t2p

we had one guy in the group with a Hugi hub - loud - we threatened to ‘kick him off the club’

few years later had some guys with King hubs - but at least this was off road riding (or were they White hubs ? hmmm )

mschwett 

jump on bart and head up mt diablo, you will either keep pedaling for around two hours and get to the top, or you'll start rolling backwards it's actually quite a gradual climb, around 6%, vs the 3% or so of the bay bridge.

i'm kidding, but only partially - we have lots of hills or various grades around here and it's a good way to force yourself to find the right gear and pedal consistently. i also agree about keeping an eye on your heart rate and cadence - those are both very useful to me. get a cheap bike computer or attach your phone to the bars, cadence sensor, heart rate monitor, and you'll get some new insights into what happens when you feel like stopping pedaling, or stop pedaling.

t2p

Bay bridge is 3% ?

Bob Ross

Short of riding a fixie, the best method I can think of is to do it the way I learned: Ride with an experienced mentor whom you respect, someone who every time you stop pedalling will yell "NO COASTING! KEEP PEDALLING!

It took one 50 mile ride with this mentor constantly screaming in my ear to completely rid me of that habit.

I-Like-To-Bike

It would take me less than a mile to lose such an " experienced mentor" as well as any respect I may have previously had for the yelling jackass.

mschwett 

it goes up around 220 feet in about 2 miles, but steeper at first and then gradually flattens. two to three percent.

however, the 15-20mph headwind when going uphill is not all that much fun, IMO. and then there’s a silly low speed limit going the other way…

I-Like-To-Bike

The OP didn't seem to know why he wanted to fix/change his technique other than he felt it was "inefficient". In the first post his goal was to get in better shape, in later posts the reason was to increase speed and distance. I suspect in his quest to increase performance metrics and "efficiency" he may find he no longer enjoys his recreational riding as much as when he was "inefficient."

RChung

Ah. On a shallow uphill you don't do this, but on the flat you do? If so, this is a good clue. If so, on the flat, do you stop pedaling because it's uncomfortable for your legs, or it's uncomfortable for your lungs/heart, or it's uncomfortable for your butt, or something else?

work4bike

Everyone I know who rides a bike has fallen...that's just part of cycling And I know it's just a matter of time before I take another fall

50PlusCycling

This is not an unusual phenomena, though not especially common. It’s most commonly found in drivers, who, rather than maintain a steady speed are constantly accelerating and decelerating. In Germany these are called “digital drivers,” because they must always be pressing and releasing the throttle, and can’t keep steady pressure on it. With some people it’s not very noticeable, while in others it’s so extreme that it can make you carsick. I first noticed this habit with a friend of mine back when I was in my teens. But in time I found out he wasn’t unique. I’ve taken a thousand or so (thousands maybe) of taxi rides, and this pattern of driving always gets my attention.

As a driver, this habit is remarkably hard to break, but it’s not so hard in cycling as you are more conscious of what you are doing. You can count your pedal strokes, or pedal to the rhythm of a song in your head. Rollers would definitely work a cure, but as mentioned, the learning curve is a little steep.

Peruano

I pick a visual goal down the road. Can I pedal without stopping to the third power pole or whatever, I often find I can go there and beyond by readjusting to a further goal. Eventually you may elect to coast but you will know better how long you can go without pedaling.
I also suspect being in too easy gear is a possible cause. Spinning wit too little resistance is tiring and reason to pause. Try shift up so there is a reasonable and consistent resistance on the drive train. Practice and miles are your friends.

southpier

there's your problem. just eat the vegetables and drink more water. everything else will take care of itself.

Mtracer

I agree with those saying there is a reason and likely there is something you are finding uncomfortable and want to rest your legs. Could be as simple as you're putting out too much effort, then need a micro rest, and you're doing this over and over. Maybe at this point it is now a habit. Perhaps try pedaling easier. Find the gearing and pace that allows you to pedal continuously.

Another thing might be you're not shifting gears properly. Perhaps you are accelerating, then instead of shifting up to the next highest gear as your cadence become uncomfortably high, you coast until your speed comes down. And you're repeating this over and over.

Bob Ross

Well, you know the deal: "WE'RE GOING TO YELL AT YOU"

I-Like-To-Bike

Actually, I don't "know the deal" since I prefer to not associate with people who feel the need to carry on as described in your referenced post.

Believe it or not, not everybody who enjoys recreational bicycling gives a a dang about training in pace lines. Don't recall that the OP addressed that issue.

Bob Ross

We get it: You like to flaunt authority. You wouldn't necessarily be my first choice for a wheel to follow on a group ride, but I'm certainly not going to disagree that you have the right to pedal as you please.
However, OP did ask for solutions on how to overcome the "stop start pedalling" tendency and, hey, guess what? lots of the solutions to that issue come directly from the "training in pace lines" corner of the hobby.
:shrugs:

I-Like-To-Bike

You are correct, lots of the alleged solutions offered were like yours, referring to proper technique or etiquette for "training in pace lines" despite the fact that the OP gave no indication that he participated or was interested in that corner of the hobby.

Believe it or not, this not the road cycling list; not every question asked or issue or problem encountered is about training or group riding or the issues of the people devoted to that corner of the hobby, nor is every solution what self appointed "authorities" gratuitously post or yell is the proper technique or etiquette for pace line riding.

vane171

It seems you don't upshift when your cadence reaches certain level which is too high for your comfort and you then stop pedaling to slow down back to the speed which is again amenable to the cadence you are comfortable with.

And the reason you don't upshift, which would enable you to stay with the cadence you are comfortable with, is psychological. You don't want to exert yourself too much and I suspect you ride well below the exertion level needed to make a difference over time to your physical condition, i.e., 'Recreational' biking won't do much for your fitness, if anything at all. Well, it is better than not riding at all, but won't get you in any significantly better shape.

This description of yourself doesn't fit together with the nice bike you have - and from your OP describing your situation, it is not the only bike you have. That means you must have some biking history in your past life you didn't mention. I doubt very much that 50+ guy who wants to do something with his fitness and decided to try bicycling, would have more than one bike on hand.

You should do what I would call a 'sporting rides', as opposed to 'recreational' ones. I am older than you and I ride for fitness (heart, lungs, leg muscles...). I don't do overly long rides, only like ten to twenty miles but at a clip high enough to keep my heart rate up and mild sweating and breathing rate which would make it quite uncomfortable to speak while I ride.

I suspect you are too soft on yourself, but that doesn't mean I torture myself. Once you get into it, you will enjoy that higher exertion level. Many days, I don't feel at all like doing any physical activity whatsoever, but if I make myself to change into biking outfit and ride out, it all changes and I end up putting in a harder ride that day than I even imagined I would do.

OldTryGuy

Start in 1st gear and continuous pedaling will be needed to keep on moving. Shift gears slowly so RPM remains consistent and continuous. Muscle memory will follow.

ENJOY the RIDES

southpier

"Bicycle Bill" explained to me that pedaling (cadence) should be consistent for the length of the ride. that's where gears come into play.

i can picture him showing me as he explained it, mimicking his hands lightly on the bar and moving his legs. i think it was about 1970.

while i don't always do it exactly correct, the pendulum swings back and after a bit "i'm there" again.

addendum: for some reason, i think this is why i feel guilty coasting. often i'll catch myself, shift up and start pedaling again en hommage.

vane171

I still have only index shifting but I dream of getting this new electric shifting system (probably would go with SRAM Force) and I was wondering if that has an automatic shifting mode whereby it would downshift or upshift for you whenever the cadence would change either way.

You would set cadence range on your cyclocomputer, say 75-85 rpm and the system would shift as you started to approach either limit so your cadence would stay within the limit. It would need to recognize when you stop pedaling for whatever reason for a while but I think it could be done. Is that an idea for a shifting mode (aside from those two, 'compensating' & 'sequential' modes) that nobody, or almost nobody would use?

Bob Ross

BF gon' BF

Bob S.

The more you pedal; the more you will pedal. Keep riding. Don't sweat the small stuff, enjoy the process. Simply put the time & miles in and enjoy the rides along the way.

bblair

Change to a higher (harder) gear ratio. If you spin out and feel the need to coast to rest, then perhaps your cadence is too high.

Or, maybe you need a better saddle and shorts and you are resting your bum.

southpier

i still only have friction shifting, and have no idea what those other fellows are going on about.