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Flats, or clipless?


Seths Pool
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That survey has flats vs clips.  When I think clips, I think this:

image.png.5a45e22c267c60db23b277e5c1cd9352.png

 

I haven't ridden in clips since 1993 or 1994 or so.  I've ridden clipless since then, but I recently got some 510s, shin guards and some spiky pedals and gave that a shot.  Not being able to move my foot around, and having to lift the foot to "disengage" (compared to quickly twisting foot to unclip) was disconcerting and takes some getting used to.

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3 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

That survey has flats vs clips.  When I think clips, I think this:

image.png.5a45e22c267c60db23b277e5c1cd9352.png

 

I haven't ridden in clips since 1993 or 1994 or so.  I've ridden clipless since then, but I recently got some 510s, shin guards and some spiky pedals and gave that a shot.  Not being able to move my foot around, and having to lift the foot to "disengage" (compared to quickly twisting foot to unclip) was disconcerting and takes some getting used to.

Do you REALLY still think of the cages as clips now? When I read the poll and they had "clips" listed it made me think that some influential publication should say, "Ok, we're going to start calling clipless pedals "clip ins" now. Kids today have never even seen an old style toe clip/cage. It's confusing and we are changing it." I don't know if this was a mistake by Pink Bike or on purpose.

Of course that campaign would probably be as successful as converting the US to the metric system.

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Of course that campaign would probably be as successful as converting the US to the metric system.


I tried to convert my family to using the metric system, 24 hr military time, and Celsius for temperatures. Even when I could set all the electronics up that way, it failed miserably. Too much momentum I guess....even with the kids.


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They claim in the video that you'll save 15-30% of your energy going uphill on clipless vs flats, but I thought that claim had been debunked years ago. I rode clipless last time I was in Colorado and rode flats when I recently rode in California. Both rides covered an awful lot of climbing and I certainly didn't feel disadvantaged at all riding flats. I've ridden the Lake Georgetown Loop on both clipless and flats, and my fastest lap by a wide margin came on flats. I'm not trying to say flats make you faster - just challenging the notion that clipless truly save measurable energy or even result in a more efficient pedal stroke.       

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12 hours ago, The Tip said:

Do you REALLY still think of the cages as clips now?

Yep.

 

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

Most people who still think of toe clips and straps are insufferable pedants.

Ouch!  I'll remember that one.

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

There's no other reason.


It's not like we're not talking about opposite words.  Clips and clipless are the opposite. So how pedantic is that really?

 

Edited by AntonioGG
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When I first started riding mtb I found myself banging my shins when my foot slipped off the pedal. I spoke to my friend at the local bike shop about it and he said he used clipless pedals and I should give them a try. So that's what I did. A few falls later — due to forgetting to twist my foot to get out — I was on my way to mastering riding with them. It just seemed like the next step up in mtb riding skill/fun.

I stopped riding for a few years and when I started again I read some good reviews on platform clipless for heavier riders — Shimano's DX 647 — so I bought a pair and that's what I've been using ever since. And my wife rides the same. In fact, when she first started riding I tried to get her to ride flats because I thought they would give her more confidence by her being able to get her feet off the pedals quickly, but she wanted to try the clipless and preferred them. But this was just with regular flats and  hiking boots, neither of us have ever tried the flats specific products available today.

I guess I've always been the type of person that just uses what's available and just tries to get good at it. Like when I learned to play golf. I had gone out on a course with a friend for fun, liked it, went out and bought a cheap used set of older Mizuno fat-back clubs and eventually became a 14 handicapper. For me, I know that things evolve, but getting complicated can often get in the way of stuff just being fun.

 

Edited by RidingAgain
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2 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

In the minds of 99.9% of riders, "clipping in" has nothing to do with toe clips. Asking someone to "clip in" with toe clips in mind is like asking them to rewind their Blue Ray disc before returning it to Blockbuster. It's just an anachronism now.

You had to rewind Blu Ray Discs?

Video tapes I knew about, but I thought a disc would just start at the beginning every time you played it.

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5 minutes ago, Cafeend said:

I'll generalize here, why do pros or racers and higher level , more experienced riders seem to prefer clipless?

 


Just to keep giving the general public ammunition to piss of supporters of flats in these kind of online forum discussions.

I mean, what other reason could there be.

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I'll continue to say: whatever pedal/ wheel size/ drivetrain/ handlebar width/ suspension/ brakes/ etc give each individual riser the most subjectively observed confidence will be the fastest, most efficient, and safest option.

There is no "best" option that benefits every rider equally. Not everyone is racing or gives a shit if they can ride a stretch of trails 1/2 second faster than the other Freds.

AfterI decade of riding Shimano SPD, I got some good, sticky sneakers and some spikey pedals. My confidence went through the frickin roof and I have more confidence and therefore more fun. I probably ride faster, but I'm not racing so IDGAF. 

Edited by mack_turtle
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1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

In the minds of 99.9% of riders, "clipping in" has nothing to do with toe clips. Asking someone to "clip in" with toe clips in mind is like asking them to rewind their Blue Ray disc before returning it to Blockbuster. It's just an anachronism now.

That's very different.  Clipping in is the verb, not the noun.  You could argue that the same verb should not have been used with clipless pedals.  That's a valid argument.    I can also accept that the meaning of words change.

However, it's your insufferable judgmental attitude 🤪 that I have a problem with.  I know what they meant.  I never said I didn't understand what they meant or whatever anyone thinks when they hear "clips" today.  I'm not a dumbass.   

I rode with toe-clips and I merely expressed the opinion that that is what first comes to mind for me, and you decided to bring in your authoritarian attitude.  I found it a bit surprising that someone with a journalism background doesn't hold their ground when it comes to the meaning of words.  Whatever.

btw:  I also think using "ask" as a noun is wrong.  It's a losing battle but it just makes me feel wrong inside when I hear it.  Flame away!!!  🔥🔥

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27 minutes ago, Cafeend said:

I'll generalize here, why do pros or racers and higher level , more experienced riders seem to prefer clipless?

I'll venture to guess that it's because they are getting paid to be fast, not to have fun. The fun certainly helps, but when your livelihood is on the line, you'll do whatever it takes.

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8 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

AfterI decade of riding Shimano SPD, I got some good, sticky sneakers and some spikey pedals. My confidence went through the frickin roof and I have more confidence and therefore more fun. I probably ride faster, but I'm not racing so IDGAF. 

After a decade running on Time clips, I tried flats a few times and it freaked me out. I am more comfortable being clipped in because I am not the world's most coordinated person and clips allow me to not worry about my feet coming off the pedals. Everyone is different. I know I could just switch to flats and be forced to get used to it. But that is like saying I know you prefer IPA, but if you just drink Miller Lite for a year eventually you will like it. Maybe I will, but life is too short.

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