There’s both handlebar width and saddle width that we adjust to best suit our body shape, so why aren’t we also paying more attention to the width at the pedals? Pedals are the platform through which you hammer all you’ve got to give. > Cycling cadence: how fast should you pedal? “Increasing stance width can sometimes remove knee pain,” Phil points out. Pedalling at a cadence of between 75rpm and 95rpm, you can rack up an awful lot of pedal strokes and even if each is only a little off it can add up to a lot of strain, particularly at your knees. With using clipless pedals, you’re pretty much stuck in that position, give or take a bit depending on how much float you opt for with your cleats, and so it’s important to get right. > How to maximise your fitness when you get to 40+ Q-factor differs between different cycling disciplines rather than bike sizes (as handlebar width does) because it determined by the bottom bracket width, chainstay length and tyre clearance. As stance width is affected by Q-factor though it’s worth understanding how this value is landed on. It’s your total stance width that you need to pay attention to as this affects how it feels to pedal. “Increasing your Q-factor increases your stance width and decreases your Q-angle.” ![]() “Q-factor can influence Q-angle, but Q-angle can’t influence Q-factor," he notes. “The Q-angle is the angle between your hip, your knee and where your foot is on the pedal, and that’s why there’s often talk about women having a larger Q-angle because women generally have wider hips while being on the same pedals as everyone else,” Phil of Burt Innovation notes. ![]() ![]() Then there’s Q-angle which is the alignment between the femur (the upper leg) and tibia (the lower leg). Therefore the pedal spindle width-which is the distance from the centre of the pedal body to the outside face of the crank arm-affects stance width but not Q-factor.
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