Originally Posted by
chucky
I'm reposting this from the SS/FG forum for a different perspective:
I currently ride SPDs, but I'm thinking about switching to Power Grips because I feel like I'm losing efficiency with the fixed fore/aft foot positioning of SPDs...plus studies show that "pulling" really only unweights the foot and that should be easier if you can get the foot 1-2mm off the pedal with a looser retention mechanism (b/c you can't have inefficient upstroke pressure if your foot isn't touching and your foot doesn't need to touch if you have some retention to keep it close).
sorry but none of that makes sense to me. Relaxing/unweighting the foot is a technique issue that doesn't require actually lifting the shoe off the pedal, besides that means you have to waste time putting it back down, but the fixed foot enables you to pull back at the bottom of the stroke in high rpms. Powergrips are simply a means to allow some foot/pedal retention with ANY shoe.