Should you pull up on clipless pedals?

You do not need to pull hard upward through every pedal stroke to use clipless pedals correctly. During steady road cycling, the useful goal is usually to let the recovering leg become light while the other leg produces most of the propulsive force—not to turn every revolution into a forceful hamstring curl.

The short answer: push naturally through the power phase, maintain a comfortable cadence, and avoid resisting the rising pedal. Active upward force may appear during a brief sprint, standing start, or steep surge, but deliberately pulling up throughout an endurance ride can increase muscle activity while reducing net mechanical efficiency.

Why riders keep asking

A highly discussed r/cycling thread about pulling on the upstroke asked whether experienced riders create a balanced push-pull force and whether the technique should be trained consciously. The comments contained several competing mental cues. They show demand, not a universal coaching prescription.

The belief is understandable: if a shoe is attached to the pedal, using the whole circle sounds more efficient. But “more force directed usefully at the crank” and “less energy used for the same external work” are not the same measurement.

What the research actually found

In a controlled study of eight elite cyclists and seven non-cyclists, clipless pedals alone did not significantly improve pedalling effectiveness or net mechanical efficiency compared with ordinary pedals at the tested submaximal workload. When participants were instructed to pull upward, their upstroke force became more mechanically effective—but net mechanical efficiency fell. Muscle activity also increased.

That study was small and tested specific laboratory conditions, so it does not settle every sprint, climb, fit, or rehabilitation question. It does directly challenge the claim that consciously pulling up all the time is automatically more economical.

Research on independent cranks supports the mechanism: forcing each leg to complete its own revolution greatly increases recruitment of several hip, thigh, and lower-leg muscles. More muscle activity is not automatically better endurance performance.

“Unweight the leg” is a better cue

During the recovery phase, the rising leg has mass. If it remains completely passive, some force from the opposite downstroke lifts it. Skilled pedalling can reduce that opposing load without requiring a strong upward pull.

Think of three broad phases:

• Power phase: apply force naturally as the pedal moves forward and down.
• Bottom transition: let the ankle and knee pass smoothly through the bottom rather than stamping and stopping.
• Recovery phase: bring the knee through lightly without yanking the pedal toward the saddle.

You do not need to micromanage every crank angle. A quiet upper body, stable pelvis, comfortable cadence, and consistent power are more useful ride cues than imagining a perfect geometric circle.

When active pulling can happen

A brief upward contribution can occur during:

• a standing start or maximal acceleration;
• a short sprint;
• a momentary surge on a very steep grade;
• an obstacle-clearing or track-specific technique;
• a drill prescribed for a defined rehabilitation or performance purpose.

Those cases do not create a rule for hours of steady road riding. If a ten-second effort feels different from endurance pedalling, that is expected.

What clipless pedals are actually good for

Clipless pedals can provide a consistent foot position, secure engagement at higher cadence or over rough surfaces, and a firm platform for short high-force efforts. They can also be inconvenient, intimidating, poorly fitted, or unnecessary for a rider’s goals.

They are not required for legitimate road cycling. Read flat pedals vs SPD vs SPD-SL before changing systems, and use the beginner clipless guide if release skill is the actual limitation.

A simple technique check

Use a trainer or a safe flat area:

1. Warm up for ten minutes at an easy effort.
2. Choose a gear that allows your normal comfortable cadence.
3. Ride for one minute without a technique cue and note breathing, tension, and power or speed.
4. Ride for 20 seconds while consciously pulling upward on both pedals.
5. Return to normal and compare heart rate, breathing, hamstring or hip-flexor tension, and power stability.
6. On another short interval, think only about making the rising leg light.

The goal is not to prove one cue faster in 20 seconds. It is to feel the difference between forced pulling and removing unnecessary resistance. Stop if the drill changes your control or creates pain.

Fix the cause of a choppy stroke

An uneven feeling can come from more than technique:

• the gear is too hard for the cadence;
• the cadence is higher than you can currently control;
• the saddle is too high or too low;
• cleats or shoes restrict a comfortable foot position;
• one-sided pain or weakness changes movement;
• the bike or trainer has a mechanical fault;
• fatigue has altered posture.

Use a sensible beginner cadence before buying a pedal-smoothness metric. If your hips rock or you reach for the bottom of the stroke, check whether the saddle is too high. Persistent one-sided symptoms deserve professional assessment, not a stronger pull cue.

Do not chase a symmetry score blindly

Left-right balance, pedal smoothness, and torque-effectiveness metrics depend on the power meter and its calculation. A neat 50/50 display does not prove efficient, pain-free movement, and a small asymmetry does not diagnose a problem.

Use metrics to observe a repeatable change under comparable conditions. Do not contort your stroke to improve a number while power, comfort, or control gets worse.

Your next step

On your next easy ride, forget about pulling upward. Choose a manageable gear, keep the pelvis quiet, and let the recovering leg feel light. If your ordinary stroke is comfortable and stable, there is no missing secret technique to force. Put training time into consistent riding, suitable gearing, and purposeful intervals instead.

Sources and further reading

• Mornieux et al.: effects of pedal type and active pull-up action during cycling
• Review of cycling performance indicators and pedalling-technique evidence
• Study of muscle coordination with independent cranks
• r/cycling reader context: whether cyclists should pull through the upstroke — used as an editorial question signal; personal technique claims were not treated as research evidence.