One of my most popular podcasts interviews over the last few months was with trails rider and over all mountain biking stud Ryan Leech. At the end of our conversation I mentioned something off hand about flat pedals the tragedy of seeing new riders forced into the so quickly and Ryan was in both total agreement as to the need to learn how to ride on flats and surprised to hear that clipless pedals were being pushed so hard onto new riders.

Ryan was nice enough to join me for another podcast and in this one we dive into the use of flat pedals and how they enhance your balance, pedal stroke and skills as a rider. More importantly they enhance the FUN factor, which sometimes riders forget about. Ryan also gives us his advice for riders looking to make the switch from clipless to flat pedals and what you need to look for in a pedal and shoe to make it work.

All in all, Ryan does a great job of dispelling a lot of myths surrounding clipless pedals and reminds us that if trials riders – the most technically proficient riders in the world – don’t need to be attached to the pedals them few of us really do.

Download this episode (right click and save)

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals, Mountain Bike Skills Training, Podcasts

A centered, focused mind allows a man to exceed the sum of his psychological parts. – Katsuki Sekida, Zen Training

What is the point of having the best bike and training your butt off so you are in great shape if the most important part of the whole equation is lacking? In other words, until you can harness the power of your mind then what does anything else matter?

One of the more common questions I get from mountain bike riders, especially those that race, is how to focus and avoid “blowing it” when it counts. My first response is that if you ride not to “blow it” instead of to have fun or “kill it” then you’ve already lost – just like you don’t want to look at the rock you don’t want to hit you don’t want to focus your thoughts on what you don’t want to do.

However, this is easier said than done. Testing your skills and fitness against other riders or The Trail can be a nerve racking experience and cause your mind to go a million different directions. This is especially true when physical damage is a very real possibility, like when you are getting ready to drop in on a sketchy line or pedal into a big jump or drop. If your mind is not focused then your body can not perform and the odds of you screwing up and getting hurt increase dramatically.

One of the things that has allowed me to go from a new rider who wrecked trying to jump off a curb to someone who has ridden some pretty scary lines and launch some pretty big jumps is my ability to first calm and then focus my mind. This is one of the few things with riding that came naturally to me and, like most people who are naturally good at something, I did not understand why other riders struggled with it.

However, as a coach I knew I needed to understand the process so I could explain it better and over the years I have read a lot of books on getting yourself in to the mythical Zone – that place where you act on an almost unconscious level. Through several books and paying attention to what I do when confronted with my “monkey mind” (the Eastern term for the voice in your head that chatters away like a monkey) I have noticed that getting your mind focused requires two steps – Calming and Visualizing.

Calming

- The key to calming the mind is harnessing you breathing. Knowing how to breathe with the diaphragm is important for several reasons but especially for being able to calm the mind and getting ready to focus it on a specific task.

- A good diaphragmatic breath will start in the belly and expand the waistline before traveling into the lower and finally upper lungs. Reverse this procedure to exhale.

- Breath in and out only through your nose and try not to make a sound – much easier said than done for a society of mouth breathers!

- Focus on your breathing at this point and don’t let any other thoughts distract your focus. Aim for 10 uninterrupted breaths, letting any stray thoughts that pop into your head go before they “take root” and expand, pulling your attention away from your breathing. If this happens start over at 1 and work on achieving your 10 calming breathes.

Visualizing

- Now that you have your mind clear and your breathing under control it is time to turn that focus to the specific task at hand. The key to visualizing is to play a movie in your head that includes as much detail as possible.

- The more detail you can use the better – you have to see, feel, hear and touch the vision. Studies have shown that when vividly visualizing a task the involved muscles will fire in the same pattern as if they were actually doing the movements involved. In other words, your muscles don’t know it isn’t real and you get a chance to literally “practice” the movements in your mind. In fact, I will close my eyes, hold an imaginary handlebar and “ride” what I see in my head, complete with the body movements I will be using – I want to feel like I’ve ridden whatever I saw in my head before I actually drop in on it.

- During visualization there should be some sort of physical manifestation of your vision and it is not uncommon to feel an increased heart rate and even goose bumps if you do it right. You should finish your visualization feeling fired up, calm and focused.

- Be careful of outside distractions during this process since your carefully constructed images can be smashed to bits if someone or something interrupts you. Ever wonder why so many top riders are seen wearing headphones before a big race or run on their bike? Music (which is another powerful psyche up tool in itself) also helps keep the outside distractions to a minimum and allows them to really live in their head before it is time to ride.

- What you visualize will depend a lot on what you are psyching up for. If you are getting ready to drop in on a single jump line or section of trail then you can focus like a laser on that one thing. If you are getting ready to drop in on a DH race run then you will want to see the whole run you have planned out, paying particular attention to the sections of the track that will make or break your run. If you are getting ready to start a longer race – like a Super D or XC race – then you will want to visualize the important aspects of the race, which could be the start, a particular hill, a strong finish or whatever tends to make you anxious when you think about your overall race performance.

- Don’t overuse this powerful technique. Save Visualization for when you really need it, like race runs and dropping in on something brand new to you. If you find yourself having to get psyched up for you local group ride you may need to check out my article on Training, Playing and Working Out to gain some perspective.

Like most things this process will take practice and patience. You’ll also need to let go of your ego – closing your eyes to aid the process is important and you may look silly to someone who doesn’t understand the process. If you are more worried about how you look to other riders than how you ride then you’ll struggle to take advantage of this.

Eventually you will be able to go through a whole Calming and Visualization procedure without anyone even know what you just did. You may have a distant look in your eye but the need to close your eyes to focus your breathing and mind will no longer be there.

This process works just as well with anything that requires a calm, focused mind – working out, getting ready for an important interview or speech, preparing for a needed confrontation with someone or anything else that can easily be derailed by lack of control over your emotions and mental state. While I have presented it here in the context of riding the truth is that most successful people in business and life have learned to use this process on some level to help them perform when it matters the most.

I hope this article has sparked your interest in learning more about harnessing the power of you mind and given you some basic tools to start using today to do just that. I tell my new clients that true strength comes from the neck up first before you can tap into what you have from the neck down and learning to calm and focus the mind it as the heart of that process.

If you want to read more on this subject I highly recommend two books:

10 Minute Toughness by Jason Selk: This is one of the most practical books I have read on this subject. Jason does an excellent job of cutting through the BS and showing you exactly how to construct your own routine to help you calm and focus the mind when it matters most.

The Purposeful Primitive by Marty Gallagher: While this amazing training book covers all aspects of fitness and nutrition there is a great chapter on the mind. Marty is one of those guys who has forgotten more about training than most of us will ever learn and you’ll be amazed at the insights in this book, especially the mindset stuff.

- James Wilson -

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Mountain Bike Skills Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training

The “hip hinge” movement pattern is your basic ability to move from your hips and not your lower back. It is a vital movement on your mountain bike because without it you simply can not achieve good, balanced body position. Being able to get your butt back and chest down while maintaining a long spine improves your balance, pedaling power and reduces the amount of stress on your lower back and shoulders, however most riders have trouble with their hip hinge and so struggle with applying this concept to the trail.

On page 5 of this PDF handout covering the Functional Movement Screen is the Active Straight Leg Raise screen and if you struggle with it (or more simply struggle to touch your toes) then these exercises here will help you fix the movement issue. Once you have improved your hip hinge you will find yourself able to more easily achieve strong, balanced body position on the bike.

BTW, I just posted a skills training video covering body position and how the deadlift ties into the body position on the bike on my Inner Circle website, if you are not currently a member then you can learn more about the exclusive workouts, skills training videos and other stuff visiting www.mountainbiketrainingprograms.com.

-James Wilson-

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Mountain Bike Skills Training, Mountain Bike Strength Training

One of the biggest obstacles I face when trying to discuss clipless vs. flat pedals with riders is that there are a lot of pseudo-technique that has been developed by the clipless pedal industry and sold to the cycling world. For example, one of the common things I hear as an argument against flats is that they don’t allow for “float” since the rubber of the shoe sticks to the pins of the pedal and does not allow for lateral rotation of the shoe. This is said as if that is a bad thing since the shoe and pedal makers all promote “float” as an essential element of a pedal.

However, what gets lost is that float is not a natural thing – the two dimensional activity allowed by float in no way resembles the three dimensional action the foot takes when walking or running. Float was created because it was better than the simply locking the foot into place and allowing for no movement at the foot, which wreaks havoc on the knees.

If you look at how your foot works off the bike then you see that the contact patch with the ground at the point of pushing off does not move laterally and instead stays planted. Your foot, on the other hand, went through a whole series of movements in all three dimensions as it struck the ground mid-foot, bent and rolled through the arch to the forefoot and then pushed off from there. Your foot needs this specific movement sequence, not some manmade mish-mash of crap created by “optimal float”.

You can not just look at the end of a movement and disregard how your body got to that point in the first place. The clipless pedal and shoe does just that – the attachment point is placed based on maximizing the push off point of the foot and severely restricts the action the foot normally takes to get there. Float is simply an attempt to minimize the damage from such a disregard for natural foot movement.

So yes, flat pedals don’t have float which is actually another reason that I ride them. Float is a sad trade off for the natural foot movement my body needs to stay healthy as I rack up the miles/ hours on the trail. Again, use clipless pedals for what they were intended to be – a performance enhancer on race day, not as a fall back crutch for a lazy pedal stroke and riding technique. And don’t let industry created hype terms scare you from trying flat pedals and seeing how much better your joints feel and your riding improves.

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals, Mountain Bike Skills Training

So I’m going to piss some people off with this statement but I feel it needs to be said -

A bike fit is extremely overrated for mountain biking.

I know that they have a place in some cases but for your average trail rider I think that they are close to worthless. First, bike fits usually just help you maximize your dysfunctions, which may result in a short term performance gain but does not really make you a better rider. Second, I strongly believe that seated pedaling is simply bad for the body in the first place and should be minimized, not fortified. Lastly, bike fits rarely take the technical skill side of trail riding into account.

Maximizing Your Dysfunctions

If you are performing a bike fit on a rider who does not have a clean Functional Movement Screen (2s on everything with no asymmetries) then you are no better than the doctor who prescribes pills before trying to get the patient to make the lifestyle changes needed to fix the real problem. How can you “fit” anything when someone can’t even touch their toes or perform a half-ass bodyweight squat without falling apart?

The only thing you are fitting is their dysfunctions to the bike. Allowing someone to lean even harder on bad movement so they can go further and faster is not really helping the situation. The fact that no one ever gets a fit that lasts forever should tell your something – since the fit did not fix the underlying problem of bad movement habits the body eventually develops pain in new areas. Fix the movement issue first and then see what needs to be done.

Seated Pedaling Should be Minimized, Not Fortified

A bike fit only “works” as long as you are sitting down – as soon as you stand up all the precious measurements go out the window and you are no longer benefitting from your investment. The problem is, as a trail rider you should be spending way more time standing up and only using seated pedaling to get ready for your next standing effort.

Standing up naturally takes care of any “fit” issues as it forces full knee extension, fuller hip extension, a straighter spine and less strain on the neck. Sitting down to pedal places your body in a jacked up position and a fit is simply trying to make the best of a bad situation. The less you are laying down hard efforts when sitting down the less you have to worry about your seat being 4 mm too low or some absurd thing like that.

On a side note, this is why singlespeed riding has gained the reputation it has as a way to “train” for riding your regular bike – it simply makes you stand up more and push a harder gear instead of clicking down and keeping your 90+ rpm spin going. It shouldn’t take a singlespeed to make you stand up and be a man on the trail.

Sure it’s harder but mountain biking is not about seeking the path of least resistance. On the trail, standing up more is the mark of a strong, confident rider and it also naturally takes care of “fit” issues.

The Technical Skill Side of Trail Riding

Trail riding requires a large degree of technical skill, which is something that most bike fits don’t take into account. To maximize your trail riding your want to outfit your bike in a way that will allow for maximum skill and efficiency – which means prioritizing the bike, not the rider.

For example, in order to corner effectively and feel confident on steep pitches you need a stem that is 60 mm or less – period. A longer stem makes steering sluggish and makes it tough to keep your weight back as the trail gets steeper. Switching out to a longer stem because your hip mobility sucks (see Maximizing Your Dysfunctions above) and the bike fit formula said that an 80-100 mm stem would “fit” you better is actually screwing up your trail riding, which is probably not what you wanted to spend money on.

On the trail you need to select your tool based on its ability to do what you want on the trail and then fit your body to that tool. Don’t force an inferior tool on yourself when what you really need is some good ol’ mobility and strength work.

I always have to bring some perspective back to the argument so people don’t think that I hate bike fits and that you should go get an angry mob and some torches and go get the guy who put that longer stem on your bike in the name of a “better bike fit”. Like I said before before, at the highest levels stuff like that does matter. Once you have a clean Functional Movement Screen then a bike fit can be helpful, especially if you spend a lot of time in the saddle.

However, they are a Q4 method for Q4 athletes (check out my article on the 4 Quadrants of Training (link to post) if you don’t know what Q4 means) and, like clipless pedals, can quickly become a crutch being sold to desperate riders who really need to re-evaluate how they ride and how they prepare for riding. Most people will always look for a magic bullet and I know that this will mostly fall on deaf and defensive ears, which is fine. However, if I can get a few riders to scratch their head and think about the points I’ve made then I’d happy.

So, I know that you have an opinion on this subject and I’d love to hear what it is. Post a comment below to let me know what you think…

-James Wilson

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Mountain Bike Skills Training, Mountain Biking

One of the best parts of my job is when I get contacted by other passionate coaches who want to share their knowledge with me. This is an email I got from just such a coach regarding foot placement on flat pedals and I wanted to share it with everyone…

James,

There is not really an exact drill for foot placement it more ties in with the neutral position this is one of the basic biomechanical skills which are the basis of most sports.

I won’t go into all the basics of biomechanics but it is the understanding of the human body in relation to mechanical principals this better enables us to get a good perspective on the rider and bike dynamics. In Mountain biking it incorporates Centre of Mass, Base of support, Stability, Forces & torques, maximum force, impulse, motion & velocity, Momentum, Balance and Mental focus which is not part of biomechanics but is a very important part of riding. Then there is the biomechanical skills that the rider has direct influences on such as stance & balance, range of motion, pressure control, traction control and timing & coordination.

So from an instructors point of view the foot position is thought in conjunction with the neutral riding position, this is the basic standing position which places the rider centered over their bike in the best position for support allowing the greatest range of motion, this offers better stability, balance and the best place to exert pressure/forces on the bike.

The basics of the neutral riding position for the intermediate flat pedal rider should be:

1. Relaxed – supporting your body weight, knees slightly bent, pedals level and most weight on their feet 80%. Hips bent, tail bone out.

2. Only one finger on the brakes and elbows slightly bent and out. Brakes are so powerful one finger is plenty, practice this, you will need three fingers gripping the handlebars when the going gets rough!

3. Looking ahead, scanning the trail up to 10m – not blinkered into just looking straight ahead.

4. Pedals level, feet forward and centered over center of pedals. This increases traction on the pedals and helps calf muscles relax a little. Heels slightly dug in is optimum but not critical at this stage but it’s a must for later progression.

First off we want to understand why the extremes of pedal positions are wrong e.g. the ball and toes on the pedal, this upsets your stable, balanced base of support, you’ll find it hard to dig your heels in safely, your foot and calves will take most of the weight – not ideal when descending for along time. With your heel on the pedal your toes end up pointing out, your weight is too far forward and you lack control and stability, its harder to absorb the upward acting forces from the ground and bike with finesse or control your body weight acting down because of the lack of grip on the pedal.

Drills should be practiced on a flat area where it is safe to do so:

1. Place your foot centered over the center of the pedals – the axle should be roughly under the center of your foot, slightly towards the ball of your foot.

2. Bounce on your pedals; as in apply downward pressure with your legs onto the pedals this is done by using your legs and hips to press your feet onto your pedals which in turn presses the tyres onto the ground, it’s slightly easier to understand with a full suspension because the pressure acts by loading/squatting the rear suspension more which increases the traction. A good cue is if you can hear the tyre traction increase when you are applying the force/pressure to the pedals. During this drill you do not need to apply any extra pressure with your hands/arms they should move in union with your body which should give you an 80:20 split bias to the legs.

3. This ‘bounce’ will also centre your mass every time, if you ‘bounce’ too far forward and too far back you will experience a lack of control and you’re unable to apply the same pressure as when centered. Make sure more force is being applied through the pedals which if in the right position will cause the forks to load/squat and rebound.

4. It’s worth while getting off your bike and trying to balance on each extreme of foot placement, remaining on the balls of your feet with your knees bent for a while and see how tired your legs get and when on your heels try jumping up and down and absorbing the landing with your heels not only will you see the stability issues but also the lack of control you have over the landing certainly no grace or finesse to it. Now try with your foot flat on the ground, knees bent, first you notice your feet will not get as tired as you’re able to use the big muscles of the legs & hips to support yourself and using the full capabilities of your foot/ankle you see how much better you can jump and absorb the landing with great stability, control and finesse many times over and over.

From this point in regards to the neutral position it is then taught to bounce/apply pressure to pedals (80%) and bars (20%) before and after each corner, technical section, jump etc because it helps the rider to relax and get into a good position all the time. After awhile it becomes habit but can be a great tool for the more experienced rider who tenses up when faced with a challenge.

This is some insight into the basic neutral position and will encourage riders to actively think about their position helping them use it to their advantage.

The best way to improve your riding and progress your skills is with a good instructor.

All the best,

Pete O’Loclann

www.bearbackbiking.com – Whistler’s Mountain bike holiday specialists.

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Mountain Bike Skills Training