Originally Posted by
asgelle
But until you put numbers to it (i.e., data) you could be talking 1%, 10%, or 0.00000001%. Just because you can name an effect, doesn't mean it's significant, which you are claiming it is.
The numbers are entirely dependent on HOW the individual pushes and pulls the end of the crank arm. 100% of the energy expended pushing the pedal down past the bottom and pulling it up past the top is wasted. Zero energy is wasted pushing the pedal straight down when the crank arm is parallel to the ground. Those who remember their trig functions can tell you how this varies at the angles in between.
For some people, there is no significant difference in wasted wattage in climbing vs flats because the energy they waste is essentially the same because their pedaling form - the torque they create with any given effort is consistent.