In January I got a Commencal Super 4.3 and I've been riding around the local bridleways and did a skills course at Thetford. I'm very much a newbie at off-road stuff but have been riding road for years.

The problem I'm having is with the low bottom bracket on the Commie. The terrain around Peterborough is hardly the most challenging yet I'm suffering from repeated pedal strikes. I have already adjusted the sag on the rear shock (I'm a heavy lad) and I'm aware that I tend to sit while I'm riding rather than being in the attack position.

I'm riding on flats (V8s) at the moment after a couple of unrelated falls on ice in the winter, but would normally ride SPDs. The pedal strikes often force me to dab so I can't see me ever switching back to SPDs at this rate.

Is the bottom bracket on this bike so low that no amount of rider skill can compensate or is it me?

are they French pedals?

Actually SPDs help with pedal strikes, your foot doesn't get bounced off the pedal so easily and your momentum will keep you moving along.

I found the same problem when I first switched from a XC hardtail with high BB to a full-suss Heckler with low BB. After a couple of rides, you get used to it and adjust your line choice accordingly.

they're also much smaller so you have to go a lot further over to get them to hit the ground

BBs are getting a lot lower; part of it is fashion part of it is that it lowers your centre of gravity and aids going around corners. It doesn't help with pedal strike but your issue could be attributed to and solved by the following:

The damper is blowing through it's travel too easily and consequently you're riding lower in the travel. You've already said you have reset the sag so it could be that the shock doesn't have enough compression damping for your weight. Heavier riders (I am one) have this problem. Bascially the compression damping controls/resists the rate at which the shock compresses in response to a bump. It's a dynamic resistance, not a static one like sag, which is more about the spring weight.

You might not have learnt when to pedal and when not to pedal. If you're just getting into the sport then this will be compounding the problem but it might not be the only

You can try getting some help with setting up the shock better; talk to a tuner like TF Tuned or Mojo and explain the issue as they may be able to recommend something.

You can also look to run shorter crank arms. Most bikes come with 175mm long cranks but, for example, DH racers typically run 165mm cranks regardless of how tall they are in order to get more ground clearance.

Hope this helps. Pedal strike can be very painful on flats as if you ground a flat pedal out at speed, you tend to go down. Hard.

what are you hitting?

I strike pedals much more often with flats than I do with SPDs, so you might be better off switching back anyway. As long as you're sure you can unclip fast, it might help.

I'm not sure why I clip the ground more with flats… They're definitely wider and I have wondered if the wider pedals plus leaning side-to-side (I mostly strike when climbing) is what does the damage.

If the sag is correct then its probably just a technique thing. Even a hardtail with a 12" BB will clip anuthing over 5" high if your pedaling through it. The trick is to stand up, and level the pedals, not pedal through absolutely everything. Did they teach you how to pump on the skills day? Over rough ground it can be more effective than pedaling, easier to show than to try and explain it but youtube and/or more expreienced riders should be able to show you.

Stand up and absorb all the bumps through your legs, the suspension should only be absorbing the stuff thats either too small for your feet to react to (thus giving grip) or too big (thus maintaining speed). If its having to make a big deal out of every little bump then there isnt enough travel to deal with the occasional unexpected bump it was designed to deal with.

I'm hitting all sorts of things: roots, rocks, mud, the ground!

It's very rarely when I'm cornering, more often when I'm going over small rises, particularly if going uphill.

level off the cranks when covering un-even, knock-prone ground.

you'll strike more often with flats as you've an extra 1" or so either side of you in comparison to SPDs,

What shock does it have?

If its an RP23 maybe turning the propedal to max on the climbs might increace the ride height slighty?

How 'big' is 'big'? If your over 85kg or so your probably out of the shocks range and might benifit from having it tuned by TF or MOJO.

flats are also deeper than SPDs, getting them even closer to the ground in the first place.

What shock does it have?

If its an RP23 maybe turning the propedal to max on the climbs might increace the ride height slighty?

Fox Float R

How 'big' is 'big'? If your over 85kg or so your probably out of the shocks range and might benifit from having it tuned by TF or MOJO.

95kg 😳 But getting lighter by the day!

I think I'll bite the bullet and try clipless. See if that makes any difference. It's something I want to do in any case.

I'm aware of the correct technique and have a correctly setup suspension system, but my current bike has a lower BB height and I'm afraid that strikes are just part of the day almost – you can time things perfectly but unless you're on very high BB bike you'll not clear everything every time if you need to pedal at that point. I think the thing to take forward is the need to predict when you'll need a squirt of power and put it in just before it's needed so you're able to clear the obstacle with pedals level, and if you're having to pedal over an obstacle you can very often lean the bike away from the down-side pedal to get an extra inch or so of clearance, but it takes time to master and can off-balance you.

Check youre riding with pedals level most of the time.
Check your speed is enough to carry you over obstacles until you can push again at the other side.
Flats are usually more problematic with strikes as mentioned.
If I'm aware of the impending impact I will often pre-load the suspension, then unweight it as I pass over the obstacle to raise the BB above sag height.

How much sag have you set?

Also what tryres are you running. Taller tyres will give more clearance….

It's just experience mate IMHO.
I used to strike all of the time (mainly on tech climbs) but you develop an awareness of the postition of the pedals in relation to the ground.
I wouldn't go panicing and spending any money just yet. Just ride as much as you can. Good luck with it!

How much sag have you set?

Can't remember. I might check it again at the weekend.

Also what tyres are you running. Taller tyres will give more clearance….

Panaracer Fire XC Pros 2.1" – pumped up pretty firmly.

look at sag at the front as well – it'll lower the bb too.

When I switched from SPDs (Time, actually) to flats last year, I went from getting very occasional pedal strikes to getting very occasional big-toe strikes.

That **** hurts!