AlanD Posted January 14, 2016 Share Hi All, I have been contemplating the whole flat pedal scenario but wanted to get some feedback on some of the options and how this affects riding and improving skill. Back in the day i started with flats on my Mongoose Otera and wasn't really good and the group punted the spd route and so i went that way and have been riding like that ever since. Currently i ride on Deore trail pedals that have the cage and shimano MO89L shoes. I ride mainly trails like Thaba and Rietvlei green routes with some of the blue sections mixed in. I have seen flat spd shoes with flat spd pedals and want to know what is the advantage of this over the setup i have now as i cant see much advantage here as they both spd? Regarding flat pedals and shoes (non spd), how will this help my skill level and should i be trying this route? I really dont think i have the skill to hit all the sections in the trails like this but if i dont practice then i never will right? How do you keep the bike with you and not let it part from you with the flat setup while riding along the trail, like jumps and drop offs? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14phoenix Posted January 14, 2016 Share You are asking all the same questions I have been wondering. I am also thining about something like the Mallet pedals which is a spiked flat with spd or clipless what what. I lost the bike a few times recently with the XC type pedal where the gnarliness of the trail and my lack of skill caused an unclip which is pretty scary and then I swear like a sailor offending a little old lady walking her labradoodle at the spruit which in turn will cause some bad rep for the cyclists using the trails... back on point I am thinking of a mix pedal with spikes that I can use unclipped or clipped in for the same reasons also the added foot support of actually having something more than just a clip under your foot. I also considered something like Look S-Track with the trail cage. But that does not seem to add much grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcza Posted January 14, 2016 Share Perfect Friday topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amberdrake Posted January 14, 2016 Share I ride flats for fun and cleats for racing. Saints flats and Look S track cleats. Never felt the need to go the combined route tbh. Might try it when I buy flat shoes next time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMK Posted January 14, 2016 Share Do whatever you decide. My only advice is not to sit on the fence and get pedals with SPD and flat pedals on the opposite side. But you will eventually evolve to some cleat system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenGraham Posted January 14, 2016 Share Brace yourself... A storm is coming I am going to try and keep this brief. Weight in your feet not in your hands. Heels down through the rough. Proper flats with pins - skip spd/flat pedals as they don't give you the real performance flat pedal experience. Accept that you are separate from your bike. Your job now is to match your bike's movement through space. It will take time but eventually you'll learn to keep your feet on your pedals and you'll start being in tune with your bike. I've never ridden clipless so I can't even imagine how it feels but when people see me running flats they often ask how I keep my feet on the pedals. Its actually simple heels down, weight in your feet predict what your bike is going to do and move with it instead of trying to muscle it into submission. Supposedly this should make you a better rider in the long term. I don't know but SPDs plus shoes are expensive and I decided I'll only consider them when I felt held back by my current pedals. The fact is its still my lack of fitness slowing me down not my lack of spds. Presently I ride with shimano saint pedals and five ten freeriders. I am trying to kill my saints so I can justify buying some fancier flats but they just won't die. The free riders are awesome and I thoroughly recomend five tens if you get into riding flats. For a start a pair of skate shoes will do okay but the difference was night and day when I switched to my five tens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanD Posted January 14, 2016 Share Brace yourself... A storm is coming I am going to try and keep this brief. Weight in your feet not in your hands. Heels down through the rough. Proper flats with pins - skip spd/flat pedals as they don't give you the real performance flat pedal experience. Accept that you are separate from your bike. Your job now is to match your bike's movement through space. It will take time but eventually you'll learn to keep your feet on your pedals and you'll start being in tune with your bike. I've never ridden clipless so I can't even imagine how it feels but when people see me running flats they often ask how I keep my feet on the pedals. Its actually simple heels down, weight in your feet predict what your bike is going to do and move with it instead of trying to muscle it into submission. Supposedly this should make you a better rider in the long term. I don't know but SPDs plus shoes are expensive and I decided I'll only consider them when I felt held back by my current pedals. The fact is its still my lack of fitness slowing me down not my lack of spds. Presently I ride with shimano saint pedals and five ten freeriders. I am trying to kill my saints so I can justify buying some fancier flats but they just won't die. The free riders are awesome and I thoroughly recomend five tens if you get into riding flats. For a start a pair of skate shoes will do okay but the difference was night and day when I switched to my five tens.Why is a storm brewing? A divide between the two schools of thought...? Ok, i hear what you saying about the pedals and five tens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAD4 Posted January 14, 2016 Share My Calendar says Thursday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenGraham Posted January 14, 2016 Share Why is a storm brewing? A divide between the two schools of thought...? Ok, i hear what you saying about the pedals and five tensFlats vs spds seems to be a fairly controversial topic around these parts. It might not happen though since the hub seems quite chilled at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanD Posted January 14, 2016 Share Flats vs spds seems to be a fairly controversial topic around these parts. It might not happen though since the hub seems quite chilled at the moment.Eish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomberman Posted January 14, 2016 Share Hi All, I have been contemplating the whole flat pedal scenario but wanted to get some feedback on some of the options and how this affects riding and improving skill. Back in the day i started with flats on my Mongoose Otera and wasn't really good and the group punted the spd route and so i went that way and have been riding like that ever since. Currently i ride on Deore trail pedals that have the cage and shimano MO89L shoes. I ride mainly trails like Thaba and Rietvlei green routes with some of the blue sections mixed in. I have seen flat spd shoes with flat spd pedals and want to know what is the advantage of this over the setup i have now as i cant see much advantage here as they both spd? Regarding flat pedals and shoes (non spd), how will this help my skill level and should i be trying this route? I really dont think i have the skill to hit all the sections in the trails like this but if i dont practice then i never will right? How do you keep the bike with you and not let it part from you with the flat setup while riding along the trail, like jumps and drop offs? ThanksBeen on spds- flats- back to spds.... and back to my flats. I must say I enjoy my flats more, they give me more confidence. The reason why I went to flats was to learn more skills and to build up my conedence. One thing I can say is, with correct pedal/shoe combo you dont loose your footing. It comes down to rider preference, I noticed when climbinG, you loose the up stroke or pull actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14phoenix Posted January 14, 2016 Share This definitely could be a Friday topic... The dual flat+SPD is used very widely including in downhill. yes flats with flat pedals and no spd is another purist choice as is a pure spd solution (I cannot even walk in the last walkable MTB shoes I had) Currently I only have spd shoes I use with older Look quartz. so the issue is I cannot practise manuals because a normal trainer or other don't work on a clipless pedal as your foot comes off and using my SPD shoes is not a good idea as I don't enjoy sitting on my @$$ because I flipped the bike. So a happy medium ( I think) is a clip in pedal like the mallet that also has the flat pedal design and pins to not let my foot come off until I jump off in need. 50c in the emmer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted January 14, 2016 Share Brace yourself... A storm is coming I am going to try and keep this brief. Weight in your feet not in your hands. Heels down through the rough. Proper flats with pins - skip spd/flat pedals as they don't give you the real performance flat pedal experience. Accept that you are separate from your bike. Your job now is to match your bike's movement through space. It will take time but eventually you'll learn to keep your feet on your pedals and you'll start being in tune with your bike. I've never ridden clipless so I can't even imagine how it feels but when people see me running flats they often ask how I keep my feet on the pedals. Its actually simple heels down, weight in your feet predict what your bike is going to do and move with it instead of trying to muscle it into submission. Supposedly this should make you a better rider in the long term. I don't know but SPDs plus shoes are expensive and I decided I'll only consider them when I felt held back by my current pedals. The fact is its still my lack of fitness slowing me down not my lack of spds. Presently I ride with shimano saint pedals and five ten freeriders. I am trying to kill my saints so I can justify buying some fancier flats but they just won't die. The free riders are awesome and I thoroughly recomend five tens if you get into riding flats. For a start a pair of skate shoes will do okay but the difference was night and day when I switched to my five tens.^^This. Flats teach you proper technique through forcing you to keep your heels down and become one with the bike through your feet. They're superb. Fit them. Now. There's a pair of SAINTS going for R 500 in the classifieds, otherwise the GIant pedals offer a good budget alternative. 5-10's are worth every penny. SPD with cage (platform pedals) offer a little bit more security than normal spuddies, in that there's not as much urgency to relocate the cleat - you have a wider, less slippy surface to plant your foot when you get going again, until such time as you can re-cleat without hassle. I'm running SPD's with a platform at the moment, but I'm just about to change back to my flats 'cos I just can't get to grips with the feeling of being attached. I used to ride SPD all the time, but the feeling of being confined to one foot position is off-putting. If you want to learn proper technique, flats are the only way to go. Once you've got the technique down, you can then move back over to SPD's if you really want to, and carry your new-found skills across. Flats also make it far easier to just hop on the bike for a quick trip to the shops or your mate's place without having to look like a ballerina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomberman Posted January 14, 2016 Share Brace yourself... A storm is coming I am going to try and keep this brief. Weight in your feet not in your hands. Heels down through the rough. Proper flats with pins - skip spd/flat pedals as they don't give you the real performance flat pedal experience. Accept that you are separate from your bike. Your job now is to match your bike's movement through space. It will take time but eventually you'll learn to keep your feet on your pedals and you'll start being in tune with your bike. I've never ridden clipless so I can't even imagine how it feels but when people see me running flats they often ask how I keep my feet on the pedals. Its actually simple heels down, weight in your feet predict what your bike is going to do and move with it instead of trying to muscle it into submission. Supposedly this should make you a better rider in the long term. I don't know but SPDs plus shoes are expensive and I decided I'll only consider them when I felt held back by my current pedals. The fact is its still my lack of fitness slowing me down not my lack of spds. Presently I ride with shimano saint pedals and five ten freeriders. I am trying to kill my saints so I can justify buying some fancier flats but they just won't die. The free riders are awesome and I thoroughly recomend five tens if you get into riding flats. For a start a pair of skate shoes will do okay but the difference was night and day when I switched to my five tens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanD Posted January 14, 2016 Share This definitely could be a Friday topic... The dual flat+SPD is used very widely including in downhill. yes flats with flat pedals and no spd is another purist choice as is a pure spd solution (I cannot even walk in the last walkable MTB shoes I had) Currently I only have spd shoes I use with older Look quartz. so the issue is I cannot practise manuals because a normal trainer or other don't work on a clipless pedal as your foot comes off and using my SPD shoes is not a good idea as I don't enjoy sitting on my @$$ because I flipped the bike. So a happy medium ( I think) is a clip in pedal like the mallet that also has the flat pedal design and pins to not let my foot come off until I jump off in need. 50c in the emmer...Yes it seems like a Friday thread but maybe it will continue into Friday and become a Friday tjread..lol Quite like the idea of cleat one side and flat the other as a starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMK Posted January 14, 2016 Share Flats vs spds seems to be a fairly controversial topic around these parts. It might not happen though since the hub seems quite chilled at the moment.gee kaans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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