Flats vs Clipless (not your usual)

[teK--]

This is not your usual debate...

I've ridden clips for 8 years and flats for the most recent 4.

There are pros and cons to both but there is one difference I wanted to see what others think .

Crashing!

I've crashed on both, with the main difference being crashes on flats have generally ejected me off the bike. This can often allow a tuck/roll, or at least getting free from the bike, to hopefully land in a less awkward manner.

With clipless it is usually falling off to one side and hitting the ground hard (usually shoulders or hips), or getting tangled up in the bike which can sprain something, especially if one or both feet don't unclip. Check out the Vital MTB raw carnage videos and you can see pros coming off in fairly gnarly crashes and still having one foot clipped in. Probably because they crank up the cleat tension to maximum.

Overall I have found the risk of crashing, and the risk of a serious injury when crashing, is reduced when using flats.

What keeps me curious about going back to clipless, is incorrect foot placement after dabbing or getting bounced off pedals.

The high pedal grip simply makes this impossible without completely unweighting the pedal. Sometimes you have to look down too, to verify. It really kills the flow of a good run when that happens, whereas with clipless just stomp down and go.

For those who have used both, what's been your experience with crashes?

Any suggestions on how to get the foot back into the ideal position quickly and without having to look down at the pedals?

 

[Dales Cannon]

This is not your usual debate...

I've ridden clips for 8 years and flats for the most recent 4.

There are pros and cons to both but there is one difference I wanted to see what others think .

Crashing!

I've crashed on both, with the main difference being crashes on flats have generally ejected me off the bike. This can often allow a tuck/roll, or at least getting free from the bike, to hopefully land in a less awkward manner.

With clipless it is usually falling off to one side and hitting the ground hard (usually shoulders or hips), or getting tangled up in the bike which can sprain something, especially if one or both feet don't unclip. Check out the Vital MTB raw carnage videos and you can see pros coming off in fairly gnarly crashes and still having one foot clipped in. Probably because they crank up the cleat tension to maximum.

Overall I have found the risk of crashing, and the risk of a serious injury when crashing, is reduced when using flats.

What keeps me curious about going back to clipless, is incorrect foot placement after dabbing or getting bounced off pedals.

The high pedal grip simply makes this impossible without completely unweighting the pedal. Sometimes you have to look down too, to verify. It really kills the flow of a good run when that happens, whereas with clipless just stomp down and go.

For those who have used both, what's been your experience with crashes?

Any suggestions on how to get the foot back into the ideal position quickly and without having to look down at the pedals?

Clips

 

[Chriso_29er]

Broke my clavicle clipped in, my ankle on Flats. Take what you will from that lol.

But to be honest I do prefer the bail ability of Flats so are still using them for gravity oriented rides.

 

[Flow-Rider]

I still use both to this day but nothing worse than crashing with a bike still connected to you. I'm well aware of the risks of being clipped in and usually do my own risk assessment depending on the type of riding I want to do.

Any suggestions on how to get the foot back into the ideal position quickly and without having to look down at the pedals?

It is different from cleat to cleat, but with the Shimano cleats that have a platform, you lightly touch the rear of the pedal with the front of your shoe and slide it forward until you feel it stop then push the back down. The more you practice, the faster you get until it becomes a nonconscious action. I don't even think much about it anymore, sometimes you might get a rock stuck in there and need to look down at what's going on but other than that it's pretty straightforward.

 

[fjohn860]

Avery REMtech® Pedals - Hustle Bike Labs


Comes with the added bonus of being able to do some prospecting on the trail at the same time!!!

Full disclosure: I have not tried these and (possibly) as a result am also not rich.

 

[Mattyp]

Don't crash.

 

[rowdyflat]

Avery REMtech® Pedals - Hustle Bike Labs

WOW !!
99% clipped in .
I do have some flat one side clips the other for terrible climbs like Stonefly at Buller or super technical rocks..

 

[Mr Crudley]

Avery REMtech® Pedals - Hustle Bike Labs


Comes with the added bonus of being able to do some prospecting on the trail at the same time!!!

Full disclosure: I have not tried these and (possibly) as a result am also not rich.

Ohhh, I'd love to try these out. Hopefully Ztto makes a knock off soon

Everything old school appears to be dAnGeRoUs these days including clips. Getting your shins skinned like a salmon scares me about the current range of flat pedals. I rode flats all till my mid 20s then went clips since flats were shunned. Now it has spun 180 and I'm used to clips. Arrggh....

 

[bigdamo]

Use both but use clips more. Never had a problem ejecting from clipless set up. Do use multi release cleats though.

 

[teK--]

Avery REMtech® Pedals - Hustle Bike Labs


Comes with the added bonus of being able to do some prospecting on the trail at the same time!!!

Full disclosure: I have not tried these and (possibly) as a result am also not rich.

OK I had to look this up but unfortunately gold is not magnetic. So prospecting for iron ore, sure if that's your thing

I still use both to this day but nothing worse than crashing with a bike still connected to you. I'm well aware of the risks of being clipped in and usually do my own risk assessment depending on the type of riding I want to do.

Any suggestions on how to get the foot back into the ideal position quickly and without having to look down at the pedals?

It is different from cleat to cleat, but with the Shimano cleats that have a platform, you lightly touch the rear of the pedal with the front of your shoe and slide it forward until you feel it stop then push the back down. The more you practice, the faster you get until it becomes a nonconscious action. I don't even think much about it anymore, sometimes you might get a rock stuck in there and need to look down at what's going on but other than that it's pretty straightforward.

Cheers I was asking bout when on flats though. With clips it's easy to stomp and go without even thinking about it. WIth flats you end up off the usual position if just stepping down blindly.

Ohhh, I'd love to try these out. Hopefully Ztto makes a knock off soon

Everything old school appears to be dAnGeRoUs these days including clips. Getting your shins skinned like a salmon scares me about the current range of flat pedals. I rode flats all till my mid 20s then went clips since flats were shunned. Now it has spun 180 and I'm used to clips. Arrggh....

Never too late to switch back if you want!

 

[teK--]

Use both but use clips more. Never had a problem ejecting from clipless set up. Do use multi release cleats though.

Which ones?

I was using Crank Bros mallet DH previously and they were easy to bail out of, but way too much freefloat now I'm used to flats.

 

[bigdamo]

Which ones?

I was using Crank Bros mallet DH previously and they were easy to bail out of, but way too much freefloat now I'm used to flats.

Shimano SH56 multi release cleats with XT pedals and Leatt 4.0 clipless shoes. The Leatt 4.0 have a somewhat deep recess for the cleats which is good for having the soles of the shoe having more contact with the pedal. Some people have problems clipping in I don't.

 

[ashes_mtb]

Started using spd’s in 1993 and never once got caught in then when crashing. Not sure how they unclipped in the moment, but they did.

I started using flats for certain dh tracks in the latter 90’s where I felt there was an advantage to be able to quickly get the feet out and back on the pedals. My pedals in those days were shit bearclaws so grip was an issue on rough tracks.

With decent pedals with pins, I don’t really see much benefit to run spd’s. Never get bounced off them. Still have spd’s and shoes but can’t recall the last time I used them.

 

[beeb]

Avery REMtech® Pedals - Hustle Bike Labs


Comes with the added bonus of being able to do some prospecting on the trail at the same time!!!

Full disclosure: I have not tried these and (possibly) as a result am also not rich.

Shiny happy pedal tech?

 

[bigdamo]

Started using spd’s in 1993 and never once got caught in then when crashing. Not sure how they unclipped in the moment, but they did.

I started using flats for certain dh tracks in the latter 90’s where I felt there was an advantage to be able to quickly get the feet out and back on the pedals. My pedals in those days were shit bearclaws so grip was an issue on rough tracks.

With decent pedals with pins, I don’t really see much benefit to run spd’s. Never get bounced off them. Still have spd’s and shoes but can’t recall the last time I used them.

I don't like flats when climbing up through decent sized rocky trails. Always get bumped off on flats in those situations.

 

[Flow-Rider]

Cheers I was asking bout when on flats though. With clips it's easy to stomp and go without even thinking about it. WIth flats you end up off the usual position if just stepping down blindly.

My feet barely leave the pedals when I ride, I found if I put my weight close to the center of the bike in rough terrain I barely get them blown off. Even if I need to get one foot off, I can get at least get 70% of my foot over the pedal and then readjust at noncritical points in the trail. I can usually tell where the crank is going to be, I can feel it with my ankle or I know it's in a verticle position from the other foot. If you're getting a lot of kickback on climbs that's a whole different scenario.

 

[Shredden]

I ride flats, just don't feel as confident in clips.

It's a bit out there but I'd like to see how flats go with some additional way of locating the foot consistently on the pedal.

Something like a locating pin in the middle of the pedal that interfaces with a concave, conical shape on the shoe... I'd guinea pig it!

 

[slowmick]

I'm like clipless pedals with a big platform. The only time I seem to get into trouble with them is in the wet when i dab a foot and fill the cleat slot with mud. The big platform gives you something to stand on even if not clipped in. not ideal but better than nothing. When I crash I either get ejected completely from the bike or I go down clipped in and holding the bars with both hands. The only time i get tangled up and unable to unclip are those stupid low speed offs when you effectively stall and fall sideways. Flats are great for getting my feet down but it never feels right when I put them back. I think that is my brain struggling with it not being the same spot each time. Not good or bad, just not the same. Still trying to get comfortable on them though as they feel like they should be a safer choice for downhill.

 

[dirtdad]

Flats for mtb, clips for road/‘gravel’.

I keep wanting to switch my clips to the mtb as an experiment. But the number of times I dab with a foot or save a front wheel washout always seem to outweigh the number of times my feet get bounced off the pedals. Those speciale 8s that ozzyman keep raving about do look fine!

 

[PJO]

Like you @teK-- I've spent similar periods of time as you have going from clipless (8yrs) to flats (5yrs). This is only on the MTB though, I still ride clipped on my commuter and road bikes.

And the main reason I haven't gone back to clipless on the mtb is because it is so easy to put a foot down and avert a crash. It's hard to disentangle riding experience and pedal type, but I have definitely had fewer crashes and less serious crashes when riding with flats, because it is easier to bail.

As far as foot placement goes, I find that it just seems to go in the right spot on the odd occasion that I do lose a foot I don't have too much trouble pedaling through until I can unload and adjust. Don't tend to lose the feet much, only pedaling over rough ground, don't seem to lose them when not pedaling.