Forum menu
What do you use?
Love clipless on my xc machine but building an enduro beast and can see the advantages of both options......
Clip in to win (and have fun).
For me, I'm not in a hurry to the top, and not racing, so flats every time.
As the mood takes me I switch between the two.
Both.
Sunday it was spd's, mainly due to the weather so wanted to wear my winter boots whereas the previous week it was flats for off-piste fun.
Race in clips, playing on flats.
80% on clips, like to swap to flats for steep/sketchy stuff.
Clips if it dries out and I can be bothered to change.
Clipless...because I've never used anything else for the past 20+ years
I don't get on with clipless pedals off road so flats every time.
Clips
Flats
Clips most of the time and for racing but throw flats on now and again for foot-out, sideways fun. Also good to make sure you're riding properly and not relying on the clips.
All on flats and Five Tens in our house.
SPuDs since 1991.
Flats for me. Foot out flat out
Flats for everything, including on the road bike. I thought I [i]needed[/i] clips when I got a road bike, turns out the bike works fine without them.
Nothing against clips, I used them 20 years ago, but I cannot be arsed with another thing to buy and then have to swap over.
Also I like to be a rebel like Sam Hill (Possibly the only thing I have in common with him)
[img] 
[/img]
Flats.
I had spds on the HT for years and they were good but lo the wonders of full suspension opened my eyes and I was converted
Clips. I don't have as much control with flats. And more power is good.
No clips for me.
Tried it, but just can't make it work for me.
Use what's comfortable, if you're good enough, you'll win on flats or clips. They don't make a difference in one being better than the other, apart from personal preference.
Clip in to win
Exactly (XC/DH/4X/BMX/Enduro). And as I'm never going to, I always ride flats! 😛
As per Tracey.
Flats here.
Clips but I shouldn't in snow because they just get clogged and frozen up and you can't clip in :/
Used flats all my life. Tried clips and couldn't see what benefit they offered, I could do everything on flats that I could on clips. In the bin* they went.
*pinkbike classified
SPD's for everything here. Feel more in control rather than really being all that fussed over every 0.1% of pedalling efficiency tho. And I have toasty winter boots 🙂
Last summer in whistler I saw a guy ride a Spesh Enduro down 'Crank it up' on toe clips and straps... 😯
Flats for me, but may give clips a whirl.
Same as CaptainFlashheart I switch between the two when I fancy. Always clips for racing but I chuck the flats on (and tend to keep em on for a good few rides) when I feel like I've been clipped in for too long just to change things up a bit, have some fun getting loose and prevent the odd bad habit creeping in.
Flats - switched from SPDs 2 years ago - I'm faster on them by a decent margin. Probably a confidence/commitment thing but all that matters is being faster!
Flat pedals for heterosexuals. Or something.
Seriously, use the one you like. If either is better, it's SPDs but it's not a big enough difference to outweigh personal preference, unless you're at the pointy end of racing.
Still, there are times when flats can be a whole lot better and these times do come up more regularily if you're a) doing a typical UK slop-filled enduro and b) not brilliant at it. There's been races/stages like sooks pipe at kinlochleven or not for poofs at inners where I was seriously glad to be on flats
Oh and of course try both, properly, don't just do that nonsense thing people do where you spend 5 years on one pedal, do a single ride on the other and say "I don't like it".
Flats.
Clips if your committed
Flats if your scared.
Or
Flats if your cool
Clips if you dont care (which means your cool)
Flats because they don't shit up your knees.
Flats if you dont know how to set up clips properly
spds
knees are fine
Clips on everything. Occasionally think I should be on flats for more DH stuff but then try it and hate it.
Enduro is all about crashing in spuds....
[img] 
[/img]
Flats, because cycling is a normal part of everyday life. 🙂
Clipped in for the win on everything except taking a BMX to a skatepark. Used to do a bit of DH about 7 or 8 years ago, tried flats but got fed up after 2 runs.
I used to run clips all the time but got bored and lazy so went back to flats
Clipped as always, it's just better
Sam Hill will be doing some EWS rounds this year - on flats. Interested to see how he gets on!
Clips with bright yellow shoes for that EnduroTM look.
Tried flats for the first time in 12-14 years last weekend while visiting a friend in Singapore (didnt have the heart to ask him to change pedals on his loaner) and was very impressed though, incredible stickiness on those 510's.
Flats cos I've got manky feet and it means clips are hard to unclip in a hurry if I have them aligned to avoid the chainstays.
But clips for road and cx natch.
Flats.
Because sometimes I get off the bike and don't want to walk like a spastic duck.
I've tried SPD and SPD-SL.... bit pointless IMO.
Flats. got fed up years ago of being unable to unclip quickly when necessary plus the twisting action of unclipping is bad for my knees.