Studies into what pro riders do show that they don’t pull up.

Studies into what pro riders do show that they don’t pull up.

proriders don’t gurn up san marino on a SS 🙂
TBF I very rarely pull on the upstroke but I do hoik the back end of the bike up rocks/steps/whatever while pedalling along* – or the aforementioned gurning. Rode spds since I got a proper mtb, went back to flats for learning the bunny hop properly but I only really messed about on flats, I need to pedal a good few miles to get to proper trails so just ended up using spds all the time. I’d struggle on flats now. Coincidentally I had a guy at work asking about mtb spd for road, he mentioned the hotspots thing but I’ve never had trouble (I’ve never bothered with road spd).

*something I’m sure is perfectly doable with enough skill and careful timing but clipless allows those lacking in both to do it

edit from that article

The good pedalers—-the guys in the logo costumes and the white sunglasses and shaved legs—-minimize the downward force on the upward-moving pedal more. They don’t pull up on it or even unweight it.

erm how do they get their foot out of the way of the upstroke without pulling it up or unweighting it? Shirley they have to do atleast one of those.

It is possible to pull up without exerting an upwards force on the pedal – just less of a downwards force. Perhaps this is where the confusion is arising?

erm how do they get their foot out of the way of the upstroke without pulling it up or unweighting it? Shirley they have to do atleast one of those.

I think the point is that they are not doing anything with the back leg i.e it is passive they are simply driving the lead leg.

Better to think of it as an unweighting of the rising pedal, if you weighted it then you’d be working against yourself 😮 So you need to “pull up” at the same rate as the pedal is rising. You aren’t putting any force into the pedal.

I think the point is that they are not doing anything with the back leg i.e it is passive they are simply driving the lead leg.

sorry I only quoted a part of it, here’s more

When elite pedalers and lousy rookie pedalers have been hooked up to machines that measure muscle activity during pedaling, the machines tell us this:
during normal pedaling at normal cadences, nobody pulls UP on the backstroke
the elite/efficient pedalers push down less on the upward moving pedal than the rookies do.
Think about that until it sinks in and you’re bored. The good pedalers—-the guys in the logo costumes and the white sunglasses and shaved legs—-minimize the downward force on the upward-moving pedal more. They don’t pull up on it or even unweight it. They just minimize the downward pressure on it, so one leg isn’t fighting the other as much.

My bold, how do the “push down less on the upward pedal” without pulling up or unweighting?

Pedantry fo sho. I assume pros just get used to spinning in circles with a technique few of us mortals can manage, at a guess it’s syncing the motion of your feet with that of the pedals rather than a specific pull up. I’d still class that as unweighting the pedal but in a circular motion instead of a choppy piston-like push down pull up manner. But I reckon most of us regular cyclists, certainly any roadies/SSers, have a good bash at spinning rather than “pistoning” our legs, with or without clipless.

If I try and ‘spin’ the pedals on flat like I do with SPDs on flat/gentle inclines, my foot keeps coming off the pedal.

I just went with mountain bike pedals/shoes for everything, I use Shimano A600 touring pedals on my road bike, nice and light. Didn’t get too many comments and I can walk around on paved ground without sliding around. I commute in with a pair of Bontrager mtb shoes too, which are just about casual enough to get away with, the cleat is recessed enough to stroll around the office or to the shop.

I don’t know about extra efficiency, I just like being able to pedal over rough stuff. I find on flats I’m investing too much effort in stopping my feet fly off to be able to get the power down. I’m sure there’s a tiny benefit to when you spin up really quickly as well.

My bold, how do the “push down less on the upward pedal” without pulling up or unweighting

Pushing down on something it is appyling a force/pressure, unweighting is applying no Force/pressure, pulling up is applying a force in the opposite direction

I read it as the pro are applying some downward pressure on the returning pedal i.e it is not zero pressure/unweighting

I think the idea of spinning circles is related to the pulling up on the backstroke idea and not really what they are doing as they are only driving with the lead leg and not pulling up on the trail leg.

I’m currently trying hard to get into clipless, using SPDs, after a lifetime using flats on my MTB. The reason being, that I’ve got seriously into road riding and even joined the local club (who have group rides for all abilities). There is certainly an element of the ‘old dog new tricks’ here and I have practiced and practiced, but come the slightest difficult situation I panic and try to lift off the pedal instead of twisting! So far all my falls have been nothing more than bruised elbows, knees and pride, but I worry this might happen at a right turn and I fall into oncoming traffic. BTW, a club member recommended Shimano SH56 multi release cleats, which I find are a big help.

If you’re worried, just unclip before you stop. I can only comment on Shimano SPDs, but all the shoes/pedals I’ve used, I’ve still been able to pedal lightly using the area just in front of the cleat.

If you’re worried, just unclip before you stop. I can only comment on Shimano SPDs, but all the shoes/pedals I’ve used, I’ve still been able to pedal lightly using the area just in front of the cleat.

Thanks, Toasty, I’ve seen some of the guys do that, and I’ve started doing it myself, but it’s the unexpected situations that freak me out!

Anyone want a set of Look pedals, used once

Delta or Keo? If it’s delta then I’m keen.

If you’re worried, just unclip before you stop.

Exactly. All these people struggling with clipless, makes me wonder how we ever managed with clips and straps!!!

When you are spinning on a fixed wheel at 140 RPM, you want your feet locked onto the pedals, believe me! As for pulling up, well you can, but only if you are grinding along at about 30 RPM.

OP, try riding off-road on double sided spds (or even the 324 flat one side and clipless the other). You’ll get plenty of practice in mentally unclipping subconsciously. The link between “I’m going to stop” and “unclip” become instant. And falling off is softer 😉 . Everyone falls off. The 324’s are nice because when it looks gnarly (read a tinsy bit technical for me), you can ride the flat side, they are also indestructible. I started off-road like this, but graduated to double-sided XT pedals.

I rather like spds with a rigid carbon sole and some grip. I started with them originally on the road (not mtb) because holding up a tandem in Look cleats at traffic lights is not easy. I normally ride Look for road and track, but still indulge with spds on the cross bike, and rode 100km on the road without dying, (or hot spots).

Good shoes make any differences moot, to be honest.

I’ve seen some of the guys do that, and I’ve started doing it myself, but it’s the unexpected situations that freak me out!

Yeah, there’s a definite learning curve to it as well. My last pedal related fall was a good few years back, it was just after buying a brand new set of pedals/cleats though, wheel slipping going up a slow technical climb and not managing to get my foot down in time 🙂

I think all the SPD related falls have been super slow motion to be honest, all my flat falls are due to bouncing off the pedal and losing my footing, generally far less comical. Genuinely feel less safe when I’m on flats now, it’s odd how used to it you get.