In preparation I did loads of reading up on how to unclip and how to set the pedals up to let you unclip easily and quickly.
Unfortunately I completely forgot to find out how to clip IN 😳
45 minutes of constant swearing until I got the hang of it.
same here how the **** are them dh riders clipped in?
since when DH riders have clipped pedals?????
mallets ect...
I'm sure Steve Peat uses/used SPDs.
You're not a real spud user until you cycle to the front of a queue of cars at the traffic lights, try to trackstand, fail badly but then can't get your foot out. This will usually happen when a school trip is waiting to cross the road...
@ Lactic - classic! very encouraging 😉
lol or land on a police car
I've got new SPDs and Spesh shoes sitting in my garage!, been there for 2 years waiting to be used...might get round to trying them one day. lol
Had my first ride with Crank Bros Mallets on Thursday - a piece of p*ss
Peaty uses SPDs... as do the Athertons and Minaar
Sam 'winged assassin' Hill consistently proves that you can stay on flats and still tear the field apart. Do wonder if he'd have been faster down the really pedally courses (like Pietermaritzburg and Canberra) clipped in though...
Everyone has a few falls. It's normal. My favourite was behind one bus and alongside another for maximum comedy value.
Most of the pro DH riders were clipped-in until recently when the flat pedal brigade came charging through. Five Ten shoes and particularly Stealth Rubber soles were a big part of the change, for sure.
Depends on riding style, and the course to some extent. Foot-out and loose riders or head-down pedal-mashers.
Peaty rides clipped-in, Sam Hill on flats. For most people, the top two DH riders in the world. That's got to prove one thing... It's all down to riding style.
You're not a real spud user until you cycle to the front of a queue of cars at the traffic lights, try to trackstand, fail badly but then can't get your foot out. This will usually happen when a school trip is waiting to cross the road...
On about my 3rd ride with spd's i stopped onto the pavement to answer my mobile, forgot i was clipped in, toppled slowly with bike, and took out someones garden wall. Did the 'beetle on back' routine before i somehow unclipped, then sped off. I still feel guilty.
"Peaty rides clipped-in"
Except when he's doing the "Peaty Drift" when he hangs his foot out.
Just switched back to SPDs after 3 months on flats. I was grateful for the extra power pedalling on Exmoor yesterday.
I ride DH with platform spd's tried to go back to flats last year, was OK in the wet, but hated them in dry fast conditions. For me I prefer having my feet in exactly the same place on my pedals at all times, on flats I am constantly readjusting my feet to try to get the perfect spot. I've used spd's for over 15 years so clipping in/out is just second nature.
It's always easier to go back to spds than it is to flats when you get the of them
I'm not sure but isn't Sam Hill pretty much the only person to win more than one world cup DH event on flats? The only other notable (single) wins on flats that I can think of is Chris Kovarik at Fort Bill back in 2002 and Sam Blenkinsop at Schladming last year.
Other than that the only people to win a world cup in recent memory are as follows:
Peaty - clipped
Minnar - clipped
Atherton - clipped
Matti Lehikoinen - clipped
Not sure if Fabian Barel has won a World Cup or not but he's won the World Champs twice and he's also on clips.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a 100% committed flat pedal convert myself.
My favourite comedy SPD moment is from biking in Italy very shortly after first putting them on.
Carefully unclip right foot, nearest the pavement...
... and then automatically lean to the left.
Can't ride unclipped it doesn't feel right. Went for a spin on a mates bike with flats a while ago. I dropped off the kerb and my feet lost the pedals totally resulting in some bruised plums... 😳
Neilsonwheels - The problem you experienced riding off the kerb is a classic example of being too reliant on being mechanically attached to the bike. A lot of people have this problem and it gets extended to using the coupling to jump and bunnyhop the bike.
It's one of the harder lessons to learn in MTBing liturgy but if you can learn to ride on flats then your riding will take a massive leap forward.