Flat or clipless?

[Dirkitech]

Its basically do you want to fall over with your bike a few times while you start out with clipless, or do you want to have a nice collection of shin scars with flats.

that contradicts the purpose of flats though? I have quite big platform pedals and my feet never slip off and therefore I never get hit on the shins with them =\

[GoLefty!!]

Just thought....on the walking thing, might be very understated pro for skateboard shoes

 

See, the okes that have them generally hate climbing...the klap a toon to the top and hike a bike is much easier with flatties. With cleats is actually a dogshow, especially very stiff soled models. Its also on the very sharp steep rocky stuff it becomes important to keep contact with your pedals and squeezing every watt out of your legs(up and down pedal stroke).

 

 

Its got nothing to do with the shoes silly.

 

You gotta look just right when you stroll past redham high in the afternoon wiff you baggies and boep hanging out. Looks really poo if you wearing shoes with cleats.

 

hence flats rules

[edgarblount]

I thought flats only come on Makro bikes?

[GoLefty!!]

and post office bikes

[-MaximuS-]

Game bikes as well...

That's where I got my 1st bike...

But that bike got me into cycling so that's actually a great thing!

[SimpleDom]

Clipless does not make you faster.

Clipless does not increase your cadence.

Clipless does not give you more power.

Clipless is more secure but so is your fall and you fail to unclip.

 

 

Flats allow you to position your feet better.

This allows you to use your muscles more efficiently.

Forward for uphill and steep downhill - back for flat and fast - inside foot off in a tight corner.

 

It is actually a pointless discussion if you have not given both a proper go (no not just one or two rides). It's like the dropper debate. Would you use a dropper on a xc bike?

Dropper on XC bike? Of course!! I have no skills, so the dropper helps me ride those very turney and downy bits.

[SimpleDom]

Back on topic. I ride both. I ride on flats, and race with cleats. I only really have one reason.... I've failed more steep climbs with flats because I'm crap, and needed a last pull to get over. That helps in a race.

[rudi-h]

It all depends on what you deem to be a great ride. If your idea of a great ride is to constantly have sweat in your eyes and a grimace on your face while you hit as many strava segments as possible and edge out your mates with 2 seconds on the final sprint of a dirt roadie race, then clipless is for you (as well as a short travel 29er with a long stem and a remote lockout fork). Note that 95%of the riders in the above category generally get off their bikes on steep sections, brake heavily on switchbacks and push their bikes over everything larger than a 2 inch tree root... Just Go do a xcm race, witness the level of skill that you are surrounded with and you will see exactly what I mean.

 

If your idea of a great ride is to hop that log that everyone else pushed their bikes over, manual through the water crossing at 40km/hr knowing that you won't OTB if there's a loose rock hiding in there somewhere, rode the drop-off like a boss and think "whoah that was awesome" after owning that awesome jump line somewhere along the spruit and constantly having trouble to wipe that huge smile off of your face... then you should consider flats (at least for a while until you CAN ride a bike), a dropper post and maybe even a long travel trail bike

[rouxtjie]

It all depends on what you deem to be a great ride. If your idea of a great ride is to constantly have sweat in your eyes and a grimace on your face while you hit as many strava segments as possible and edge out your mates with 2 seconds on the final sprint of a dirt roadie race, then clipless is for you (as well as a short travel 29er with a long stem and a remote lockout fork). Note that 95%of the riders in the above category generally get off their bikes on steep sections, brake heavily on switchbacks and push their bikes over everything larger than a 2 inch tree root... Just Go do a xcm race, witness the level of skill that you are surrounded with and you will see exactly what I mean.

 

If your idea of a great ride is to hop that log that everyone else pushed their bikes over, manual through the water crossing at 40km/hr knowing that you won't OTB if there's a loose rock hiding in there somewhere, rode the drop-off like a boss and think "whoah that was awesome" after owning that awesome jump line somewhere along the spruit and constantly having trouble to wipe that huge smile off of your face... then you should consider flats (at least for a while until you CAN ride a bike), a dropper post and maybe even a long travel trail bike

whahahaha you stirrer you.

 

you forget your sarcasm smiley 

[NotSoBigBen]

I thought flats only come on Makro bikes?

 

So on all Giants 

[rudi-h]

whahahaha you stirrer you.

 

you forget your sarcasm smiley 

 

haha

 

no its honestly what I believe.  for a very long time I have rated my riding on the distance covered and the total ascent, with 85+ km's and 1800+m of ascent being the numbers that I'd like to throw around when I refer to a good morning on the bike.

 

it has to be said that there is a huge feeling of accomplishment in this type of riding as you feel near invincible when you manage to get out of the saddle and race up a mountain pass in your big ring after 5 hours of riding.  the issue that I had with this is that you cannot always be in top form, so you end up constantly chasing your long gone PB's of 3 years ago which more often than not leaves you feeling a bit like a "has been".

 

skill/technique based riding on the other hand is something that you can keep improving on and even though it takes regular practice to stay on-top of you game, it is a very progressive and therefore satisfying experience.  I always had a dream of going to Whilstler.  It then occurred to me that if I had to go today, I'll waste my time and end up riding chicken runs all day long.  That prompted me to work on my skills so that I can go there and own the place one day.

 

So I invested in a 140mm trail bike, a dropper post and tried to ride some gnarly stuff.  It wasn't even one week after I got the new bike (with clipless pedals) that I completely faceplanted on a relatively easy jump.  After reading that book called "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills", Brian Lopez was quoted saying something along the lines that if you want to learn to jump you need to get flat pedals or be a smartass and fall yourself to pieces with clipless...

 

that got me thinking, so still somewhat damaged after my faceplant I bought flats.  for the first month I hated them and felt like I have zero confidence or skill.  couldn't even hop up a sidewalk and even a 300mm drop-off scared me to bits.  It is only 3 months later and now I don't even blink to ride a 1+m drop-off or a small gap-jump.  I can hop a reasonably sized log and albeit slowly and missing all of the big jumps, I completed the downhill course in KZN last weekend.

 

I'm still a very long way from clearing the 10m gap jumps and all that, but I can say with confidence that my riding pleasure and skill has escalated completely off the charts in a very short space of time.  not saying its all because of flats, but flats do force you to master a lot of basics which is really useful if you try to ride harder stuff.

 

changing my focus to riding well instead of just riding fast was the best thing I've ever done!

[beachless]

I am not sure why its one or the other its hardly time consuming to change your pedals, shock pressures or stem before a ride and transform your bike depending on where/how you plan to ride.

 

Also with the right pedals and shoes you can unclip when you get to the fun sections and have your fun without too much issues.

 

I dont get why its always so polarized I like to do different things otherwise I get bored.

[GoLefty!!]

Thanks for sharing that personal anecdote. So does free ride mean Clip in free?

 

i get where you coming from on the not wanting to chase time. However, there are plenty of people learning skills and having fun with clip in pedals too.

[GoLefty!!]

I am not sure why its one or the other its hardly time consuming to change your pedals, shock pressures or stem before a ride and transform your bike depending on where/how you plan to ride.

 

Also with the right pedals and shoes you can unclip when you get to the fun sections and have your fun without too much issues.

 

I dont get why its always so polarized I like to do different things otherwise I get bored.

 

 

 

Yeah lately, if you don't have 780mm bars, 40mm stem and flats pedals you can't be enjoying your mountain biking.

 

I guess the frustration of stage races being so unaffordable since 2009 is really getting to some that they hope to create some kind of critical mass behind their chosen genre of mtbing and promote it as the only way to have fun.

 

I find that ridiculous and arrogant. Been around this block many times and always come back to plain and simple XC M or O or just riding I don't care what. Won't be trading in my clip in anytime soon for 512's and a set of flats anytime soon either. I'm not that insecure that I need to hem myself into such a narrow confine of the vast world of MTB.

 

I love my XC 100mm dualie, dressing in snug fitting lcra shorts flashy shoes roadie helmet and bombing the singletrack. Don't need no wider bars or flats to have my fun.

[deanbean]

I'm not that insecure that I need to hem myself into such a narrow confine of the vast world of MTB.

 

I love my XC 100mm dualie, dressing in snug fitting lcra shorts flashy shoes roadie helmet and bombing the singletrack. Don't need no wider bars or flats to have my fun.

Sorry mate, but it seems you have done just that. There's nothing wrong with trying other ways of riding.

You seem so bitter towards any point of view that conflicts with yours. Chill, the worlds not against you.

No one on this thread has said that there's anything wrong with riding with clipin pedals, but that's not the alpha and omega of mtb. I train and ride with flats, most of the time and race, and do long rides with clips, I don't think that there's anything wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with riding with clipin pedals only.

 

I've probably been riding mtb longer than you , and so have quite a few hubbers, so quit with the I've been riding a million years story, it's not impressing anyone.

My two cents worth, take it or leave it. Stop belittling other peoples choices, it's not cool.

[GoLefty!!]

Sorry mate, but it seems you have done just that. There's nothing wrong with trying other ways of riding.

You seem so bitter towards any point of view that conflicts with yours. Chill, the worlds not against you.

No one on this thread has said that there's anything wrong with riding with clipin pedals, but that's not the alpha and omega of mtb. I train and ride with flats, most of the time and race, and do long rides with clips, I don't think that there's anything wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with riding with clipin pedals only.

 

I've probably been riding mtb longer than you , and so have quite a few hubbers, so quit with the I've been riding a million years story, it's not impressing anyone.

My two cents worth, take it or leave it. Stop belittling other peoples choices, it's not cool.

 

 

 

Right tee ho we got selfrighteous right here.

 

"Been around this block many times and always come back to plain and simple XC M or O or just riding I don't care what."

 

Does that clear it up for you? Or should I spell it out that I've had many bikes and enjoyed them all and tried all sorts of riding and enjoy them all but I have my favourite. Yeah I've been through the flat pedals thing too, come back to clipless. Like I said many times, its a personal choice thing and you have to try everything to figure it out for yourself. I've come  back to what I like

 

So sorry if you choce not to read correclty or draw an incorrect take away from my post. But thats your problem. cherio