end up with whatever foot placement you “get” on the weak foot side.
2.) The rock back idle mount? This allows you to re-set your foot before you start riding. Guaranteed to get you equal foot placement on the pedal.
I am only considering your initial foot placement. So, if you are not equally positioned from the get go it will only get worse.
If you are a beginner and cannot move your feet after you free mount, the best thing you can do is to stop against a wall or rail “hold on” and reset your foot on your pedal.
Then ride off. It will feel so much better than, trying to get used to each random foot placement after a “successful/shaky 3/9 o’clock freemount”. You are usually just happy that you free mounted, but now it’s time to ride off with “crooked feet”. Not fun.