Stupid idea or not....

soy_sauce

i heard alot of good and bad things about both flat pedal and clipless... but would it be better to have one flat and one clipless setup so you get the best from both world?

i don't have clipless but i heard that it will help with starting on uphill (for me this is very important since im rubbish at starting on uphill.... :oops: ) and would like to get it mainly for this reason but then i worry if i would have forgot to unclip myself or not unclip myself quick enough when something happen..

so would that just a stupid idea to have one flat pedal and one clipless setup or not?

greg66_tri_v2.0

Errr, yes.

A better bet would be to get some that are flat on one side and spds on the other. Mrs G66 has some on her bike like this. She only ever uses the flats, despite my imploring, but having these at least give you the option to try clipless when you wanted to.

DonDaddyD

I would say yes it is stupid because the different pedals would disrupt your pedal technique and potentially harm your knees.

You can't pull up on the flat pedal....

Bassjunkieuk

You could get these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Shima ... 000000039/

Flat on one side and SPD on the other! I went clipless a while back now and think it made a real difference, much better then the toe-clips I had before as I'm more securely attached to the pedal and can actually drag and pull the pedal a lot harder!

All I have to do now is improve my pedalling technique so I'm cycling in circles :-)

greg66_tri_v2.0

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

You could get these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Shima ... 000000039/

Yeah, dems da fellas!

soy_sauce

Greg66 wrote:

Errr, yes.

A better bet would be to get some that are flat on one side and spds on the other. Mrs G66 has some on her bike like this. She only ever uses the flats, despite my imploring, but having these at least give you the option to try clipless when you wanted to.

my bike came with those pedals which flat on one side and spds on the other originally but i found it totally un-usable as each time i stop and restart, i have to flip the pedals to the flat side up before i can start cycling.... also it was rubbish when it ia a wet day.....

greg66_tri_v2.0

henry_ho_yin wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Errr, yes.

A better bet would be to get some that are flat on one side and spds on the other. Mrs G66 has some on her bike like this. She only ever uses the flats, despite my imploring, but having these at least give you the option to try clipless when you wanted to.

my bike came with those pedals which flat on one side and spds on the other originally but i found it totally un-usable as each time i stop and restart, i have to flip the pedals to the flat side up before i can start cycling.... also it was rubbish when it ia a wet day.....

I thought you could use either side of the pedal with an ordinary shoe. It's only if you want to clip in that you have to get the ride side facing up. Or is that wrong?

ris

if you are that worried about starting out with clipless then you could try a single-sided version with a standard flat on the other side (shimano m324 is one, but there are others). i run these on one of my bikes and they are pretty good.

personally i wouldn't go back to flats if i can help it, i can't remember how to cycle without them! you can get used to spd's really easily and the one or two times i've come off they've unclipped straight away.

one thing i would say about starting uphill and clipless - with spd's (which can have the cleat recessed into the shoe for easier walking) i have no problem getting going on hills, but with spd-sl's (with a big plastic cleat on the sole) i find it nearly impossible!

soy_sauce

Greg66 wrote:

henry_ho_yin wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Errr, yes.

A better bet would be to get some that are flat on one side and spds on the other. Mrs G66 has some on her bike like this. She only ever uses the flats, despite my imploring, but having these at least give you the option to try clipless when you wanted to.

my bike came with those pedals which flat on one side and spds on the other originally but i found it totally un-usable as each time i stop and restart, i have to flip the pedals to the flat side up before i can start cycling.... also it was rubbish when it ia a wet day.....

I thought you could use either side of the pedal with an ordinary shoe. It's only if you want to clip in that you have to get the ride side facing up. Or is that wrong?

mine was like this:

MrChuck

The SPD part does stick out so you could pedal on that side with a normal shoe while you get going but you'd want to flip it over to the flat side as soon as you could. I have some on my commuter and like them a lot- you do need to flip them to clip in usually but it's not really a problem and if you end up doing a few strokes on the wrong side it doesn't really matter. I think they'd be a pain in the a$$ for any serious off-road stuff though.

Bassjunkieuk

Looking at the pedals it does appear that the cleat sits slightly proud of the pedal surface on the SPD side and I'd assume this makes it difficult to use with flat shoes.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend using one of each type of pedal I'd recommend giving it a go with SPD's on each side.

I've found that after a week or so I got used to the action needed to un-clip and you can adjust the tension that is needed and get different SPD cleats to allow you to release with a firm yank or using the twist method. Most people who use SPD's have at one time or another had a topple as they've forgot to un-clip, it's almost a right of passage for riding clipless :-D

Once you get used to the un-clip action you'll be surprised how quickly you can un-clip in an emergency, I've had a few butt-clenching moments when I've had to slam the anchors on and have managed to un-clip and put a foot down each time!

prawny

I've got some of the free ridey type one's on my mtb theyve got a spd in the middle (duoble sided) with a cage roand the outside. They're ok to use as flats with normal shoes or with cleats.

Here's the link

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Shima ... 000000481/

soy_sauce

DonDaddyD wrote:

I would say yes it is stupid because the different pedals would disrupt your pedal technique and potentially harm your knees.

You can't pull up on the flat pedal....

cheer. i never know that there are different technique required for different type of pedals. :oops:

why would i need to pull up on the pedal?

whyamihere

henry_ho_yin wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

henry_ho_yin wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Errr, yes.

A better bet would be to get some that are flat on one side and spds on the other. Mrs G66 has some on her bike like this. She only ever uses the flats, despite my imploring, but having these at least give you the option to try clipless when you wanted to.

my bike came with those pedals which flat on one side and spds on the other originally but i found it totally un-usable as each time i stop and restart, i have to flip the pedals to the flat side up before i can start cycling.... also it was rubbish when it ia a wet day.....

I thought you could use either side of the pedal with an ordinary shoe. It's only if you want to clip in that you have to get the ride side facing up. Or is that wrong?

mine was like this:

They're not the same. What you have is normal, full SPDs. That black plastic bit is just a clip on adaptor that you can take off. The M324s have the platform built into the pedal, meaning that they are usable without cleats.

biondino

I don't really see the need for a compromise pedal unless you'll genuinely be mixing up your footwear between flats and cleated. If you fancy cleated, then get the simplest/lightest/easiest to use clipless pedals - it won't take you long to get used to them, and I'm sure the number of people who think "hmm, shall I ride clipped in today? No, I think I'll use the flats" is pretty much zero.

soy_sauce

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Looking at the pedals it does appear that the cleat sits slightly proud of the pedal surface on the SPD side and I'd assume this makes it difficult to use with flat shoes.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend using one of each type of pedal I'd recommend giving it a go with SPD's on each side.

I've found that after a week or so I got used to the action needed to un-clip and you can adjust the tension that is needed and get different SPD cleats to allow you to release with a firm yank or using the twist method. Most people who use SPD's have at one time or another had a topple as they've forgot to un-clip, it's almost a right of passage for riding clipless :-D

Once you get used to the un-clip action you'll be surprised how quickly you can un-clip in an emergency, I've had a few butt-clenching moments when I've had to slam the anchors on and have managed to un-clip and put a foot down each time!

thanks for the advice. i would be using them for off road stuff too so that why im more worry of the unclip part of it. you guys are right. it is a stupid idea to have a flat on one side and spd on the other.

alfablue

I found single sided SPD's a pain because of flipping (which was part of my reason for ditching toe clips). I soon moved on to double sided, and then there is no more flipping, looking down, or doubts when moving off at the lights.

If it is just your doubts about going to SPD's, if you buy some M520's (£17 ish) you get that black reflector adapter shown above supplied with them, you could use that to make them effectively one sided, but you will probably soon decide SPD's are fine then you can remove it.

I can actually ride my bike with SPD's fine with flat shoes, say for a 2 mile trip to the pub or shops, I just can't hammer along as I might on a regular ride.

prawny

biondino wrote:

I don't really see the need for a compromise pedal unless you'll genuinely be mixing up your footwear between flats and cleated. If you fancy cleated, then get the simplest/lightest/easiest to use clipless pedals - it won't take you long to get used to them, and I'm sure the number of people who think "hmm, shall I ride clipped in today? No, I think I'll use the flats" is pretty much zero.

On a road bike I agree completely but on an MTB It depends on what type of riding I'm doin on the day. I love SPDs but i'm not totally confident on them when things get trialsy or for wheelies, they hurt my bum!

Robmanic1

Gregg66, don't mean to offend, but your wife looks remarkably like Little Briton's Andy Pipkin. :shock:

greg66_tri_v2.0

Robmanic1 wrote:

Gregg66, don't mean to offend, but your wife looks remarkably like Little Briton's Andy Pipkin. :shock:

Nah, that's me.

Mrs G66 is the one standing up. :shock:

Robmanic1

Of course, the long hair's a dead give-away!

unclemalc

henry_ho_yin wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I would say yes it is stupid because the different pedals would disrupt your pedal technique and potentially harm your knees.

You can't pull up on the flat pedal....

cheer. i never know that there are different technique required for different type of pedals. :oops:

why would i need to pull up on the pedal?

Because your pedalling should be like wiping something off the sole of your shoe, not just 'mashing' on a downstroke.
Pushing and pulling gives you (theoretically) twice the power in any one full rotation of the leg.
It also makes you a much smoother rider.
However, this purity of action only applies when you are having fun, the wind is benign and you can hear the birds.
When you're at the end of a long one, its p155ing down and you're about to bonk AND/OR, the top of the hill just ISN'T getting any nearer: just mash it....