Does anyone else feel like pedals just don't feel "right"?

Whether it be flats or clipless does everyone else find the current methods for their feet interfacing with the bike just a little bit wrong?

I’m most probably most comfortable with flats, trouble is what feels best is a big concave platform, naff all pins, thin, flexy shoes, this however does not supply the necessary grip at times, meaning diverting attention from what you’re doing to working on keeping your feet planted. Big massive pins remove all freedom in foot placement and takes away the “float”, and means shoes get wragged to bits in a few rides.

Then you have clipless, you generally can’t get the cleats far enough back for my tastes, the shoe/cleat interface really raises your COG with the extra height, you’re very much aware your foot is only really supported by the cleat interface, just feels wrong. The only positive i found was your foot is always in the same position and the shoes last a lot longer.

There must be something better, right?

No.

if I had a big concave, pin-free platform to rest on I wouldn’t feel the need for thin-soled flexy shoes

I like grippy soles and pins – I just have to live with the possibility of my feet being a bit off-centre

I suppose “better” might involve a something like switchable system to retract the pins when you want to but life’s complicated enough already

Thin flats with decent length pins for me please

Have you tried toe clips and straps?

you generally can’t get the cleats far enough back

Yep, that’s actually completely true. Lots of people drill out the soles to get the cleat position correct.

But no. Flat pedals are great, maybe you just have the wrong ones. Or you have too much time to think about these things, or you’re like the princess and the pea.

Where is this extra height you speak of ?

Unless your flat pedal shoes are plimsoles or some kind of forefoot running zero drop shoe then your spd shoe is no thicker than say a fiveten From cleatbed to insole.

shoes get wragged to bits in a few rides.

Blimey. What shoes are you wearing? My last pair of flat shoes lasted me 5 years, and it wasn’t the sole that went first.

I think that I get what you mean, when I get tired my legs fatigue fast and I can’t move them properly so often my foot goes on the pedal in the wrong place and I can’t shift it. It’s also why I don’t want to use SPDs as I’ve managed to flat dump before when I couldn’t get my foot off the pedal! I’ve not seen a better system though…

As you’re from a BMX background you’re probably really used to moving your feet around on the pedal. My left foot hardly moves so the wear rate is very low and pedal feels great but because I have a damaged right ankle which is also causing knee problems my right foot has to move more to reduce reduce the knee pain, which wears the sole and feels odd. I think I get on better with less sticky shoes like Tevas or Shimano, than with 5.10s.

One of the things I think of the least, in fact I’ve agonised over grips for longer. CB Mallets/Candies and great shoes for the win

CB Mallet DH pedals and a skate style DH shoe, like Giro Chambers, is the one. Like being clipped into a flat pedal; easy in and out, with a little bit of float and it’s no problem if you don’t hit the clip first time when you dab. I’ve been unclipped for about four corners or so in race runs loads of times with no problems.

There’s a great new pedal unveiled last week here for you op

Funn have a new flat pedal wit built in sprung float

Where is this extra height you speak of ?

Unless your flat pedal shoes are plimsoles or some kind of forefoot running zero drop shoe then your spd shoe is no thicker than say a fiveten From cleatbed to insole.

When I went back to flats from SPD’s I had to drop the saddle a little on all my bikes, so in my experience the OP is correct.