been riding the caged shimano M545 spuds for years but after a few iced up cleats and no-speed drops into the mud recently considering trying flats

any tips on techniques / foot position etc or do i just stfu and pedal?

Drop your heels! (tbh a lot of the “flat techniques” are just correct riding techniques but they’re things you can get away with doing wrong on SPDs. So if you’re riding well and planted on SPDs then usually you’ll not have as much bother on flats as those folks who just rely completely on being bolted to the bike and so don’t move with the bike smoothly. IMO of course)

^^ what he said.

heels down, wrists down. get some good shoes; no need for 5:10s imo – some cheap o neal shoes from crc did me ok.

Heels and wrists down. I like Vans shoes but it seems to be getting harder to find them at a reasonable price with the waffle sole. Been using the cheapest Wellgo pedals for years.

Heels down a bit. Really stand and balance on the pedals with feet completely level. I’ve been riding with my back foot slightly down for years without noticing and this was recently spotted by stu at forest freeride. Correcting this is making big improvements in my movement. Try also placing the feet very slightly more forward on the pedal than with spds and adjust saddle height a fraction lower.

5-10’s, Wellgo mag 1’s, better technique.

Not looking back to SPD’s since my change to flats2 years ago.

shin guards…

Drop the saddle to where it feels stupidly low and ride with a bit of a crouch. This helps you not get bounced off the pedals through fast rooty stuff.

Are shin guards essential?

clicky

these seem a bit OTT for the chilterns

or am i missing the point?

Shin guards definately not essential. But, in the first few rides you’re far more likely to make mistakes that’ll lead to you getting spiked. Once you’re riding well on flats, you’ll rarely gouge yourself (I still do it but never on the bike! Just pushing it around and aiiiieeee!

probably worth spending 16 quid on a pair then!

thanks for the tips

🙂

5 10’s not hit my shins since owning these, V12’s are my favourite.

heels down and enjoy being able to dab, watching people clipped in crash is scary….

It’s a bit hairy at first apparently, I’ve always used them but can imagine it’s pretty strange if it’s not what you are used to. I’ve convinced a few folk to give it a try and they talk about the main difference being that extra bit of confidence in situations where you might worry about not being able to unclip in time, you can just ‘have a go’ safe in the knowledge that if it goes wrong you cn jump clear in an instant Other than pedalling the hardest bit to get used to seems to be hopping without something to pop off but like most stuff it’s just practice really.