Yet another pedal thread

Discussion in 'Pedals' started by clydes001, Nov 3, 2020.


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  1. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    ^^THIS^^ Once I got past the initial swap over to flats where I was constantly scraping my lower legs (90% calves/10%shins), it's really not an issue any longer but when it is, 98% of the time it has nothing to do with actual riding. For me, it's mostly when we're stopped and I'm straddling the bike as we stand around and BS.
     
    Voodoo Tom, Danmtchl, Grego and 4 others like this.
  2. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    I'd agree with this, but no time is a good time for a bite from the pedals.
     
  3. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Pushing the bike uphill at Fontana races. Always tore open a calf with a mistimed stride.
     
    Faust29, Voodoo Tom, Danmtchl and 3 others like this.
  4. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Hah! Onza Pedals.
    Quite the innovation back around 1995. Our team was sponsored by Onza for Bar Ends, Tires (Porc's), and those elastomer pedals. Super light compared to the then Shimano SPD pounds per pedal. Quickly discovered that temperature had a lot to do with pedal release. The colder it got, the harder to get out of your pedals and of course the hotter it got, the easier. Nothing like bombing a descent on a warm day to have a foot fly out of a pedal totally unexpected. So either you were constantly changing out the Elastomer durometer (color coded) based on weather, or you were either stuck or flying out of pedals. About 6 years ago I threw a big box of those pedals out.

    Bar ends made Onza famous. It was a hand placement concept for rear traction leverage but it ended up a death wish as a horseshoe game concept grabbing tree branches when you least expected it.

    Onza-Retro-Bike-Bar-Ends-Bull-Horns-L-Bends.jpg


    The Porc's however for the time... were magic! Our team bought out the entire warehouse of what was left when we heard they were discontinued.
    pxFwQJRX-LG5FNkJgpSP8SRmo5bLuTh0AlJ_-n2bkrqhqNP3wEn498ZbBDN-g6huj9Jk40QtVySMKsuV2m6NbIZ4RzP54iT9.jpg

    So the Onza pedals did not work for me and SPD's did not have any float back then (and weighed a ton!) so I found SpeedPlay at the Annual Bike Industry Meet and solicited them for our team. Some loved them, some hated them. I loved them. Super light and 100% free float, but after years of using Speedplay, their weak link is their cleats. I would break at least two a year and they are pricey. After fighting with them for years I finally told them to Eff off after proving they were weak sauce on their cleats.
    SPEED-FROGTI.jpg

    Just recently switched back to Shimano as they have really perfected adjustable clip pedals and really like them. I have no desire to try Flats.

    51YjyMIBDWL._AC_SX522_.jpg

    So I derailed the pedal thread but brought it right back on topic!
     
  5. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    You probably wouldn't have as many knee issues if you rode flats....so there's that. :D
     
    Mikie and Danmtchl like this.
  6. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    From what I understand from others... I'm not so sure. Cathy rides flats and she says she has to focus on foot placement because once on the pedal there is no twisting action due to the spikes. Heard that from others as well. I like that my foot goes in the same exact location on my pedals and that i have a large degree of rotation to get my knees comfortable. Just sayin... ;)
     
    OTHRider, mtnbikej, Faust29 and 6 others like this.
  7. Cornholio

    Cornholio iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    B
    Current Bike:
    Huffy
    Flats definitely help teach people bike control with how you shift weight and use the pedals as the main pivot point of the bike. Learning how to bunny hop on flats is also a must in my opinion.

    After using flats (toeclips included) on mountain bikes over the years I was surprised at how much I loved being clipped in. I have never just fallen over like people will say is inevitable on forums and I’ve never struggled to unclip in a pinch. I used to switch back to flats for Mammoth/Summit days but my days of one footed can cans are over, or never started.

    With all said above I do (obviously) use flats on my BMX bike and can bunny hop no problem with flip flops on. Heck, I bunny hop my mtn bike with flip flops on with XT trail pedals. It really just comes down to trying both and seeing what you like best.
     
    OTHRider, mtnbikej, Faust29 and 6 others like this.
  8. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    @herzalot would seem to agree with Cathy but I never have that issue. The thought was actually running thru my head yesterday as I rode. I move my feet around frequently w/o any issues, kind of like a guitar player adjusts his finger position on the neck of the guitar. Different foot positions depending on what I might be doing on the ride. I will say that when things get serious, my feet are in the same position as those clipped in but at other times while I'm relaxing on a flowy downhill or even on a climb that isn't too challenging, I may have my feet in a different position.
     
  9. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    psst @Mikie I have a nice pair of flats hanging on my wall you're welcome to try. They came on the Ti bike and I used em for a couple rides. It was actually kinda fun barreling in to a corner and throwing a leg out(moto style) and making braap noises. Ultimately though I like my feet and knees being in the same place with spd's and like the stiffer soles. I will experiment more with the flats in the chunk sometime though.
     
    OTHRider, mtnbikej, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  10. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I must disagree with the comment that the pins lock your feet on the pedals and reduces float of SPDs. At least for me, I wear casual softer shoes, so my foot naturally sloshes around inside them a bit. I don't know the percentage compared to SPD float, but there is definitely some movement in there. SPD users probably don't like that part of it I'm guessing.
     
    OTHRider, Faust29 and Mikie like this.
  11. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Let me clarify then - the pins lock the sole of the shoe in place (unless the pins or soles are worn). What your feet do during a pedal stroke depends on the lateral stiffness and fit of your shoe. So does your foot rotate laterally through your pedal stroke? It all sounds pretty gushy and random to me. But whatever floats your feet!
     
    OTHRider, Mikie and Cyclotourist like this.
  12. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Laterally stiff yet vertically compliant!
     
    Mikie likes this.
  13. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Ya know just to add more

    When I use clipped in pedals I typically wear my shoes tighter because when I need to disengage / clip out I want that positive feel.

    On my flats I wear my shoes looser / less tight because I don't need that exact responsiveness.

    Clearly clipped in pedals with float are designed for float (captain obvious) but I can get a pretty comfy ride with flats and my monster impact pros and I can move my feet around if so desired.

    Hehehehe BTW I am the guy that used to tell my friends on flats when I was on Clips...."would you ski without bindings?"

    BTW it took great effort to not use the term Clipless Pedals
     
  14. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    We thank you for not using the term "clipless" and your ski binding analogy is apt, although I think about snowboarding (bindings) vs surfing (wax).
     
  15. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Huh...
    The Snowboard/Surfboard analogy really made me think...
    Nice.
     
    mtnbikej, Cyclotourist and herzalot like this.
  16. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    My knees and ankles like being clipped in. 25 years of pedaling has gotten my bio-mechanics pretty dialed in. Once I set my bike up, every time I clip in I know my feet are where they are supposed to be.

    When I hop I. Someone elses bike, I can instantly feel that I’m not in m comfort zone.

    For me riding flats is akin to constantly changing your seat height.
     
    Faust29, herzalot, bvader and 3 others like this.
  17. OTHRider

    OTHRider Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Duke
    Current Bike:
    '18 Salsa Cutthroat
    I've been riding happily clipped in since I returned to riding in '05 When I moved over to primarily gravel-style riding, I kept the SPDs on both bikes. It was nice having the same pedal "feel" on rides. I really noticed the benefit when I started doing some longer, 40 to 80 mile, gravel rides. Having my foot in the same position on a long ride was very comforting when everything else started to ache.

    Now, I'm flipping for a while. My surgeon released me to general bike riding (YEAH!!!) but specified that I switch over to flats for a month or two. It seems to be a very common request for Knee Replacement cyclists to avoid any style of clipped in pedals until the knee joint has regained full mobility and strength.

    Of course, I tried to get on my trainer with SPDs. The actual pedaling felt awesome with no pain or twinges. At the end I tried to unclip. I unclip my right foot 90% of the time. Now, I felt like a dufus. That particular motion seemed to be darn near impossible to pull off. Ok, he's a Doctor for a reason. I did practice unclipping the next two trainer sessions and it feels much better. I could see where I would have really struggled out in the wild.

    A nice pair of black Kona Wah Wahs will be joining my Salsa Cutthroat until January.
     
  18. dssgaffler

    dssgaffler Member

    Location:
    IE
    Name:
    Never will sellout
    Current Bike:
    Intense + Revel + Transition
    I agree it is similar to changing your seat height which is not a good idea for climbing, but can be beneficial when going down the hill. The change in foot position on flats is going to happen naturally whereas being clipped in keeps your foot position consistent. I will notice that sometimes my right foot will veer too far right when climbing on flats and I lose efficiency as well as generate a bit of foot pain around the small toe after the ride. Foot placement is something that I never had to worry about when I was riding clipped in, however being able to place my feet anywhere I want on a flat pedal is an advantage when descending especially with the large platform pedals that are currently on the market.
     
    Cyclotourist and herzalot like this.
  19. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    For me if the cleat isn’t in the correct spot, my body don’t like it.
     
  20. Old&InTheWay

    Old&InTheWay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange, Ca.
    Name:
    Steve
    Current Bike:
    2017 Intense Primer Pro
    I've been using Kona Wah Wah II composite flats, which I like. The only real problem that I've encountered is compatibility with gaiters. Gaiters are the way to go for staying warm in really cold and wet weather. The Wah Wahs have been ripping the Outdoor Research gaiters I've also been using. Easy to fix with tent repair patches. The conclusion is- keep the pedals and get a better pair of gaiters. Never had a problem with the Black Diamond gaits I used for five years before the straps wore out. Hillsound Super Armadillo Nano Gaiters are looking very good. Most likely I'll get a pair of those.
     
    Cyclotourist and UPSed like this.
  21. Old&InTheWay

    Old&InTheWay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange, Ca.
    Name:
    Steve
    Current Bike:
    2017 Intense Primer Pro
    After posting the above it occurred to me that it may have been more appropriate to have used the whose riding ware thread. :)
     
    herzalot and mtnbikej like this.
  22. alexfore

    alexfore Member

    Location:
    Altadena
    Name:
    Alex F
    I rode clips from the 90s till 2017. I've had some amazing saves on flats I never could have made on clips. I also feel that riding flats taught me how to pump through rocky sections, which was needed to help keep feet on pedals as well as vastly improved my cornering. Learning that flow of light/heavy and rhythm made a big difference in my riding. The pedal shoe interface is quite tight when new but quickly develops a built-in float and becomes easier to put shoes in exactly the same place as the shoe gets little divots worn into it by the pins -- which is how I like it most.
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


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