What are peoples experiences? I have just built up a new Blue Pig, and am considering putting flats on it. I have only ever ridden with spd’s since I was about 14 (in now 36!). My local trails lend themselves to flats as many of them are downhill race course track, and the flat linking bits are not much easier.

Im just a bit dubious about being bounced off the flats etc.

Cheers

You’ll probably be bounced off the flats initially- just like people switching to SPDs tend to fall over at first. It’s possible you’ll have learned the skills needed to keep yourself planted on the pedals but most likely not I think.

Think of it as an opportunity… If, at the moment, you’re relying on your SPDs to keep you on the bike then that’s something that’s worth fixing regardless, the more you move with your bike the more in control you’ll be anyway. So, spending time on flats will help you develop that and then you’ll either like flats, or you won’t but you can transfer those skills back to SPDs.

Or that’s the idea anyway! I think in practice if I was to go back to SPDs I’d fall straight back into bad habits but that’s just because I’m lazy. But in the ideal world riding both should make most people into better riders

I changed over last year after only ever riding SPDs. Very weird at first until you get used to not trying to lift the bike up by just pulling on the cleats. You’ll get used to it pretty quickly. I’ve not ridden on SPDs again since changing to flats (apart from on the road bike). You’ll find riding flats much better when doing the downhill type stuff you mention.

I guess you may struggle if you’ve never learned the techniques associated with riding flat pedals.

I’ve recently gone the other way and put spd’s on my bike. I love them for xc stuff compared to the flats, its much easier to pedal on bumpy uphills. But for downhills Im useless as I’ve always ridden dh with flats in the past.

I’d say if you’re used to spd’s then stick with them, I cant see how you’d be much quicker/better with flat pedals. But if it was me riding your local tracks, I’d use flats as I cant ride downhill in spds at all.

Cheers all,
mmm, still not sure. Even though my local trails are a downhilly type affair (Bringewood near Ludlow), Im still preety useless at them. I was thinking that switching to flats will give me a bit more reassurance/confidence on the steep fast stuff. I dont think I will ever be a Danny Hart, so maybe keeping the spd’s may be the way forward, and save me 100 quid.

I was thinking that switching to flats will give me a bit more reassurance/confidence on the steep fast stuff.

The thing is though, why dont you have any confidence if you’ve been riding spds for all these years? My mate used to ride jumps and downhill on spds (and he was good at it) as it was all he knew, he couldnt ride in flats.

I lack confidence on downhills in spds, but hopefully in 22 years time, I’ll be used to them!

What it is, is that some mates i ride with, just ride that bit quicker than me, and do all the drifty outy type cornering. With spd’s on I get annoyed at not being able to corner as quickly as them. Its a bottle thing! Its just not as easy to go at high speed, you need to be able to dab and get the foot out at times. At least in my head 🙂

Ive sort of answered my own question really with some help from posts above. Ill probably just keep the SPD’s.

Strange, as clipping in and out was second nature to my mate. I would of thought 22 years in spd’s would have had the same effect on you.

I dont know, Gee Atherton and Greg Minaar ride in SPD’s and they seem to do ok.

If you’ve got the money though, give flats ago, just be prepared to be useless for a while.

Un/Clipping is second nature to me, but recently I have had a couple of back end slidouts that im sure a quick dab could have prevented. Maybe its just that Im getting quicker. All I seem to do at the mo is ride downhill biased trails, and my new riding partners are quicker than im used to.

Perhaps its just my lack of skill 🙂 Still is fun finding out.

I’ve gone from spd’s to flats and find them better the majority of the time.

The only times miss the spds are when riding along on the road/fire roads and if I get airborne off tabletops etc as I’m still learning how to stay in contact with the pedals having relied on the spd’s..

Flats do come into their own when you’re riding outwith your ability or comfort zone… Not just because of the practical differences, in fact maybe not even mostly because of that, but just for the confidence-inspiring feeling of being able to abandon ship faster. Of course in practice an experienced SPD rider can get off the bike pretty damn fast too but that doesn’t actually seem to matter, it’s more about psychology

FWIW from what I’ve seen, for most competent-but-not-amazing riders the foot-out cornering etc looks dramatic but isn’t actually very fast… I’ve spent the last year bullying a riding mate into keeping his feet up and just cornering better, and it’s finally paid off with miles more corner speed…

Honestly I think it’s much of a muchness. But learning both is a good idea anyway.

I’ve been riding flats for a year after riding spds for years. It is hard at first but you do quickly adjust. There have been times when i’ve been able to dab and its kept me on my bike where with spds I would have been off.

If I where you, i’d give it a try for a year. If you don’t like them change them back. It will make you a better rider imo.

Thinking of doing this on one of my bikes too. Take it shin pads would be a good idea to start with?

I’ve moved from spds to flats recently, in part to learn manuals and bunnyhops properly.
May take some time to learn the new technique but I find I like them, except still worried about bike dropping away on jumps and drops.
plus points: easier to get weight on the outside for cornering.
More pedal to push against for manualling.
overall I feel more in control on flats now I’m beginning to get used to them

Geologist, I recently got some flats after a similar amount of time in spds. I did this because on slippery/rooty downhills, I felt my mates had an advantage getting their feet off the pedals for dabs, whereas I was either taking time getting feet out/in of spds or drifting 2 wheels, which may look cool, but could be very sketchy!
I was initially scared of bad habits from spds and leaping off the bike, but that wasnt so much of the problem. My problems with flats are actually on the techy ups, where I find my feet leaving the pedal as I must have been pulling up on the spds prior.

I’ve left the flats on my fs which is becoming more of a play bike and am keeping spds on my ht which is for XC and long distance stuff.

Just going back to spds after 5 years. I am finding them quicker including on tech stuff, also going to give the trails around Ludlow a go as a test. Cornering seams to be the harder part with spds but is it any slower?

sa9000, Dont know if you a hardened local or not but, – we ride every sunday evening, leaving ludlow at 7pm. More than welcome to join us.

Thanks for the offer OH work makes Sundays a bit tricky with the kids. I’ve been going on the Wednesday night rides with the Blazing bikes guys which are good. I am sure all are welcome.

you just put your foot in a different place on a flat pedal as opposed to a spd