Learning to ride...again

"I know how to ride my bike.  I know how to ride my bike.  I know how to ride my bike." - First time user of PowerCranks

I've read several reviews of PowerCranks over the years, but they failed to fully impart the lack of coordination you feel when you do your first ride outside.  I'm not trying to play up the experience, but from the first miss-timed pedal stroke you recognize rather quickly that you're going to be learning to ride...again.

Why you may ask?  It's a combination of several factors that leave you challenged, fatigued, and if you're like me looking for more!  After a few weeks of riding PowerCranks I have begun to break it down into the following:

• Timing of pedal strokes - Without a solid tie between you two legs you quickly realize that while you feel coordinating while you ride the connection between the pedals (e.g. axle) is actually doing a lot of the work.  Timing is tricky to say the least and a constant challenge. The benefit...full leg engagement and proper timing of each leg.
• The "6 to 12" portion of your pedal stroke - Typically, or at least typically for me, the 6 to 12 portion of my pedal stroke (the second half) is really supported by the pedaling of my opposite foot, and while I try to tell myself to "pull up" and keep constant pressure throughout my stroke it never really happens.  With the PowerCranks you are forced to keep your leg engaged throughout the stroke, which means you're really pulling up as your pedal passes from 6 to 12.  For me I noticed two things...(1) I kept forgetting to breath during my brief stints of coordination, because I was focusing so much on my stroke, and (2) my hip flexor and psoas muscles were really getting engaged more than they have ever been used before.  The benefit...when coordinated I am getting a lot more power for a given HR.