So, my new "beefier" bike (Intense Uzzi VP) will be ready for action soon, the idea being I'll use it mainly on DH & jumpy stuff to improve my rather limited skills. I've been on SPDs for 10+ years, and I'm wondering if this is a good time to try flatties on this bike. Any opinions? Will sticking with SPDs limit my learning? If I should go with flatties, what pedals/shoes would you recommend? Cheers!
five ten shoes on pretty much any decent quality flat pedal: not much different from SPuDs, you just don't have to clip out.
Just been through the same thinking process about 2 months ago. Moved from SPD's to 5-10 Freeriders and Shimano DX flats. Definitely improving my confidence to push my limits a bit further and to start trying some small jumps and drops
Thanks guys. Good to hear you're seeing the benefit, Cap, exactly what I'm hoping for. Five-Tens seem to be a no-brainer as everyone appears to recommend them.
I actually find jumps/drops harder on flats as I haven't yet perfected the art of gripping my pedals when getting airborne. At least with clipless pedals you know the bike isn't going to separate from you! However, I am persevering with flats on my play bike to try to improve my bike handling - it is a slow process (for me)
I have found Welgo MAG-1's reasonably grippy and light and have just today ordered a pair of Five Ten Freerider shoes
a descent bmx/skate shoe always for me.
i dont like overly stiff nor grippy shoes.you need to be able to move your feet about
had V12s and V8s on various bikes, including the DH one I own - remember it?
But, have gone to SPDs over here in Aus as I have to ride up the frikin hills too (too remote).
So, if you're looking to actually ride it rather than use gravity then you're best off using SPDs I reckon, and given you're looking to put a double ring on the front I'm assuming you are (looking at your other post about bash rings etc).
SPDs also gave me confidence on some of the jumps too. There's nothing worse than feet comming away from bike in the air (without planning!).
I actually swap between spuds and flats depending on my mood. I don't know if it helps my technique, but I really like the feeling of flats. It's actually fun to feel the bike movement through the shoes, rather than being solidly attached.
However, I do appreciate spuds on long grinds or on non-technical stuff.
My riding is much better in flats than it was in SPD's.
5-10's and Wellgo mag's.
I'm a flatty convert!
I used 5:10s for a year and found that it actually messed my technique up a little. I moved away from them because of the soles giving way easily - I had a large hole in the middle of the sole and it couldn't be repaired. I got some Nike 6.0s.
I found that I prefer being able to move my foot around on the pedal more, but I had got out of the habit of keeping my heels low and making the pedal bite into the sole when airborne or on the rough ground(I suppose I hadn't needed to with 5:10s).
I now wear shin pads a lot more and concentrate a bit more on how my feet are.
I definitely prefer flats for drops and the like. With spds, you have the axle of the pedal under the ball of your foot, whereas on flats your foot tends to be further forward: I have the middle of my foot over the axle - that makes it much easier to to cushion the landing without my heels rolling right down as I hit the ground.
It will take a while to get used to, though, and will make your climbing worse. I ride singlespeed so I can't make up for the loss of power by spinning a lower gear. Riding the same trails with flats/spds, there are hills I can't climb in flats but can with spds.
Check out the NS Aireal pedals. They look beautiful, are nice and thin and light weight. I prefer to use thin skate shoes rather than horrible massive 5 10s where you can't feel the pedal.
Cheers guys. Yeah Andy, going dual ring although wondering how much I'll actually need it...just going that way to cover the bases really. What I might do is start off clipped & get confident on the bike, then start playing around with flatties a bit & see how it goes.
I recently switched back to flats - on the first ride my mate commented on how fast I was going downhill. Even though you are not clipped in, it feels more secure to me as your feet are more planted rather than balanced on a small point.
Took a bit of getting used to on jumps/drops, but when you hit them sweetly it's much more satisfying then with SPDs. It's good for hard cornering where you might want to take a foot off as well.
I've always ridden flats (never even tried SPD's) and have never ridden with a pair of trainers that cost over 15 quid but one thing I'm a bit confused about is: If 5 10s are that grippy how the hell do you move your foot about if you end up with your foot on the wrong part/not the bit you want of the pedal?
You have to lift it off and stick it back down again.