Originally Posted by
tjspiel
That test was with one guy that did the test one time. He never sprinted or even accelerated, just maintained the same speed.
There's a scientific journal article that shows the opposite
here . It only says that clipless is more efficient. It doesn't have anything to say about pedaling technique.
The last few sentences:
Participants produced higher average VO2 max values during the clipless condition, suggesting this condition may be more efficient as is commonly believed. Lactic acid accumulation was highest in the flat condition, suggesting participants may have been least efficient when pedaling in this condition. Likewise, the achievement of peak lactic acid levels at relatively higher oxygen consumption further suggests the clipless pedals promote higher performance levels when compared to the flat and toe-clip conditions. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Our findings suggesting clipless pedals allow for greater efficiency and result in higher performance. Further study is necessary to investigate these potentially clinically meaningful findings
I'm only seeing a single page, and no tables or charts. Apparently there were some differences noted, but they didn't reach statistical significance (typically 95% confidence interval), so it is hard to read too much into the findings.
I've ridden with toclips or clipless for so long that I think I've forgotten how to ride a bike without foot retention.
Perhaps I should try some driveway sprints with cleats, and flats. One thing I'm sure of is that I would have to significantly gear down and increase my cadence to effectively use the flats. I.E. learning a whole new pedalling technique.
Getting maximum power with a half a stroke??? Hmmm???? My previous attempts to ride up the driveway with a MTB and flats were significantly slower, with less power (speed & fatigue) than with the clipless.