Flats to Clipless? Who has done it?

aussiemx

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Alright, I've only ever ridden flats, Currently thinking about making the move to Clipless, I mainly do Downhill and Enduro. Who has gone from always running flats to now running clipless? Thoughts? did you like it? are you still running clipless or did you go back to flats?

Thanks in advance!
 
Tried the opposite to flats for a while, thought it would make be go faster. Almost fell off lots at high speed. Could have been embarrassing... Gave up and back on clips. Happy :)
I've done a flats->clipless->flats transition which makes me feel old now.

The hardest bit for me to unlearn from going clipless->flats is the upstroke where my rear most foot leaves the pedal. Being fastened in there felt right and maybe some bonus powah too. Still not used to it yet but oh well, they are only pedals. I'm not looking for podium finishes any time soon. Most of my bikes still have clipless pedals.
 
I kind of did it. Started doing proper MTBing on flats after a life as a junior roadie, so clips were second nature to me and was a natural inevitability. Applying that skill to off-road didn't take me long and I think I was more comfortable overall, particularly through rougher terrain. I've likely picked up that many bad habits after all these years I'd be useless going back to flats.
 
What's driving your interest to switch?
Greatest benefit is added foot security, are you currently losing your feet where you ride?

Gave the clipless pedals a red hot go on the mtb for 7 years then went back to flats and have been back on them for 6 years on both the hardtail and dualy. No intention of going back to clipless for mtb. Still ride clipless for commuter and road bike.
Have had way fewer small offs on flats. Running clipless those moments where you could have easily saved yourself with a quick dab of the foot turn into a bigger crash.
Very occasionally I might lose a foot on the hardtail going through a rock garden but mostly it's when I'm not concentrating.
 
Alright, I've only ever ridden flats, Currently thinking about making the move to Clipless, I mainly do Downhill and Enduro. Who has gone from always running flats to now running clipless? Thoughts? did you like it? are you still running clipless or did you go back to flats?

Thanks in advance!
I used to chop and change between flats and clipless on different bikes, then rode just clipless for a few years, it was only when I started riding steep off-camber jank in the wet and found myself unclipping in anticipation of needing to unclip, that I decided flats were for me.
It was actually a faster mate who pointed it out while following me riding down a trail like a Gumby and yelling at me to stop unclipping.
As well as having some dumb low speed stacks, one of which cost me a CSU as I got hung up in a techy rock climb and couldn't unclip...
Once on flats I found the foot doesn't leave the pedal as I know it will come off at anytime if I actually need it to. Mind games ey.
Also riding motocross a lot over the years means hanging the foot out when leaning over is natural to do at times.
Still ride like a Gumby though...
 
I began on flats, went to clipless, then to flats for 12 months and back to clipless. I found that on flatter, chattery descents on flats, my feet move all over the place, so I prefer to be clipped in. I can get my foot out pretty fast for a dab if need be.
 
Rode both over the years. There are pros and cons to each. I like lifting the bike with clips. I am more confident on slower steep tech in flats. I have no scars from clips.
clips are worse for commuting as I can get away with wearing black shoes with flats in the office and don‘t need a second pair shoes. I am told by the roadies that a Skim Latte taste better in clips when they have their coffee stop.
 
Rode both over the years. There are pros and cons to each. I like lifting the bike with clips. I am more confident on slower steep tech in flats. I have no scars from clips.
clips are worse for commuting as I can get away with wearing black shoes with flats in the office and don‘t need a second pair shoes. I am told by the roadies that a Skim Latte taste better in clips when they have their coffee stop.
Still commuting on roadie cleats, and if no one is looking I’ll clip in first go, but if I’m at the lights and I need to get away quickly with all the poeple watching ill fluff it every time and wobble along for a while trying to get the bloody shoe in… Just one of those rules about cycling.

I should put the flats back on one of the mountain bikes though. It is a quite different set of skills and good ones to have. I was riding flats when i smashed myself up (not because of the flats!), but during the long road back to mojo/confidence recovery I went back to the familiar clips.
 
Someone was selling Magpeds on here the other day, might be worth a look?

Edit found a video review:

There is a few DH riders using these in Aus at the moment, and seem to review pretty well if you don't want to go full clipless.
 
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I've gone back and forth a few times and am back on clipless now.

Here are my observations. It depends where and how you ride as to which pros and cons suit you:

Flats:

Pros:
Quickest dabs. Almost zero chance of slow awkward crashes. Generally lightest pedals. No issues at all with shoes clogged with clay/dirt. Best bike control inc. cutties and manuals as you are stuck to the pedals. Can ditch the bike easily. Pedals can get really thin so feels great under foot. True mid-foot position for ultimate balance and feel. Forces you to learn proper weighting technique.

Cons: Cannot always get foot back in exact same position after dabbing; leading to sketchiness as you try to readjust. Feet can get unweighted or bounced off in super rough tracks esp. if you have a lot of pedal kickback suspension design. Getting bitten by the pins is not nice. Finding the right pedal/shoe combination can take many trial and error of enough/too much grip/perfect feel. Being locked into the pins can cause sore knees. Takes more mindfulness and concentration to ride smoothly (can get sketchy near the end of a big day)


Clipless:

Pros:
Can still dab almost as quickly as flats once you perfect the technique. Ultimate foot security in super rough tracks. Foot goes back to exactly same position each time. Float helps knees.

Cons: Slow crashes if you end up with one foot off and cannot get the other foot out due to all your weight being on it. Clogged shoes after hiking a bike etc can be a problem. Pedals are generally thicker so you feel you sit higher on the bike. The squirmy floaty feeling feels like it's less direct control of the bike. If you like a true mid-foot position it is hard to find a shoe that has an option to move the cleat all the way back enough (Leatt 4.0 2024 version is the best). Can encourage poor pedal weighting technique; not usually a probem if you can interchangeably ride flats/clipless.
 
Rode both over the years. There are pros and cons to each. I like lifting the bike with clips. I am more confident on slower steep tech in flats. I have no scars from clips.
clips are worse for commuting as I can get away with wearing black shoes with flats in the office and don‘t need a second pair shoes. I am told by the roadies that a Skim Latte taste better in clips when they have their coffee stop.
Skim milk is an abomination. Full fat double shot latte, macchiato, espresso, or GTFO.
'Nut' or other 'plant' 'milk' should never go anywhere near coffee. If you are lactose intolerant, have a double espresso and HTFU. :D

I started riding road, so clips were it. Started MTB with clips. Had some bad stacks where the bike landed on top of me. Tried flats, but the feeling of shoes lifting off the pedals on small kickers and drops scared the crap out of me. My Flats technique is woeful, and I don't want to go through a painful learning curve. Riding clips again feels way more secure on the pedals to me, and no pin injuries.

I ride Time ATAC, and after years of the 13/17deg cleats, I'm trying out the 10-13deg cleats. more riding time needed before I form an opinion on security vs ease of unclipping.
 
I find the biggest difference was in the oh shit moments.
At higher bike speeds the quickness of getting your foot off a flat pedal means you have a good chance of saving yourself with a dab.
I could never get my foot out of clipless pedals fast enough unless I ran them really loose and then there wasn't as much advantage because they would sometimes unclip over rough terrain.
The other awkward part of clipless was that they seem harder to unclip when your foot is in the 12 or 6 o'clock position.
 
I find the biggest difference was in the oh shit moments.
At higher bike speeds the quickness of getting your foot off a flat pedal means you have a good chance of saving yourself with a dab.
I could never get my foot out of clipless pedals fast enough unless I ran them really loose and then there wasn't as much advantage because they would sometimes unclip over rough terrain.
The other awkward part of clipless was that they seem harder to unclip when your foot is in the 12 or 6 o'clock position.
Unclipping fast enough to get a foot down has never been an issue. Last time I fell over because of clips was because I was stationary and so busy gasbagging with someone that I clipped in and forgot to start pedalling…
 
I've swapped between the two on virtually every bike I've had. Even the actual roadie (which I rarely use anymore). The dirtroadie (a Niner RLT) now has MTB clips on it again after a year on flats.

I had to go to flats because having a busted ACL without the muscles required to keep it stable and using a cleated pedal meant unclipping often had an entirely different meaning and outcome from the typical remove foot from pedal manoeuvre.

I got to like the feeling and security of the flat pedals with the right shoes on the dirtroadie that both the MTBs went to flats...
 
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