I mostly ride with SPDs and have got used to their small size and clearance. But once in a while, for skills development I'll ride flats (DMR V8). On singletrack I've found myself clouting roots, side of the trail etc – which definitely puts me off my rhythm and has nearly had me off the bike too. Is this something I just need to get used to or it it worth getting a set of lower profile flats?

Cheers

You don't ride a Specialized by any chance do you? They are pretty low bikes and pedal strikes are more to do with the bike than anything else…..

learn to time your pedal strokes to avoid the high points.

my old enduro had a BB height of 275mm – which felt great, but was a bugger for pedal strikes.

Not a Specialized, Orange 5. But I do have the rear shock set towards soft for a slacker head angle. Not to extremes, just with 33% sag rather than 25%

do you trip over kerbs when walking too? – it's not rocket science 🙄

I have a degree in rocket science as it happens

Yeah pedal strike is a pain both literally and metaphorically. You may have been lucky so far but be warned that you ground a flat pedal out while traveling at speed, you're going to hit the deck hard. It will happen without warning – one minute you'll be cranking along, the next you'll be over the bars without the faintest idea of what the hell happened.

165mm cranks, lower profile pedals and a keen sense of where you can and can't put pedal turns in will all help.

Incidentally, this is one of the reasons pro DH often prefer SPDs; because they can put in pedal strokes where flat pedal riders might not be able to do so safely.

er.. you have that wrong! DH spd pedals have less clearance than most flats but the riding style involved in riding flats tends to let one crank arm sit lower than the other more often

As for Pro DHers 🙄 they simply use what they prefer! there are advantages and disadvantages to both!

lol GW… trips over kerbs….actually Danny Mac does that ! poor bugger

Is this something I just need to get used to or it it worth getting a set of lower profile flats?

Neither, you need to learn how to ride flats properly. Riding flats is alot like riding a full suspension bike: People seem to think they can jump on and immediately be fast. This is not the case and both require a different set of skills to be learned.

Although low profile flats would help a little 😉

Surely its just being aware of what's on the trail and the size of the pedals in the same way you get used to the size of your bars

Or am I missing something?

I'd say it's a bit more complicated then that as you need to factor timing your pedal strokes into the equation as well.

i swapped to some burgtecs a couple of days before riding glentress on my Tazer and monged my pedals into loads of stuff, mostly because the platform was a bit bigger than i was used to, but mostly the fact i was riding like a mong and not watching my pedal strokes based on the terrain.

half way down the blue from eagles nest as it crosses the fire road i scuffed the left pedal on a rock massively followed by a sharp intake of air sucked through the teeth of the onlookers! i however had got past caring, pedals get a pounding at the best of times.

GW – Member
do you trip over kerbs when walking too? – it's not rocket science

Bushwacked – Member
Surely its just being aware of what's on the trail and the size of the pedals in the same way you get used to the size of your bars

Or am I missing something

Are you people for real?

When you're travelling at speeds of up to 20-30mph are you telling me that you observe the size of rocks and calculate whether your pedal might catch them to the nearest 10mm?

Fair enough on a technical climb for example you can time your pedal strokes to miss obstaces, but all the time??????????

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR – Member
When you're travelling at speeds of up to 20-30mph are you telling me that you observe the size of rocks and calculate whether your pedal might catch them

of course.

When you're travelling at speeds of up to 20-30mph are you telling me that you observe the size of rocks and calculate whether your pedal might catch them to the nearest 10mm?

Nah, you just become more spatially aware, same as you would if you jump from driving a small hatchback into a big estate car. You can drive both down the same roads, you're just more aware of the need to be more careful not to clip obstacles in the bigger car!

i however had got past caring, pedals get a pounding at the best of times.

Yup, precisely. Function over form every time when it comes to pedals. It doesn't matter what they look like as long as they work, as they take more of a pounding than any other part of the bike in my experience!

I found with SPD they have a smother surface so if you hit a root they tend to slide over. But hit the same root with flats and the pedals won’t let go so easy.

Here you go…
http://www.canfieldbrothers.com/products/pedals

I agree that it's about technique. Though admittedly I still do it occasionally on my low bb'd FS bike. You should be pumping your bike more, not just pedaling in order to go faster. At all times you should either be pushing the bike into the floor or letting it push back up into you're feet. This is good style anyway, but the need is more apparent on flat pedals as you're not attached to the bike. Don't pedal on sharply undulating or rocky terrain when you could pump and keep the inside pedal up in the turns.

I have a degree in rocket science as it happens

Cool. Where do you work, and on what?

I've never used anything else. I'm quite happy with my climbing, is there any reason that i should try clipless?

if you keep hitting the pedals when riding you're pedaling over stuff that should be ridden pedals level maybe?

I have a degree in rocket science as it happens

Cool. Where do you work, and on what?

I was lying 😉

If it's my technique that's wrong, fair enuff. I won't be buying new pedals then…

It's most likely just a case of getting used to it- when i built my GT I spent the first ride constantly whacking pedals, being used to a hardtail with fairly high ground clearance. Not so much a flats vs spds thing as a what you know vs what you don't thing. Doubt it's a lack of technique for that matter, if it was you'd most likely be whacking your SPDs too, the difference isn't that massive.