Originally Posted by
nycphotography
If your fit is good, you should be able to pedal either heel up, or heel down.
heels up uses the calves, you will feel the burn there.
heels down uses the quads and glutes. you will feel the burn there.
+1. And then the kicker: Physiologically speaking, the larger muscle groups -- so, in this case, the quads and glutes -- are able to tolerate
more "burn". You can work them harder before they'll succumb to fatigue. Ergo, given the hypothetical choice between only riding heels up (toes down) or only riding heels down, if you want to ride longer or faster (or both) you should spend as much time as possible pedaling heels down.
But since (as
nycphotography noted) it's
not a binary choice, you should spend as much time as road conditions allow pedaling in the way that is appropriate for those conditions.
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btw, here's a wonderful party trick for dropping a bomb into these Toe Down/Heel Down pedaling arguments:
Attach an assembly of three linked levers connected via pivots -- iow,
your leg (!!!) -- to the pedals on a stationary bike. Bring one crank arm up to the 12 o'clock position. Put your foot in the toe-down position, and completely relax the rest of your body. See which way the crank arms fall.
Now repeat the experiment, only this time with your foot in the heel-down position. See which way the crank arms fall.
Physics and/or mechanical engineering says (and every time I've seen this experiment performed, empirical evidence confirms) that the crank will fall backwards with the foot in the toe-down position, and the crank will fall forwards in the heel-down position. Every. Single. Time.
So if gravity is going to impact your pedal stroke, wouldn't you rather it contribute to moving the chain and rear wheel in the same direction you're trying to get it to move?
You're welcome.
