I agree with this sentiment 100%. Like you say, I ride 50/50 crankbros and the 5.10 shoes and its almost as good as clips. Whenever somebody asks me, I tell them to stay away from clips and get better shoes, cuz I like to ride the technical stuff.

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Agreed. And if anybody wants proof ask any top 10 world cup downiller to shred some dirt jumps or rip down A-line in whistler in a non-race application. 99.9% of them will ride flats. Simply because it’s more fun and probably what they learned on. A lot of top guys will train on flats during the winter to kick bad habits developed over the season. Even top BMX pros will run flats some times in gate practice to improve their 1st and 2nd pedal stroke to ensure proper power placement.

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Thanks for an interesting discussion. I ride both flats and clips depending on the ride… Mostly clips near home since where there’s lots of climbing and not much super technical stuff. I break out the flats when I ride in new places, and for more technical rides. And when I want to remind myself how to bunny or vert-lift without “cheating.”

I’m surprised your podcast didn’t include more about the training effect of the subtle differences between pedaling styles. I tend to ride platforms slightly further forward on the pedals, and definitely feel a different engagement in the hamstrings and calves, even though I think I keep a pretty smooth stroke. Thoughts?

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James I thought I was alone on this , but your podcast reflects exactly my experience!

Here’s my story, started mtbiking in the early 90’s and quit about 10 years later; it was fun at first, then I let others talk me into riding clipless, and it all went downhill after that, to the point where riding had become mostly a scary experience.

About 4 years ago, after I had quit talking to the “experts” and reading magazines (they are the devil;-), I decided to start over from the basics, with a simple hardtail and flat pedals. In a few months I got better than when I was over 10 years younger, riding was fun again and I was actually looking forward to the next ride.

Long story short, learn to ride flats first, only switch to clipless when and if that is appropriate for you.

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Agree completely. I started MB 7 months ago and while I rode a road bike for years with clipless pedals I didn’t think it was a good idea on a MB, after falling a few times especially in CO. I use 5.10’s with good pedals. I don’t think clipless offer much advantage in All mountain terrain and as you point out can be quite dangerous. I also think it’s odd that people spend thousands of hours learning how to unclip and clip in with clipless .. which when you think about it is an unnatural skill and has no redeeming value in anything else. With flats, you work on balance and feet position for uphill , downhill and long rides. You get stronger and become a better rider. I’m just surprised that when I show up at a trail I’m usually the only one on flats. Good to hear you speak up on this one…

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I’d like to try flats. I’ve only ever ridden with clipless. Can anyone recommend a decent cheapo brand of flat pedals?

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I have always rode flats. Every time I ride with a new group they tell me how much I could improve by going clipless and I just shrug and say thats ok. They are not leaving me behind in any way on the ride. I dont usually have any problems keeping my feet on the pedals plus if I am in a slow technical area and I get way off balance I will stick a leg out to get my balance back.

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Some other arguments to add:
o Even small jumps with clipless, especially small one like CrankBrothers EggBeaters is dangerous, there’s too little platform to absorb the hit and you may hurt your ankle. Shimano clipless pedals are a little better in this respect (and more durable).
o The 10% additional efficiency offered by clipless, including pull-action might take years of spinning before getting efficient at it. When you climb sitting and yanking and really pulling those clipless pedals, wouldn’t it be more efficient to just stand up and hammer away, like what James is suggesting?
o Doing skinnies with clips is just not an option, you need to be able to jettison the bike away when things go wrong.
o I don’t think you really need 5.10’s, but reasonable good flats with replaceable pins (these pins are also a bit longer than fixed ones) and shoes with waffle soles, like Vans (got a new pair of Rowley XLT Elites) are good enough. If you have good pins they will leave their marks on the soles anyway meaning even better grip.

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I have always ridden in clips. I got them for XC and now that I ride mostly DH use them for that too. I’m going back to flats at the moment to practice hopping and bike control, but I disagree with many of the above posts and say that clips give you much more control than flats. Hit a rock garden flat out, crazy roots or any rough section in general, and your feet are always in the same spot. Comming in short on a jump? Lift up that back wheel.

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bikejames Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 8:02 am

@ John – they certainly help in those situations…BUT you can learn to do pretty much the same thing with good flats and shoes. If your feet bounce around a bit but you can hit the rock garden faster because you are not worried about getting hurt if you fall unexpectedly then it may be a wash. And with jumping, the best dirt jumpers in the world don’t clip in so you can learn to maneuver your bike just fine without being attached to it.

Riding flats is a skill, just like riding clipless pedals are. My point is that for most riders the trade off is not worth it. The increased risk of injury and the mindset it creates are not worth it in my opinion. But, to each their own. I guess my ultimate point is to stop putting new riders directly on clipless pedals and for the mountain bike world to stop acting like clipless pedals are better and those of us that ride flats are “missing out”.

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I freeride and primarily use clipless. And yes there are times when they’ve annoyed me, got in the way, etc. but when I’m climbing it’s easier for me than flats. Maybe I’m just not that good at flats, probably because I primarily use them when the weather gets cold and I ride with hiking boots and wool socks.

I also wear baggy even though they too have gotten in the way on occasion. I have friends who think their camel-toe looks good and wear spandex, cuz ya know, it’s all about performance. But somehow we manage to get along.

Some say po-tay-toe. . . and some say just do what you like so long as you’re having a good time.

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Your wrong on not needing bike specific 510 shoes. Maybe your Vans and such are ine for dirt jumping, trials, and things like that. But for long rides, you need the sole stiffness o ike specific 510 shoes or your feet will fatigue.
Also, SImon, why do you wnat “cheapo” flat pedals. Didn’t you listen to the podcast? Make the same investment you did into your clipless setup. I think Atomlab pedals are the best all around pedal, by the way. They make a “lite” model that has a magnesium body and they weigh just a little over 400 g. Those things are the bomb.

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I’ve gotta chime in. I went to flats after an ACL reconstruction. I was so worried about not clipping out. At first, I totally hated them. I never realized how much I cheated and I felt like I had to learn how ride all over again, which was frustrating. I never rode a bike as a kid and literally learned how to ride at the ripe age of 29! But I rode with Vans and was about to go back to clipless, then I tried the 510s. What a difference! They made all the difference in the world! Wouldn’t go back. I have to say before going to flats, I couldn’t ride a section WITHOUT being clipped in. And now, I feel like I’m riding better than ever! At 7 months post-op, went to Whistler and was very proud with how well I rode and did jumps I wouldn’t have done before I hurt my knee. So I’ve gotta say that I think flats are going to make me a much better rider in the long run. The 510s were one of the best purchases I made for the year!

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I fully agree with James podcast on this. Working at a bike shop I see this happen all the time with customers and it is extremely difficult to consider people otherwise. They see 99% of the people on the trails on clipless pedals and are convinced this is the way. It is flat pedals vs. the industry and unfortunately they have the upper hand.

I personally switched to flat pedals immediately after riding a friends 5.10 shoes 4 years ago and I’ve never looked back. 5.10’s are the only way to go if you want the best flat pedal experience. It is SO much more fun to be able to push the limits of your skills and the trail without the consequence of “not being able to clip out”. I also do long cross country/trail rides on flats and don’t notice much, if any disadvantage to my clipped in counterparts.

Flat pedals have taught me more about flowing with the terrain and being smooth. Sprinting on a fast bumpy section of trail, on a hardtail, with flat pedals taught me how to pedal smoothly, powerfully, and efficiently. Not just winding up sporadically and letting your clipless pedals keep your feet from flying off. Sometimes they still do…

I also believe that flat pedals will teach you to develop a strong upper body for intense pedaling efforts, more so than clipless. I notice it most on short, steep, out of the saddle climbs. Pulling up on the bars to counter each downward thrusting leg and really “engaging” your core muscles feels awesome!

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Nice story, Lisa … good for you!
There’s a good story in this month’s MTB Action under “trailgrams” by a women who always harrased by her husband for using flats. Then he ate shit on a technical uphill and ended up in the hospital. Now he’s a flat convert. I love it. One other reason I use flats is because since it goes against the convention wisdom of most riders, it really seems to get under their skin and bug them when they see people on trails using flats. I love doing that.

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James, I have to disagree with this one. I moved from Flats (good quality ones) to clipless to improve my technical climbing. At first, I did fall a bunch, but nothing too bad. I did find that after I got used to it, I could climb, jump, and descend much better. I found that if you set the clipless pedals to the lightest setting, you can put your foot down at any time without even trying. I feel like I have the best of both worlds this way. My feet only stay clipped if I’m pedaling but come out whenever I need/want them to. I’ve never had an issue getting unclipped once I was “skilled” in using them. Skilled being the key work. You’ll need to learn how to ride clipless just like the other important downhill skills.

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Most of my wrecks are from getting stuck in the clipless and it’s quite annoying. I learned and raced BMX in the flats because that’s all there was, I guess it’ time to break out the Shimano DX or the Hutch pedals for those old school BMX’rs that remember those pedals. I’m pushing 40 know and teaching my three kids to ride; I’ll keep them in the flats. Thanks for the advice James.

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Wow. no bike stores around here are saying what you say. I like the notion. My wife ride on a trail for the first time and has flats. I’ve been thinking about when we would get clipless. Now, not time soon. Thanks for posting your opinions. A friend of mine just broke his shoulder and dislocated a finger riding. wonder if it could have been less severe has he been able to dismount differently.

I’ve loosened my clips considerably in the past month or so. I think you are on to something!!

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Do you know, what have all people, who think that flats are better, in common? They have never riden clipless.

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bikejames Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

@ Radek – have to disagree with you on this one. I tried clipless, fell over at a stop sign and realized that if I couldn’t get out of them on the road when I knew I was stopping I was going to be screwed on the trail. I would counter with “you know what everyone who loves clipless have in common? They’ve never tried 5:10’s and a quality pair of flat pedals.” When one of the best DH riders in the world tells me that flats make you a better rider I’d have to think that there is something to it…

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James

“I tried clipless, fell over at a stop sign and realized…”
I believe that in most cases it may be a matter of rider’s habits. About one year ago I changed my flats to SPD’s (started to do some 4cross so it seems to be vital). Of course, my first stops ussually ended with falling down too, but that’s because I’ve had wrong altitude to clipping out.
It’s not like thinking “OK, now I have to turn my feet outwards” at every stop – the main difference between these two types of pedals is that while using flats you pull your feet slighty up and apart to prop, and while riding clipless you just pull your feet left/right (without ANY thinking, it clips out automatically).
And what about getting injuries due to being clipped in – I’m not riding some harsh DH so can’t say anything about big rock gardens etc. But I had one fall while doing no-hander (on a step-up jump – in SPD’s) – I didn’t catch my bar back, but I didn’t feel anything “gripping” my feets at all I also don’t have any problems in curves when my wheel goes apart, there is no problem in fast foot take-off
Actually, clipping-IN on a trail poses a greater problem than clipping out, there you have to aim in pedal rightly and it may be difficult while riding down the slope…

(of course I don’t want to propagate SPD’s, just want to throw some objective outlook on it )

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bikejames Reply:
December 16th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

@ Brooce – I agree, it is a skill that can be learned. I guess my point is that for people just starting out there are more valuable skills to work on and that for the average rider clipless pedals don’t offer huge benefits. For some riders they may be the the best choice but I just don’t think most trail riders need them are are inhibited by them at first.

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Here’s my take on the subject. I’ve worn clipless pedals right from the start, about 5 years ago.I’m not an expert but consider my self better that average for someone my age (44). I always strive to get better, I work out using James’s program, have taken a camp from Gene Hamilton from better ride (which I would highly recommend to anyone), and listen to people and experiment and make up my own mind. I haven fallen a few times because of not being able to un clip and have gotten some mild injuries from it. I decided to try the platform pedals and make up my own mind. I bought a pair of Specialized pro mag 2 pedals (80.00) and went out for my first ride and I was wearing a pair of Merrell hiking shoes and my first impressions were as follows.
1.) I could definetly feel some loss in pedal efficency maybe 15-20%.

2.) My feet felt fairly secure on the pedals, I really couldn’t move them around without un weighting my foot.

3.) I t was almost the funniest day I had riding my bike! I felt so more confident on my bike that I tried things like some high log skinnys ( 3-4 feet high) that I would not ride before due to the fact that I was clipped in and was afraid. I had to try some of these multiple times to make it accross but the fear of getting hurt was way down and it gave me the confidence to try until I made it. I also hucked off a 4′ drop that I never tried before.

4.) I felt more confident pushing the downhills faster.

So I made up my mind that that was a lot of fun and I had to work a little harder on my climbs but I had so much fun. I went this far so I might as well go all the way, I went on line and bought a pair of 510 impact 2 high tops. First impression was they were kind of bulky and heavy looking but they did’t feel heavy. I weighed them and they were the same weight as my mid grade mtb shoes I was clipping in with. They were very supportive and the sole was A LOT stiffer than my hiking shoes I wore previously. Ride impressions,

1. I could immediatly feel the stiff and sticky sole at work. You CAN NOT move your foot with out un weighting it.

2. I felt like my pedal efficency was on par with my clippless pedals, I can pull my foot past the bottom of the pedal stroke, by that time the foot is past the top on the down stroke. You can push your foot forward at the first part of the down stroke.

The bottom line for me is I’ve had more Fun on my bike with the flats than with clipless. I live in a MTB mecca and I have already had people give me funny looks and comments, screw em I’m having more fun.

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Sounds more like a discussion of unskilled / newbie clipless riders rather than a technical discussion of skilled clipless vs. skilled platform use.

Ive personally never seen any shop put a brand newbie in clipless pedals and if they are then the bike shop is definately wrong. Most of the time the progression is flats, then to toe straps, then to clipless pedals. Ive never met a rider who didnt love the control gained when going to clipless.

Ive been riding clipless pedals on very technical all-mountain rides for years and years. Unclipping is completely automatic, subconscious, and lightning fast. I can take a stab at the inside of a corner like any flats rider.
My first technical all mountain ride about 15 years ago was on flats and it was absolutely terrible. Could not control the bike or keep my feet on the pedals. I was just along for the ride down the mountain.
Clipless isnt about efficiency on climbs, its about controlling the bike. Becoming skilled (and subconscious/automatic) with clipless pedals eliminates the negatives that you bring up .

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bikejames Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

@ ELG – 15 years ago they did not have great flat pedals and sticky rubber shoes so comparing your experience then to what riding flats are now is not accurate. Try some Crank Brother 50-50 pedals and a pair of 5:10’s and then tell me that you can not control your bike with flats. Besides, trials riders and slopestyle riders don’t wear clipless pedals and they are the cream of the crop when it comes to “controlling your bike” so apparently clipless pedals do not help you gain control that isn’t possible with great flats and shoes.

And I’m sorry but when Aaron Gwin, who is an extremely skilled rider, knocks his teeth out when he could not get unclipped then there are times when even the best riders get taken by surprise and fail to get out of their pedals. I’ve seen and talked with dozens of riders who have experienced the same thing. Just because it hasn’t happened to you (yet) doesn’t mean that it isn’t a viable argument against using them.

The advent of sticky rubber soles on mountain bike shoes has completely changed the game. Again, the best skills coaches and riders in the world will tell you that flats make you a better rider so there must be something to it…

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Hey, my two cents on clipless pedals vs.flats: I bought my first MTB in 1988 and cilpless pedals didn’t exist for MTB’s. We all learned to ride with clips and straps and James’ point about clipless pedals holding you back is valid. Clips and straps were a nightmare to get out of if they were tight. So when clipless pedals came available they were much better than clips and straps but … James is right that clipless can set you up for injury. I think the clipless pedal adds about a one second delay in getting your foot to the ground. Doesn’t sound like much BUT when you are attempting something technical you don’t always leave a one second cushion, you go for it. I have fallen off many times (most times without injury) because of that one second delay.

I switched to flats (decent ones with good shoes) in the summer of 2007 and I will never go back for technical stuff. That one second delay is gone and wondering on any level if you are are going to be able uncilip and then re-clip to stick the move is gone. On flats I don’t know how many little cruxes I have cleaned after taking a foot off the pedal, regaining balance without putting a foot down and then continuing. Flats are seamless that way.

As far as climbing goes I would rather climb with flats on anything but the smoothest trails. With good pedals and sharp pins and good shoes it is tough to slip off a flat pedal. Actually the worst thing about flats IS that they have so much bite (a fact that my unprotected shins sometimes suffer for). I am smoother, faster and happier on flats and just like our host says most of us just are not that advanced to miss that little bit of pedaling efficiency we lose.

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I think this is a good discussion, but I see a few flaws in the thinking of many people’s replies — or at least the replies are worded in such a way to let me find flaws. Maybe there’s a communication issue.

I have been riding bikes seriously (focusing on technique and fitness improvements) since 1986, where I began as a roadie. I got clipless pedals in 1988. I got a MTB in 1992 and began riding off-road immediately. I got clipless MTB pedals in 1993. In 2000 I started doing FR and DH and rode flats exclusively for 3 years, even on my XC rides. In 2004 I went back to clipless for 99% of my riding. I can bunny hop and jump just fine with either pedal.

To me the difference is about confidence. There are mechanical advantages to pedaling with clipless, you can be more efficient because you can use more glute and hamstring and you don’t use tiny foot and ankle muscle tension adjustments to keep your feet in place while you pedal through the dead spot at the bottom of the clockface (around 7:30 pm or so is where it usually kicks in). Most of my riding is long alpine rides, so pedaling efficiency is crucial for me. Also, I’m an alpine skier and have been so for 30 years. So I am used to being clipped into something.

Here are the problems I have seen in the discussion above.

1) Suggesting someone spends a lot of time learning how to unclip, and the time would be better spent on bunny hops and track stands. This is exaggerated. I learned how to unclip in one ride. Over the course of the ride. No practice sessions. Someone who has such difficulty learning how to unclip probably has some serious body coordination limitations that aren’t going to be fixed merely by going to flats.

2) Suggesting that a person who falls over and gets injured on clipless somehow proves that clipless are bad for you. No, it just proves the person using clipless isn’t ready to ride them on dangerous surfaces yet. See (1) above.

3) Suggesting that the pedal limits the rider, when it is the rider’s confidence in that pedal that provides the limitation. Once again, the pedal is taking credit or heat for something that is entirely a rider confidence issue.

++++++++++++++

Great site, James! Thanks.

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If you are concerned about imperceptible foot & ankle adjustments in your pedal stroke, then yes, flats are not for you. But I think for the majority of new riders, learning to ride clipless pedals on the majority of terrain is way too difficult and possibly dangerous. If you have a flat smooth fireroads with no exposure, you’re probably ok as newbie in clipless. But that gets boring really quick!

Anyway, I think it is great to hear an opinion that you almost never hear from anyone, that flats are OK! Phew! What a relief! I love riding in flats, and I do get some upstroke on them due to the stickiness of the little spikes on the pedals. The only drawback, which no one mentioned, are lovely scrapes on your legs from whacking yourself with them. But other than that… they’re great

Also, I don’t think anyone said your time as a newbie is better spent on bunny hops than on clipless pedals – I think James mentioned essential skills like braking and shifting.

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Good post. However allow me to suggest that this is not a black and white argument. Like in the 29er discussion is mix it up depending on terrain, conditions motivation. Flat out technical downhill AM stuff no question I use the flats. However on a long fireroad training climb I am prone to use clipless.

Be careful not to go too to extreme in either direction. I am not sure it is beneficial to the business side. There are a lot of people besides freeriders and BMX, and slpoeside huck peeps interested in this site btw. and they ride bikes

Regards

BC

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A lot of interesting stuff in the podcast and comments. I took up mtb at 39yo about 5 years ago and within 6 months was riding clipless. But in hindsight it was probably too early. While my bike handling skills have improved dramatically in the last 5 years I still don’t have all the basics well sorted (track stands for instance). I have been lucky in that my “accidents” due to clipless pedals have all been minor gumby stacks with minimal skin and blood loss.

In terms of confidence I mainly ride not very technical single track and fire road. In most circumstances I find the clipless slightly increases my confidence of staying attached to my bike, for instance launching off water bars. However better technique would probably achieve a better result regardless of pedal type. When the trail becomes a bit more technical, like rock gardens I find, as James says, the clipless actually reduces confidence, in many cases getting me walking the obstacle.

For the last year or so I have been contemplating skills improvement and setting up one of my bikes, a Chameleon hardtail as a basic skills bike. Just this week (before getting James email link) I put flats on this bike so I could practice track stands, tight turning, bunny hops, mono’ing etc. Yesterday I found some 661 flat shoes on special in the local bike shop and bought them.

This podcast has really got me thinking about which, if any, of my mountain bikes should be running clipless and which should be running flats. The roadie/commuter can stay clipless though. Worse still it has got me thinking about my kids mtb’s. Only in the last month I put clipless pedals on my 12 yo’s new bike. Now I am thinking that might have been a crime. The 14yo and 15yo are coping well with clipless but the 12 yo had a few tumbles last weekend due mainly to his pedals and its killing his confidence and enjoyment.

Thanks for the advice James, as usual it is very practical and worth careful consideration. This morning the Chameleon and I are going riding on flats with baggy shorts and leaving the lycra at home.

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This is a load of crap! Almost all the pro DH’ers, 4X’ers and XC’ers use clipless pedals, doesn’t this tell you something? You can’t get half the power down with flats that you can with clipless for the simple fact you don’t use half as many muscles.

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bikejames Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:04 pm

@ James – Sam Hill rides flats and he’s a pretty good pro DH rider. Aaron Gwin says riding flats will make you a better rider and he’s pretty good as well. And your comment about not getting half the power without clipless pedals – really? You have some evidence of that? Studies show that clipless pedals only give a 10% power advantage in riders that are really skilled at spinning circles and even less in an average rider so a 5-10% potential power loss is far from half. And the comment about not using half the muscles is plain not true and really shows some ignorance about how the body works.

And did you even listen to the podcast (I’m willing to bet you did not)? I said that the average trail rider doesn’t need to ride clipless pedals but they do have a place in specialized applications like pro racers. Average trail riders are not pros and don’t need what they do. Please step your game up a bit if you are going to post on this blog, this isn’t a forum populated by trolls who don’t know anything…

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James, thanks for al the info.

This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m debating about going clipless at the moment. I have been using some addidas indoor soccer shoes and flats. Not sure abut the pedal brand, but they’re decent and have some pins that work pretty well with the soft rubber sole of my indoor soccer shoes.

What specific advantages would the 5.10’s have over the addidas or vans? I usually buy my bike gear at REI – for their excellent return policy. You can try gear and take it back if it doesn’t work for you. If I buy a pair of 5.10’s from another shop I’m stuck with them if they don’t live up to the hype.

btw – I’m riding mainly single track xc in the southeast, nothing too technical. I have a pair of SPD pedals sitting around, the ones with clip on one side, flat on the other. I might use those and depending on terrain, clip in or not. Keeps it pretty versatile.

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bikejames Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 11:45 am

@ Brent – The 5:10’s have a sticky rubber sole made from the same stuff they use in climbing shoes. It is something you have to try to really appreciate – they are a game changing shoe that keep your feet in place almost as well as clipless pedals. Regular rubber on normal shoes is nothing like the sticky rubber on the 5:10’s.

I would also advise that if you want to go clipless, go all the way. Nothing like trying to ride clipless shoes like flats to make a trail get super sketchy in a hurry.

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James, you are right on here.

For 10 years i have ridden platforms, i don’t get dropped and have the best technical skills amongst my peers(not to brag). I recently even placed first in an technical enduro type race on my platforms, so that is that. Of course you won’t believe the ribbing i get for not using clipless but i try to tell my buddies to give it a try because of most of the reasons you listed. I find most of my riding friends are gun-shy since failure to clip-out really ups the penalty and encourages bad techniques like “fake” bunny hops. Riding skinnies and doing dirt-jumps on clipless, even that sketches me out a bit. I have seen guys really mess up ankles in rock gardens because of clipless shoes.

I recently got a new pair of clipless pedals with my new trail bike, i promptly put them on my commuter and they work great there. I’m going to try a pair of those 5.10 since everybody is raving about them.

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The biggest mistake most new clipless riders make is they don’t adjust the tension of the pedals. If you’re adjusted right, you can get out instantly – none of this one second delay nonsense. If you’re pedals are too tight, yeah you’re going to have trouble getting out and you’ll fall over from time to time. Almost as bad is when the pedals are too loose. Finding the sweet spot will only take a few minutes, and maybe an adjustment or two over the next few rides.

Adjust. Test. Adjust. Test. Ride. Smoke downhills.

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I rode clipless for years in the relatively flat/smooth Southeast and never had a problem getting out when I needed to, but when I moved to western CO I switched to flats, not because I couldn’t get out when I needed to but rather because I would inadvertently unclip at inopportune times, throwing my balance off mid-air (or whenever) and causing me to crash. Didn’t matter what pedal I used, how much I tightened the pedal adjustment, or how new/what type my cleats were, it still happened enough to be a problem. Obviously the problem was with my movement on the bike, but I couldn’t seem to fix it. Platforms solved this for me. I do feel that I loose a little power on smooth uphill/flat sections, but there aren’t many of those around where I ride anyway.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, I can control my bike better now because I’ve had to truly learn how to move it around underneath me instead of being able to just let it come along for the ride while attached to my feet. It is a noticeable difference. And in watching other riders with incredible bike control clear up to 40+ foot dirt jump gaps (sometimes incorporating tricks), I’ve never seen one of them do it while clipped in. If clip-in pedals gave more bike control, you can bet these guys would be using them!

As for shoes, I know from experience that “sticky rubber” shoes work better than shoes without it (not sure if there’s an alternative to 5.10 rubber?), and stiff soles make a huge difference too. I ride 5.10 bike-specific shoes, but tried a lighter-weight climbing approach shoe with 5.10 rubber to save weight – the more flexy sole wasn’t worth the grams left behind.

I definitely agree with James that for most of us in technical terrain, platforms are a no-brainer. I encourage anyone to try it both ways, and then to not be afraid to rock the flats in the face of their cool clipped-in friends! The bottom line for me is that I enjoy riding my bike more with platforms, I’m a better rider with them, and I don’t really care if someone thinks my PEDALS are hip or not…

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