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Put on some flats yesterday. Wasnt pretty


larlev

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When my wife started riding again last year she didn't have SPDs on her bike so she had to use some squash shoes she has as flats. They have a softer gum sole (not as soft as proper riding flats), but would probably be less stiff than 510s or similar. Thirty minutes into riding she asked me for two things... Her other pedals and that special gear thing I had bought her... Meaning SPDs and an oval chainring. Thing is, when she was learning to ride many years ago she cussed up a storm because of constantly not being able to unclip quickly and falling. Yet, after a maybe three year break, back on the bike she immediately wanted to be clipped in.

Edited by RidingAgain
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28 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

The main problem with flats is that people don't take time to adapt. You can't ride anything just once and declare that it sucks. It takes a few rides and a consious effort to unlearn some old habits. The results are worth it IME.

 

I tried it for a few weeks. I think my biggest problem was on technical uphill features followed by pedal strikes. 

What results did you have?

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6 minutes ago, Anita Handle said:

I tried it for a few weeks. I think my biggest problem was on technical uphill features followed by pedal strikes. 

What results did you have?

lost my footing a few times on rocky terrain. otherwise, good shoes and good pedals + time to hone technique means I have 50X more confidence on difficult climbs where I would be afraid of stalling and falling over with the bike and 1% decrease in the last ounce of power to get over something difficult. the bonus is, when I lose traction or momentum, it's effortless to get off the bike and walk, and hop back on and start pedaling again. starting on an uphill and trying to clip in is a huge PITA< especially when you only have one gear on your bike.

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I prefer clipless but have found flats make me a much better clipless rider. Requires you to use proper techniques for things like climbing and bunny hops. I also like having the flat pedal shoes for hike a bikes. When I go back to clipless it is a small learning curve, but find bike control is so much better.

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1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

 If you hop front wheel first, that's just a skillful bunnyhop that can get some height. Hopping with both wheels at the same time is just a lousy bunnyhop.

One of those is called an English Bunny Hop and the other is called an American Bunny Hop.  I can't remember which is which, but I'm going to assume the J-hop is the American because it's better and, well, 'MERCA!!!!!

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The highlight of my MTB life was starting to go OTB but clipping out both feet hurdling the bars and landing standing up / running away as the bike wrecked behind me. I did not look back at the explosion because at that moment I felt as cool as Chuck Norris.

I can clip out almost as fast as taking a foot off to dab but less inclined to do so unless alarm bells start ringing. For example I never drag the inner foot when the bike is hard over. I feel the loss of cool points in my soul for not being able to perform this move. It should be possible with clips but more research needs to be done. For science.

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4 hours ago, Anita Handle said:

 

The only time that I want flats is when I'm practicing wheelies and manuals. Also when I am practicing proper technique for bunny hopping. So, skills development.

I don't see myself jumping over the bars when endoing since I am either fairly committed to a line when I attempt it and any endo will happen so quickly that I wouldn't be able to spring forward OR I'm thinking that I may need to hit the eject button and therefore I'm already prepared to unclip if I need to. 

I've ridden some nasty narrow bench cut technical singletrack with exposure and always felt like I was able to unclip when I needed to. I know some folks like having flats in those situations but for me it would just increase the likelihood of ever needing to get off the bike since I feel more likely to catch a pedal.

 

+1

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1 hour ago, larlev said:

Curious, How many of you tried the multi release cleats?

I swear its night and day different from crank brothers, Reg SPD's. Quick sideways motion and I'm out.

 

 

I bounce back and forth from flats (DMR Vaults & 5ten Mi6 compound) and shimano XT spds. I mainly used the SPDs on my old cross bike as no matter what i did, it was the only way to keep my feet on the pedals when bombing that thing. I started with standard spd cleats at lowest tension and switched to multi-release and had to crank the tension to keep my feet from coming out when sticking a knee out during cornering and bunnyhops ETC. In my experience, the standard cleats at low tension were easier to manage than the multi release ones.

Finally, the flats and spds all have their pros and cons but as a whole there really is no overall performance difference between the two. Its in our heads.

Edited by ATXZJ
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4 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

The multi-release cleats have been around a long time. They come with low-end pedals that are designed for casual and beginner riders who are hesitant to commit to clipping in. However, they seem like a good idea for technical, slow riding.

Didnt know that. Ya, I figured I would use them until I got used to getting in and out.

Being off the bike for 8yrs had me a little worried about falling over. Haha

 

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13 minutes ago, larlev said:

Didnt know that. Ya, I figured I would use them until I got used to getting in and out.

Being off the bike for 8yrs had me a little worried about falling over. Haha

 

they'll be perfect for getting you used to being clipped in. 

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flats suck and have zero advantage over clipless pedals UNLESS - 1.) you do a bunch of tricks that involve your feet off the pedals 2.) its EXTREMELY muddy to the point of clipless barely/not functioning 3.) you're a trials rider 4.) you're just dabbing/putting your foot down constantly because you don't know how to ride yet (beginners)

the end. 

flats - climbing efficiency sucks, they destroy your legs, your feet can slip/bounce off the pedals, more unnecessary effort/technique to bunny hop or control the rear end of the bike 

 

riding clipless also helps you ride with more commitment in my opinion.. people often say "its so much easier to bail off your bike with flats" when in reality - not really. ejecting from clipless pedals is pretty effortless and instantaneous once you have the muscle memory and the brainless technique down. additionally, I think its a mental riding error to ride stuff with the focus on bailing, instead of the expectation of cleaning the feature. lack of confidence and lack of commitment causes a lot of crashes in my experiences. hesitation is devastation!

 

 

another thing - almost every time ive ever seen anyone get stuck and fall over in clipless pedals - they are riding Shimano SPD.. if you want super easy in & out, lots of float, and pretty bulletproof pedals - get TIMES. the MX4s are a great choice

Edited by Seths Pool
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Wellgo WAM 1D two sided pedals. I sound like their pr man but have loved these since 2010. I can ride whatever side I feel like. In whatever shoes I feel like. Best of both worlds. Never pedal swap again, takes on hell of a beating, and super affordable. Also the only flat/spd pedal that is actually flat on the flat side unlike mallets or shimanos where you still have a bump mid foot on the flat side. Good tension on bearings so the other side come right over with a half pedal crank. Enough pin to still hold onto spd shoes. One pedal....all the time.

82277.jpg

Now the only choice is these for Deception...11-1341-BLK-ANGLE.JPG?resize=200px:200px 

or these for The Nut....images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJwMDHmv5BtvuHx1EMo0I

 

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27 minutes ago, Seths Pool said:

another thing - almost every time ive ever seen anyone get stuck and fall over in clipless pedals - they are riding Shimano SPD.. if you want super easy in & out, lots of float, and pretty bulletproof pedals - get TIMES. the MX4s are a great choice

 
 
 

Known about Time Attacks since back in the 90s, but got SPDs from my shop sponsor so just stuck with them over the years. Also, after a break of a few years, when I got back riding in 2008 I came across the Shimano DX (647) SPD platform pedal, gave it a try and really liked it. That's what I've been using. Didn't know that Time had something similar. Always heard that Time had better/quicker release that SPDs, just didn't think I needed more. Of late though I've found that one pedal is sticking a bit. Need to check and see why. Maybe Time for a new pair.

Edited by RidingAgain
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13 hours ago, Seths Pool said:

flats suck and have zero advantage over clipless pedals UNLESS - 1.) you do a bunch of tricks that involve your feet off the pedals 

I've been busting out the Haro w/rotor and working on my frame and handlebar stands to cherrypicker...if you even know what that is.

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