Whats wrong with flat pedals?

Onan

I gave spds a fair go, and I'm officially giving up on them. Even when I got used to clipping in and out, they were still awkward and annoying sometimes. Having to wear special footwear just made me less likely to go out on my bike. I hate the things.

From what I've read, there's no evidence they even improve performance at all anyway. Even if they did, I don't need to go any faster. Since nobody can prove to me there is any necessity for me to have my foot connected to the pedal, I don't see what's wrong with running flat pedals on my road bike. Except maybe I'll get funny looks from roadies, but I get that anyway, for pootling along at 10mph in baggy jeans and an anorak.

Are all you clipped in people absolutely certain its not just a total con?

whyamihere

I like them more than flats.

andy83

Definitely more power, I also feel safer when riding as I know If i need to pull away from an incident or coming upto junction I feel I have more connection to the bike as if your not clipped in half of your stroke is not really doing much but when clipped in it is

hope that makes sense

Onan

andy83 wrote:

Definitely more power, I also feel safer when riding as I know If i need to pull away from an incident or coming upto junction I feel I have more connection to the bike as if your not clipped in half of your stroke is not really doing much but when clipped in it is

hope that makes sense

I think that theres an article about a study somewhere on this site that showed that even elite athletes were not capable of generating significant upwards force through the back part of the pedal stroke. I'll try to find it.

Jay dubbleU

Hurray - someone else who can't stand being clipped in - I much prefer flats - much more versatile and comfortable - having read up on the subject it appears that only pro cyclists have the strength and technique to make full use of spds - most cyclists can't power on the upstroke.

andy83

i just like being attached to the old steed

although did like the flats on my old mtb til they nicked it the a$$holes

amnezia

SPDs provide better power transfer than flats, thats the reason for using them. I'm not convinced about the power on the upstroke either.

They also feel a lot more secure than flats, you never have to worry about your feet slipping off the pedals.

Onan

I also dont like not being able to move my feet about on the pedals. Even with "float", it's not like you can change the spot of your foot which contacts the pedal. I move about all over the place, side to side, back to front, either to get comfortable, rest muscles for a bit, or to change my position, like between standing up and sitting down.

deptfordmarmoset

Onan,

What about using toe clips? If you keep them fairly loose you can move your foot position (ok, only a little) but can lift all the weight off the pedal on the upstroke without your foot divorcing the pedal. Particularly on our bumpy winter-ravaged roads, one of the problems with flats is that you have to keep downward pressure all the time, which of course means using force against your other foot on the downward stroke.

iPete

I know the article you mean, it's more a blog than an article. It's great not worrying about your feet coming off the pedal when your pushing along or jumping gears. I also find myself often pulling up on the back stroke but for popping to the super market, yes it's a pain. If I did more short journeys I'd get double sided pedals, flat/spd.

roger_merriman

SPD's at least for road bikes make a lot of sense, worth also pointing out that road flats tend to be fairly poor.

in terms of grip a half decent MTB flat will grip your shoe, though mud and jolts so keeping your foot in place if it's just a bit wet on the commute is not a problem.

I have cheap flats on the town bike, SPD's for the roadie and V8's for the MTB.

In terms of extra power, um no, the main advantage is a secure and light pedal, as the MTB ones tend to be Hefty.

laughingboy

Onan wrote:

I think that theres an article about a study somewhere on this site that showed that even elite athletes were not capable of generating significant upwards force through the back part of the pedal stroke. I'll try to find it.

Do you mean this?

Onan

laughingboy wrote:

Onan wrote:

I think that theres an article about a study somewhere on this site that showed that even elite athletes were not capable of generating significant upwards force through the back part of the pedal stroke. I'll try to find it.

Do you mean this?

No, but I've come across that before too.

I can't find the article I thought I'd seen here, so maybe it didn't exist.

prj45

amnezia wrote:

They also feel a lot more secure than flats, you never have to worry about your feet slipping off the pedals.

Yeah right, you just have to worry about staying attached to your bike whilst it falls over!

Jay dubbleU

I have decent flats on my CX bike - never had a problem with my feet slipping and I do like to be able to shift position on long runs. I feel happier off road with flats in case I need to get my feet down fast

prj45

Well, I'm just about to put flats on one of these, so there!

dav1

I think it comes down to preferance and what type of riding you do.

I have to admit on my more stop-start days SPDs are very annoying, however I usually get a fair bit of clear air so its not too big an issue.

I like the security and that upward pull, especially for the (very) short and sharp climbs in norwich i frequently come across where I really dont want to swap chainring.

Likewise with my MTB the extra up-pull to maintain a constant and smooth application of power is good for maintaining traction and getting that extra bit of power when you need it most.

rolf_f

I don't mind flats though I'm putting spd's on my mountain bike when they arrive. However, I went out on my mates old Peugeot triathlon which has Shimano 105 clips with straps; they are dreadful. Truly appalling.

When I set off from a junction, instead of powering across before the cars even move off, I wobble slowly across the junction trying to get my feet in the bleepin straps (might be a little short for my wide feet). Then, having got them in, all it takes is to lift the weight off a foot whilst out of the saddle, or do a clunky gear change, and one foot will be straight out. As both circumstances usually occur on a steep climb, it is more than a bit annoying.

Not sure how much power benefit clipless gives but the sheer hassle reduction factor has to be worth it.

el_presidente

To the OP - nothing wrong with flats unless you are the Darwin Award contender I saw the other day riding his no-brake fixie with flat pedals and no means of foot retention whatsoever. Not surprisingly he didn't dare pedal faster than a quick walking pace.

Eau Rouge

I can't imagine riding a bike and not being attached to the pedals. The thought of it almost scares me. I like knowing that my feet are there, in that position, all ride. They aren't going
to move, they aren't going to slip, the aren't going to wander about the pedal. They are just where they should be, all the time, every time.
I can ride along, slow down, speed up, come out of the saddle, crouch down on a decent and I don't ever have to wonder if my feet have or will move, until I want them to, when they break free like they were never even attached. I find it quite liberating.

On the other hand, if I had a "pub bike" for pootling to the pub/shop/friends in jeans and wanting to not sweat at all and be able to wear normal shoes when I get there, then I'd have flats, as I wouldn't be going hard enough or long enough to care where my feet are.
Actually, I'd still probably get old-fashioned toe clips for it...

artaxerxes

I use SPDs on my commuter because I got fed up of getting stabbed in the shins by my spikey flat pedals whenever my feet slipped off in traffic.

timestar

Like the OP I am not a fan of SPDs and much prefer to use flats on my road bikes. I did experiment with SPDs for about 6 months bfore going back to flats. I think SPDs can be effective as long as they are set up correctly and everything is aligned properly. I use clips/straps combination and don't find the loss of power referred to at traffic lights by another poster.

roger_merriman

timestar wrote:

Like the OP I am not a fan of SPDs and much prefer to use flats on my road bikes. I did experiment with SPDs for about 6 months bfore going back to flats. I think SPDs can be effective as long as they are set up correctly and everything is aligned properly. I use clips/straps combination and don't find the loss of power referred to at traffic lights by another poster.

for a quick launch away from the lights flats are better, at least that my experance, pottering with this. I pull away with ease from folk with clipless, if they are a fast bike they may once up to speed come past, but away from the lights you could die of old age waiting for people to clip in.

chuck the bike into low gear, and flats if you want to zip away from the lights.

jonginge

I'm a clipless pedal user man and boy. Definitely would not go back to flats.

My pedal stroke has a fair amount of movement in the ankle: I use the 'ankling' technique, not by explicitly practicing it but coz that's my natural way of pedalling.

A month or so ago I had to ride a couple of miles on flats (for the first time in over a decade) and for the first minute I was having trouble keeping my foot on the pedal on the upstroke! That was on a flat road, too.

Horses for courses but I'm now irreversibly trained (by choice) to use clipless.




That Rivendell article didn't really tally at all with my experience. I thought about my walking style while I was climbing some stairs this morning. I'm definitely a power through ball of foot person...

jonginge

roger merriman wrote:

timestar wrote:

Like the OP I am not a fan of SPDs and much prefer to use flats on my road bikes. I did experiment with SPDs for about 6 months bfore going back to flats. I think SPDs can be effective as long as they are set up correctly and everything is aligned properly. I use clips/straps combination and don't find the loss of power referred to at traffic lights by another poster.

for a quick launch away from the lights flats are better, at least that my experance, pottering with this. I pull away with ease from folk with clipless, if they are a fast bike they may once up to speed come past, but away from the lights you could die of old age waiting for people to clip in.

chuck the bike into low gear, and flats if you want to zip away from the lights.

Not my experience but maybe that's just me :twisted:

With the SPDs on my commuter cleat engagement is immediate so no loss of time versus flats. Engagement into my Times is quick, too. It's pretty rare for a full pedal stroke to have passed before i'm fully clipped in. A lot of practice, I guess

rjsterry

+1 I make a mess of it every now and then, but generally not a problem. The other beauty of clipless is that you can pedal quite effectively with one leg until you clip the other foot in if need be. Fairly sure you can't do that with flats, unless you have toe clips, and even then with some difficulty unless done up very tight.

roger_merriman

JonGinge wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

timestar wrote:

Like the OP I am not a fan of SPDs and much prefer to use flats on my road bikes. I did experiment with SPDs for about 6 months bfore going back to flats. I think SPDs can be effective as long as they are set up correctly and everything is aligned properly. I use clips/straps combination and don't find the loss of power referred to at traffic lights by another poster.

for a quick launch away from the lights flats are better, at least that my experance, pottering with this. I pull away with ease from folk with clipless, if they are a fast bike they may once up to speed come past, but away from the lights you could die of old age waiting for people to clip in.

chuck the bike into low gear, and flats if you want to zip away from the lights.

Not my experience but maybe that's just me :twisted:

With the SPDs on my commuter cleat engagement is immediate so no loss of time versus flats. Engagement into my Times is quick, too. It's pretty rare for a full pedal stroke to have passed before i'm fully clipped in. A lot of practice, I guess

you may well be on the upper end of the curve , even going though central london bikes seem to filter to the front then dawdle away from the lights.

Stevo_666

I don't think its a con at all. However from a commuters point of view though (esp in London) what has put me off going clipless for the trek to work is the number of times I'd have to clip in and out - I come across well over 40 sets of traffic lights in my 12 mile jaunt and seem to catch at least half of them on red Add to that having to pull up for other reasons like being blocked by traffic, avoiding being left hooked etc, thats a lot of clipping in and out.

I reckon for commutes where there is less stop start and weekend type road rides, its a lot more clear cut in favour of clipless. Also, despite my MTB bias, flats on a drop bar roadie just don't look right...

Kieran_Burns

Stevo 666 wrote:

I don't think its a con at all. However from a commuters point of view though (esp in London) what has put me off going clipless for the trek to work is the number of times I'd have to clip in and out - I come across well over 40 sets of traffic lights in my 12 mile jaunt and seem to catch at least half of them on red Add to that having to pull up for other reasons like being blocked by traffic, avoiding being left hooked etc, thats a lot of clipping in and out.

I reckon for commutes where there is less stop start and weekend type road rides, its a lot more clear cut in favour of clipless. Also, despite my MTB bias, flats on a drop bar roadie just don't look right...

I keep saying it, but I find two-sided to be ideal. These and a pair of SPD shoes that look like trainers are ideal.

On the longer stretches I flick over onto the clips and when I'm in traffic I unclip and use the flats.

However, I don't find the clips make a huge difference to speed or power but there is a greater sense of security with regard to the feet staying the pedals. However there is a corresponding worry about having to stop sharpish.

Stevo_666

Kieran_Burns wrote:

However, I don't find the clips make a huge difference to speed or power but there is a greater sense of security with regard to the feet staying the pedals. However there is a corresponding worry about having to stop sharpish.

If you get the right set of flats then feet coming off the pedals on a commute is very rarely a problem. I've got Wellgo MG-1's and the pins on them look vicious, but your trainers stay stuck to these things like s**t to the proverbial blanket. the only time I've ever had calf/shin scars from flats is when I've been mountain biking.

northstar

I keep saying it, but I find two-sided to be ideal

Me too, got these personally, best of both.