Originally Posted by cooker
I'll look for the link but I'm pretty sure the research doesn't support you: elite cyclists do very little pulling up.
EDIT...never mind, charles vail produced a good reference in an earlier post.
Even I have to work and think at pedalling in a full circle but in normal riding, I am pushing and pulling for 75% of that crank movement. That is just the natural pedalling stroke that I have got into and if you talk to clipless riders- you will probably find they are about the same.
That 100% circle does come in very handy on the steep sit down hills that just go on and on and on and...
Then I get to the very steep parts and it all goes out of the window as it is out of the saddle and struggle with the down stroke only.
I am not saying that pedalling on the upstroke is more efficient or faster or easy. All I know is that at the end of a long ride-my legs are not the bit of my body that hurts.
As to the efficiency- I know that if I am not using a clipless pedal- then I will be using leg power that will not be getting to the back wheel.