Blog

I see this many times during the weekly community rides, especially at female riders, where there is a tendency to pedal with somewhat straight ankles and toes pointing downwards - called "ballet feet" which is great if you're performing ballet :)

But you're cycling and "ballet feet" causes unnecessary strain on your knees, Achilles tendons as well as your pelvis and Sacroiliac joint (SI-joint)

- this can easy be seen riding behind you, as your pelvis left/right Iliac Crest's can be seen going up/down during the pedal stroke - we call this "tilt with the pelvis"

The Reason in 99% is:

Your saddle is too high, like 7-12mm. too high, and therefore your  body have no other option than to compensate at your pelvis and your ankles to straighten out hence your toes pointing down.

ONLY your Bikefitter can check how much too high your saddle is!

I use the plumb line for checking/determining the saddle position before/after and the Goniometer to check your angle (at DBC/Dead Bottom Center) formed by your greater trochanter, lateral femoral condyle and lateral malleolus.

I want you to been between 30-35 degree and once saddle height is adjusted, you get the task to thinking about pushing your heel down during the forward power zone in your pedal stroke.

Here you activate your calf muscle, your hind thigh and your 3 gluteus muscles - and here's where the real power comes from , these muscles are far larger and powerful and we need to activate them maximal during the pedal stroke.

With correct saddle height you'll have as close to horizontal as possible at 15:00 o'clock in your forward pedal stroke, and 2-4cm lifted heel from horizontal at the bottom of your pedal stroke.

When "Ballet feet with pointer toes" are observed, it's easy to see, that the calf muscle do not move, it' totally isolated - which is certainly not good for earlier mentioned reasons - also because this vice versa means, that you're over abusing your shin bone muscle Tibialis Anterior which can cause it's own set of problems.

"Ballet Feet Fun Facts"

Originally it came from the PRO PELOTON riders some 50 years ago, where there was no cleats invented and Toe-clips was used instead, here the riders had to point toes downwards during the backside of the pedal stroke, in order to have it clipped in when they came to the top and forward power zone of the pedal stroke.

Years ago some cyclists adopted this and carried into the 20th century, because they though it looked good and if the pros did then, it must be good.

There is also a theory that female cyclists who wears high heels for a large part of the day, have a tendency to carry this on to their cycling - I don't think so -> it's the saddle is too high :)

If saddle is correct height, it's very difficult and very unnatural to have "Ballet feet" during the pedal stroke.

Looking for a faster, lighter and more comfortable ride?  - Go TUBELESS

TUBELESS set-up/tire technology is nothing new. In fact, it’s been industry-standard in the mountain bike world for a while now. It’s taken the road cycling industry longer to embrace the upgrade, but the last 2-3 years tubeless set-up has really exploded - Best seen at the PRO Peloton teams, half of them are now on tubeless set-up .

The other half still on TUBULAR (inner tube sewed together with outer tire), because

the rims are like 250 grams lighter and riders can cycle at reduced speed when puncturing.
BTW:

I feel sorry for the Team Mechanics, who has to use several hours every day on gluing the tubular tires onto the rims - The glue contains very toxic solvents, which causes brain damage and peripheral neuropathy!

Most avid riders, Cat. 1-2 in US & Europe ride tubeless now,........The upsides on a tubeless setup are tremendous: lighter, able to run at lower pressures (more comfort and control), less rotational mass, faster accelerations and fewer flats (almost all punctures/flats seals itself).

Should you have a large cut puncture, you're in the same situation as if you have a tube inside your tire (called CLINCHER)

You just open the tire, remove the object causing it, unscrew the valve by hand, and insert your spare hose..........yes there will be some messy sealant on your hands, but you can wipe it of in the grass, right!

It always amazes me why road cyclists stick with tubes. Everything about them is a pain — pinch flats, extra weight, greater rotational mass.!

I can guarantee you one thing - that you after one mile of riding and taking some corners, think to yourself "why on earth did I not do this a long time ago?".

Lets take a "Deep Dive" into the weight: Comparison between TUBELESS & CLINCHER:

Most CLINCHER rides uses  black Butyl spare tubes, these weight 160 gram x 2 tubes = 320 gram (they should use Latex tube 88 gram).

TUBELESS: 2 x valve = 20 gram + 2 x 45 gram more heavy Tubeless Ready tire + 2 x 35  gram Tubeless sealant = 180 grams more weight

But you had 320 gram more with clincher, meaning that besides all the other mentioned Tubeless advantages - you save 160 grams! in outer rotating mass.

Rule-of-thumb: saved weight on outer mass feels like a factor 5 on the bike, meaning that you feel these 160 grams like 5 times more.

Of course, it's not possible to calculate like this, but for illustrational purposes it's ok.

SO, If you're not already on TUBELESS set-up, I will challenge you to: Ask your Bicycle shop/ Mechanic to make the Tubeless set-up, he/she does this every day.

Your Bicycle Shop/Mechanic also can advice on which Tubeless Ready tires and Sealant to use, not really that big of a difference between brands nowadays, I use Specialized S-WORKS Turbo RAPIDAIR 26 mm. $80/pcs.

I've been riding Tubeless:

• MTB for 8 years
• Cyclocross for 2 years
• GRVL for 4 years
• Road for 4 years

The roads here in Florida, Orlando are so smooth, that I ride width 25/26 mm. tire width. if you're a big strong person, I would take 28 mm. they will give you more comfortable rides, as you need more air pressure in the tires - compared to a small person.