Scott Spark 940 .... or what else ?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

What flats did you ride before the 2FOs?

Also need new shoes to replace my adidas trailcross.

Five ten freerider in 12. Old ones. Not the pro, not the VXi, not the whatever. Just plain old freeroder

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

And you are not defensive...?Yeah right

So you dont like neck braces.

BTW the 940 is a XC bike and 90% of our trails are XC in type.The little bit of technical stuff is not heavy.

Anyway the important thing is what Chris likes and not you.

I am sure he will enjoy the bike either way.Its James Bond.

jeepers, kransie. Some people prefer flats, some prefer cleats. Those who prefer flats don't need to be proselytized to, in an attempt to get them to use cleats.

 

Anyway. I was referring to competing in XCO/XCM. Then I'd definitely use cleats. For general Mtb riding, I'll stick with flats regardless of the bike I ride.

 

Chris prefers flats. Let him.

[stefmeister]

Five ten freerider in 12. Old ones. Not the pro, not the VXi, not the whatever. Just plain old freeroder

fanx,

how does the grip compare? 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

fanx,

how does the grip compare?

Don't know yet. First ride on em is gonna be Ezel. ????

 

Actually, no. First ride on em will be next week when I get back from Durban. Night ride on the mountain. But I can tell you one thing. They're bloody comfy. And light, too. Considering what they are, that is.

[stefmeister]

Don't know yet. First ride on em is gonna be Ezel. [emoji44]

 

Actually, no. First ride on em will be next week when I get back from Durban. Night ride on the mountain. But I can tell you one thing. They're bloody comfy. And light, too. Considering what they are, that is.

Be sure to mention their performance in your race report. [emoji6]

[DieselnDust]

Don't know yet. First ride on em is gonna be Ezel.

 

Actually, no. First ride on em will be next week when I get back from Durban. Night ride on the mountain. But I can tell you one thing. They're bloody comfy. And light, too. Considering what they are, that is.

 

 

Shjoe,

 

good thing its a night ride on the mountain cos a night ride on the road is called a commute

[deefish]

Don't know yet. First ride on em is gonna be Ezel.

 

Actually, no. First ride on em will be next week when I get back from Durban. Night ride on the mountain. But I can tell you one thing. They're bloody comfy. And light, too. Considering what they are, that is.

 

Agreed on them being comfy. I also ride with the 2FO's (on my XC bike - far too many others preaching that bike type/riding discipline dictates shoe type) and they're awesome. 

[BSG]

There are a number of options for flat pedals...Five Ten being the best from what I can see

I think CWC stock them

Why are you fixed on flat pedals.I would go for Shimano clipless with a broader footprint and a nice pair of trail shoes to suit...again CWC will help you

I have a set of these pedals, love them to bits.

[PhilipV]

ChrisF mentioned that his riding improved as his knees rehabilitated, so I reckon his preferrence for flats is because of all the knee friendly float it provides.

(No matter what look or time claims, they don't have that much float. I've been there, I know.)

 

ChrisF, the soles on running shoes are soft, this leads to them flexing around the pedal platform. And their soles don't offer enough grip.

Shoes for flats gave a stiffer sole, coupled with a sole pattern designed for pedals (as opposed to asphalt or dirt) leading to a much better riding experience.

If you ever feel your feet might bounce off the pedals, focus on dropping your heels. The tension in your calve and Achilles keeps your feet on the pedals.

Even with running shoes this will help a lot.

 

Here you can see yours truly practicing what he preached on a trail with a couple of rocks.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

ChrisF mentioned that his riding improved as his knees rehabilitated, so I reckon his preferrence for flats is because of all the knee friendly float it provides.

(No matter what look or time claims, they don't have that much float. I've been there, I know.)

 

ChrisF, the soles on running shoes are soft, this leads to them flexing around the pedal platform. And their soles don't offer enough grip.

Shoes for flats gave a stiffer sole, coupled with a sole pattern designed for pedals (as opposed to asphalt or dirt) leading to a much better riding experience.

If you ever feel your feet might bounce off the pedals, focus on dropping your heels. The tension in your calve and Achilles keeps your feet on the pedals.

Even with running shoes this will help a lot.

 

Here you can see yours truly practicing what he preached on a trail with a couple of rocks.

DINGLES!!!

 

I WILL TAME IT NEXT YEAR. 

 

And yep, that's why. 

[DieselnDust]

Is there any scientific study that correlates foot position on the pedal to knee injury or rehabilitation?

 

I know of studies that correlate knee injury to over use, impact and muscular developmental deficiencies.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Is there any scientific study that correlates foot position on the pedal to knee injury or rehabilitation?

 

I know of studies that correlate knee injury to over use, impact and muscular developmental deficiencies.

His ideal foot position is more mid-foot, due to injury and discomfort. Quite simply, cleats won't allow him to have his ideal foot position. Flats do.

[PhilipV]

Is there any scientific study that correlates foot position on the pedal to knee injury or rehabilitation?

 

I know of studies that correlate knee injury to over use, impact and muscular developmental deficiencies.

I can only give anecdotal evidence.

After my ACL reconstruction I rode with flats until the supporting muscles around the knee was strong enough, the knee was unstable so float relieved strain while it was wonky, and clipping out was painful. Now everything is fine and I'm mashing with spd's and jolling with flats.

[PieterJvR]

His ideal foot position is more mid-foot, due to injury and discomfort. Quite simply, cleats won't allow him to have his ideal foot position. Flats do.

 

I don't mean to derail this thread, but is there a "correct" (read ideal) position when riding with flats?  I ride with cleats normally due to the type of riding and races I do, but have in the last few months bought five tens and flats which I swap to on occasion.  However I sometimes feel if I keep my foot in relatively the same position (ball of foot) on the pedal as when riding with cleats that my foot want to slide off the pedal when I drop my heels.  Common sense tells me to pedal with the middle of my foot to prevent this, but I am so used to pedal with the ball of my foot that it feels weird and I am scared that I might develop some knee pain due to this.

[DieselnDust]

I can only give anecdotal evidence.

After my ACL reconstruction I rode with flats until the supporting muscles around the knee was strong enough, the knee was unstable so float relieved strain while it was wonky, and clipping out was painful. Now everything is fine and I'm mashing with spd's and jolling with flats.

 

 

Yes I can understand why that helped. the big flat platform certainly helps with stabilizing the knee when under pressure.

Reason I asked was because a few years ago I hurt my knee and my physio said to avoid using my clip ins because of the clipping out action creating too much twist in the joint itself which would aggravate the injury, Unless I used an indoor trainer where I could control the unclipping more than I could while on the bike. Even so he still advised. So we spoke about this for a while because I use Eggbeaters and was wondering if spd's would be ok. He gave me a whole explanation around how the supporting muscles need to aid the recovery through me strengthening them while keeping the pressure off the injured ligments and their anchorage. Also said that knee injuries as a result of pedals are actually more to do with muscle shortening in the glutes, hamstrings and quads. Essentially the pedals don't cause the injury. there are other factors. But for recovery it had more to do with eliminating sharp twisting of the joint or rocking of the foot. Once I was ale to use my clip ins again he spent a whole session building up the interface between pedal and shoe, i.e. getting the shoe lugs to fit against the pedals wings. I've become quite interested in the subject since.

What I was also advised was to not ride my mtb over rough terrain with the flats since my knee would not be very stable trying to help my feet hold onto the pedals while also trying to help me balance. Essentially lots of small movements that the joint could do without during the rehab phase.

[DieselnDust]

His ideal foot position is more mid-foot, due to injury and discomfort. Quite simply, cleats won't allow him to have his ideal foot position. Flats do.

 

 

I'm not sure how you can claim to know his "ideal foot positioning" unless you're the doctor or physio administering the rehab program. Sounds like shooting from the hip