flats vs spd's

lawman

well i think i might give spd's a try, but before i take the plunge are there any flat to spd converts who could give me some advise. does it feel wierd and is it easier to fall off???? i love flats but i just cant get the power down and i just thought it might be time to switch.

p.s what pedals would be best. i like the look of crank bros mallets and acids or shimanos dx

paul.skibum

shimano dx all the way for me - sheds mud well, gives a good platform, easy to engage in and tough. Mine are 3 years old, no service and still spinning sweet. Just bought another set for my new bike too.

mancjon

It doesn't feel weird as long as you setup them up right but in all likelihood you will fall off at least once

Key difference is that with flats your feet fall naturally on the pedal, however with SPD's the cleat position determines what angle your feet are on the pedals so you need to experiment until you get the same angle as your feet would be on a flat pedal. Otherwise you can get some knee pain.

Apart from that i love SPD's, so much easier IMO getting up hills etc. I only switch back to flats when i'm practicing new stuff so i can bail out easier.

Once you have ridden them for a while the unclipping will become automatic, you won't even have to think about it. I use PD-M540's and have also tried out Time Atac's. I found the shimano's to have a much more postive cleat engagement and more importantly they were easier to release from.

Jon

bomberesque

Times > all IMO

I use both but mostly clipless. Good flatties and decent shoes really are very good so don't expect miracles moving to clipless. they are good for especially steep stuff (where you're dragging up with your non-drive foot) and long winching sessions where you need to spin for a while and clipless helps with the rhythm but tbh don't be too devastated if you spend this money and end up wondering what all the fuss was about.

of course the fact that *all* xc racers use clipless while not all DH racers use flatties (by any account) tells you something

wait form someone to post a pic of an XC racer in Crocks now.....

MacAndCheese

I am a convert! I went with Shimano SPDs (PD-M520 ones though - for mainly XC riding). It took a few rides and you will fall off the first few times you have to slow right down/stop (i fell off in front of some hikers when I was doing about 3mph up a hill :oops: ) after a while it just becomes natural and i've even had a couple of big stacks (unrelated to the pedals) and never had the problem I feared of the bike staying attached.

Strangely, now that I'm thinking of going back to my DMR V8s and Vans for a bit to improve my technique, I'm scared about my feet coming off too easily!

Monkeypump

You WILL fall off, but it will be worth it - the difference is quite significant.

I'm a recent mtb-flat to road-clipless convert. I've fallen a couple of times, and am nervous at the thought of using clipless for off-road technical stuff, but now riding with flats feels completley inefficient. Time to take the plunge, I think!

Lots of debate on what clipless pedals are best, but I'm pleased with my eggbeater SLs. Main reason for purchase was ease of clipping out, but they're light and should resist clogging pretty well.

Sarnian

I have just gone back to flats, I always had one of my bikes set up with flats and the other with SPD'S but the past few months I have been running flats on both and loving It.

Don't think I will go back to being clipped In now except for a road bike, good shoes and pedals really do work well.

jairaj

I would personally recommend the Shimano SPD system as this has an adjustable release tension. You can adjust this nice and loose to start of with so its easier to unclip but once you get used to it you can tighten it up.

The way I learnt to use them was, I first leaned against the garden wall (or similar) and tried unclipping and clipping while stationary and holding onto the wall to stop me falling.

Once used to that, find a long flat bit of grass (local park etc) and ride along and try unclipping while freewheeling and only stop the bike once unclipped. If you have trouble unclipping, you just pedal a few more times to get the momemtum and balance back. And try to unclip again. That way you're never stopped with your feet still clipped in and the chance of a fall is lower.

its not that hard you'll soon get used it.

dave_hill

Popcorn anyone?

lawman

dave_hill wrote:

Popcorn anyone?

yer i did think id start the whole debate but oh well

thanks for the replies guys, i currently use shaimano dx flats and five tens so its a pretty good setup but id like to give spds a try just to compare. ive reached abit of a limit with flats up hill so ill lookin at the other options. im certainly not goin back to toe straps

rich_e

I remember back when I was learning that there were a few times where I fell because of not disengaging.

I found the best solution, as far as Shimano SPDs go is to buy the multi-release cleats. They are about £10 or so, and rather than the regular cleats where you have to do a specific twist action, the multi-directional release ones allow you to jerk your foot in any direction to get free. This defiantly saves you on your learning bails, as that's when you are most likely to forget what action to use.

Doombrain

I'm new to SPD's due to coming on the bike.

I've just about got used to them after 180 miles. come off four times on trails but now i can't see myself going back.

today i went for a ride and had to wear trainers because i forgot my SPD shoes and found it harder on hills

Aud Reekie MTB

Rich_E wrote:

I remember back when I was learning that there were a few times where I fell because of not disengaging.

I found the best solution, as far as Shimano SPDs go is to buy the multi-release cleats. They are about £10 or so, and rather than the regular cleats where you have to do a specific twist action, the multi-directional release ones allow you to jerk your foot in any direction to get free. This defiantly saves you on your learning bails, as that's when you are most likely to forget what action to use.

Agreed. And that's not the only argument in favour of multi-point release: you're less likley to break your ankle! (I did when i went over on wet cobbles wearing single point exit SPDs!)

..........i still use SPDS though!

Andy

The Northern Monkey

dave_hill wrote:

Popcorn anyone?

butter or sweet?

Can't stand that buttery crap

Oh and its gotta be warm.

dave_hill

bigbenj_08 wrote:

dave_hill wrote:

Popcorn anyone?

butter or sweet?

Can't stand that buttery crap

Oh and its gotta be warm.

Actually I'm not a big fan of popcorn. Well, not since the incident at the Ann Summers party anyway.

I think a bag of Haribo Starmix might be more in my line.

The Northern Monkey

dave_hill wrote:

bigbenj_08 wrote:

dave_hill wrote:

Popcorn anyone?

butter or sweet?

Can't stand that buttery crap

Oh and its gotta be warm.

Actually I'm not a big fan of popcorn. Well, not since the incident at the Ann Summers party anyway.

I think a bag of Haribo Starmix might be more in my line.

Sorry to thread hijack.. but you can't say that and not explain yourself

dave_hill

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Sorry to thread hijack.. but you can't say that and not explain yourself

Oh yes I can. And in any case you aren't old enough...

But in the words of Rowley Birkin QC - "I freely admit - I was very, very drunk..." :shock:

Hercule Q

i'm happy with my V8s 7years old and still running sweet, if it aint broke dont fix it

Tel39

Being mechanically connected to a moving two wheeled contraption that can occassionally go quite fast down steep offroad terrain is just errr, well..... wrong really...

Flats all day every day for me. (runs back and jumps behind bunker)

OH NO Dan

Ive been using spd for 2 months. Shimano M520 pedals and multi release cleats. After falling directly onto my handlebar onto my stomach, I changed to multi release just for peace of mind. I actually enjoy going up hills now! Its nice to no my feet are planted down rough decents as well. I had a few offs and my feet just unclipped without even thinking about it.

I wont ever go back to flats no chance (unless i start downhilling/freeriding)

Joe_Pineapples

SPD's?
No fecking way!

Flats forever!!!!!

justresting

road bike spd , mtn bike on treacherous terrain, flats... Simple

Yukon Lad

flats all the way, i'm using wellgos on my trail bike and a sick pair of kona wah-wah pesals on my DH bike, the wah-wahs are awesome, with a super thin profile you can pedal through some of the gnarliest stuff. I would never consider using flats for DH and probably not even trail riding.

This is just my opinion personally i like the freedom of flats and can't be arsed with all of the maintenance and special shoes.

Again though this is my opinion, everybody will have their own

Yukon Lad

cgarossi

I use Crank Brothers Candy C's and will never go back to flats. I can't remember the last time I fell off directly because I was stuck to the pedals.

Go SPD, you wont regret it.

Jon8a

Flats all the way off road.

Spds are fine on the road but I find they give me very little advantage on rough terrain as it's very hard to get the constant cadence you get on the road which is where their strength lies.

Too much else going on to get use out of being able to put power in on more of the revolution.

Terryg

Got to be SPD's for me, I use SP520's and find them sorted...would never go back to flats.2

Is it me or do you usually have SPD moments when going slow- like when you stop!! :oops:

Skippy2309

SPD's all the way, no worries about slipping and they are smaller than most flats

only issue is i slipped off mine today as i didnt engage correct and got a few chunks of skin missing

kangaroo

I've been a long time flats user until recently, I've tried shimano multi and single release, and crank brother mallets, but always got on with flats better

that was until i joined a bike club and i was struggling to keep up, some of this was down to poor bike technique and set up. i used to ride with the seat quite low and the suspension really soft and tended to mostly ride seated, even on downhill stuff and tended to stick a leg out a lot for tripoding around corners. now they guys in the club set my suspension up correctly put my seat up to the correct height lowered my front end a little and lent me a pair of eggbeater sl pedals

the eggbeaters are way easier to get out of than any of the others i have tried with possible the exception of multi release spd, but i was advised that those can be quite dangerous, cause occasionally you can pull up and disconnect from the bike.
i would advise against mallets or any of the eggbeater with a platform around them as they can be difficult to get out of. normal eggbeaters are much better
eggbeater pedals also have a nice amount of float, so they are slightly better on the knees as well.

its taken me a few weeks to get used to the eggbeaters, (mostly due to fear of not being able to unclip). i find now that i feel more secure on the bike especially on rough descents as the feet can nor longer accidently bounce off the pedals, and the ability to spin when climbing is brilliant. in fact i liked them so much i went and bought my own set of eggbeater sls