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clipless vs. flat pedals

which one do you use the most

  • Total voters
    88
  • Poll closed .
trailblazer

trailblazer

Monkey
May 2, 2005
464
4
Jamaica
i switched almost 4 years ago and clipped in.
trials/DH/street/park/trails
i am a bike handler and am clipped in. I have lost almost all my flat pedal skillz and realise it. It frustrates people who are not clipped like a shaved heads or giant ear ring holes but I do not care what others think.
I am happy now and one with bike
 
P

particle bored

Monkey
Feb 13, 2006
299
0
blue said:
I used to ride/race a lot of XC, and when I bought a DH bike the first thing I got to go with it was a pair of Mallets. Bad mistake. I hated riding clipless for DH, mostly because I was still learning how to ride really tech stuff and dabbing a lot. I didn't have any trouble getting out of my pedals, but myy shoe/pedal interface wasn't so hot, so it was always a bitch to get back into my pedals after dabbing. I really should've shimmed the cleats in hindsight, but oh well. Anyway, swapped them out for some flats and 5.10s and I was happy as a clam...Now that my tech handling has improved, I'm tempted to try them again. Coming from an XC background, I get really annoyed when I can't put my "full" power into a pedal stroke because I'm on a flat. Just feels like I'm going a lot slower than I should be. They also tend to offer a better feeling of security when you're ripping fast...slow stuff they can be a liability, though.
Click to expand...
blue,

I think you'll find that once you have a fair amount of confidence riding your DH bike in techie terrain, you can safely go back to clipless pedals.

Like you, I came to DH and FR from an XC background and had to use platforms for the "ease of bailing quickly" factor especially when riding high skinnies or super tech-move terrain. I rode flat pedals exclusively for 3 seasons while trying to improve my skills in tough terrain. Like many riders, I found that it really helped me improve my bunny hopping skills as well as my bike handling skills to use pedals that required me to use technique rather than being clipped in.

Last season I switched back to clipless, and I'm using Mallets on all my MTBs. I really like getting back the efficiency of being clipped in, and I'm not sketched out riding anything while clipped in. I don't ride high skinnies any more, so that doesn't matter, but the few times I did so last season, I just unclipped and rode the Mallets like flats, which is very easy to do.

I'd say, go back to the Mallets and see if you don't find that you like them better now.
 
GrapeApe79

GrapeApe79

Monkey
Sep 22, 2005
338
0
Issaquah, WA
Its interesting to read how many of you ride clipless. I ride DH and XC with clipless pedals and have tried riding with flats, but it just doesn't feel right since I'm so used to clipless. Riding clipless really does help me with my bike handling skills, especially with jumping as I have more control over what my bike is doing underneath me. There are times when clipless can be a pain--one time that I can think of was a DH race where for whatever reason I was having a hard time getting clipped in at the start, which took seconds off my time. I'm sure that could have been prevented with proper adjustment though.
 
WKC

WKC

Monkey
Feb 23, 2005
757
0
Down in the G-Spot
Flats 100% of the time. I don't ride much cross-country. I bought a set of Sidi Dom 4's and Egg Beaters to run clipless on my old XC bike, and it sucked. The Sidi's were the most comfortable of the shoes that I tried but still uncomfortable. I couldn't develop that instinct to get out of the pedal, I just wanted to take my foot OFF. I just don't like the feeling of being completely attached to my bike. If I have to bail, then I want to be able to do that. I will NEVER ride clipless again, maybe for road riding when I'm older, but for now, I'm sticking to flats.
 
Z

ZEDMAN

Monkey
Nov 19, 2003
416
0
S.F. California
just started to ride again after taking a year off due to heavy work load. the first few days i rode flats and today i switched to clips and i suddenly remember why i rode with them a year ago. i felt more comfortable in them and ripping out of turns so much better. clips unless its street riding.
 
PatBranch

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I thought clipless was for trials, not cages/clips? They can't use flat pedals because without being connected to the bike it's impossible to do trials.
 
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