Originally Posted by
asgelle
That's a hypothesis; so show me some data. How much energy is wasted through rocking? And given modern rigid soled shoes and fixed cleats, how does one push on the pedals at any angle other than the angle of the sole to the pedal?
It takes energy to keep pushing down on the pedal once it's already at the bottom, and if it's already at the bottom, it's not going to turn no matter how hard you press down. Likewise with any angle. It only turns if you aren't pushing (or pulling) parallel to the crank arm, and it turns most efficiently when pushed (or pulled) perpendicularly to the arm. This isn't a hypothesis, it's simple and observable by anyone at any time.