Pedaling technique is how you turn the cranks: a steady, even stroke at a cadence you can hold, with your knees tracking in line and your hips quiet on the saddle. Most of the drive comes from pushing down. Lab studies show that actively pulling up on the upstroke makes force pedals read 'more effective' but costs more energy, so the useful goal is to let the rising leg go light, not to haul it up. A phone can read the smoothness and symmetry of your leg motion and your hip stability from the side; it can't measure the force or power you produce (that needs a power meter).
Smooth, even stroke
Drive the pedal down through the front half of the circle, from the top to the bottom. This is the main power phase of the stroke.
a firm, steady push, not a single stab at the top.
On the upstroke, let the rising leg go light so it isn't dragging against the leg that's pushing. In one study, professional riders produced less backward drag on the upstroke than club riders. Don't heave the pedal up: when riders were told to pull up, force effectiveness rose (about 62% vs 48%) but gross efficiency fell (19.0% vs 20.2%).
the rising foot floats up with the pedal; it doesn't yank it.
Keep the stroke even, with no big lull at the top and bottom. In competitive cyclists, those who spread their power more evenly around the circle tended to use less energy. Telling riders to 'pedal in circles' made no measurable difference compared with their normal stroke, so don't force a new pattern. Just smooth out the dead spots.
a steady hum, not a thump-thump rhythm.
Pick a cadence
Choose a gear you can turn steadily, rather than grinding a heavy one. Trained riders usually pick about 80–100 rpm on the flat. Professionals averaged about 90 rpm on flat stages and time trials and about 70 rpm on long mountain climbs. A lower cadence on a climb is normal. There is no single correct number for a beginner.
your legs keep turning without bogging down or bouncing.
Keep hips level
Keep your hips quiet on the saddle. If you bounce at high cadence, you've gone past the speed you can control, so ease off a little. Some side-to-side movement is normal, but if your hips dip to each side to reach the bottom of the stroke, you're reaching. Check your saddle height (see Bike Fit).
a still seat as your legs spin underneath you.
Let your knees travel up and down roughly in line over your feet (check this from the front). A little side-to-side drift is normal. Riders with a history of front-of-knee pain showed small differences in this side-to-side knee motion, but that link doesn't prove the movement causes pain. If a knee hurts, see a bike fitter or clinician rather than forcing a line.
knees moving like pistons, not flaring out or caving in.
Relaxed feet and ankles
Keep your ankles relaxed and let them move a little through the stroke. Don't lock them rigid, and don't exaggerate 'ankling' or point your toes hard to reach. In one study, professionals moved their ankles only a few degrees more than club riders.
relaxed feet, no toe-clenching.
Feel it
A steady, even spin where your legs don't fight each other: a firm push down, a light leg coming up, quiet hips and a still upper body. If you feel like you're stomping, shift to an easier gear. If you notice yourself hauling on the upstroke, relax it. That pull feels effective, but it cost riders more energy in lab tests. The app reads how your legs and hips move from the side; it can't measure the force or power you put through the pedals or how it's split between your legs. That needs a power meter.
Fix-its
- You stomp at the top and coast through the rest (big dead spots) Shift to an easier gear, keep light pressure on as the pedal passes the bottom, and let the rising leg go light.
- You haul hard on the upstroke Ease off to just unweighting the pedal. Pulling up raised force effectiveness in lab studies but lowered efficiency.
- You grind a big gear at low cadence Shift easier and spin faster. A higher cadence lowers the force on each pedal stroke and the load on your leg joints.
- Your hips bounce or rock Bouncing usually means your cadence is beyond what you can control, so back off. Dipping side to side to reach the pedals points to the saddle height (see Bike Fit).
- A knee drifts well in or out Film from the front. If one knee clearly wanders or hurts, have a fitter check your cleats and setup rather than forcing the knee into line.
Drill
- Easy steady spin: on a trainer in a light gear, ride at a cadence you can hold evenly while keeping your hips still. Film it from the side.
- Single-leg pedaling: rest one foot clear of the pedal and spin an easy gear with the other in short bouts, then switch. The clunk at the top shows your dead spot. Stop the bout when the stroke turns jerky.
- Spin-ups: in an easy gear, raise your cadence gradually until your hips start to bounce, then back off a little and hold it. That's your current smooth limit.
- Front-view knee check: film from in front of the bike to see whether your knees track up and down over your feet on both sides.
- If you have dual-sided power pedals, check your left/right balance. In a lab study, riders with large force differences (over 20%) evened them out after retraining with pedal-force feedback.
Sources
- Korff, Romer, Mayhew & Martin — Effect of pedaling technique on mechanical effectiveness and efficiency in cyclists, Med Sci Sports Exerc (2007)
- Mornieux, Stapelfeldt, Gollhofer & Belli — Effects of pedal type and pull-up action during cycling, Int J Sports Med (2008)
- Duc, Bertucci & Grappe — Strategies for improving the pedaling technique (review), J Sports Med Phys Fitness (2019)
- García-López et al. — Differences in pedalling technique between road cyclists of different competitive levels, J Sports Sci (2016)
- Leirdal & Ettema — Pedaling technique and energy cost in cycling, Med Sci Sports Exerc (2011)
- Lucía, Hoyos & Chicharro — Preferred pedalling cadence in professional cycling, Med Sci Sports Exerc (2001)
- Vercruyssen & Brisswalter — Which factors determine the freely chosen cadence during submaximal cycling? (review), J Sci Med Sport (2010)
- Bailey, Maillardet & Messenger — Kinematics of cycling in relation to anterior knee pain and patellar tendinitis, J Sports Sci (2003)
- Bini, Jacques, Carpes & Vaz — Effectiveness of pedalling retraining in reducing bilateral pedal force asymmetries, J Sports Sci (2017)
Last checked 2026-10-26.