So, I’ve only ever ridden flat pedals, apart from the road bike, so I’m not totally alien to the concept of being attached to a bike. I’ve decided to try going clipped in to see if it bring any benefits off road, but I’m experiencing some weirdness, and I guess I’m just trying to find out if it’s fairly normal or not.

Running some Mallet DH’s with 5-10’s so I have some platform, and some grip, if I’m doing this it’s in for a penny, in for a pound, I’ll be using them to race DH and some Enduro stuff on.

I’ve been riding for a few weeks now with the clips, and I’m noticing some benefits, mainly being able to pedal in a lot of places I would have struggled before, security in some bits etc, but the downsides are I seem to be struggling in the corners. It would appear in the past I like the bike moving around underneath me, but being attached to it, I can’t get that feeling, it’s all very locked in and solid, despite the float on the pedals, I think I’m missing the ability to roll my foot around.

Also I’ve struggled a bit when it’s all gone a bit funky in the air, and I need to lose a foot off a pedal, it feels like what I can only describe as the dead sailor moment.

Is this something others have experienced? Part of the learning process etc? I want to persevere with them for now, but I’m hoping these experiences will feel less awkward the more I use them.

I had this to begin with but it will all become natural after a bit. You can try winding the grub screws back in a touch, so the pedal isn’t gripping your shoes as much. That might help but time is the main thing. I’d say it took about 3 months to really get used to them and about 6 months to not care less about the fact that I was clipped in.

On the moving on the bike in corners front, I was the opposite. I have had to tighten the spring tension right up on the XT Trail pedals so that I don’t blow out my clips in a corner when I twisted my body to look for the exit.

Part of the process moving beyond the need to wobble foot around to balance thing. It’s strange but there was a good article in dirt or pinkbike comparing the two along the lines that dabbing on flats is normal but in clips you just commit harder.

For float the 5-10/mallet combo isn’t best as you are probably contacting the pins with the rubber removing the float. Use the shims under the cleats to space them a bit and try backing the pins off on the pedals. I get an easy 10 degrees ish on that combo if I need it.

Currently running the stiffer Teva Pivots on Candies which gives lots of float but less platform. I’ve also been clipped for a good 10 years!

In the air why do you want to take a foot off? Is it what you would do on flats?

Took me a a little while too. Tho I had done some MTB touring stuff with clips before so not completely new. Had been a few years tho.

I have M162 with M530 pedals. So no extra platform when actually clipped in. Biggest thing to get used to for me, coming from a five ten flat pedal background, was the float. Felt a bit loose and sloppy in the corners. But it gives much more confidence on jumps and bumpy bits as you mention.

Mostly used to the float now and have slowly increased the spring tension to max.

As somone mentioned previously… I think a lot of it is a mind set sort of thing. You end up riding stuff with much more confidence as you dont want to have to stop and unclip and steep rocky bits.

Sounds like I just need to stick with it for now. I’ve wound the screws back a fair amount now, and done the usual of cutting out some of the sole to make some space around the cleat.

I was always a flappy footed rider on flats, so have been focussing in recent months to ride more feet up, I think this is just taking it another step, and having to commit to a section. I knew it may feel a little different, and initially I may not be as quick, but it just surprised me it was as noticeable as it has been.

What sort of size of shim would you look to put under the cleat? Maybe something around 1mm?

Feet off the pedals is probably the wrong explanation, the ability to move the around a lot, I’ve never felt the odd sensation of this side of things. It’s not the smaller stuff on trails when popping off sections to gap bits of trail, it’s more when properly jumping a decent sized gap, etc. again, maybe it will just come with practice.

Touch wood I haven’t had a comedy topple yet. Had a few nearly moments though forgetting I can’t just take my foot off 🙂

There are some plastic plates/shims that come with the pedals that I use to give a little extra clearance.

and yes practice is probably the best advice, go back a few steps and build up again