What Is A Pedal-Forward Bicycle?

Choosing a Bike

March 22, 2019

Hey guys, Dustin here. CEO of six three zero. Today I'm going to answer the question what is a forward pedal bicycle. Also known as flat foot bicycle, petal forward bicycle. So called different things. Let's answer that question.

So there's a lot of models out there that exist now and they're basically what's called a forward pedaling design. It can be quite confusing as to what does that mean and what's the benefit to the rider.

So right here we have one of our models called the six three zero every journey and this is actually a forward pedaling design or a pedal forward bicycle. Let me walk you through why that is what it's called.

So what you have here is called the down tube. Down here you have the bottom bracket. I would say in a standard bicycle typically this down tube is on a more straight angle. I have my trusty ruler here so we can see.

Typically that's gonna come down like this. And it's going to connect and the pedals would actually be back here. So you can see on our every journey we've actually angled the tube forward and what this does is it's shifting the pedals out in front of the riders hips when typically the pedals are directly below the riders hips on a traditional bicycle frame design. So that's really what a pedal forward bicycle is.

Now there's different ways of accomplishing this. Like I said, we've angled our down tube. Electra has the normal down tube and they've essentially just moved the pedals forward. So the down tube comes down the same. They've connected an additional frame piece here and they've moved the pedals forward. That's their propietary patented trade mark design. We do it a little bit differently. There's a lot of other bikes out there that do it differently as well.

They might have the bike ... the tube come here. And then they have it curve into the pedals. But really the result is the same which is this kind of gap of about four or five inches between where the pedals would be on a standard bicycle and where they are on the pedal forward bicycle.

So what does it mean for you the rider? What's the benefit, things like that. So that's what classifies a bike as a pedal forward bicycle.

The benefit is a couple things. Number one, what this is gonna do is it's gonna allow the rider to put the seat lower because they're gonna still get that four to five inches of leg extension when riding even if the seat is lower.

So on a typical frame, you're not gonna get that additional leg extension. You're gonna have to raise the seat to get that same leg extension.

Now why is that good? That's good for somebody that wants to be closer to the ground so when you stop you can actually get your feet flat on the ground and still have proper leg extension when riding.

Typically on most standard bikes you're not really gonna be able to get your feet flat on the ground when stopping. If the seat is positioned in the proper height for you to have proper leg extension when riding. Typically when you stop you are gonna be up on the pads of your feet. So your heels will be off the ground.

With this design it's gonna allow flat feet on the ground when stopping but still proper leg extension when riding.

The other things that's good about this is by shifting the pedals just a little bit forward it puts your body in a more relaxed riding position. So it's gonna take some pressure off your hips and your knees, things like that.

Again, I'm not a doctor. This is just what a lot of customers have said is that they prefer this bike cause it feels like a lot more pressure and tension is removed from the hips and the knees because this riding position is shifting your body forward as opposed to all the pressure being down like a straight downward motion.

So it's a really really nice comfortable great bike for leisure or for someone that maybe has some body pain and feels like they wanna put their body in a little bit more relaxed position when they're riding.

So that really sums up a pedal forward bike. Or forward pedaling bike design. Again this is our six three zero every journey, which is a bike people love. You can check out our reviews on Amazon.com. Just look up the six three zero every journey and you'll see people talking about the pedal forward design, why they like it, what's been good for them, things like that.

So if you have a pedal forward bike please comment below. Tell us about it. Why do you like it? What does it do for you? How do you enjoy the ride? Love to hear the feedback. And if you wanna reach us directly please email us, theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us 310-982-2877. Also please feel free. Look at the top navigation of our website and browse our bicycles. You can find the every journey men's and women's in the men's and women's categories in one three seven and 21 speeds.

Also go ahead and enter your height and weight in our body fit calculator. It's going to tell you thumbs up thumbs down which bikes are the right fit for your body. If you do get a thumbs down, please reach us directly and we'll customize a bike to fit you. Cause our goal at six three zero is to make sure we find a bike that's the right fit for your body.