Spd's, flats, shoes shoes shoes.......

Gobs

I have............not a clue

Looks like this is the start of me being a bit more "fit for purpose" and getting some proper equipment. The last 2 rides I've been on I've been using flats and wearing my Asics running shoes. Ouch. The downhills battered my feet something chronic and a more solid soled shoe would have made the world of difference to my plates :oops:

Now question is, should I get some spd's, and if so which shoes and pedals? Or should I get some more solid trainers for flats and if so any recommendations?

I stacked it 3x on the first day alone at Afan recently due to my exhuberance so the idea of spd's scare the pants off me. I'd like my legs still attached

llamafarmer

Something like this might be a good buy for you. Use them with flats until you feel like trying out SPDs, then you only need to buy a set of Shimano M520 pedals.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7610

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9508

Gobs

Si78

yeah Shimano M520 s are good.
I also got some Specialized BG Sport spd shoes, so I walk like a duck 8)

jmj

SPDs do take a little while to get used to, but I find them invaluable off road. The fact that i know I'll land a jump with my feet on the pedals, rather than missing and landing on my nuts, or on one pedal (with the other spinning around to remove large chunks of my shin) is a comfort!

Top advice from llamafarmer though, those shoes should cover both bases.

The SPD pedals can be adjusted to allow different levels of tightness, so you can run them very slack to begin with and they'll release very easily with a slight twist of the foot. As you get used to riding and crashing in them, tighten them up.

llamafarmer

Gobs

jmj wrote:

As you get used to riding and crashing in them, tighten them up

Quote of the week

Northwind

I like flats myself... But I think the default option should be SPDs for most people. It's best to try both really, they do both have advantages and disadvantages but none are big enough to overrule a strong personal preference.

Jack_is_Back

After using SPDs for nearly 2 years I'm going to experiment with flats for a while. Two reasons really:

1. Being clipped-in makes me nervous about attacking trickier sections as much as I would like; I find myself holding back through fear of decking it.

2. New bike. Having just picked up my first full-suspension bike I want to explore its' capabilities without damaging myself to much!

Plus it was an excuse to buy some new gear.

joshtp

flats add confidence, and allow you to learn stuff, and do more things, but spd's add efficency, power, and allow you do do other things flats cant. your choice! :?

Kenelm

I used to use trainers on my old Gary Fisher but then I got my Stumpjumper 2 years ago which came with SPD's so I've used SPD's ever since. There are benefits for both:

From my experience...

SPD's:

* you get more pedalling for less effort
* your feet don't come off the pedals
* your pedals don't smash your shins
* you feel part of the machine :shock:

Flats:

* easier to bail

I prefer SPD's now I've stopped being a wuss

Gobs

This is my concern. I should be getting a lovely new £2k bike in the next couple of weeks and I would cry if I fell off and did her some damage :oops:

However when beasting it down the Twrch trail at Cwmcarn some of the descents dislodged my feet from the pedals and it hurt and lost me momentum

Indecisivetastic

uk_mr_brownstone

I used to ride SPD's a lot more but found flats better for a recurring knee strain issue.

Purley XC then SPD all the way, but I find flats my main choice for most off-road riding now

Kenelm

Gobs wrote:

This is my concern. I should be getting a lovely new £2k bike in the next couple of weeks and I would cry if I fell off and did her some damage :oops:

However when beasting it down the Twrch trail at Cwmcarn some of the descents dislodged my feet from the pedals and it hurt and lost me momentum

Indecisivetastic

I've crashed twice in the last week and it's me who has come off worse both times. That's why I'm sitting at home just now because I've got a gash in my leg. It wasn't my bike and flat pedals wouldn't have saved me.

Go for SPD's and just take it easy at first. If you adjust them to the easiest unclip setting you might as well be wearing flats anyway!

Gobs

Regardless when I turn up in spd's with a new expensive bike I'm gonna get some serious stick for being a flash Harry

Maybe I won't wear the spandex too on the first day

joshtp

as much as it hurts, you have to get used to the idea that your bike will get trashed, you will crash, you will fall, you will scratch it, you will brake it.end off, get used to it.

Gobs

Warm soul aren't you :shock:

lawman

try some five tens with decent flat pedals.

i use five ten impacts with shimano dx flats with thr long pins in and they grip like $hit to a carpet. so much better than spd's cos you have the movement of your feeet around the pedal and even with just a hint of the shoe on the pedal and they stick incerdibly well. obviously there will be the odd ocasion that you do slip but these are very rare. ive benn running that set up for 2 years and there is no way ill be switching to spd's any time soon

joshtp

Gobs wrote:

Warm soul aren't you :shock:

yeah, sorry, im nice really, i was just in a bit of a bad mood! sorry! anyway, it is true, you will have to face breaking your bike, i had no choice but to face it the first time i went out on my bike, i came back with a lovely health scratch along the top tube, which gets ful of mud, and, on a white frame its really visible. :oops:
anyway, i hope you dont ruin your bike, and im not bitter, honest!

Gobs

I know it won't stay in showroom condition, definately not the way I ride, I like to push it a bit :twisted: , I'd just like not to amplify how much I mangle myself and the bike by crashing whilst glued to it. At Afan when I'd crashed for the 3rd time I was told by the lads to slow down and ride within my limits. Clearly they didn't realise it was the bike at fault not me

Guess the only way to tell is gonna be to buy some. Now I just have to decide Black, White or Silver M520's to go with the Zesty 314 8) and whether to buy dedicated spd shoes or those best of both worlds that Llama posted

Northwind

Kenelm wrote:

I used to use trainers on my old Gary Fisher but then I got my Stumpjumper 2 years ago which came with SPD's so I've used SPD's ever since. There are benefits for both:

From my experience...

SPD's:

* you get more pedalling for less effort
* your feet don't come off the pedals
* your pedals don't smash your shins
* you feel part of the machine :shock:

Flats:

* easier to bail

With decent flats/pedals and good footwork your feet very rarely come loose either, mine only come off when I'm either crashing, doing something equally stupid, or jumping very badly Though obviously, you're more secure with spds!

As for advantages... The big advantage of flats isn't just dismounting, it's also restarting... Me and 2 mates went for a frankly ridiculous ride, lots of stops and starts, lots of "barely rideable" moments, little falls etc. They're both way better than me but I ended up being able to ride more, not because of skill but because I could stop or start at will, or have a wee dab and just carry on, while they had to worry about having space to safely clip in before attacking some other ridiculous feature, and ended up having to walk sections til they got to a start point.

I suppose it depends on what you're riding... Clipping in's basically an irrelevance a lot of the time, but once things get daft it can be a nightmare. Then add thick mud clogging your pedals and cleats...

(oh,and just occasionally being able to quickly stick out a leg for balance is handy, if you're doing tight stuff, northshore etc.)

Kenelm

Northwind wrote:

Kenelm wrote:

I used to use trainers on my old Gary Fisher but then I got my Stumpjumper 2 years ago which came with SPD's so I've used SPD's ever since. There are benefits for both:

From my experience...

SPD's:

* you get more pedalling for less effort
* your feet don't come off the pedals
* your pedals don't smash your shins
* you feel part of the machine :shock:

Flats:

* easier to bail

With decent flats/pedals and good footwork your feet very rarely come loose either, mine only come off when I'm either crashing, doing something equally stupid, or jumping very badly Though obviously, you're more secure with spds!

As for advantages... The big advantage of flats isn't just dismounting, it's also restarting... Me and 2 mates went for a frankly ridiculous ride, lots of stops and starts, lots of "barely rideable" moments, little falls etc. They're both way better than me but I ended up being able to ride more, not because of skill but because I could stop or start at will, or have a wee dab and just carry on, while they had to worry about having space to safely clip in before attacking some other ridiculous feature, and ended up having to walk sections til they got to a start point.

I suppose it depends on what you're riding... Clipping in's basically an irrelevance a lot of the time, but once things get daft it can be a nightmare. Then add thick mud clogging your pedals and cleats...

(oh,and just occasionally being able to quickly stick out a leg for balance is handy, if you're doing tight stuff, northshore etc.)

I agree with most of the stuff you say but you can still stick your leg out for balance with SPD's, clipping in and clipping out is really easy once you get used to it. It's not like once you are clipped in you have to wait until the next time you stop until you unclip.

I would also mention that i've been using them for 2 years and I'm still getting used to using them but would still prefer to have them than go back to flats. The only problems you get with starting and stopping is solved by good balance.

Northwind

Yeah, but then if you're at the point of leg-waving to balance, you probably need every edge you can get Clipping back in is just one more thing to worry about. Course it's rarely an issue, but if you've already got a too-short run in to something challenging, the less you have on your plate the better I reckon. Restarting on a steep climb likewise is much easier on flats- there's a reason the step climb at innerleithen is always littered with pushed bikes with spds, while the flatties smugly ride past

But of course, flats are generally less good for all those foot-on-pedal times, so it's a tradeoff, so really depends on what you're riding and how, and your own skills. And balance as you say! But I don't know how many people can happily start into a trackstand and clip in before they start to move... I know I can't!

matt748

For what it's worth, here's my experience:
Ditched my egg beaters on the mtb due to falling off a lot and losing confidence, so went back to flats for 2 years. Then, when I bought my Trek last month I was talked into giving clipless another try, using Shimano 520s. I had them on the loosest tension using multi release cleats, so they were easy to clip in and out.
This Monday and Tuesday just gone me and a few mates rode at Afan for the 1st time. They were all on flats, and I was clipped in on only my 2nd ride since going back to clipless! Here's what I found: Clipping in and out was easy, it's just getting the brain used to it. When doing the really tight switchbacks I just unclipped the inside foot 'just in case' then clipped back in. On the fast swoopy downhill stuff and easier climbs, being clipped in made a lot of sense and felt really good. On the slow rocky and rooty climbs and really technical bits, I hated them and wished I was on flats. However, after riding Penhyd and The Wall I only came off once due to a branch/flower type thing bashing me in the face :roll: and even then my feet unclipped.
All in all, I'm unsure now whether to stick it out with clipless and get better, or go to a decent set of flats.

Not an answer for you, but just my experience.
Matt

Dirtydog11

I think they're of more benefit to Hardtail riders than FS riders.

There are one or two technical natural trails I've rode where SPD's would not be suitable as the constant clipping in/out would get quite annoying (as in Northwinds post).

For 90% of the riding I do and most Trail Center routes they are fine. In my case they allow me to go a lot quicker Downhill over the ruff stuff as I'm able to maintain my footing.

But I do ride a hardtail.

lawman

the only time i wish i had spd's on my hardtail is trying to power off rough stuff. it just cant be done effectively on flats. tbh everywhere else i thinkflats are great. they allow you to bail quickly put a foot down if need be and add confidence. as for more power i can say that ive never lost a flat out sprint because i was on flats. plus i think flats make me braver and certainly faster, but its all personal prefernce tbh

Dirtydog11

lawman wrote:

the only time i wish i had spd's on my hardtail is trying to power off rough stuff. it just cant be done effectively on flats. tbh everywhere else i thinkflats are great. they allow you to bail quickly put a foot down if need be and add confidence. as for more power i can say that ive never lost a flat out sprint because i was on flats. plus i think flats make me braver and certainly faster, but its all personal prefernce tbh

Don't your feet get bounced off the pedals?

lawman

nope it hasnt happened for a while. to be fair ive been riding flats for about 5 years, and i think it tkes timw to build up a technique that works with flats. i tend to put alot wieght on both pedals through rocks and stuff and it really helps grip on pedals as well as bike control imo

Gobs

Of all the guys I went with to Afan, all 8 of us ran flats. I think I only suffered because my running shoes I was wearing weren't solid enough underfoot, and so my feet took a battering, meaning towards the end of the day I lost some degree of control over them on the pedals

Thinking back there were a good few moments of slipping on really technical climbs, and therefore having to re-start on a hill, or putting a foot out to avoid a fall. Flats are still edging it for me

If I bought spd's and shoes and didn't like them on the mtb could I use them on my roadbike?

Northwind

lawman wrote:

nope it hasnt happened for a while. to be fair ive been riding flats for about 5 years, and i think it tkes timw to build up a technique that works with flats. i tend to put alot wieght on both pedals through rocks and stuff and it really helps grip on pedals as well as bike control imo

Yup- the thing is, both have shortcomings but with the right approach you can close the gap... Good balance skills help make SPDs easier to live with while good pedal weighting and smooth pedalling removes the risk of losing a pedal most of the time

matt748

Gobs wrote:

If I bought spd's and shoes and didn't like them on the mtb could I use them on my roadbike?

That's what I did with my egg beaters. On the road they are fantastic.