To Cleat or not to Cleat ...

[ninoherr]

Hi All,

 

I've been riding my MTB for a little bit now and was wondering what the general consensus is as to when it would be a good idea to switch over to cleats.

 

When asking fellow riders, I get such a varied response.

Some say "as soon as possible" others say "take your time". When changing over to cleats, I have heard interesting stories about falling in the most precarious situations, because you can not un-cleat fast enough ... and then again you have the hold of the cleats when doing those clibls ove the rocks etc ...

 

Please let me know what you think!

 

Thanks a mill

Nino

[patches]

well, I guess it depends on what sort of riding you're planning on doing?!

 

If it's XC/trail riding. long distances in the saddle... then yeah, cleats will help you pedal more efficiently.

 

If you're planning on doing some downhill riding, dirt jumping, or freeriding... then I would rather go for decent pedals with long pins, and some proper MTB shoes, like Fivetens. I would perhaps even go this route for something in between XC and DH... like all-mountain riding... but that's a grey area as far as cleats are concerned.

[DaLoCo]

Do a search, this topic has been covered a few times and you will find lots of info. Asking that on a friday afternoon will only cause heavy moderation :lol:

[ninoherr]

Do a search, this topic has been covered a few times and you will find lots of info. Asking that on a friday afternoon will only cause heavy moderation :lol:

 

 

Hi Daloco,

 

Thanks for the response, but I had done a search and it seems that there were no decent topics on this particular matter. If I did miss something, humblest apologies and please could you point me in the right direction.

I'm riding again tomorrow and wanted to get feedback, as I am looking at buyign shoes & cleats prior to my ride ...

 

Thanks

Nino

[grb285]

I started riding and racing in 1991. Things were different back then. We all either had SPD shoes or toeclips. Even for the 'trials' they had those days. I've seen my arse so many times from being clipped in, and doing things like flipping off the back of the bike on a technical uphill, and not getting unclipped, to things like seeing my face at traffic lights.

 

On the other hand, being locked in is a good thing if you want efficient pedalling and safe footing on descents.

 

I have both options. A pair of Crank Brothers Acids for trail riding (with SPD shoes of course), and 5050 flat pedals for DH and more rugged stuff. It's as simple as hauling out the wheel spanner when I need to make a change.

 

Here's the thing though, I think it's really important to learn how to do things like bunny hop and drop off, manual etc with flats. Too often I see people relying on their feet being clipped in to lift the bike off the ground. This isn't the best method at all.

 

If you have some decent flat pedals with pins, and some good shoes like Five Ten Impacts, your feet are not going anywhere. It's as good as being clipped in, with the added advantage that if you stuff it up mid-air, you can get away from the bike.

 

I like all of the options. If you can afford it, get both. Check out the Crank Bro Candy. They're well priced and will last you years. And when you are clipped into your bike, the trick is to commit to being clipped in. A really bad habit I see is when the going gets tough, guys (and gals) unclip their feet so they can dab if needed. This is worse than being on flats and many a foot has slipped off this way, causing a crash. Learn to trust your skills when it comes to rock gardens or technical uphills. If anything you'll find the perfect balance between cadence, gearing and momentum. Hope this helps a bit.

Edited June 3, 2011 by grb285

[LazyTrailRider]

A really bad habit I see is when the going gets tough, guys (and gals) unclip their feet so they can dab if needed. This is worse than being on flats and many a foot has slipped off this way, causing a crash. Learn to trust your skills when it comes to rock gardens or technical uphills. If anything you'll find the perfect balance between cadence, gearing and momentum. Hope this helps a bit.

 

Absolutely. Being clipped out over a hairy section and not having somewhere solid to put your feet is a surefire way to crash.

[Me-rider]

I bought my Bike about 13 months ago and opted for pedals to start with because my shoulder was in a sling (another sport).

 

So for a the first week I rode around the grounds of my girlfriends town house with one hand. My sling came off and that Sat I put the SPD pedals on. I then rode around and have been doing it ever since.

 

Learning to clip and unclip is a skill which like any skill you have to practice. I am now able to unclip mid air as the bike goes over my me and I roll into the bushes. I find very few times have I actually stayed clipped in during a fall.

 

I am not a DH and do only XC but I am fairly good on the downhills and actually feel much more confident when clipped in because I know where my feet are and where they are going to stay unless I move them.

 

The worst "unclip" falls happened in first week when I would unclip the right foot as I was coming to stop and then try put the left foot down. (happened more than once, but don't tell my doctor!)

 

My amateur opinion.

[SCHWINN LOVER]

Best option if you are just starting out is a pedal that is flat on the one side and has a clip-in on the other side??

If you go for cleated pedals please remember that most of them have a allen key screw that sets the tension so if you set it really loose your shoe will come out very easily(a bit of advise that nobody shares till you have fallen)

[DaLoCo]

Hi Daloco,

 

Thanks for the response, but I had done a search and it seems that there were no decent topics on this particular matter. If I did miss something, humblest apologies and please could you point me in the right direction.

I'm riding again tomorrow and wanted to get feedback, as I am looking at buyign shoes & cleats prior to my ride ...

 

Thanks

Nino

 

Cool...I actually remember a thread that had almost the same heading.

 

In any case, I would suggest you look at cleats as soon as you feel your handling skills allow it, as you can then devote some of your thought process to thinking when to un-cleat. That said, they will sell you out at the most inopportune moments (nice group of ladies at the corner coffee shop watch you fall over standing still sellout ). The difference in pedal power will be evident as well as the security. You will however struggle to ride flat pedals again

 

I started on SPD copy's from Sportsman's Warehouse, they cost me about R 400. The shoes were Olympics, also from Sportsman's....I use them on my road and MTB, as road shoes are not comfy to walk with, and you look like a 1600's court jester when you do walk in them.