help with mountain bike shoes and pedals

orienteerstu55

hi

im quite new to mountain biking and pretty clueless, im wondering should i get some of thoose clippy pedal things instead of flat ones? are their any differnt pedals what would u recomend in the way of pedals for a novice mountain biker who may fall off from time to time

all advice is good advice

thanks stu

also if u happen to be selling any pedals in red or uk size 11 shoes for the pedals drop me a msg

andrewyzfr6

Ive been using mountain bikes for 15+ years, and been using spd's (shimano cliped-in pedals and shoes) On the road ive been using look's and on road spd's.
Its only in the last year ive been using flats.
I find the flats less efficent. But better control on the technical stuff. Climbing is far better on spds though.
It depends on you tho, what suits you best. If your not confident off road on the bike I dont think the spd's are a good idea.

specializedsteve

My preference is flats, not keen on the idea of being clipped in, knowing me i would probabaly not twist/unclip my foot in time as i fall!

some decent DC/Vans/Osiris trainers and DMR V8 or V12 pedals is what i would recommend. They would give you good grip and the trainers will still be comfy in the post ride beer!

Atz

stu - I use both. Flats on trail bike, clipless on road bike and HT. Horses for courses and all that

cee

stu...

without getting into the 'clips vs flats' debate...there are some pretty strong opinions on either side....

if you are quite new....

my advice would be...stick with flats for the time being...

simply put...with flat pedals and shoes....there is no hiding place when you need to pop the bike up and over an obstacle...you have to make the bike pop up using its momentum.....also...it will be easier to abandon ship while learning manuals and steep descents etc...

Then...make a choice later about whether to try clips or not.

Kaise

stu,

i have just changed back to flats mainly as i like just jumping on the bike and going instead of having to use spds but there are benefits on all sides.

Bascially what Cee said, but if you're getting flats these are cheap and from experience the best pedal
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3177


and they do a pretty big range of colours, but a warning, if these hit your shins with any force they will draw blood!

diy

If you do decide to try spds I would invest in multi-release cleats as you can eject using a far more natural technique than the ankle twist which is required for singles.

I've been using SPDs for the last 4 years and never had any problem with them releasing when I want them off. I did have probles with singles, but largely because I was using cheap shoes with a thin plate, which meant the screws stripped easily and the cleats came loose.

The main risk with SPDs is not getting your foot out, because that is easy, its loosing a screw in the cleat, which means no amount of pulling will release the shoe. Hence buy decent cleats to go with the pedals.

Boy Lard

I had some spds on my road bike and flat pedals on my mtb. After breaking my ankle (hit a patch of ice when on road bike, don't really know what happened but when I stood up it hurt) I have been advised by the physio not to clip in as yet.

I've recently bought some Five Ten Impact Hi boots, because they offer some support and protection for my ankle and I can honestly say they seem to have made more difference to the amount of grip I have on the pedals then the upgrade from standard crappy pedals to some MG-1s/Superstar Nanotec/DMR V12 (ridden with normal 'skate' shoes). I have now put some MG-1s on my road bike, and while it doesn't feel quite as 'connected' as the spds, it is about as close as I think I can get without actually using the spds. I probably won't go back to spds, even after I get the go-ahead from the physio.

If you see someone on v.skinny tyres and funny shaped handlebars, but with big chunky boots on, that's probably me.

Thewaylander

If you do go with flats,

Decent shoes count, But i'd look over the Welllgos and a few other brands over the DMR, recently i've destroyed V12 and V8 like they were made of soft cheese

Mental Mickey

I have no problems with pedal efficiency using flats/stiff soles shoes, just make sure you research and buy well if you decide to go that route, I have used Spd's before so am in a position to make a comparison, I have no trouble keeping up with and overtaking Spd's users on climbs or through bumpy singletrack, good technique is the key.

Atz

Mental Mickey wrote:

I have no trouble keeping up with and overtaking Spd's users on climbs or through bumpy singletrack, good technique is the key.

Technique being key is probably the most important thing to take from pedal discussions (the rest of that sentence isn't relevant for example)..

Ultimately, there's plenty to say for both types of pedals and there's plenty of people who use either for DH. Perversely outside DH there are clear favourites. Freeride/slopestyle seems to be flats all the way (ease of disposing of the bike) and XC is clipless all the way (weight, power transfer etc). Of course, how much of this is down to accepted conventions is another subject.

Personally I'd say that if you have the money (or a friend with pedals and shoes you can borrow), you should give both a shot and see what works best for you and your riding.

bartimaeus

For flats MG1s - £32 High on Bikes. 380g instead of 528g for the V8s.