Pedals do not ask for more effort from your feet first; they ask for better alignment from your hips. A lighter grip on the bars and a clear hip hinge often raise power while joint stress quietly drops.
The reason sits in biomechanics and load distribution. When riders hinge from the hip joint instead of rounding the lumbar spine, the large gluteus maximus and hamstrings take over more of the work. That shift changes joint torques at the knee and spreads force along the posterior chain rather than concentrating compressive load on the patellofemoral joint and spinal discs.
A relaxed grip frees the upper body from acting as a stiff brace. Excess tension in the forearms and shoulders blocks natural scapular motion and can transmit shear forces into the lower back. By reducing co‑contraction in those smaller muscle groups, the body can direct more oxygen and neural drive to prime movers, improving mechanical efficiency and sustainable power output without a higher perceived effort.
Hip hinging also stabilizes the pelvis over the bottom bracket, which refines the pedal stroke. With the center of mass better stacked, riders maintain a smoother torque curve through the crank cycle. Instead of “pedaling harder,” they convert the same metabolic cost into more effective force on the pedals, while knees and vertebrae are exposed to lower peak stress.
