As the study put it, force and power at the pedal reflect the combined effects of muscular effort, gravity in the form of the weight of the leg, and accelerating and decelerating the leg during the pedal stroke.

60-100% are common with 100% being good or all power was used to push the pedal in a positive direction. Smoothness is how the power is delivered throughout the entire pedal stroke. It’s calculated from the average power/maximum power of the P+ and P- above.

High scores in pedal smoothness and torque effectiveness are indicative of “circular” pedaling. If you think that’s important, then do drills to emphasize/train that style. One legged drills, as suggested, are a good way to see how high you can get; but even then, over 40% PS is pretty tough to get to.

6 easy steps to cycling pedalling technique supremacy. 1 1. Get your bike set up correctly. To see this content you need to update your cookie settings. 2 2. Play with cadence. 3 3. Aim for even power distribution – and try mountain biking. 4 4. Practise single leg drills. 5 5. Pull your pedals in semicircles.

“Normally the most important aspect of pedalling is to pull backwards at the bottom of the pedal stroke. As the pedal moves towards the bottom switch from a pushing down motion to a pulling back movement.

As power level increases, cyclists don’t pedal in circles. Martin cited 1991 research by Ed Coyle , et al, involving regional level competitors and elite racers — pros and U.S. national team members. Coyle found that elite cyclists pushed down harder and pulled up less than the less-accomplished riders.