Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Yo beanz, it does take time to adjust, that's for sure. You essentially have to relearn the whole technique, from scratch, the proper way. Cleats allow you to pull up with your legs when attempting a hop, Whereas proper hopping requires a pre load and then a proper jump. Think of it like a step up (in gym terms) you don't just lift your legs and hope for the best. You compress and then spring with all your might. Same as a hop. Compress (as if you were pumping the back side of a jump to gain more speed) then lift the front as if to manual and release. The foot contact thing comes with keeping your heels down and relaxing your legs. Give it time. It took about 10 rides for me to get okay with the idea, and on certain stuff the pedals still get away from me. But if I ever go back to cleats (I may, who knows) I now know the proper technique.

Not always, dude. In fact, that's what makes it even more interesting. The trails may be open to ride, but often the route is withheld to prevent any practice runs. Not like DH in that regard. EG: All the Dirtopia enduros were on open trails (one on brand new never before ridden trail) but the routes weren't disclosed until the day of.

Not at all, dude. Even on the full DH events, there are B/C lines. Nothing to worry about...

ROFL!!! I read CHIN. And I was nodding along, till I read it again and felt like a klutz. ROFL!!!

Not much, really, unless you're doing multi-day events or are only riding jeep track. Still, with proper shoes and good pedals, you probably won't notice a difference in power at all. The majority of riders don't even know what it feels like to consistently pull on each pedal stroke, so they're not even using the biggest "advantage" of clipless pedals.

Peer pressure. Number one cause of the decline of kommin sense.

Fixed EDIT: If anything, it'd just increase your potential average power output on each pedal stroke, given that you'd be exerting force on the entire pedal stroke as opposed to just, say, 70% of the stroke. The total work done on a ride would therefore increase, as would your speed. IF you exert the same force and actually DO pull on the upstroke, which would mean you need to change the way you have trained your legs to pedal...

I was about to say... I don't exactly ride manicured freeway trails...

Or you could go for the Electrons, which are the Neutrons baby brother...

http://dialdbikes.co.za/nukeproof-electron-flat-pedals.html http://dialdbikes.co.za/deity-compound-pedals.html http://dialdbikes.co.za/dartmoor-stream-pedals.html http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/nukeproof-electron-flat-pedals/rp-prod85858 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/shimano-saint-mx80-flat-pedals/rp-prod82557 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/wellgo-alloy-platform-b185-flat-pedals/rp-prod85577 (the ones I have) http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/funn-bigfoot-pedal/rp-prod109377

Indeed. As Rouxtjie said before, you get *** bikes, of all sizes...

Overhyped, maybe. Useless, not on your nelly. I think it's more along the likes of upgrading from a Suntour XCT fork to a REBA though - you wonder why you didn't do it earlier, and it DOES change the way you ride.

BARF. Seriously does my head in. How many times does this have nothing to do with the actual product, and eeverything to do with the company's lawyers trying to squeeze another mill out of the company? Yes - protect your intellectual property. But then it should just extend to bicycle-centric chainrings where the teeth are square in profile at the top and so on, so that other designers have to think of a different way to make it work (extend the length of the teeth; taper them like RF have done & so on)

DERP alert!!!

Yeah. When I rode Crow's old SLR it didn't have a narrow wide, and I can't remember ever dropping the chain.

Very. Reduces chainslap, yeah, but its principle feature is that it helps with chain retention when stuff gets bumpy. It's far stiffer than the normal RD's, and, when paired with a chain of the proper length, will almost entirely eliminate chains from being dropped.

TLR is easier than wire bead and normal non TLR though. Sjoe...

Snigger...

Think...http://holayessica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/p1050078-copy1.jpg

I think that's more a function of where the wheel is in relation to the pump, and the length of the hose itself... Don't think the Lezyne hose would extend to the valve if it was at TDC...

He do... I fink. That's the commonly accepted discipline when referring to "cross country"

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I am SO sharing that...

Totally depends on the bike's geometry.

fark.

Again, depending on the bike and the geometry of the frame, the OP may have to worry about it.