Yet another pedal thread

Well, a new bike is on order as of yesterday, 2 Nov 2020. It should be here in 60 days or so. As I wait patiently for my new modern bicycle experience I’m curious about pedals.

I’ve been riding a form of clipless since these Onza pedals came in the late 1990s. Killer idea, no mechanical pieces to it.



About 15 years ago I switched to the Shimanos below. My thought is, stick with what I love, continue to use SPDs. But for those who still use SPDs, tell me why you haven’t switched. And for those who have switched to flats, what do you like about it? And for those who have only used flats, why haven’t you tried SPDs?

 

I will stay clipped in until the cows come home... It keeps my knees happy. I wasn't married to the idea of SPDs, though. I actually prefer the feel of the Crank Brothers pedals, but they just aren't reliable. I broke a pair every 6 months.

The Shimanos hold up really well, and they just work... I have some form of Shimano SPD on my 3 main bikes.

 

I switch back and forth from flats to clips. IMO they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Learning to ride in both made me a better rider. I have way more control of the bike when riding flats. But, pedal efficiency is lost (or is it ) I'd say try both and go from there. You can get a decent pair of plastic (composite) pedals for around 30 dolla. I seem to ride with flats more often, mainly because I only have one bike and it is MUCH EASIER to cruise the 'hood with the kids on flat pedals.

 

@clydes001 , I went with Shimano SPDs when i first switched from flats to clip-in pedals, and like Faustie says above, they are reliable...plus it doesn't look like I'll ever be able to remove the SPD cleats from my shoes.

 

I’ve repeated some version of this story a few times but here’s my story. I happily rode SPD’s for 25+ years. Decided to try flats, mostly for the comfy shoe options, after a ride on Mt Elwell with 1.5 miles of rocky, boulder strewn, chunky hike a bike in Summer of 2017. Flats had its learning curve, mostly as my brain had to be retrained. There’s no more “pulling up” to gain power so getting past that took some time to develop new skills. However, the comfier shoes are glorious.

I was actually bouncing back & forth between the two pedal options based on the terrain I was riding. My “come to Jesus” moment was on a ride at Little Creek in Utah. I was climbing a steep, off the grid, feature and was going to be a couple pedal strokes short. The bike started to come backwards over me and because I was on flats, I pushed the bike aside and easily landed on my feet. If I would have been stuck in SPD’s, it might have been a heli-rescue operation. I’ve been on flats since that day. My simpler answer is....flats are better in super gnar where you might want to/need to get away from the bike in a hurry. No chance I would have wanted to be clipped in on Portal in Moab.

 

Hello fellow Onza-user! I went from Onzas to SPDs (747 guy) on mountain bikes. On road bikes I used both SPuDs and flats, but usually 747s though. About three years ago I went full flat. I just like it more. Shoes are better, hopping off is easier, looks less spandexy. My shins/calves get cut up a bit, but it beats falling over in a parking lot and breaking a wrist! Only negative is my jump/hopping game is way off. Bunny hopping is a LOT easier with SPuDs. But I'm working on that, plus have never been an air guy to begin with. So yeah, try flats.

 

I prefer flats for more aggressive riding, clipping in for big rides, XC, and road.

 

I’m fascinated that you’re using flats on a road bike...

And that you’re using the navy polymers on those onzas... I can’t actually remember if those were harder engagement than the black polymer.

What’s funny is that I could always SPD-hop. But my son taught me how to truly bunny hop on flats earlier this year.

 

Egg beaters have been great for me. Some people complain about reliability but not me. They're e the only clipless I have used. Light, easy in and out, easy to rebuild!

 

I rode SPDs for at least 15 years and then I noticed how much better flats are for super tech riding while watching my friend handle the chunk in AZ. I bought my 2018 Trek FEX with flats attached and I never looked back. I have learned how to grip the flats with a little foot English and I like the freedom to shift my feet around on a moment's notice as well as being able to remove a foot instantaneously. That's saved my ass at least a dozen times over the last 18 months. IME, the only thing clipless pedals have going for them is the ability to lift by foot. The con is not being able to release in time which at one time, did in fact, sent me tumbling down the mountain side, heli ride out and all. For me, pedaling efficiency is close enough to call them equal.

 

I used to be terrified of clipping in. I would ride everything on flat pedals and backpacking boots (Montrail Torre) and stick my leg out for switchbacks. Eventually I was talked into clipping in, and now when I go back to flat pedals, I have no idea how I was able to ride anything technical with flat pedals. Just like I used to say I would never clip in, now I say I would never ride flat pedals again.

 

started with toe clips 747s now 646 i think can't seem to ride without after 34 yrs

 

I’ve been riding clips since 1991 and prefer them for most riding. I mostly used flats for DH and bike park and I like them for that application. I can even bunny hop a 40 lb, 8” travel DH bike with sandals and flat pedals about 10” off the ground. Yay me!

I recently spent about a month riding flat pedals on my trail bike. Three things I didn’t like about flats:
- Once placed on a good flat pedal with a good shoe, the foot doesn’t move. That’s great if I put it where I want it, but that was rare. I almost always had to pick up a foot to re place it. With clips, my foot is always where I want it. That consistency is really comforting to me.
- No float. As your foot makes the circle on a pedal stroke, there is no rotation available. It’s locked in place. Clip in pedals allow float for each pedal stroke. Some allow too much float.
- Rolling the pedal. I couldn’t figure out how to stop rolling the flat pedal when climbing chunky stuff. I have great pedals and great shoes.

As for which clip ins, I ride Shimanos but prefer HT. The HT can be set tighter. But they are fragile and need to be rebuilt monthly. Shimanos are bombproof. Crank Bros are way too vague for my tastes. Am I in or am I not?

 

Dang, I've been on Shimano PD-M424s for almost 20 years.
For me they're the perfect pedals; inexpensive and you can ride clipped or hop-on with your street shoes when you're working on the bike in the garage or for a quick spin around the neighborhood.
THere a definitely flashier, cooler pedals out there but, for about $45 and in black I have a hard time justifying any other pedal.

 

I have read about your first two issues in the past but I just can comprehend those issues because not only do I never have those issues but I would argue that flats are the “kings of float”. I can move all over the pedal and it helps prevent fatigue IMO. Sometimes I ride with my foot forward, sometimes back, sometimes inside, sometimes on the edge. Different strokes...
FWIW, I ride HT flats and wear 5.10 Freerider Pros

 

if I ride without my SPD's I hurt myself getting air, happens every time. I have never had a problem getting out, it is a natural motion to me. I wen OTB at top of Dead Cow Trail, bars went down, I clipped out and cleared the bars and stuck the landing. My riding buds were impressed. SPD's make me one with the cycle.

Another note: I like the skin on my shins, no reason to change now
Happy one with the earth trails

 

I don't remember the colors at all... I think blue is what I ended up with after all the others wore out!!

With flats, I really try to grip the pedals like a monkey with my feet. That's the trick for hopping as well as just being solidly engaged! As for road riding, I think SPDs contributed to my IT band flare up. Being stuck in that one position caused some repetitive motion injury. That's when I started moving, away. I also come to biking from the Grant Petersen/Rivendell ethos, so low and slow, enjoy the ride, hop off and get a beer world-view.

 

You can move your foot to different locations on the pedal, but your foot cannot "float". Your foot cannot rotate on a horizontal plane while pedaling a flat pedal. If it does, your pins are shot or your shoes are weak.





Oh - and for the complaints about the way the clip-in shoes look, I ride 5.10 Kestrel Lace for my clip in pedals. Firm sole for pedaling efficiency, but they look like any 5.10 lace up shoe and have the patented dot rubber sole. Comfy on and off the bike, but not squishy while pedaling.

LACES = Laterally Adjustable Closure and Entry System... (I made that up - clever, huh?)

 

Well... Slightly different perspective I always rode clipped in pedals with float, or perhaps I should say when I rode some pedals without float I did not like them.

I find on my amazing one-up flat pedals with long sharp spikes with my very comfy 510 impact pros... The combination of the sticky but somewhat malleable sole plus the large padding in the shoe and not lacing too tight because I like comfy that way as well, I feel like I get plenty of let's call it float . I do not feel locked in like I used to on no float Road pedals and tight SIdi shoes.

That's not to say that I don't have to pick up my foot and move it if I want to reposition it but once I'm in position I don't feel locked in during the pedal stroke that would bother my knee and I do have some issues with my knees


I'm probably one of the strange people that started riding Clipped in pedals in 1993 , Road mountain bike triathlon bike single speed.... And now really really enjoy flats.

Not that I dislike Clipped in pedals I just really dig flats now last 3+ years.

Even having fun riding the hardtail with flats even catching a little air here and there.

But alas it's definitely each his / her own

Oh I BTW I rode some speed plays that were like ice skating on bikes if you missed that pedal you were out of luck and then if you had it fully opened it was like 20° alof float it was almost hysterical

 

The standard cleat location aggravates the ball of the second toe on my left foot. So for my road bike I drilled new cleat holes in the arch, and I run flats on dirt.

I’ve used spd, they’re fine. I’ve used Times, fine. I’m still using the crank bros Candys that I bought in 2010. Fine too. They are one of the cheaper versions. If I got new cleats they’d probably go another decade given the mileage they see.

I haven’t found a pedal that I love or hate. I like how cheap my Race Face Chesters were, and how they almost match my bike’s second color. I don’t like the blood they drew from my calf last Friday.

 

Clipless guy here since 1996. Have worked my way through most of the Shimano offerings since then. Never tried anything else for mtn biking. I have used Look for the roadie.

I like being attached to the bike. Makes me feel one with the bike. I like the spring tension cranked down tight.

Haven’t really found the advantage to the clipless pedals with platforms..:and yes I have run 545, 636, 646, 647 Shimano’s.

even with a bad ankle, I still don’t have any issues clipping in or out. My foot tracks kinda funny these days, and the bit of float I get while being clipped in helps it feel more natural. The thought of trying to fight the stickiness of the shoe vs the pedal pins just seems like a pain.

I’ve also seen enough carnage from pedal slips on flat pedals/pins.

 

Went clipped in around 95. Had a really bad crash in 09 and went back to flats. In 95 there were not many good flat options available, some riders used BMX pedals or even used toe strap pedals with the straps removed. In 2020, you have so many lightweight MTB specific flat pedals to choose from. When I went back to flats, my climbs were negatively affected slightly however my down speed slightly increased. That is my experience, your mileage may vary.

 

I had the same issue with Crank Brothers...got tired of breaking them during a rides. I ended up going to Time ATAC pedals and have not looked back.

 

My shoes (or sandals) provide the float. Plenty of flex and twist. Can't stand tight shoes.

 

You are definitely correct there. There is ZERO torsional stiffness in your preferred setup.

 

I recently switched from One-up flats to DMR flats. The days of ripping my leg open from the needle sharp pins of the One-ups are over. The fatter/threaded pins on the DMR pedals grip just as well, perhaps better and most importantly, they are not "needle sharp".

The scar collection on my calves and shins from the One-ups is extensive.

 

Yeah, I've pretty much always got some sort of active scab, and have picked up a decent collection of semi-permanent scars from the OneUps. That said, they've been WAY better than the other options I've tried for not rolling.

 

Which DMRs... The CB Stamps are the same flatter / wider pins. I have both but always interested.

 

V12 Mg (which I think are discontinued?). They probably wouldn't last long for uber-aggro tech riders who bang their pedals hard on rocks regularly but I don't ride like that so I went for the magnesium model to save some grams.

 

I have one ups on my Fuse.. make my lower legs look like I work in the wolverine feeding pen....

Most of the time it's from just moving my bike around in the shed