Went back to flats on MTB after 25ish years because of an ankle injury which made unclipping from SPDs painful. Wish I'd done it years ago.
The surprise was when I stuck them on the cross bike to do a route I thought would have a bit of hike-a-bike in it and got up something I'd never got up using SPDs. Something about confidence to cope with tenuous balance I'm sure rather than the pedals themselves but it worked so I'm going to stick with it.
yep, dont force heals down.
Or, indeed, your heels.
I went for my first mtb ride in about three years clipped in last night (nukeproof horizon cs, not cheap by my standards. This could become a stealth ad), and have a slightly sore elbow to prove it.
In the words of Amy Winehouse I'll go back to flats.
Thought I’d try flats last year after 10+ years riding clipped in. It took a few months to unlearn all the bad spd habits but feel much more confident now. Really depends on the shoe and pedal combination to work properly, I’m using specialized 2fo and burgtec composites that are great but I mistakenly tried a pair of normal walking boots for a muddy winter ride but had hardly any grip on the pedals. Now have a pair of addidas goretex boots for winter. Was really surprised at the lack of waterproof flat shoes compared to spd.
I switch to clipless on dry tracks or over the summer. It is sublime when grip can be trusted and you do not have to worry about foot placement and just commit. The minute local gets slippy in fall/winter I am terrible on them and back to flats! No idea how racers in the UK do it in the slop. Just mad skills really. See Liam Moy or Joe Barnes up here. I scratch my head.
Some steep areas where I live and it is more about safety in the mountains I may go to flats. For me it is terrain and weather dependant I guess. Maybe I just suck.
Jedi is right - I should have clarified! Don't force your heels down, but if you weight through your feet and keep your ankles relaxed then your heels naturally drop rather than the heel-up/toe-down position that seems to be more prevalent when clipped in.
Also, set your extended saddle height to be a bit lower so you're not hyper-extending and/or lifting your heels as you go through the bottom of the pedal stroke. Helps massively I find.
yep, dont force heals down.
thanks
i’ll be watching to see what i do when i next ride
Foot position is everything on flats. Axel behind ball of foot so your foot can go into flexion as you and the bike move about. As you jump your feet point down, as this happens if your feet are in the wrong place you kick the pedal away from your foot
Really, is that correct? (I've absolutely no reason to believe it's not)
But why would your foot position be different riding flats over SPDs ?
I've been riding flats for ever with the ball of my foot squarely ON the axle after having it drilled in to me for 15+ years of my yoof on horses that the ball of your foot is on the stirrup.
Been happily doing drops, jumps, climbs, descents on flats forever with this approach (ride spds on xc bike).
Has always felt wrong when I've had to ride out a section with the axle behind the ball of my foot. I'll give this a shot next time out and see how it goes.
You never know, maybe time for a new trick for the old dog 🙂
Just a fitting note. Size matters! If you have big feet, big platforms are in order.
I've seen big-footed people with unfortunately undersized, inappropriate pedal purchases, because aggressive, small-footed riders demanded they purchase them.
Actually I think the "relax your ankles, don't force them down" is a pretty good advice. Combine that with "heavy feet, light hands" and you're set.
The problem with the "force the ankles down" thing is that then you see plenty of people doing that but with their weight too far forward. By keeping your weight on your feet the ankles will naturally drop down.
The only time I forcibly drop my ankles in when braking
Actually I think the “relax your ankles, don’t force them down” is a pretty good advice. Combine that with “heavy feet, light hands” and you’re set.
How does "light hands" fit with modern (long) geometry? I used to try to ride so my arms didn't carry much weight, but I think that puts my weight too far back now. Just pedalling along the flat, my arms take some weight even if I sit up as tall as I can, which is not how my mountain bikes used to feel. Obviously on a lumpy trail the upper body is working whatever and so it is not so simple to work out what the average weight is, but I definitely feel that heavier hands are required these days.
Been riding bikes with reach numbers between 475 and 500mm for the last few years and I feel like the "heavy feet light hands" thing works perfectly well on longer bikes. You just need to assume a more aggressive position, say lower shoulders but strong hips slightly behind the BB. Picture Greg Minnaar, he is the perfect example of that body position.
On shorter bikes one can stay planted on flat pedals with a more relaxed position with straighter arms and more upright torso, but its mostly a matter of habit
