Iv never liked SPDs, however i have had to give them a go. Bike funds are a bit tight at the moment, iv just had to throw my 5 10`s away and my flat pedals are knackered so im using whatever spares i can that are half decent.
A couple years ago i bought some 5 10 Ravens and some crank bros pedals to give SPDs a go, seeing as by flat pedal setup on my XC bike was now caput i thought id give them another go,, its hasnt been too bad until the other day i decided to take my Parkwood down a kind of downhill locally and hated it, the ground was that bad i couldnt afford to stay clipped in and i came home and said thats the end of that........
However, iv still got these Ravens which have barely had any use and im thinking iv got to stick this through for another few weeks but i think the pedals/cleats i have got are a bit poop (old) so wondering whats a good cheap pedal i can pickup (payday looming) which allows me to click out quite quickly but gives me a good base sort of like a Crankbros mallet??
i want to give this one more try because this seems like the perfect time>
& here's me who's been on SPD's since 199? & is thinking about going back to flats!
Me too. Have used spds for as long as I can remember. Hired a bike at a trail centre (couldn't be arsed with hauling mine there and back) with flats and bloody loved it.
Like anything it's what you're used to. I can dab and get back on cleats just as quick as flats normally and I'm a lot more confident on them - I occasionally have a go with flats as I bought 5:10's and saints a while ago but I just can't gel with them quickly enough to make limited riding time worth it.
The only time I really want flats is when it's wet and technical and that's not because I can't get a foot out fast enough it's because I don't have confidence to get my foot back in fast enough and I kinda lose all confidence and go a bit to pot.
Shimano dx have got to be a good shout for a good flat pedal style spd but you'd need shimano cleats too.
Which mallets do you have? The current mallet body is the same style as the old one as it was so good.
In terms of getting in and out I've not found anything from Shimano that is as good as CB for that. For support the mallet DH wins for me (and the vast majority of DH/Enduro racers I see) It's a great and simple system which to be honest Shimano are nowhere near.
the ground was that bad i couldnt afford to stay clipped in and i came home and said thats the end of that........
What was wrong and why did you want to get a foot out? One of the ways being clipped works is that you didn't really need to dab in the first place. That bit is in your head.
I think the pedals i have at the mo are crankbrothers candy, but there very old
I've been riding clipless pedals exclusively now since I bought my Raleigh Quantum, I think it was '92. Before that it was all BMX, so flats.
Raced DH & XC on them, with & without platforms, but always clipped in, rather than 'ready to dab' & couldn't see myself ever changing.
I've had a pair of 5:10s for a couple of years that I just used as trainers, but decided a few weeks ago to buy some Superstar Nanos when they were dirt cheap.
The first time i used them was last week for a 4 day trip to Lake Garda & it felt awesome!
I thought I was taking a bit of a chance riding trails I'd never ridden & in some pretty bad weather too to start with, but after 40 mins or so of thinking,'I'm putting the spuds back on tomorrow', I just stopped thinking about it & had an absolute blast.
I'm definitely converting back to Flats for the MTB & I'm now looking at some OWN FR-01's, as the 5:10's were wet for the entire 4 days, after riding in the snow on the first morning.
If you don't take to the clipless pedals within a few more rides, just take the cleats out of the Ravens, buy some Nanos while they're 30% off & go back to flats.