Originally Posted by
Moisture
agree with the spin and better calf activation. Actively pressing into the pedal spindle with the ball of my foot by flexing it is helpful. But it seems to have thrown my saddle setback requirements out of wack in doing so.
I actually move my calves differently. In fact, I only exert relatively small amount of effort with it throughout the pedal stroke. I keep it more or less relaxed throughout the forward and downstroke with the heels dropped. My calves only begin to point down ever so slightly when I pull my feet up in the upstroke. That is to keep the ball of my feet planted on the pedals when I'm pulling to unload the upstroke pedal. As I begin the forward stroke, I then use my calves as a spring as it goes back to heels dropped position. It's impossible to do it properly and smoothly if the pedal at the middle of my foot.
It's the only way I can spin easily with pedal heels down on a flat pedal. It's mostly a matter of personal preference and I do like pedaling heels down better.