Are you missing out if you use flats?

cameronb

If the various glossy marketing publications are anything to go by (namely MBR) nobody uses flats on their bikes. I've never tried any type of SPD or clipped in pedal, but its got me thinking should I? Have many people switched and noticed a difference in their riding? I can only really think that the only real difference would be using different muscles on the upwards stroke of the pedal. I mainly ride cross country stuff round the peaks and occasionally sherwood pines etc. Any experiences are welcome info.

paulneenan76

Definitely not missing out. But you need to give it a try with entry level spd's and shoes and see how you get on. It's not for me. Gave it a go but hated it. Friends have switched and won't go back to flats.

The Northern Monkey

Can't do superman's with clips.... tbh I can't do them without, but... yunno.

Long_Time_Lurker

I fall off more when clipped in.
So by using flats, I'll miss more scrapes, scars and bruising.

But in reality, I only feel like I get any real benefit when I'm doing loooong rides such as the coast-to-coast. Being clipped in makes it easier to get up hills as i seem to have more power for the entire rotation of the pedal.
I prefer being unclipped on my local trails as they are very rooty.

kevsgsi

I've just made the switch to SPD pedals and its a very strange feeling not being able to lift your foot without un-clipping

njee20

Try them by all means, but it's totally personal. I like clips.

Thewaylander

indeed, very personal.

but i would say you can do all you can on SPD on flats, but it takes technique as you are not directly attached to the bike. try it all ways :P

lawman

I swapped quite recently after years on flats and probably won't go back to flats for XC, feel alot more in control and its easier to pick the bike up and throw it around. Probably making up for my bad technique but hey ho! Unclipping is not quite second nature yet but I'm guessing it will come if I stick with it. I use flats for DH but after a day at Antor Stiniog I probably would be ok on clips on the blue run. I think once I'm completely used to the clips I'll use them for everything, as thats the only area flats currently have an advantage imo, a lot faster to eject if you get it wrong!

welshkev

I ride spd's on all my bikes - in fact that's a lie my jump bike doesn't have them.

but I find it very strange riding without spd's now as I've used them for so long.

warpcow

I ran SPDs for years and switched to flats a couple of years ago. I reckon flats are good for teaching you proper technique, but clips have certain advantages too. I was one of those lucky few (based on empirical study of all the "SPD vs Flats" threads out there) who took to clips easily, never had one of those silly, sideways stalls, so I've never thought flats were 'safer' in any way. I have just ordered some XT Trail pedals though, so I'll see how that goes.

lostboysaint

Not sure the OP can have read MBR very thoroughly over the last year or so as all they've done is bang on relentlessly about the benefits of flat pedals. Brendan Fairclough did one "instructional" article on them, every long term bike review seemed to include a sentence about how great it was having changed to flats, it was everywhere and, quite frankly, embarrassing.

Personally I ride Crank Brothers Malletts so have the best of both worlds.

Northwind

Course you're not missing out.

But, by not trying whatever the other pedals are from what you normally use are, you probably are missing out- for one thing, you might like them, but also both sorts of pedals have interesting things to teach you.

And when I say "try", I don't mean "go for one ride and crash all over the place then declare it to be rubbish".

bennett_346

lawman wrote:

I swapped quite recently after years on flats and probably won't go back to flats for XC, feel alot more in control and its easier to pick the bike up and throw it around. Probably making up for my bad technique but hey ho! Unclipping is not quite second nature yet but I'm guessing it will come if I stick with it. I use flats for DH but after a day at Antor Stiniog I probably would be ok on clips on the blue run. I think once I'm completely used to the clips I'll use them for everything, as thats the only area flats currently have an advantage imo, a lot faster to eject if you get it wrong!

People always say you shouldn't pull up on the clips for jumps etc but tbh i disagree. It's similar to saying you can have suspension forks but you musn't use them to absorb impacts and dampen vibrations!

pesky_jones

bennett_346 wrote:

People always say you shouldn't pull up on the clips for jumps etc but tbh i disagree. It's similar to saying you can have suspension forks but you musn't use them to absorb impacts and dampen vibrations!

I think people say that because it's better tehcnique to learn to pull the bike up with flats. SPD'S main intention isn't to pull the bike up, whereas a forks main intention is to absorb impacts and dampen vibrations.

Northwind

Yeah, if you exclusively pull up on the SPDs then you're missing out on another useful skill. If you do it as a useful tool but you can also jump properly, that's better still.

pesky_jones

Personally I don't like the thought of using SPD's on jumps, in fact I'd be too scared to try them. Theres been many a time I've hit a jump at the wrong angle and you just get the feeling your not going to land properley and my instinct is to kick the bike out underneath and away from myself. I'd look like a fish out of water if this happened with SPDs, and probally end up like one.

bennett_346

Northwind wrote:

Yeah, if you exclusively pull up on the SPDs then you're missing out on another useful skill. If you do it as a useful tool but you can also jump properly, that's better still.

That's how I did it. Learned on flats, used SPD's to aid the process. Can't stand it when people say you shouldn't ever pull up on them. You pull up flat pedals using the grip provided from the pins anyway.

Levi_501

Cleats rule!

Myster101

I have both but like the flats better. Give the clips a try and see what you think, you can always swap back to flats if you don't get on with them.

Hairylegs66

I miss out on a lot of falling off and bruises when it's slippery by using flats.
I used some Time ATAC's for 6 months - they were great for getting the power down and for climbing but I couldn't unclip quick enough whenI got into trouble so swapped to flats with Five Tens. Maybe SPD's would be better but I have dodgy knees and need plenty of float, so I'm not forking out on the offchance, flats for me!!

cameronb

Thanks for all your replys, I suppose the only way I will find out is by getting on with it, so I've got the shimano m530 trail ones for twenty quid, borrowed some shoes off a mate and ill see what comical moves I can pull off.

bennett_346

The way i see it is there are no disadvantages to them other than if you don't like turning your heel to clip out. In a crash you come out just as easily as you do off flat pedals.

If someone has a preference for flats that's fair enough because for some the sensation of flats is more enjoyable. But you're missing out if you don't try clipless that's for sure.

jim610

i love my cleats for xc feel like i have much more control an pick up pace faster still like flats tho they both have there place def give them a try see how you get on.

cooldad

I have toe clips on my road bike. Does that count?

dusk

bennett_346 wrote:

The way i see it is there are no disadvantages to them other than if you don't like turning your heel to clip out. In a crash you come out just as easily as you do off flat pedals.

If someone has a preference for flats that's fair enough because for some the sensation of flats is more enjoyable. But you're missing out if you don't try clipless that's for sure.

Totally agree. I guess they must be a bit of a Marmite thing as I love clips and wouldn't ever go back to flats.

I see being clipped in like gripping your handlebars and riding flats like just resting your hands on the bars

ddraver

Think there is a good balance to be struck. Riding both is good for your skills and to be honest, over the length of a shorter trail centre it probably does nt make any difference...However, when people say "flats" they mean proper flat pedals with good shoes (eg 5.10's) not just trainers on plastic pedals!

That said for longer epic rides or racing, there appears to be (although no one has been able to work out why) a significant advantage to being clipped in.

I should ride flats much more often!

sniper68

I returned to flats after 5 years with clip-less.I now have a good combo of Shimano AM41s and Vaults on the FS and Wellgo's on the HT.Very grippy but I still miss being clipped in especially on the technical stuff I've tried to go back to flats a few times and packed in after a couple of rides so this time I've given it about a year.TBH I can ride with either now but still edge towards Clip-less 8)
By all means try clip-less but one/two rides isn't enough,give them at least 6 months(many don't make it past the 1st ride) and if they're not for you then flats are perfectly OK.
You're not missing out it's just a different way of riding 8)

bennett_346

ddraver wrote:

That said for longer epic rides or racing, there appears to be (although no one has been able to work out why)

Plenty of people have, it's just that those people get shot down instantly by the community because apparently it's impossible (given the anatomy of the human leg muscles) to pull up on a pedal you're attached to rather than pull down. And it's unthinkable that sharing the same work over two sets of muscles instead of one reduces fatigue...

Tom Barton

I use flats (superstar nanos) with fiveten shoes - grip is never an issue (wet/weather wise) and its rare that very rough stuff unsettles my footing. I gave spds a go but after a life time of riding flats i hated every minute of them and besides I'm reasonably fit which i feel makes much more of a difference than a more 'efficent' pedal - and although its not competitive, on an average day at my local trail centres I'll reel in far more people than pass me by. Besides - I can hoon to my hearts content without fear of stacking it because i couldnt throw a leg out for balance which is more fun!

ddraver

bennett_346 wrote:

ddraver wrote:

That said for longer epic rides or racing, there appears to be (although no one has been able to work out why)

Plenty of people have, it's just that those people get shot down instantly by the community because apparently it's impossible (given the anatomy of the human leg muscles) to pull up on a pedal you're attached to rather than pull down. And it's unthinkable that sharing the same work over two sets of muscles instead of one reduces fatigue...

The Science suggests that the effect of pulling up on the pedals is negligible at best unlesss your 100% sprinting. However all such tests are done on short rides, usually at full pace. However, since the dawn of cycling time, riders have attached their feet to the pedals either by toe straps or clips which suggests that there must be some benefit. However, testing that in a lab is pretty difficult...

On a shorter "non-racing" ride, that effect is probably not really important to most of us, whereas the skillz benefits of riding with them a bit is probably useful

carthorse73

Coming from a roadie (sorry) background I've always used clipless so when I got back into mountain bikes after a good few years away I thought nothing of going straight for spd's on the first MTb I'd built and ridden for about 10 years.

While I'd been away these strange new places called 'trail centres' had appeared, so off i trotted to one of the nearest ones which happened to be Llandegla to see what all the fuss was about. Within a few trips there I was wizzing round quite happily clipped in having a whale of a time (I might even have got some of this 'air' stuff by mistake a couple of times)

Flushed with returning fitness and this early success I widened my sights and fearlessly launched myself down the trails at CYB on a biblically wet day........ I very quickly learnt that spd's, wet rock, technical trails & poor technique equalled an urgent need for knee pads ...............

Suitably humbled I returned to 'degla to rebuild by bruised ego and knees. Feeling bullish and confident once again ( and with knee pads) I took myself off to Gisburn for the first time keen to master the famed 'hully gully' I'd heard so much about. Unfortunatly after another clipped in over the bars moment in that rock garden in the forest I had a crisis of confidence on some raised broadwalk, tried to unclip, failed, broke two ribs and wrecked a shoulder after a tree stump kindly broke my sideways fall.

Anyway the result of all this rambling is I now use Nano's and 5tens and although I do miss spd's for their climbing efficiency and the ease of popping the bike over small stuff on the trail, I'm much more confident on the technical stuff (because its much easier to walk round it in flat shoes! )