Ball of foot over the spindle is absolutely more efficient for pedaling (see any XC racer or roadie for that matter) but it puts more strain on the arch/calf/Achilles than does a more midfoot position. Midfoot over the spindle is a biomechanically stronger position, but that strength comes at the expense of range of motion and optimal pedaling efficiency.
After riding with loose cages way back in the day and then upgrading to clipless for a long time, I transitioned to flats somewhat slowly - preferring to be clipped in for fast/rugged terrain and to be on flats when riding skinnies and other lines where the need to quickly jump off and not have the risk of a foot getting hung up, or just hang a leg for balance was paramount. This is related to foot on pedal position because most clipless shoes have a very small range of adjustability, so one is forced into that efficient/ball over spindle position.
I started to (deliberately) use a more centered foot position when I experienced foot/calf fatigue in the bike park and during longer downhill runs without stopping. With a closer to midfoot position I can ride \[downhill\] longer, and with less fatigue than when my foot is further back on the pedal.
Nowadays I move my feet around a fair bit - ball over the spindle when seated for climbing and mellower undulating terrain, and more forward when it gets steep/long descents/rough terrain/jumping/drops. More simply, I tend to climb with the ball over the spindle and descend with the midfoot a bit closer to over the spindle. One does lose a bit of ankle articulation when moving the foot forward on the pedal but I feel that the tradeoff is worth it.
As far as pedals go, I ride Daggas most of the time and Crank Bros Stamp 7s some of the time. Both are fairly large platform and I don't have big feet at all, but I like the support.
I'm a bit surprised that the change in bike fit relative to fore/aft foot position never occurred to me. Perhaps it's because when I'm standing I've typically got a closer to centered/midfoot position and when seated I have a more ball over spindle position - though for tech climbs when standing I'm not certain now... I'm going to have to focus on my feet for a bit over my next few rides. Thanks for this, Andrew!
Aug. 31, 2022, 8:35 p.m. - khai
Ball of foot over the spindle is absolutely more efficient for pedaling (see any XC racer or roadie for that matter) but it puts more strain on the arch/calf/Achilles than does a more midfoot position. Midfoot over the spindle is a biomechanically stronger position, but that strength comes at the expense of range of motion and optimal pedaling efficiency. After riding with loose cages way back in the day and then upgrading to clipless for a long time, I transitioned to flats somewhat slowly - preferring to be clipped in for fast/rugged terrain and to be on flats when riding skinnies and other lines where the need to quickly jump off and not have the risk of a foot getting hung up, or just hang a leg for balance was paramount. This is related to foot on pedal position because most clipless shoes have a very small range of adjustability, so one is forced into that efficient/ball over spindle position. I started to (deliberately) use a more centered foot position when I experienced foot/calf fatigue in the bike park and during longer downhill runs without stopping. With a closer to midfoot position I can ride \[downhill\] longer, and with less fatigue than when my foot is further back on the pedal. Nowadays I move my feet around a fair bit - ball over the spindle when seated for climbing and mellower undulating terrain, and more forward when it gets steep/long descents/rough terrain/jumping/drops. More simply, I tend to climb with the ball over the spindle and descend with the midfoot a bit closer to over the spindle. One does lose a bit of ankle articulation when moving the foot forward on the pedal but I feel that the tradeoff is worth it. As far as pedals go, I ride Daggas most of the time and Crank Bros Stamp 7s some of the time. Both are fairly large platform and I don't have big feet at all, but I like the support. I'm a bit surprised that the change in bike fit relative to fore/aft foot position never occurred to me. Perhaps it's because when I'm standing I've typically got a closer to centered/midfoot position and when seated I have a more ball over spindle position - though for tech climbs when standing I'm not certain now... I'm going to have to focus on my feet for a bit over my next few rides. Thanks for this, Andrew!