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You folks out there who ride flatties....how do you manage to 'stick' to the pedals, when youre jumping or doing manuals/bunny hops etc? I only ask as ive buggered one of my knees so im putting flats on for tomorrows Whinlatter Enduro to give me the maximum flexibility for foot positioning. Ive used clipless for the last 15 years and don't see how its possible to avoid constantly coming off flats in the above situations - obviously it is very possible as lots of people manage it quite easily. So whats the trick to it?
Grippy shoes, grippy pedals, foot placement and positioning, body position, vision
Plus practice
(maybe)
Gravity! Focus on keeping your feet heavy, hands light, saddle dropped. On rough stuff drop your hips and your heels so your feet are pushing forwards and down into the pedals. When jumping stand up into the front side so you push extra weight through your feet, then let the bike come up to you and then push it back down to the landing.
Heavy feet, light hands. NB: High saddle makes heavy feet impossible!
It is very different to riding clipped in, ideally changing for an event isn't the best course of action. You'll need to be aware of the need for a change in technique when making the moves you mention but there's no quick fix really.
The 'sticking' is a combo of the pedal pins (usually) shoes with the right sort of sole and correct technique for manuals/hops etc. (bodyweight movement rather than dragginf the bike by the pedals).
I've ridden bikes for years, nearly 10 years BMX (DJ/Ramp Parkss/Street) 7 years MTB (Trail/4X/DH). Only ever ridden flats, very rarely lose my pedals. I could even imagin the pain I would end up inflicting on myself if I tried clips...I oftern need to exit a short notice! I. Short, you'll be fine.
It is not possible to overcome physics and gravity. You will not always remain in contact with them.
Of course, flatties will give you loads of technique, but it wont change physics. Whether or not you can re-learn techniques after 15 years of clipped in is another matter, and probably unlikely.
heels down
Front foot heel down, rear foot toe down (or perhaps more realistically don't drop the heel as much as the front foot) press against them to create the grip. Actually not anywhere near as hard as it sounds, but I wouldn't go into a race without getting used to them first.
Or, everytime you leave the ground, take your feet of the pedals, extend your legs out behind the bike and do a superman, before returning your feet smoothly to the pedals to land, it's the technique I use.... honest.
On rough stuff drop your hips and your heels so your feet are pushing forwards and down into the pedals.
bend your knees and ankles. i get lazy clipped in, and notice this when i get back on flats, but its all about keeping teh joints flexible and dropping heels.
jumping is about compression before the drop/jump - not this:
When jumping stand up into the front side so you push extra weight through your feet, then let the bike come up to you and then push it back down to the landing.
What happens when you let the bike hit you up the a*se on jumps because you weren't following light hands/heavy feet
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/362215/
ouch!
Does having the seat dropped (I assume as low as possible?) affect pedalling efficiency? Or have dropper posts got round that?
You only buggered one knee, right. So, just use one clip and one flat.
Keeps everyone happy and your halfway doing it right.
I am not convinced flats are a solution to dodgy knees anyway, when your foot is placed there is no float. Whenever I return to flats and I haven't used them for a while, I find I keep needing to lift my foot off and replace it until I find a comfortable position.
As a word of encouragement - I switched to flats recently after 15 years of riding clips.
Does take a bit of learning and concentration before it becomes muscle memory. The following tips helped me:
- lower your saddle, even for XC as you need to drop your heels for rough climbs
- pump the trail with your heels dropped when it gets rough
- don't worry too much about dropping the rear heel (unless you're really hanging off the back on a drop or rough stuff).. most of the time when you're standing up your feet should form a V
- practise scooping up the rear of the bike before you progress to bunny hops
- it's possibly best to avoid jumping / bunny hopping during your event... i found it was when i wasn't concentrating that I hopped without scooping. Such. Pain.
Hope that helps!
Grippy shoes are a waste of time.
How do you think skate boarders cope?
It's all in your head, ignore anyone telling you that you need expensive five tens - just ride.
spd's + offroad = bad habits
jumping is about compression before the drop/jump - not this:"When jumping stand up into the front side so you push extra weight through your feet, then let the bike come up to you and then push it back down to the landing."
We've said the same thing! You compress before the drop/jump by raising your centre of mass causing a reaction which pushes the bike into the ground. How did you misinterpret that?
"Scooping" for bunny hops is wrong - it looks/feels a bit like that but it isn't.
Nobody's mentioned foot position yet - they should be further forward than on SPD's so the pedal axle is toward the arch rather than the ball. I'd agree with sentiments above about not needing massive pins and super sticky rubber for 99% of riding. As for bunny hops watch danny macs latest vid and see if you can see much scooping of the back wheel going on.
Think the vid had body position more at fault than anything else...can you imagine being clipped in that situation?!
Just remember, it's the bike which does the jump not the rider, you're just along for the ride.
In other words, don't try and pull up with your feet.
Grippy shoes are a waste of time.How do you think skate boarders cope?
It's all in your head, ignore anyone telling you that you need expensive five tens - just ride.
spd's + offroad = bad habits
@enfht
Skate boarders cope by riding smooth stuff. Having your foot slip on high speed technical sections is not fun. Grippy shoes imho help (but are in no way required).
+1 for your feet more forward, axel of pedal on your arches,best bit of flat pedal advice i've been given. Enjoy
Did you never ride a bike as a kid/teen? It's the same as then, but the pedals are now a bit grippier and you're fatter.