Wik Posted July 18, 2019 Share Hi hubbers. I've been following bikehub religiously since December last year and bought most of my gear through this site. This is my first post... Has anyone tried these magped pedals or owned a pair that can give me honest feedback? At R2600 a pop I'd like to do my homework properly before taking the dive. Seems like the best of flats and clipless pedals combined but I'm not so sure about the pulling power of the magnets?? I’ve been playing around with the idea of moving to flats on my mtb (I went for a skills session and apparently your skills improve when one uses flats only) but I enjoy the stability that clipless provide. If these pedals are the real deal surely they are the way of the future and provide the best of both worlds. Any advice/info would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted July 18, 2019 Share Hi WikI tested a similar product. The in-between magnetic system is a bit gimmicky. As a transitional tool, it might help for a few weeks but after that, you're either going to want to be completely free on flats or tied in with clipless. I feel that you might as well pick one and go straight to your end goal. Whether to switch to flats or not, flats certainly do force you to unlearn many bad habits you might have picked up from poor technique using clipless but there's also no reason you can't learn the correct technique with clipless. I built a cheap bike to learn to ride flat pedals on (basically just wanted to do little bunny hops and jumps) so that I could remain clipless on my main bike. What I learnt on the flat pedal bike definitely improved my clipless riding. Jako De Wet, Tatt, Eugéne Alberts and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wik Posted July 18, 2019 Share Hi TheW I tested a similar product. The in-between magnetic system is a bit gimmicky. As a transitional tool, it might help for a few weeks but after that, you're either going to want to be completely free on flats or tied in with clipless. I feel that you might as well pick one and go straight to your end goal. Whether to switch to flats or not, flats certainly do force you to unlearn many bad habits you might have picked up from poor technique using clipless but there's also no reason you can't learn the correct technique with clipless. I built a cheap bike to learn to ride flat pedals on (basically just wanted to do little bunny hops and jumps) so that I could remain clipless on my main bike. What I learnt on the flat pedal bike definitely improved my clipless riding.Thanks Nick I'm in between two things now and that is to buy proper clipless shoes with the money I saved and stick to them or totally convert and spend my money on flats. Just thought this would be the perfect fit. I almost ordered these pedals this morning.... Man oh man I'm glad I posted this before that happened. Edited July 18, 2019 by Wik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jako De Wet Posted July 18, 2019 Share I switched to flats a few months ago, I must say, I really enjoy my riding more now. But that is just my personality. I like struggling and learning new things I am even strongly considering on not putting my SPD's back on for W2W later this year. WaynejG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wik Posted July 18, 2019 Share I switched to flats a few months ago, I must say, I really enjoy my riding more now. But that is just my personality. I like struggling and learning new things I am even strongly considering on not putting my SPD's back on for W2W later this year.Jako what shoes did you go for when using flats? Edited July 18, 2019 by Wik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebob Posted July 18, 2019 Share Bontrager Flatlines are a good option, available at Trek dealers. Specialized has the 2FO shoes. There are options. FiveTen have been taken over by Adidas, as will the distribution apparently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popcorn_skollie Posted July 18, 2019 Share Trying to decide on a preference between clips and flats without much experience of either is tough. And feedback doesn't make it easier. Its a personal choice and you'll learn yours by trying them both. Just don't buy magnet pedals. Wik and gerriemtb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jako De Wet Posted July 18, 2019 Share I agree with popcorn_skollie, it is a very personal choice, lot of my friends kinda judge me, "Oh you lose so much power" yadda yadda whap whap I enjoy MY riding much more, I just need to be 10% fitter than the guy next to me on SPD's. That said, I bought a pair of 2FO shoes at Spez Stellenbosch and paired them with OneUp flat's, really happy with my choice Wik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edkin Posted July 18, 2019 Share I've been using Clipless ever since I started cycling and could never understand why people ever wanted to go flat because of the ineffeciency of the stroke. About 6 months ago I had reason to try out flat pedals and to be honest I felt it was against my better judgement and I had the distinct feeling I was not going to like them. Anyway I kept my my mind open, bit the bullet, and bought an entry level set of pedals and decent flat shoes. They were fantastic. I did lose a little bit of effeceincy but at my level it was negligible. I was also scared that I would lose connectivity with the bike. Not so. My feet don't slip off the pedals like I expected them to. (Bear in mind that the pedals are not the cheap plastic Makro pedals) I drew the following conclusions for my own cycling1) Clipless for long cycles like Argus or K2C2) Flat pedals for short trip and stunts like wheelies, manuals etc I commute the 6-7 km to work on my flats where I can hop on and off pavements on my MTB and for long tours around the peninsula on my road bike I use the SPD's. Not quite answering your question. Apologies, Maybe it will help you make up your mind about which way you want to go. Jako De Wet, dirtypot and gerriemtb 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterbean Posted July 18, 2019 Share I really never feel like there's a power difference between flats and clipless, but I prefer the clipless keeping my foot on the same place on the pedal. I don't do really any gnarly stuff, so not worried about putting foot down in a hurry, but on flats I didn't enjoy being bounced off the pedals on a hardtail... TheoG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehosefat Posted July 18, 2019 Share I really never feel like there's a power difference between flats and clipless, but I prefer the clipless keeping my foot on the same place on the pedal. I don't do really any gnarly stuff, so not worried about putting foot down in a hurry, but on flats I didn't enjoy being bounced off the pedals on a hardtail... If you are getting bounced off the pedals it means your technique isn't great (happened to me plenty when I first switched to flats). Flats also force you to learn proper technique for jumps, bunny hops etc. because you can't just pull the bike up like with the cleats. After moving to flats I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with them and just put the clipless pedals on for long races because there is definitely an efficiency advantage (probably won't bother if the race is <55-60km). edkin and WaynejG 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypot Posted July 18, 2019 Share I have proper flat pedals on the enduro bike and I love them. But I also have normal SPD's on the XC bike. I have tried swapping them around as well. The conclusion - SPD's on the enduro bike are not that cool. I definitely don't feel as in control going down as I do with the flats. Flats on the XC bike are also great! I tried a few long rides as well and didn't really have an issue, but the SPD's are definitely better for that. The flats did make the XC bike feel more fun though. Jako De Wet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted July 18, 2019 Share never buy magnetic pedals ...never Hairy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Kolin Posted July 18, 2019 Share never buy magnetic pedals ...neverThat's a rather unhelpful comment without further explanation. While being unconventional, MagPed have superb build quality and are aimed as a "safety pedal". That being more secure than a plain flat, but not as intimidating as clipless. Here's a great review of the new enduro model https://freehubmag.com/reviews/magped-enduro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CdT85 Posted July 18, 2019 Share Ive been on flats since my bmx days. Made the move to clipless about a year and a half ago. Was scary, wiped out plenty of times from not being able to clip out in time etc. But all in all i quite enjoy the connected feeling. Running a set of xt spd's on my hardtail and alternate between my shimano saint flats and my funn mamba platform spds on my enduro rig. Havent been on the saints in forever though. Flats are awesome to learn new skills, or run gnarlier trails. Spds are awesome for longer distances. I still prefer flats for tech trails, especially when i go try them the first time or two. Easier to get away from your bike when things go sideways. Best is to try both. Can find secondhand pedals and shoes on the classifieds to try it out without breaking the bank. Or if you have friends with multiple sets of pedals, lend a set and get propper shoes. If you are new to mtb, and wanting to learn to ride more tech stuff, manual, jump etc, i would say go (propper) flats to home your skills and gain confidence. Tatt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CdT85 Posted July 18, 2019 Share And as a side note. At 2600 you can buy a set of shoes and pedals easy.Just got myself a pair of Specialized Tahoe shoes that works with my flat and spd pedals for R1450 from helderberg cycles and you can source a set of flats and spd (shimano m520) for sub 1000 on the classifieds if you are lucky. So can cover both options for less than the price of the magnetic pedals as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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