Hi all,

I keep losing grip/feet keep need adjusting almost every run i do and I need to sort it because im getting injured and its constantly in the back of my mind when i try new stuff!

I ride downhill/single track and dj.

Currently have da bomb peddles (not the £60 ones, the £35 ones) which are supposed to be really grippy.

I use flat soled vans (think this is the primary issue)

Im getting angry with it now!

What peddle/shoe combo do you guys use?

I’ve used 5.10s for a while and they seem to work with pretty-much any pedal. No doubt some card will be on here in a mo telling you about your bad technique. Ignore them.

cheers mate, well im doing 10-15ft table tops and doubles so if my technique was bad enough I think i would be in hospital by now!

i have heard 5 10s are good, just quite pricey, but its got to a point now that im ready to buy some because landing on my seat and cranks is really starting to hurt!

5.10’s are too grippy in my opinion, and offer little room to adjust foot position once on the pedal. Unless you start removing pins, which kind of defeats the purpose.

A decent set of shoes will be worth an investment though. Check out Teva and the Vans Gravel’s. Giro look like they have some decent flat pedal shoes coming for 2013 too.

Regards technique, make sure your heels are dropped and push into the pedals.

cheers prezet, so is it bad to be to grippy? I want to feel completly stuck to them because I love getting the back end out, no clip ins for me though, not good in a bail!

spent the money on decent peddels but my old £8 welgo’s are grippier with the same shoe!

Silly question, but where do you place your feet? I have the peddles sitting smack in the middle of my shoe? dropping the heels is good advice, thanks.

Shoes are personal preference. I had 5.10’s and just didn’t get on with them, like I said, once your foot engages with the pedal it’s hard to reposition it if it’s wrong without lifting your foot fully off the pedal – which is a PITA when trying to get going.

I prefer a shoe a little less grippy, but still gives enough grip when combined with a dropped heal to control the bike. There are always going to be instances when your feet get bucked off (rocky sections at speed), but that’s one of the downsides to riding flats.

I’d be careful of dropping £60-80 on a pair of 5.10’s without being sure about them. They also take forever to dry out if you get them wet.

I run Superstar Nano’s with Van’s Gravels and think they work quite well. However I did replace the stock 8mm Nano pins with 6mm ones

hmmm I might go to a bigger bike store and try some on then. I thinking asking to borrow peoples shoes on a trail might be a bit wierd haha!

Cheers for the advice mate

5tens are a big step up in grip, I like to find a secure position and stay there (similar to you by the sound of it) and that’s what they do. You have to intentionally lift a foot a bit to swivel, you can’t just twist like a normal shoe.

I use Vaults which are nice and big and super grippy, the Kona Wah Wahs I had were also excellent (very, very similar to Nanos, Nukeproofs etc). I personally have the front edge of the pedal under my big toe and back edge under my instep. Too far forward isn’t supportive but efficient for pedalling, too far back is stable but you lose manouvrability.

Heels down for riding as a whole helps drive the bike through stuff, back pedal toes down and pulled back can help you wedge yourself between the bar and cranks. Push outward between these and you’re locked in place.

When are you losing your footing? Don’t dismiss looking at your technique, we can all ride better than we currently do! It can’t hurt to have a mate video you on his phone and watch yourself. Unless you hurt yourself while he’s filming….but you get what I mean 😀

edit; 5ten freeriders and DMR Vaults are my answer.

thanks herman, great feedback.

Its 8/10 when im getting air, and the rest is on rough little step downs and stuff like that (so in all its when the bike leave the ground).

So I think it could be the combination of have completly flat shoes (no indents on soal what so ever) and maybe dodgey tekkers.

It basically happens coming of the lip of the jump and my feet just come off the peddles, maybe im not letting the bike drive up into my feet of the take off?

If your feet are coming straight up off the pedals then no shoe is going to help that

your footplacement sounds correct but you may be sitting back on takeoff which kicks the bike away from you. make sense?

I got some shoes on the weekend which have a much better sole on them, first step il try those.

Jedi – do you mean the bike is kicking away and to the front then?

It’s hard to suggest based on so little, but it’s STW so I will anyway

If you’re absorbing (letting the bike come into you, bending knees and elbows) the lip and then jumping you will be rising more than the bike and coming off the pedals. If you absorb the lip and stay low you’ll jump out and level but not high, like a racer. If you push off the face of the jump with both your arms and legs together (compress before the lip, extend arms and legs as you reach the lip) as you rise up the face both you and the bike will lift together and it shouldn’t take much to stay connected.

Centred on approach, centred in the air, centred on landing. Also check out how active a DH racer’s knees are despite their suspension. They have buckets of it but still absorb and pump the trail. If you let the force come through the bike into you while being stiff it’ll buck you off.

Based on the cost of my shoes and pedals I’d recommend sticking with what you have and seeing a coach to iron out the wrinkles; it’ll cost you less! Jedi’s a good shout if you’re in his area, you’ll learn loads.

If you were slipping at less specific times I’d say swap your gear. Better yet, if you have teh monies get some new kit AND a coach session 😉