I am after swapping my SPD’s back to flats over winter to “LEARN” how to ride properly. I honestly think I have missed a bit in my MTB career since starting again in May 2011.

I have V12’s and was after swapping for the generic Nano / neutron etc etc. But I do actually quite like DMR stuff.

Are the vaults worth it?

I like them much more than V12s. They just fit better.

Do they come as standard with those bloody silly blue pins?

stick with spds…

“Do they come as standard with those bloody silly blue pins?”

Yes, but you can buy ‘spare’ black ones and swap them all out. Takes a while though. In hindsight i probably wouldn’t have bothered – the paint wears off the pins v quick anyhoo.

I moved from V12s also and i’m lovin’ the massive platform and ultra-gripiness.

Do it.

They’re great – I switched from V12s after a left hand thread related servicing fail. Rich, can I have one of your spare blue pins in exchange for Haribo or suchlike? Must threadlock them!

Rich, can I have one of your spare blue pins in exchange for Haribo or suchlike? Must threadlock them!

Of course you can. Maybe see you this week if you’re out and about Wed-Fri?

Let’s just pretend for a minute that you are not a TROLL and are asking a serious question. Riding flat pedals doesn’t teach you how to ride properly, they teach you where to place your feet when riding flat pedals. Don’t DMR vaults cost £89.99? May I suggest that if you want to “LEARN” how to ride properly you keep the SPDs and spend the money on a days course with a reputable MTB instructor who will teach you how to ride properly on the kit you have?

But flats do actually force you to learn the correct technique so you’re feet don’t get bounced off, you can still bunnyhop and jump etc.

Flats can be a useful tool for learning. Or, not. Depends entirely on the rider.

Let’s just pretend for a minute that you are not a TROLL and are asking a serious question. Riding flat pedals doesn’t teach you how to ride properly, they teach you where to place your feet when riding flat pedals. Don’t DMR vaults cost £89.99? May I suggest that if you want to “LEARN” how to ride properly you keep the SPDs and spend the money on a days course with a reputable MTB instructor who will teach you how to ride properly on the kit you have?

Amen

Let’s just pretend for a minute that you are not a TROLL and are asking a serious question. Riding flat pedals doesn’t teach you how to ride properly, they teach you where to place your feet when riding flat pedals. Don’t DMR vaults cost £89.99? May I suggest that if you want to “LEARN” how to ride properly you keep the SPDs and spend the money on a days course with a reputable MTB instructor who will teach you how to ride properly on the kit you have?

DEFINITELY not a troll, very serious question. I am 34 and am trying to teach myself to be better but using various books etc. I have thought about spending my hard earned with Jedi / G Rock etc, but did not want to waste half the day from scratch!

I went over to SPD’s about 3 months ago thinking that I was doing the right thing to progress my riding but being a bit of a keyboard rider I ride the flow of the forum (week one SPD’s next week Flats).

I do like my SPD’s but can not help but cheat with them. Went out on the V12’s the other day and low and behold I could hop, not high but I could. Thought better pedals and shoes would help and speed up my greatness :).

Sorry about the ramblings, this is where I am at!

half the people on this forum are trolls its funny really, trolls trolling trolls, its like 4 chan with bikes.

I do like my SPD’s but can not help but cheat with them

how do you cheat with them, do they have motors in them?

DEFINITELY not a troll, very serious question. I am 34 and am trying to teach myself to be better but using various books etc. I have thought about spending my hard earned with Jedi / G Rock etc, but did not want to waste half the day from scratch!

are you new to the sport or just geting back in to it…

how do you cheat with them, do they have motors in them?

Pull straight up with arms and legs 🙁

are you new to the sport or just geting back in to it…

New to the sport since May 2010 with a cycle to work bike then bought a proper bike may 2011.

id learn with spds mate been rideing 18 years so far.. 17 of them with spds…. they make things much faster.

jumpupanddown – Member

how do you cheat with them

They can let you get away with things flats won’t, basically.

I’ve gone the other way myself I spent 10 years+ riding flats (I’d say I was pretty competent on them), took up SPDs out of interest a couple of years ago and now have more clips than flats on my bikes and I’m pretty happy with them…

you can’t really “cheat” on either pedal; if your a crap rider, your a crap rider, the only thing that will help you improve is practice and tutoring…

£90 on a half day with someone who can objectively look at your riding and actually tell you how to improve or £90 on some pedals which are certainly not guaranteed to make you anymore adept on a bike… Interweb and book learning will only take you so far, the best way to learn is just ride what you’ve got…

Your money, your choice…

They can let you get away with things flats won’t, basically.

Horses for courses. You might also argue that SPDs force you to commit. When bailing isn’t an option, as Yoda says “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

Horses for courses. You might also argue that SPDs force you to commit. When bailing isn’t an option, as Yoda says “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

True, did my first drop off on SPD’s, bottled it every time on flats!

themanfromdelmonte – Member

You might also argue that SPDs force you to commit. When bailing isn’t an option, as Yoda says “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

Aye. Definately advantages to both… I’m stuck with flats now but clipless taught me a lot.

(though, o’course, for a lot of people “do or do not” ends in “do not” 😉 )

Who cares? Just ride and see which you prefer.

If I were to go for flats, I’d want the largest pedal platform I could find, but I have very wide feet so that would make sense for me. I get on well with my seven year old Mallets just fine.

the vaults feel very good whist descending but not so good for climbing, because of the large size they seem to lack grip in the centre of the pedal when putting the power down.
on the downhills though the feel great due to the massive size and low profile whilst still being concave.
on my other bike i have superstar mag ultralite pedals and i have replaced the pins with straight line pins. very good pedals!
i will never use spds.

you are the willing victim of marketing bolleaux..

I find these new fangled super sticky pedal/shoe combinations a pain in the arse.. much too big and sticky and stiff to be of any use in the real world..
I’ve ridden flats for over 25 years and I spent the first half of that time wishing that I had V12s.. although it turns out that Wellgo Mg-1s are the only way to go..

most of the boys in the know round my way are riding minimalistic bare titanium spindles/bare feet next year.. give it a go.. it’s so much more direct

( I do however have an unused spd shoe/pedal combo gathering dust in the shed from where I fell for the same trick..)

Let’s just pretend for a minute that you are not a TROLL and are asking a serious question. Riding flat pedals doesn’t teach you how to ride properly, they teach you where to place your feet when riding flat pedals. Don’t DMR vaults cost £89.99? May I suggest that if you want to “LEARN” how to ride properly you keep the SPDs and spend the money on a days course with a reputable MTB instructor who will teach you how to ride properly on the kit you have?

And the instructor will say use flats 😉

And the instructor will say use flats

Really?
I have been an MTB instructor since 2001 under the SMBLA and have many friends that are instructors including a few that work for one of the most well known companies in the UK and none of them says to use flats. In a lot of respects flats can inspire poor technique like riding too far off the back of the bike and putting a foot down when good body position would have worked better.

My advice is don’t spend £89.99 on flats for an experiment, maybe try a pair for half the price and then see if they work for you. Whichever work best then go out and practice excellent technique on them and remember foot position is just one small piece of a complex MTB jigsaw.

Fabien has a super little video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVEh9Tby54g. One of the finest riders in the world on a 140mm bike and a rider with flawless technique. He talks a fair bit about foot position and guess what? Yep he’s on SPDs.

Nice. 🙂

Riding flat pedals doesn’t teach you how to ride properly

I think they do, actually. SPD teaches bad habits, especially ‘wheels off the ground’ type habits.
EG – If you can only bunny hop on SPDs, then you can’t really bunny hop at all……

I find these new fangled super sticky pedal/shoe combinations a pain in the arse.. much too big and sticky and stiff to be of any use in the real world..

Me too. I came via BMX, and that lot just ride in whatever they happen to have on their feet and whatever happens to be screwed into the ends of their cranks!

EG – If you can only bunny hop on SPDs, then you can’t really bunny hop at all……

Same can be said for
Sticky shoes
Pedal pins
Sticky tyres
Suspension
Disc brakes
Geometry
Etc
Etc
Etc…..

Good vid

i recommend using pedals. 🙂
the type is about choice

In response to the original question…..

Yes they are worth the money.

I now run the Vaults on the DH bike and the trail bike and they are AWESOME pedals. Huge platform, good grip, blingybeautiful and relatively narrow profile/light. Way better than any of the other flats I have run/tried.