I am sure this has come up many times in the past, but its something that keeps coming up for me.
I am not so hot at MTBing, but I have been at it long enough to hold my own...so wondering if SPDs are the way forward or not?
They scare me a little! Any advice? (I also have a X Bike that I use for commutting.)
Always SPD - I feel naked without.
My general rules of thumb:
Learning new things - flats
Mucking about on jumps and general hooning around - flats
Going fast - SPDs
Always SPD
Me too.
I feel naked
Mmmm, nice thought 
depends on your focus of riding imho
If you are a DH focused rider then flats are fine,
Flats are also great for improving your riding skills and making sure your not lazy
However.... There is a 'massive' (IMHO) difference in the effeciency of climbing and flat work meaning if you are doing distance get some SPD's on. You will find you can get up climbs you previously couldnt and you can use them to feel a bit more 'connected' to the bike in a good way eg not bouncing off over rough stuff and using them to cheat at bunny hops
ps falling off is never a problem, you might get SPDed a couple of times in the first couple of weeks but the whole falling off and getting stuck on the bike never happens
if they scare you don't bother.
they will make you a bit more efficient at climbing and covering long distances, however spds are good at teaching bad technique.
get good on flats first imo.
What I might do is get SPDs for my X bike in the mean time...
i only use spd's so my feet dont keep flying off the pedals on the downhills 
if they scare you don't bother.
I actually went from flats to SPDs years ago then went back to flats when I got back into biking around 10 years ago. About two years of riding flats on a hardtail then a FS bike and I decided to give SPDs another go. I quickly found them to give me more confidence and I was passing people I normally struggled to keep pace with (everyone else in the team rode flats). Now almost every member of the team I ride with use SPDs. And the guy I passed that first time swapped to SPDs almost immediately after that day I passed him 
Safer riding physically attached to the bike.... you serious??
Safer riding physically attached to the bike.... you serious??
At least that is my experience and I have ridden Morzine (including doing the jumps at the park in Les Gets) and Spain doing some VERY technical switchback descents (with Switchbacks) and I was MUCH happier using my SPDs. (I even took my flats to Morzine just in case but I wasn't as comfortable with them).
Me (with SPDs) at Les Gets
Me (on flats) in Bubion - please note the lack of control I have over the bike
Bubion again, clipped back in...
"Safer riding physically attached to the bike.... you serious??" yes i feel more secure and have more control. off road you get a great sense of security and feel a lot more stable on road for commuting you have the same benefits plus the bonus off more power and speed to shift out of the way.
Just remember, if you've unclipped the left one and the bike starts falling to the right - trying to shake the bike off won't work, and you don't look very cool either
in fact, you look marginally less cool than mastilles_f in flats
Safer riding physically attached to the bike.... you serious??
Yes. Try riding without wrapping your fingers around the handlebars and see if it's any safer not being physically attached.
I am lusting after a biking holiday after looking at those old pictures though 
wheras this is me, in les gets, without SPDs
I wouldn't ride anything technical with them, but that's my choice. Might lose a bit of speed when pedalling, but I don't really mind, and I suspect its one of those things where it feels like you're losing more than you really are
There was no way I was going off the shed - this is what it looked like from the top...
Show off 
that's cos you're wearing spuds
No it's not - it's because I am a pussy. I took one look and thought '**** that for a game of soldiers'. It took me long enough to go off the bottom one (I am 100% a land animal normally).
Yes. Try riding without wrapping your fingers around the handlebars and see if it's any safer not being physically attached.
A better analogy would be having your hands zip-tied to the bars, and you had to exert force to break the ties if you were to bail.
Same as unclipping prior to bailing...
Broke my femur when I was a teen and my leg is a bit crooked, have no choice cant wear SPD's.
Depends on your riding SC - maybe go for SPD on your X bike.
Like MF, I feel naked without them, but I have been using them since my teenage road days.
Others will swear by flats.
Only you can figure it out - just go try.
Nice pics guys!!!
Ok well, I think it is settled. Buying SPDs for my xbike to help with the long distances etc, and will continue MTBing with flats for the time being.
What could possibly go wrong with spuds?
Clunk Click every trip
I'm pondering the same question at the mo... had spd's ages ago, tried them a few times, fell over lots, never really got used to them, put them in a box and 10 years later sold them on here. Now getting spd-curious again, won some DX pedals on ebay for a teenie bargain and looking at shoes.
Any tips for beginners? Multi release cleats? Slackest setting on the pedal? How to set up cleats for the 1st time?
Sorry if this is a bit of a thread-jack!
Whereas this is me, in Chatel, with spds:
For anything rough, or big drops Id choose spds everytime. For slippy slidy pissing about in the woods, flats.
I have only just moved to spd's, having always ridden flats i was a bit aprehensive to begin with but even after a day I was much happier goin over skinies and techy sections, i still found myself unclipping at certain points but it should come with confidence. I do think I will be happier with flats when it comes to doin much more techy routes, like the black up in Laggan but I might give it a go with spd's. SO far so good though
After 25 years of this MTB lark, moving to SPDs in the early nineties was one of the best things I have ever done. I never seemed to have my foot in the right position on flats and even when going on holday with kids and wife with hack bike I always pack SPD shoes i feel that uncomfortable without. I must admit I feel a bit nervous on nasty downhills clipped in but I feel the advantages outway the drawbacks.
There is a 'massive' (IMHO) difference in the effeciency of climbing and flat work
really? because if so i'm massively fitter than all my friends.
i've never believed there is a big efficiency difference. From what i can understand there is a slight efficiency advantage if you relearn your pedalling technique such that you pushing the pedal at a perpendicular angle around the whole stroke, but no advantage otherwise.
If you want to use them because your feet are coming of the pedals, you'd be better off learning to use the existing pedals properly.
With spd's your pulling up on the back pedal stroke whilst your climbing which surely makes them more efficient than flats.
To be honest, I've ridden a mixture of both for around 20 years but I'm back on spd's again now and don't think I'll go back again to flats. For general all round use I find them far better for me. I agree they can teach you bad habits though.
With spd's your pulling up on the back pedal stroke whilst your climbing which surely makes them more efficient than flats.
No pulling up is a completely inefficient way of pedalling.
Thought the idea of spds was for you to pedal proper circles rather than just mash down/up?
I've never actually used spds, getting my first proper road bike today though so I think it's time. I'm not looking forward to the prospect but it must be done and will probably be fine after the first fall when I forget I'm attached!
Considered trying spds on my mtb as I kept loosing my pedals over roots but I think positioning my feet slightly different (more centrally + heels down) has sorted that out
Safer riding physically attached to the bike.... you serious??Absolutely - you have masses more control over the bike
Only if your a shit flat pedal rider, otherwise flats are fine.
If its XC miles your getting in then SPD's are probably a good idea.
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