The PowerCrank experiment begins

As part of Frank Day's "long-term" PowerCranks study, for which I was chosen as a participant, the cranks finally arrived today. They were waiting for me when I got home from work, and I immediately set upon the task of installing them on my training bike (a hefty 22+ lb steel beast). After a quick installation, I was all set to take them for a spin but dinner called. An hour or so after eating it was time for a light spin. My intent was to have a light recovery ride after a 2 hour ride before work this morning on the time trial bike. Instantly I felt awkward on these things, partly because my shoes were hitting the cranks with each revolution. The last pair of Look cleats I bought had no float, so while I have clearance on my fixed cranks, the PowerCranks don't leave me with that luxury. Nonetheless I made it through a 30 minute ride. After cursing the shoes, I came home, switched to my Time ATAC pedals, switched to my MTB shoes, and had more than enough clearance for comfortable riding (a 5 minute test proved this out). For now, it will be MTB shoes on the training bike.

I was cautious at first since I've heard plenty of stories regarding sore hip flexors with PCs. My 35+ minutes of riding was a breeze. No pain whatsoever. I felt I could have easily gone over an hour the first time out (and may do that July 4th in the morning as a warmup ride for Friday night track racing). Now the pedaling style was certainly odd. I definitely need practice pedaling with the PCs. My left and right legs were not in synch. Part of that was due to the pedal issue; once switching to the Time pedals, my pedal stroke was much more efficient. One thing I noticed was that I had no difficulty bringing the pedals over the top on the upstroke. I'm wondering if 10,000+ miles a year on completely flat roads has simply refined my stroke to that "perfect circle". I haven't been on my Computrainer in over a year for a Spin Scan test, so maybe it's time. I also found that to make a more even stroke, I tended to increase my cadence and push harder on the pedals. Maintaining a consistent pace was tough; my legs felt like they wanted to push into zone 3 to 4 just to stay balanced. I'll have to monitor that more closely.

The only bummer is that I can only use the PCs for another few rides before I hang them up for 2 weeks. I have to head to Japan for work, and I'm not lugging the beast with me. That honor goes to my road race bike, which at under 16 lbs, is a nice match for the local mountains there. I'd fall flat on my face trying to use PCs up 8-10% grades, and they won't match my Specialized BB anyway. Sorry Frank - it's hard enough remembering to ride on the left side of the road without worrying about my pedal stroke in the mountains. But once I get back I'll be on them probably every day.

To date time with PCs - ~35 minutes