i ride clipless on my road bike and on dual races. i now have a set of them on my DH bike. how should i go about making the swich???
ho to make the swich to clipless
- Thread starter TheMontashu
- Start date
Ummm, ride the bike, and unclip if you need to? Since you're already accustomed to them, and have obvious experience jumping with them from riding dual, we won't have much to tell you...
Your feet won't come off the pedals in rough sections anymore, so it'll be easier to ride lightly, and you may need to adjust your cornering if you tend to tripod-turn, but that's all pretty obvious. Unclip as little as possible...not at all, hopefully, because getting back into them can be a real pain when it's rough (and even when it's not). Can't think of much else to tell you, seeing as you're not a noob to them.
Good luck...I just went back to clipless on my FR bikes and think it's much better. Clips first taught me how to ride well and not dab, then flats taught me how to better control the bike from the cockpit, and now that I've learned that, clips are now letting me ride better all around without forcing me to rely on them to control the bike (but helping me cheat when I need to).
MD
Your feet won't come off the pedals in rough sections anymore, so it'll be easier to ride lightly, and you may need to adjust your cornering if you tend to tripod-turn, but that's all pretty obvious. Unclip as little as possible...not at all, hopefully, because getting back into them can be a real pain when it's rough (and even when it's not). Can't think of much else to tell you, seeing as you're not a noob to them.
Good luck...I just went back to clipless on my FR bikes and think it's much better. Clips first taught me how to ride well and not dab, then flats taught me how to better control the bike from the cockpit, and now that I've learned that, clips are now letting me ride better all around without forcing me to rely on them to control the bike (but helping me cheat when I need to).
MD
guys who like there bikes to come with them when they crash. i personally am putting azonic a frames on my freeride/dh bike. but if you have a death whish and want to crash and have you bike land on top of you cause your attached be my guess. here a link that i think you guys will like.
quickstep pedals
quickstep pedals
MikeD said:
Baddabing!!!
Shut up you fat, lazy crashing, clipped in american, the people riding flats hate you........
LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL i vote for getting a costom made pedal wrench shats 4 feet long and says"wrench for beating crap ass tiawanese designer"
Dude, you're dead wrong! I dh, freeride and ride urban with clipless pedals and the control is unmatchable. You generally clip out automatically in a crash without thinking about it. I would only avoid clipless pedals riding north shore and dirtjumps. I tried both and north shore is just plain painful and stupid with clipless. and you cant do anything on dj's wit clipless. other than that its awesome.me89 said:
Yep, if you can't get out of Time Z's when you need to,
the seniors are starting a new shuffleboard club.
Maybe it is time for a change.
the seniors are starting a new shuffleboard club.
Maybe it is time for a change.
Don't do it. I tried clippless again for the second time this year and I can't stand them. I used to ride them for years before I switched to flats, so I don't have problems with clipping in or out, but I can't corner with them for sh!t.
wow...I thought it was one of my posts for a while!profro said:
I use them on my trail bike tho - but just can't on my DH bike.
I roll my feet towards the outside of the pedals to help me corner. I can't even ride clips on my trailbike. 
doesn't matter if you have a matching kit with your name behind your jersey, iridium goggles and don't wear any pads - if you don't use clips, that means you'll never be a true hard core racerprofro said:I roll my feet towards the outside of the pedals to help me corner. I can't even ride clips on my trailbike.
Exhibit A. Rennie
Exhibit B. Hill
Exhibit C. Graves
Exhibit B. Hill
Exhibit C. Graves
man i dont see how people do it. just got back from one of the craziest dh in the area and i would have died if i had worn clipless.yeh they come out but what about those times when they dont. talk to marla streb that how she broke her collar bone i do believe. its all just preferance i guess. ohh and if you do ride clipless you will end up with my spelling disorder sorry guys. and i ride clips on my trail bike but cant stand them for dh and freeriding. it just scares the **** outa me. :evil: 
Was Marlas broken bone a result of clipless pedals or the fall?me89 said:man i dont see how people do it. just got back from one of the craziest dh in the area and i would have died if i had worn clipless.yeh they come out but what about those times when they dont. talk to marla streb that how she broke her collar bone i do believe. its all just preferance i guess. ohh and if you do ride clipless you will end up with my spelling disorder sorry guys. and i ride clips on my trail bike but cant stand them for dh and freeriding. it just scares the **** outa me. :evil:
I run my trusty old Shimano DH clipless pedals...circa like 1998
I don't run the springs stiff so I can get out of them real easy and often do if a sections is looking gnarly. I know ahead of time when I will unclip, and can even often unclip on the fly for corners that require me to. I love the cinreased control over rough sections and nothing is worst than slipping a pedal for me. I tried a couple times to try flats out and decided I liked the control clips allowed. Flats are plain scary. I have clips that I can ride like flats....aint nothing wrong with that.I don't ride skinnies or DJ, but I would not do them clipped in...but that is me. For DH racing....clips save me more than they hurt me when compared to Flats.
bcd said:
I learned to ride on flats, and I still do for really technical DH, but I'm trying to ride clips more and more often. I definitely have way more control of my bike, and I can unclip whenever I need to, as long as it's not so rough and technical that I have to put a foot down at seemingly random times, in which case I ride flats. As Rhino said, get used to the idea of "planning" to unclip by looking at the terrain ahead of you.
Oh yeah, and Crank Brothers Mallets are the best!
I also ride Time Z's, tried flats, couldn't get used to having a certain level of control of my bike in hopping over stuff and through the rough stuff. I like being clipped in for FR/Trail etc, but as was said, I think I'd be a little leary in slow speed NS stuff. When I do take a spill, I've never been locked in, if you have any common sense, you know what kind of terrain you should and shouldn't be locking into
I use clipless for my DH bike since I venture into rock gardens and fast singletrack runs quite a bit. I can't stand platforms (that is how I started) because my feet are all over the place when plow through rock gardens and I feel alot more stable under high speed chatter.
Yeah, I tuned the tightness way down to clip out easily. Whenever I crash, I clip out without thinking as if I were on platforms... it isn't a big deal. Its a matter of getting over the fear, that is all.
Yeah, I tuned the tightness way down to clip out easily. Whenever I crash, I clip out without thinking as if I were on platforms... it isn't a big deal. Its a matter of getting over the fear, that is all.
Since my cranks on the DH bike won't let go of my flat pedals I'm stuck with them for a while. I should never have put flats on my DH bike again! That'll teach me! 
I did a run down Tunnel on flats on Thursday and I was all over the place. Feet bouncing off the pedals, putting feet down and dabbing. Clipped in gives me control, power and security. The more bumpy and tech it is, the more I like being clipped in (except for mud, then I don't ride )
I think my Shimanos are being retired for Times though. The release is either too light and unclips if I rotate on the pedal, or is too hard to clip in. Beaverbiker made a convincing argument at Northstar
And Mallets..... no thanks, I've seen way too many problems with them. (bending, breaking, unclipping from direct impacts)
I should never have put flats on my DH bike again! That'll teach me! I did a run down Tunnel on flats on Thursday and I was all over the place. Feet bouncing off the pedals, putting feet down and dabbing. Clipped in gives me control, power and security. The more bumpy and tech it is, the more I like being clipped in (except for mud, then I don't ride
)I think my Shimanos are being retired for Times though. The release is either too light and unclips if I rotate on the pedal, or is too hard to clip in. Beaverbiker made a convincing argument at Northstar
And Mallets..... no thanks, I've seen way too many problems with them. (bending, breaking, unclipping from direct impacts)
"Since my cranks on the DH bike won't let go of my flat pedals I'm stuck with them for a while."
Damn dude, you know pedals just don't need to be that tight don't you? Use a little grease, get 'em just snug, and you should be good to go.
Pedal wrenches give great leverage but it's more for getting stuck pedals off. I don't even use a pedal wrench anymore - just a regular allen wrench works fine, and I've never had a pedal come loose or mess up crank threads.
Try a cheater bar over a regular pedal wrench to get those old pedals loosened up. I've got a down tube from a warranty frame that works great but anything long enough should do it.
Damn dude, you know pedals just don't need to be that tight don't you? Use a little grease, get 'em just snug, and you should be good to go.
Pedal wrenches give great leverage but it's more for getting stuck pedals off. I don't even use a pedal wrench anymore - just a regular allen wrench works fine, and I've never had a pedal come loose or mess up crank threads.
Try a cheater bar over a regular pedal wrench to get those old pedals loosened up. I've got a down tube from a warranty frame that works great but anything long enough should do it.
OGRipper said:
Yes, I know, I did. Everyone is so quick to judge on this one. I didn't go ballistic with the torque. Allen wrenches? How many flat pedals do you know of that can be installed or removed with an allen wrench?
Cheater bar?! Dude the steel pedal insert is stuck on the pedal thread, What good is a cheater bar gonna do?
Whoops, you're right I jumped to the wrong conclusion there, sorry 'bout that. Seems like there have been a lot of newbies here lately but from the number of your posts I can see you're not one of 'em.
You might be able to loctite or JB weld that insert enough to get your pedal off but you probably already know that.
My pedals (flats and clipless) all go on and off with an just an allen wrench no problem. The brand shouldn't matter but I run shimano dx flats and a few different kinds of spuds.
You might be able to loctite or JB weld that insert enough to get your pedal off but you probably already know that.
My pedals (flats and clipless) all go on and off with an just an allen wrench no problem. The brand shouldn't matter but I run shimano dx flats and a few different kinds of spuds.
if you cant turn on them you need to learn not to dab
just remember with loctite you got 30 mins untill that fully sets. once that happens damn your ****ed man. try a little bit of wd 40 or some good ole oil. i have gotten manny a bolt and nut off with those two things. there wonderfull. never heard the loctite rummer though. wouldnt suggest it. nor the jb weld if those two things have time enough to set in there your stuck with flats unless you get some new cranks. so hope that helps good luck with them.
ohh and i have yet to fly around alot on my flats i feel very secure on them. i stick to them like glue. do your shoes have treads on them cause if they didnt have much you wouldnt be able to stick to them at all. im sure you know what your doing but i was just throwing out some things. and pedals are all dependant on the persons preference, and the crew you ride with lol. i would be dissowned if i rode clipless on my dh bike lol.
ohh and the crash was caused by the clipless and the crash caused the brake.
ohh and i have yet to fly around alot on my flats i feel very secure on them. i stick to them like glue. do your shoes have treads on them cause if they didnt have much you wouldnt be able to stick to them at all. im sure you know what your doing but i was just throwing out some things. and pedals are all dependant on the persons preference, and the crew you ride with lol. i would be dissowned if i rode clipless on my dh bike lol.
ohh and the crash was caused by the clipless and the crash caused the brake.
soooo she would not have crashed with flats?me89 said:
Hey ME89, like me earlier, you're confused.
He's got threaded inserts on his cranks that have loosened up so he can't get the pedals off. He needs loctite, JB Weld or something similar to get those inserts stuck enough to get the pedals off, not to loosen the pedal threads themselves.
He's got threaded inserts on his cranks that have loosened up so he can't get the pedals off. He needs loctite, JB Weld or something similar to get those inserts stuck enough to get the pedals off, not to loosen the pedal threads themselves.
it happend on my hussfelts thers a theded insert in between the crank arm and the pedal.
"sell what you have and buy mallets"
i wish i had mallets but when im running SPDs on my road bike with mountan shoes and i can get the shimano DH peadals for 20$ as much as i dont care for shimano i cant pass up 20$ for 100$ pedals
"sell what you have and buy mallets"
i wish i had mallets but when im running SPDs on my road bike with mountan shoes and i can get the shimano DH peadals for 20$ as much as i dont care for shimano i cant pass up 20$ for 100$ pedals
when she crashed she couldnt get uncliped so the bike came with here and slammed her collar bone into a tree i think. and then here v10 followed because she was attached a proceded to do more damage to it. im saying that with flats she couldve ejectected and maybee missed the tree or hit the tree and maybee couldve saved her collar bone. but thats just assumptions and we all know what that does.
lol i feel like a dumbass (ohh wait i am). now i get it lol. i would go with jb weld it will hold up to alot more preasure. lol now i get it.
lol i feel like a dumbass (ohh wait i am). now i get it lol. i would go with jb weld it will hold up to alot more preasure. lol now i get it.
Similar experience here. Learn both. Ride clips.MikeD said:
I rode everything from XC to DH with flats and skateshoes for 2 years. I crashed hard a few times because my foot slipped of the pedal in the rough sections. Tried the Shimano 636 and didn't like em and went back to flats... .and I crashed again. Ordered CB Mallet's the next day and put them on my Trail/freerider. It took me a week to get used to the clipping in-out, I'm really happy with the extra control I have and how the Mallets perform.
But for Dirtjumping and NS I switch back to Flats.
The switch to Mallets was a lot easier than I expected
I'm glad I did it.
But for Dirtjumping and NS I switch back to Flats.
The switch to Mallets was a lot easier than I expected
I'm glad I did it.
ive heard nothing but good things about the mallets but im 15 and realy cant afford to be riding at all and dont have the money 2 new sets of peadels
TheMontashu said:
Your parents have money don't they??