This article really has me thinking about this.
I've been riding mid foot for a year or so as my feet would cramp up and and my calves would get sore.
But somehow this article got me thinking about how humans balance, and how they perceive forces (proprioception, which I think is really important in MTB) through the balls of their feet.
I can't help but get the sneaking suspicion that if bike fit is equal in either case, and there are no physical conditioning related limitations (I admit, both big "if's") , a ball of foot over axle position seems like it would be more optimal.
Question becomes, does it make a big enough difference to be something worth pursuing, or is it small enough in the grand scheme of things to be noise level?
I have some confirmation bias happening on this one. I recently felt my bikes were getting too long and downsized a little. I also switched to one ups about the same time (so went from ball to mid foot).
After down sizing the bike felt too short even with a fairly small shance in reach/stack. I am now thinking that instead of shortening 10mm, maybe I potentially shortened more like 30mm, which is what it feels like.
I'm in the Kootenays on vacation. Can't wait to do some tinkering when I get home.
Sept. 1, 2022, 1:41 p.m. - Kenny
This article really has me thinking about this. I've been riding mid foot for a year or so as my feet would cramp up and and my calves would get sore. But somehow this article got me thinking about how humans balance, and how they perceive forces (proprioception, which I think is really important in MTB) through the balls of their feet. I can't help but get the sneaking suspicion that if bike fit is equal in either case, and there are no physical conditioning related limitations (I admit, both big "if's") , a ball of foot over axle position seems like it would be more optimal. Question becomes, does it make a big enough difference to be something worth pursuing, or is it small enough in the grand scheme of things to be noise level? I have some confirmation bias happening on this one. I recently felt my bikes were getting too long and downsized a little. I also switched to one ups about the same time (so went from ball to mid foot). After down sizing the bike felt too short even with a fairly small shance in reach/stack. I am now thinking that instead of shortening 10mm, maybe I potentially shortened more like 30mm, which is what it feels like. I'm in the Kootenays on vacation. Can't wait to do some tinkering when I get home.