Just a quick poll.
Your preference, any type of riding style.

Now I also know this could cause some controversy, but I’ll let you all sort it out between you.

Clipless my preference.

Flats

Both. Thread closed.

Flats. Although I started riding with clipless on the road today and am quite surprised by how much more efficient it is so I’m tempted to try clipless on my next xc ride.

spds for road and all forms of mtb (xc to dh)

flats for bmx (race (but am spd curious)) and unicycle

clipless

spds on comuter and for xc am stuff
recently gone over to flats for dh/freeride

I use both its horses for courses. Or depending on what mood I’m in.

Flats.

FTW

I am sure both have merits. I prefer flats due to my low-speed accident rate…Also I like to hang a safety leg out. fine with SPDs if you can clip back in which I often couldnt.

takes a bit of getting used to. I was amazed how much I was relying on being clipped in to stay connected with the bike – especially when going over crests into bombholes etc!

always used flats, never used spds.

Kev

SPDs on road bike and MTB offroad
Flats on commuter and MTB around town.

Mix between flats and cb candies depending on where I’m riding.

XC stuff then it’s candy’s, tech stuff then I’ll run flats.

Pure confidence thing but works for me

road = time spds – floatastic
mtb = flats -also floatatastistic 🙂

Both, not really any preference for either at the moment, burgtechs and candies for me.

flats for me. if i do eventually go out on the road bike again i’d wear baggies to redress the balance 😉

time atacs on the mtb and time rxs on the road bike.

SPD

Except I tried flats today for developing technique… and kinda liked it. And that was with some crappy old vans and borrowed flats.

So I’m now flats curious.

Clipless.

Went to Cwmcarn last week, and realised too late that I’d left flats on my hardtail kona from riding around the park with my son.

Hated them, and will keep the spds in the car now, so I can swap them over if I do the same again…

Apparently flats are better for learning good technique for off road MTB’ing so I’m sticking with them until I’m happy with my technique. Could be a very long time!

SPds just from habit, though does put me off a bit if there is a chance of a big off as I don’t fancy the big tangled heap
Must try flats I think it’d make me a bit braver

Both ideally… I’m on flats now for good, leg’s too wrecked for clipless but I’ve used both and they’ve both got their advantages and disadvantages, and both can help you learn specific skills too (I never learned to bunnyhop til I got flats, and I doubt I’d have learned to spin well if I’d never had SPDs)

Not sure which I actually prefer. Flats probably.

SPDs scare me.

The last time I tried flats in anger was on my Brompton a couple of years ago = broken collar bone.

I’ve no idea how to ride with flat pedals. 🙁

Flats for BMX
SPD’s for MTB

Happy on either but prefer the efficiency of SPD’s when on a mountain bike.

Flat pedals win medals!

Thread closed. For those who are interested there’s another thread about mt bikers and backpacks. The helmet debate will be starting at 2.00 and the RLJ’s at 10.00 Monday morning just after the morning commute.

SPDs aggrovate my knee. Spent ages trying to make them work and gave up.

However my flats largely make them redundant anyway. Crank bros 5050s with custom 12mm pins. You won’t fall off that in a hurry!

Time atac’s all the time – plenty of float eliminates knee problems and they are bomb proof!!!

Seems like a good 50/50 preference across the board. I use to ride flats, rubbish cage ones that come standard on many bikes.

I learnt to bunny hop on them, rode them for a while. Switched to clipless and now I wont go back, I can unclip as quick as taking my foot of a flat.

The funny thing is that people say clipless cause them knee problems but I find my AM40’s with flats have no float at all yet my Candy’s have loads.

After switching to using flats more often I had more knee grumbles until I got used to them than I’ve ever had with my CB pedals.

Both.
Different bikes.Different weather. Different pedals.

Moved to flats after 7 years of spds (cb malletts)about 2 years ago.I always thought spds was a far superior way to pedal until I gave decent flats a go (wellego mg1’s).Now moved to am40 shoes from vans and the difference is even smaller.

Clipless all the way, on road and off, all weathers, year round.

Thats what I like to hear Bazz.