clipless vs flats

paddy mtb

wot do u prefer or think is better?
8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) sunglasses

supersonic

For what style of riding? Mostly rider pref. Beginners should start on flats.

paddy mtb

wot ever type of riding you want to do =]

fly4fun

ive been on spd's for a year now, but as im getting more into freeride i decided i needed a set of flats so got some dmr v12's. I think now ill use flats for freeride and spd's for xc. Anything in between ill choose

but all in all its down to riders preference. SPD's take a while to get used to, and can catch you unawares, but i love them

xxx

cjw

SPD for XC.

GHill

I'm looking at getting some clipless pedals in the new year, I guess my riding could be classed as XC/Trail.

I'm not looking forward to the inevitable "forgot how to get my foot out" very slow crash moment

cjw

It doesn't take long and it becomes automatic to unclip, you don't even realise you have after a while (month or so).

supersonic

Dont automatically assume that clipless will improve your pedalling technique - you still have to work on it and get it right. You can still be efficienet on flats if you know what you are doing, though ultim,ate efficiency will never be as high. I think its best to always start on flats, dial your skills in, then try SPDs.

jontymo

I put spds on my avalanche 2.0 around 3 weeks ago, just getting used to them now and i must admit you feel a lot more secure on the bike.
Only fell off twice but nearly went over a couple of big drops a few times but managed to get my foot out as i screamed LOL, the last time i fell off my wife was behind me going up a small hill on tarmac, i looked behind only to stop and unclipped the wrong foot, managed to miss the horse muck by inches, the misses was pushing her bike up and nearly fell over laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jon

hastings

I was looking at getting some SPDs for Christmas and have persuaded my girlfriend to get me the pedals and I am looking to get some shoes so general mainly XC and trail riding. Can anyone suggest any shoes for about 50 quid max

Bikedevil

I've always preferred flats, couple of reasons really, first one being I like being able to bail without thinking about it. secondly flats make me focus more on being smooth as I only attached to the bike by gravity

BlackSpur

A lot of people I know have these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7612
and praise them highly.

jontymo

Shimano MT51s more a boot than shoe but ok, approx £50 from decathlon.

Jon

ride_whenever

I really like the specialised bg entry level ones, you should be able to get them for £50

thewaddys

I use M545 DH SPD's. They are awesome and I run them quite loose so that unclipping is as easy as taking your foot off of flatties. You don't get knocked off on gnarly stuff and can really tuck the bike in when jumping. You get used to them after a few rides too. I love the feeling of clipping in on a sunday morning at 10 oclock, you know you're off on one then! The gentle click of freedom! I am so sad!

DancesWithSheep

Try flip pedals with clip on one side and a SPD on the other - best of both worlds.

I've got a pair of Shimano m324 and ran the clip pretty slack until I got really confident with unclipping.

omegas

Shimano is a good shoe and pedal to start with, you can adjust the tension in the pedal all the way off so that you can release easy or go for the Shimano SH56SPD multi-release cleats.

• Allow your shoe to be disengaged by rolling or twisting the foot in any direction
• The cleat will even release with sufficiently hard (and considerable) upward force, minimising the risk of toppling over with both feet still clipped in.

I would look at getting a pedal like the M424 or M520 (£25)and a shoe for under £50 as clipless is not for everyone and you don’t want to lay out a load of money on something you might not take to.

I bet you don’t go back to using flats or kiddie pedals when you have had clipless and used then for a few days and see the difference they make to your pedalling efficiency.

One thing to remember is if buying shoes on line is the sizes vary a large amount (like 2 sizes between makes) Shimano shoe are small and not very wide so you usually have to go up a size or to.

fly4fun

DancesWithSheep wrote:

Try flip pedals with clip on one side and a SPD on the other - best of both worlds.

worst of both worlds - you cant use them as a flat pedal, when compared to something like a v12! I would recommend two pedals, and compare the two as they both have different uses, but it all depends on your riding type.

OMEGAS wrote:

I bet you don’t go back to using flats or kiddie pedals when you have had clipless and used then for a few days and see the difference they make to your pedalling efficiency.

look at my earlier post, i did!

supersonic

I use flats for XC too. Well, I say XC, many more technical parts. You can be efficient with flats!

teacherman

If you're changing to SPD's don't forget to grease the bolts on your cleats. Saves you having to drill the little buggers out whn they seize!

Oh yeah and check they're tight after first ride. I didn't and kept having to stop to bash the cleat straight with random rocks because i lost a screw around Dalby LOL. Got some funny looks.

Tim in Yorkshire

Well I went straight to SPDs when I started MTBing, figured I didn't want to get good on flats, then take a couple of steps back when I moved over to cleats. I ride mainly XC and local trails in the woods, and have road biked before so find it weird not being clipped in.

However I''ve been over the front and off the back whilst still clipped in, interesting.