Minimizing pedal strikes?

[Gary]

I have to unlearn keeping the outside crank fully down. Now I stay pretty level, heels down

this sounds like exactly the sort of advice you find dished out by a myriad of folk in online forums who like to regurgitate poor advice but can't actually ride for toffee themselves.

You should ideally be constantly adjusting crank position and altering ankle position.
not blindly trying to lower your heels or blindly trying to keep your cranks level the whole time.

Chill out, relax and "play" when on your bike and I guarantee you'll ride far smoother.

 

[Binhill1]

Come now, the Scotchman speaks the truth, who can argue with A) looking where you are going, and B) having a plan for at least the next 10secs.
But I get it, sometimes instinct kicks in.
I am somewhat new to big travel fs, so I am constantly surprised how low my BB is. I have to unlearn keeping the outside crank fully down. Now I stay pretty level, heels down, unless I am sure I won't strike, even then I still screw it up.
Is there any evidence that pedal strikes knacker the motor? Any more than running into, say, a swiss quality light post? Asking for a friend...

I have it on good authority it could damage motor . Obviously depending on weight of rider etc. I have had a few strikes and thought mmmm not good . I'm a heavy lad ( on keto diet so watch this space ) . But as someone said we didn't have this pedal strike problem with real mtbs and I certainly didn't. But Ebike is a lot heavier than any bike i have ever had before so it will compress more. Also going faster at times than I would have before and doing stuff I didn't do. Far about in Switzerland ar yi , had so many holidays there skiing love it .

 

[Swiss Roll]

this sounds like exactly the sort of advice you find dished out by a myriad of folk in online forums who like to regurgitate poor advice but can't actually ride for toffee themselves.

You should ideally be constantly adjusting crank position and altering ankle position.
not blindly trying to lower your heels or blindly trying to keep your cranks level the whole time.

Chill out, relax and "play" when on your bike and I guarantee you'll ride far smoother.

cheers for the advice, I wouldnt say I stay glued in that position, more a case of flattish when normally I would keep the outside fully down. I have mostly ridden on fireroads or tarmac roads with no suspension. I wrecked the pedals that came with the bike, just not used to the compression. I don't strike so much any more, my new pedals are only scratched tae fuck, not in pieces, so things are improving.

 

[Swiss Roll]

I have it on good authority it could damage motor . Obviously depending on weight of rider etc. I have had a few strikes and thought mmmm not good . I'm a heavy lad ( on keto diet so watch this space ) . But as someone said we didn't have this pedal strike problem with real mtbs and I certainly didn't. But Ebike is a lot heavier than any bike i have ever had before so it will compress more. Also going faster at times than I would have before and doing stuff I didn't do. Far about in Switzerland ar yi , had so many holidays there skiing love it .

Where did you hear that? You might be right, I dunno.
I am in zürich, a few decent 800m hills 10 mins away, a stunning lake, 2 beautiful river valleys, community heating powered by garbage (take that, putin), and low low inflation! I have a fun little forest/urban downhill to do every day after work, is nice!

 

[Binhill1]

Where did you hear that? You might be right, I dunno.
I am in zürich, a few decent 800m hills 10 mins away, a stunning lake, 2 beautiful river valleys, community heating powered by garbage (take that, putin), and low low inflation! I have a fun little forest/urban downhill to do every day after work, is nice!

Great stuff mate , Buckie NE Scotland not the best but by far not the worst . haste ye back ye lo ye dearly

 

[Swiss Roll]

Great stuff mate , Buckie NE Scotland not the best but by far not the worst . haste ye back ye lo ye dearly

Lemme just google that...oh, very nice, I would swap a lot to live near the sea. My brother lives in Ayr.

 

[Binhill1]

Lemme just google that...oh, very nice, I would swap a lot to live near the sea. My brother lives in Ayr.

I've been air before a long time ago

 

[Gary]

Increased pedal strikes on an emtb has absolutely nothing to do with the extra weight of the motor/battery over that of a normal mtb.
But everything to do with the increased speed and ease at which the bicycle travels with the addition of motor assistance.

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Be interesting to see if there is any corelation between pedal strikes & model bikes. I might have one strike a ride on my Rail but had about 4-5 on my wifes Merida E160 yesterday. I'd say the sag was a bit more on the rear shock but didn't think it would matter that much.

Obviously if i am getting pedal strikes it's all my fault blah blah bah but in the real world where i ride you can't often see the rocks you end up hitting.

 

[Gary]

So if you cannot see what's ahead and below your feet who's fault do you think it is it when you drop a pedal and it hits something?

 

[Gary]

An odd once in a while pedal strike from a big mistake or bad decision. ie. rolling the dice and putting in a pedal stroke when you can't see the terrain ahead for overgrown foliage or going off trail by mistake etc. may be inevitable if that's how you ride in certain circumstances but it isn't the same thing as the consistant threads here blaming bike and crank length for repeated pedal strikes on almost every ride.

 

[RebornRider]

Reminds me of all the threads complaining about how hard it is to pedal a very heavy mtb with soft knobby tires above the assistance limit. You know, when your legs have to kick in an extra 200W (guesstimate!) to cover what the motor had been providing up to the assistance limit. If you've been putting out 200W to cruise just below the assistance limit (I've got a US-spec bike), bumping that to 400W to get over the limit is going to feel like pedaling through wet concrete.

 

[Gary]

Soft compound DH tyres at low pressures always have felt like pedalling in wet concrete until you point them down an actual DH track.
I honestly don't understand where so many beginner level mtb riders get the idea they need WC DH racing levels of grip for the riding they do.

 

[Singletrackmind]

Before I got an e-bike I was not overly concerned about pedal strikes. I have been riding MTBs for 40 years, and I know how to avoid pedal strikes, but mistakes happen. My pedals show the damage, but XT Trail pedals can take a beating. But with an e-bike I'm worried about damaging the motor.
I will be changing from 170 mm to 160 mm cranks. As the attached photo (not mine) shows, with the suspension compressed, that 10 mm will make a big difference.

View attachment 86612

I run 160mm cranks on my emtbs and its made a big difference. Long time mtb rider with very minimal pedal strikes over 35+ years of riding and have improved my emtb skills to reduce pedal strikes. Lower profile pedals help as well. My Yeti-160E has a good bb height and I run Deity TMAC's which has a thicker profile and with thr right technique, pedal strikes are not an issue. I recommend the new Raceface Atlas 22 version and DMR Vaults for low profile pedals that also grip aqnd perform great.