@a.funks.
For sure the pedal pivots, but relative to the horizontal plane of the rider, I'd say the it pivots maybe 10-15° while riding. So while it's not like standing on flat ground, it's also not like standing on a platform that is oscillating a lot. Consider that a flat foot that is plantar flexed on a pivot located below the arch behaves differently from a foot that is plantar flexed at the forefoot with a pivot located below the forefoot.
It terms of sports where you spend a lot of time on the ball of your foot I'd say that sports like volleyball, basketball, racquet sports, martial arts, wrestling (not wrasslin) sprinting and others include a significant amount of time per each event where the athlete is in that forefoot position. Anytime movement is created it's done from the forefoot position.
And yes, in a flat mid-foot position the foot does flex and extend on the pedal as the pedal goes through a small amount of rotation, but this is primarily reactive to the movement of the pedal and not induced or created by the rider on purpose.
Scrolling through pics of DH racers some appear to be mid-foot and some appear to be forefoot or closer to forefoot than mid-fit. It's not an accurate poll, but it seems more are closer to that forefoot position than mid foot. Part of the motivation for this article seems to be bike fit, and there are a huge amount of factors there to consider: a) bike frame geometry b)adjustable factors of components such as bar, stem, cranks and saddle position on the rails c) rider anthropometry. So all of those factors, some variable and some fixed, may influence rider foot position on the pedals.
All of this is to say that from a performance perspective, I see that being in the forefoot position carries more benefits than being in the mid foot position. I don't want to get hung up on a small amount of variation in positioning, for either style, so for the ease of the conversation it seems best to go with using mid-foot and forefoot as descriptors.
Sept. 2, 2022, 7:08 a.m. - Mark
@a.funks. For sure the pedal pivots, but relative to the horizontal plane of the rider, I'd say the it pivots maybe 10-15° while riding. So while it's not like standing on flat ground, it's also not like standing on a platform that is oscillating a lot. Consider that a flat foot that is plantar flexed on a pivot located below the arch behaves differently from a foot that is plantar flexed at the forefoot with a pivot located below the forefoot. It terms of sports where you spend a lot of time on the ball of your foot I'd say that sports like volleyball, basketball, racquet sports, martial arts, wrestling (not wrasslin) sprinting and others include a significant amount of time per each event where the athlete is in that forefoot position. Anytime movement is created it's done from the forefoot position. And yes, in a flat mid-foot position the foot does flex and extend on the pedal as the pedal goes through a small amount of rotation, but this is primarily reactive to the movement of the pedal and not induced or created by the rider on purpose. Scrolling through pics of DH racers some appear to be mid-foot and some appear to be forefoot or closer to forefoot than mid-fit. It's not an accurate poll, but it seems more are closer to that forefoot position than mid foot. Part of the motivation for this article seems to be bike fit, and there are a huge amount of factors there to consider: a) bike frame geometry b)adjustable factors of components such as bar, stem, cranks and saddle position on the rails c) rider anthropometry. So all of those factors, some variable and some fixed, may influence rider foot position on the pedals. All of this is to say that from a performance perspective, I see that being in the forefoot position carries more benefits than being in the mid foot position. I don't want to get hung up on a small amount of variation in positioning, for either style, so for the ease of the conversation it seems best to go with using mid-foot and forefoot as descriptors.