Originally Posted by
StanSeven
^ this. Plus with the ball of your foot on the pedal at 6:00, you should just be able to lock your knee by lowering your heel. Some people don't have the full range of ankle motion and this needs factored in.
Now we're talking sense. Most people will drop their heel to varying amounts under load, I certainly do. So I set my saddle so I can lock out my ankle when I drop my heel and have a roughly straight leg at the same time. While riding I don't normally lock out my ankle, so this ensures I always have a bend in my knee under load. Many set their seat much higher and pedal toe down, fine if u like that but often it is combined with a huge stack of spacers under the stem and a rider with a bad back. They still ride with a bend in their leg but they can't drop their heel. In other words the bike restricts their movement.
One bike fit I had set my seat so there was a 40 mm gap from heel to pedal, how am I supposed to drop my heel in that position! Extremely uncomfortable but the fitter said it would make me more powerful - epic fail