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Smart Cycling
Coaching
Improvement Ideas
If you are like most people, you want to get
better at things you have an interest in. Practice does make
perfect, but the question is; What should you be practicing? If
you ride a bicycle, you have to pedal in order to get anywhere.
No matter whether you are a competitive cyclist, triathlete or
just a weekend recreational rider you can always improve your
pedaling technique. There are plenty of skill drills that help
improve your pedaling, but how do you know if they are actually
working. Simple...test yourself.
Spin Scan Pedaling Technique Test
Protocol
Sometimes a piece of equipment comes along that
changes everything. Back about 20 years ago, a company called
RacerMate came up with a device called the CompuTrainer. It was
a computerized stationary trainer that used a Nintendo game
controller to operate the software. It provided the user with a
lot of information; speed, distance, time, heart rate, power
output and most important - it analyzed the rider's pedaling
technique in real time. Spin Scan is still the only system that
shows the rider exactly how they are pedaling, while they are
pedaling. CompuTrainers have become so popular that there are
coaching or training services that specialize in nothing else
than multi-rider centers. It is likely there is a CompuTrainer
multi-rider center near you.
When testing on a CompuTrainer with Spin Scan
running, it becomes obvious that many athletes have poor or even
bad pedaling technique. In order to improve their efficiency it
is a good idea to test their pedaling technique at various
cadences and gear combinations. This helps determine where the
athlete’s pedal stroke begins to falter.
Most athletes have a range of comfort that is
also their range of efficient pedaling. When they are forced to
pedal at a greater load or a higher cadence their stroke
collapses, they begin to waste energy and lose ground. There are
many causes for this failure including, but not limited to; leg
length discrepancy, improper shoe fit, hand position, lack of
flexibility, improper bike fit, poor gearing choices, lack of
familiarity with high cadences and improper crank arm length to
name just a few. By having the athlete gradually increase their
cadence under load, you can identify where their pedal stroke
begins to fail. Not only that, but you can tell which leg fails
first and at what part of the pedal stroke. There are two
versions of display for Spin Scan.
One is a simple bar graph that shows the pedal
stroke in the form of colored bars. The other version is a bit
more complex and displays the pedal stroke as a polar or
circular chart. The only real difference between the bar graph
and the polar graph is the display on the screen. Some athletes
have a harder time understanding or adjusting to the polar view
graph and thus prefer the bar graph protocol instead.
Below are two test formats that are done with the
CompuTrainer in Spin Scan display mode only, not with a
programmed course. It is suggested that the gradient be kept at
zero percent when first doing this test. Later testing can be
done with a gradient level added. This type of testing should
include elevating the athlete’s front wheel so as to simulate
actually riding up a grade. The tester can then monitor any
changes in the athlete’s pedal stroke when the bike is no longer
level.
When performing this test the athlete should
warm-up properly and then proceed through each step, pedaling
for three minutes at each cadence level. This allows the athlete
to settle in to each level and give a more accurate picture of
their efficiency. The athlete should progress through as many
cadence levels as possible in order to determine their limits.
The test should end when the athlete can no longer maintain a
Spin Scan average above 65. The Spin Scan number is the number
displayed in the center of the of the Bar Graph screen directly
under SPIN SCAN.
Even
if the athlete does not have regular access to a CompuTrainer,
they can still identify what proper pedaling technique feels
like. That way when they are training on their own, they can
work on the technique they learned during the tests. It is a
good idea to save Spin Scan tests in order to make comparisons
of improvement. It may also be helpful to have the athlete be
able to see themselves in a mirror from the front and the side.
If possible, video tape the test so the athlete can see what
they look like at different angles, including from behind.
Here are two simple test forms that can be used for recording
the results of the tests.
Try this and see if you don't become a better cyclist. Good
Luck!
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Smart
Cycling Coaching
P.O. Box 8351
Northfield, IL 60093
Telephone (847) 902-1624
smartcyclinginc@sbcglobal.net
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