Oh wow, I've always wondered why I saw 'foot straps' on some road bicycles. I've never thought of the up-stroke being actually useful. Thanks for the input James!
By the way... I used my old green bike a few days ago after a rain (since it has the fenders for such a condition) and seriously, the mountain bike is *crap* compared to the $5 road bike! I've never realized how shaky, loose, and hard to pedal it is until now that I got used to riding the other
.