In my recent blog post about the Value of a Bike Fit for Mountain Biking I had some great feedback from riders who had also found the traditional approach to bike fits lacking in real, long term solutions to the common problems riders seek them out – namely pain and performance. However, I also heard [...]
Manifesto (noun): a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer. The Flat Pedal Revolution Manifesto is the result of a long and unintended journey. As a strength coach with a passion for mountain biking I never wanted to become a leader of the Flat Pedal Revolution, much less put together [...]
Better is a relative term, especially when talking about artificial means of performance enhancement. The mistake people make is assuming that because something improves performance it must be better and therefore you want to use it all of the time. The fact is that equipment can either enhance good technique and fitness or cover up [...]
A few weeks ago I received a mildly beat up 5-10 box in the mail, the kind that their shoes come in. I knew I had some shoes on the way so I thought there must be a pair in the box. I took it home and opened up, only to find a pair of [...]
Last Wednesday an article ran on Pinkbike.com that caused some pretty big waves in the mountain bike community. Richard Cunningham, the technical editor for the site, wrote an in depth article spelling out his theory on why flat pedals, after enjoying several years of wins and podiums, have suddenly become almost absent from the top [...]
I get a lot of questions from mountain bikers about how to keep their feet planted on their flat pedals and I have found that it usually boils down to 3 things – Shoes, Pedal Selection and Foot Placement. If even one of these things is wrong you will struggle to feel comfortable on your [...]
I got some requests from people after my original Barefoot Pedaling post about how to pedal with the aid of the clipless interface. After thinking about it I realized it should be exactly how you run but clipless pedals allow you to change that natural rhythm. This video explains exactly how you should pedal, how [...]
While this advice is being directed at flat pedal riders, the advice holds true for clipless pedal riders as well. In short, you do not need a stiff soled shoe when riding flat pedals. Most riders get confused on the subject because they assume that since clipless pedals have stiff soles, they need stiff soled [...]
One of the most persistent myths in the mountain biking world surrounds the pedal stroke and goes something like this – without being attached to the pedals you can not use your hamstrings properly which forces you to rely too much on the quads the power the pedal stroke. By not being able to curl [...]
I get a lot of questions from mountain bikers about how to keep their feet planted on their flat pedals and I have found that it usually boils down to 3 things – Shoes, Pedal Selection and Foot Placement. If even one of these things is wrong you will struggle to feel comfortable on your [...]
There are few pieces of gear that changed my life as much as my 5-10′s did. I ride platform pedals and while I love them I always had issues with keeping my feet planted on them. For a while I was buying some $10 shoes from Payless that would work for about 2 months before [...]
This article is one I have been wanting to write for a while simply to clarify my overall position on this whole “flats vs. clipless pedals” debate. The internet is a double edged sword for me on this subject because, on one hand, it allows me a platform to easily get my ideas on this [...]
Your hamstrings are not made to produce power by curling at the knee and instead are made to produce power at the hips while helping to stabilize the knee joint. One of the most persistent objections I hear from riders who have never tried flats is that without being attached to the pedals you [...]
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 [...]
In this episode of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I interview Andy Clower, an athletic trainer and strength coach based out of Berkley CA. Andy is a true expert on the mechanics of the foot and made some interesting points in a recent article he wrote concerning the difference between true barefoot training and minimalist [...]
In this episode of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I talk to Greg Choat who is one of the top bike fit professionals in the world – yes, I said a bike fit guy! I ran into Greg at a Functional Movement Screen Lv. 2 seminar a few weeks after running my blog post on [...]
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 [...]
So my blog post on bike fits certainly caused some controversy, which is exactly what I wanted it to do. Being forced to critically think about your position on something instead of just going with it because it is how it has always been done is vital to the growth of a sport. However, as [...]
Better is a relative term, especially when talking about artificial means of performance enhancement. The mistake people make is assuming that because something improves performance it must be better and therefore you want to use it all of the time. The fact is that equipment can either enhance good technique and fitness or cover up [...]
Pulling up on the pedals through the top of the pedal stroke is a very common technique taught to mountain bikers. They are told that by pulling up with the trail leg they can generate equal tension on the pedals through the entire pedal stroke. Driving down hard with the leg, a.k.a “mashing”, is discouraged [...]
