Originally Posted by YesIboughtaTrek
Do you or should you pedal with your toes pointing down or closer to being level with the ground?
are there any advantages or disadvantages or is it just preference and comfort?
"digging" the pedals is more prevalent now than it has been for quite some years. Many of today's Pros seem to have some level of that style. To some extent it is a bit of 'style' preference, but like all style things, they do affect the 'function' side as well.
A 'digging' style through most of the pedal stroke tends to reduce the contribution of the calf muscles and relies more on the uppper leg strength. Allowing more flex and movement in the ankle engages the calfs more.
The biggest problem is often moving back and forth from a flatter or more 'souplesse'/'ankling' style to a 'digging' style over the course of any ride. This relates more to setting the optimum saddle height. A diggin style can have a rider be as much as an inch higher than the same rider using a flatter style. This becomes a problem because setting saddle height in consideration of one style or other will find using the opposite style a problem with that height. If saddle height is set for a flat or ankln style lower than it would be set for a diggin style, then using a digging style for any length of time and under hard efforts, will have detrimental affects on the hamstrings.
If one has a digging style, well then best to cultivate the best out of that style and not try to use a lot of ankle movement, same to be said for a style using a lot of 'ankling'.
"Ankling' seems old fashioned, 'retro' and vintage, yet it does offer many advantages, especially when higher rpm cadences are used and desired.
My own thinking is that variations of 'diggin' styles are more common/popular now in the Pro peleton because using bigger gears and lower rpms have found more favor these days. Overall, racing times have stayed pretty close for the recent decades and I would say that the small increases in speed are due mainly to the much better road surfaces, compared to the average road course of 20 years ago.
Its also indicative of a more Time Trial oriented position, where the seat and body position are well forward and a diggin style is certainly more 'natural' in this position.
Watchin some footage of T of C as I write this, and I'm amazed at the number of riders that actually do have a large element of a diggin style.
Interesting stuff, worth thinking about some more...