Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)
  • Flat pedal newbie – advice please?
  • coolhandluke
    Free Member

    I usually use SPD’s but a moment of madness saw me buying some flats and some drastically reduced in price shoes.

    What will I miss most from SPD’s? if at all and will me calf muscles be ripped to shreds?

    Also, should I threadlock the pins?

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    you’ll love it!!

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    You made me do it MrNutt!!

    on that ride we did in September (ish) sick of clipping in and out for technical bits etc and clipping in just when I really didn’t want to

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    goog
    Free Member

    they will make you ride properly

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    Not bouncing out of your pedals when going up rocky uphills, that certanty you will have your feet on your pedals when you take off…

    These are the things I missed most on my first ride on flats in 4 years on sunday.

    I tried them again due to knee problems and they help though.

    Bes bits – being able to jump off when stalling on some step ups:)

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    Get some 5-10 shoes and you won;t notice your not clipped in

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    I apologise to your calves in advance!! 😀

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    oh if you can’t get 5.10’s go for DC’s they do some cracking super tacky soles (they have a circle thing on the sole) that grip like shit to a blanket!

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    MrNutt, fancy Les Gets in July?

    ton
    Full Member

    vic, that sounds good, interested…

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    love the sound of it, I’ll have to let you know as to budget & availability once we’ve got these wedding plans to pat 🙂

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    Ton, I’ll email you.

    Q
    Free Member

    What flats did you buy?

    Fancy a crack at them myself and don’t have clue what to buy.

    Any advice welcome.

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    get some wellgo mag-1’s

    I bought them from Highonbikes on ebay, nice pearly white ones, grippy smooth and light as a light thing after a very satisfying strong coffee evacuation!

    Q
    Free Member

    Cheers MtNutt, look like good value. Think I’ll go for the pimpy white ones.

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    I got Wellgo MG1’s on MrNutts advice. not arrived yet so my calves aren’t looking like raw steak yet!

    devs
    Free Member

    It’s my left shin that always gets the good news. I haven’t had a pedal shin get together for months now (touches wood) but it still looks a mess. My calves never get hit. What am I doing wrong?

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    your seat is too far forward?

    GNARGNAR
    Free Member

    Azonic x frames are very good. Reasonably light, very robust and pretty grippy even with pins missing.

    mboy
    Free Member

    Remember to still pedal in circles (not just stamp up and down as most flat pedal riders do!), it makes a massive difference to efficiency.

    I’m guessing you never learnt to jump/bunnyhop using flat pedals? Well if this is the case, get out and practise! I’m not saying you need to be able to clear a 2 foot high wall or anything, but if you’re used to just leaping over small trail obstacles using clipless pedals, you’re going to have to get used to actually getting your bike in the air without them. It’s a bit of a black art to be honest, one of those things that some people get in minutes, others take years. When I was a kid I used to practise it loads, and ended up being able to clear a 12″ high obstacle I used to mock up on the driveway. Not saying I could do that now (hell, the world record is about 4ft right? :?), probably more like about 4″ if I tried, but just being able to get the bike off the ground makes the biggest difference out on the trails.

    And get used to bloody shins, and being a lot more knackered on long rides than you’re used to (you really notice the extra efficiency of clipless pedals on long XC rides IMO, I find flat pedals fine for around 2 hours or so, beyond that and you’re really wishing you’d ridden clipless for the extra efficiency).

    Threadlocking the pins probably a wise idea, though no experience of the Wellgo MG1’s myself so don’t know how prone to losing pins they are. Know some pedals are very prone to it, and then you have pedals like my Easton Flatboys which I think it’s probably next to impossible to dislodge a pin from!

    GNARGNAR
    Free Member

    ZOMFG!!?? You can pedal in circles? Witchcraft surely. As for bunny hoping – it’s hardly the end of the world if you cant. There aren’t too many scenarios where a bunny hop is the only solution to getting around a problem. On balance learning how to bunny hop properly is a small compromise for the added amount of confidence you’ll have and the style and aggression you can add to your riding.

    Bloody shins – maybe once a year. Usually happens when your foot slips off the pedal as you put the power down, this is virtually impossible to do in 5 10s.

    Unless your a very aggressive rider I wouldnt worry about threadlock either. I’ve lost about 6 pins in two years on my dh bike.

    mboy
    Free Member

    GNARGNAR

    He was asking for advice, that was my advice! I don’t think I know anyone that would disagree with anything that I’ve said as it’s all pretty sound advice no?

    Yes, bunnyhopping is perhaps not the most important skill to have on a bike (maybe staying upright on 2 wheels is perhaps!) but it’s a pretty key skill that lots of clipless riders take for granted until they hop on a bike with flat pedals. I know cos I started riding clipless in about 1994, never rode a bike with flat pedals until about 1998, when I realised I could no longer just hop up pulling the bike with me. If you value the ability to jump over trail obstacles, you suddenly have to practice a new skill.

    Pedalling in circles isn’t as stupid as you make it sound. I see loads of people that just stomp on the pedals, as if their legs were hydraulic rams only capable of applying pressure in one direction. It’s not efficient, and it’s something you forget when riding clipless, as being fixed to the pedal you automatically pedal a smoother and more efficient “circle” than you would on flat pedals. Pedalling proper circles, and being able to spin (another key skill IMO, something I learnt from riding a road bike for a few months) rather than mashing too big a gear, are all key skills in riding a bike well and efficiently.

    Of course, you can have fun regardless, but coolhandluke asked for advice based upon the fact he was new to using flat pedals, and wanted to know what to expect. I assumed he’s got plenty of experience riding on clipless, took my knowledge of bad habits learnt riding clipless both by myself and others I know, and wrote some advice based upon that.

    Regarding the bloody shins, maybe I just try a lot harder, as it’s a lot more than once a year (more like every other ride) I’ll draw some blood when riding my bike with flatties. We’re not talking litres here, a nick or 2 more like, but still, maybe I’m too crap a rider for words? 😕

    Or maybe I only use flat pedals when I want the ability to take my foot off whenever/wherever, and use my feet to help when cornering tightly, and don’t always manage to get my foot back on the pedal entirely smoothly every time. If you’re keeping your feet on the pedals all the time then you might as well be running clipless instead! 😉

    GNARGNAR
    Free Member

    He was asking for advice, that was my advice!

    You make it all sound a bit grim,the need to learn to hop, the blood letting, the muscle fatigue, the inefficiency of it etc…there are pros and cons for both.

    I don’t think I know anyone that would disagree with anything that I’ve said as it’s all pretty sound advice no?

    Well I just did. But then again you dont know me. I like to promote flats at least as an option as I find most riders who I meet clipped, who go for a ride with me quickly end up blaming their pedals for their inability or lack of confidence.

    Yes, bunnyhopping is perhaps not the most important skill to have on a bike (maybe staying upright on 2 wheels is perhaps!) but it’s a pretty key skill that lots of clipless riders take for granted until they hop on a bike with flat pedals. I know cos I started riding clipless in about 1994, never rode a bike with flat pedals until about 1998, when I realised I could no longer just hop up pulling the bike with me. If you value the ability to jump over trail obstacles, you suddenly have to practice a new skill.

    Jumping over trail obstacles if you think about it, only happens at irregular intervals, or when trail nazi’s have been about. I find the times when I actually need to bunny hop few and far between. On technical sections there are numerous times when popping the front then the back over an obstacle can necessary. Descending you would rarely bunny hop in the traditional sense either – I’ve always found myself using trail features to help me get over trail obstacles.

    Pedalling in circles isn’t as stupid as you make it sound. I see loads of people that just stomp on the pedals, as if their legs were hydraulic rams only capable of applying pressure in one direction. It’s not efficient, and it’s something you forget when riding clipless, as being fixed to the pedal you automatically pedal a smoother and more efficient “circle” than you would on flat pedals. Pedalling proper circles, and being able to spin (another key skill IMO, something I learnt from riding a road bike for a few months) rather than mashing too big a gear, are all key skills in riding a bike well and efficiently.

    I understand and I am conscious of it at all times on flats – thinking about my pedalling helps me stay in tune with anything the trail might throw at me. I must admit though, I’ve never been able to tell whether anyone else was just stamping on the pedals or whether they were pedalling in circles.

    Regarding the bloody shins, maybe I just try a lot harder, as it’s a lot more than once a year (more like every other ride) I’ll draw some blood when riding my bike with flatties. We’re not talking litres here, a nick or 2 more like, but still, maybe I’m too crap a rider for words?

    Or maybe I only use flat pedals when I want the ability to take my foot off whenever/wherever, and use my feet to help when cornering tightly, and don’t always manage to get my foot back on the pedal entirely smoothly every time. If you’re keeping your feet on the pedals all the time then you might as well be running clipless instead!

    I doubt your trying harder, I normally do at least two days dh a week ( more in summer) along with midweek trail riding which I would categorise as being on the aggressive side. Maybe it’s the fact Im using 5 10s on very grippy pedals or the maybe the fact that Im at a stage where I dont so much slip my feet of the pedals as crash spectacularly. That being said I have a lot of scar tissue on my shins from my early years, coupled with muay thai, I pay little heed to pedal slap. Oh and troy lee knee pads actually cover the main target zone for pedal slap……I suppose I’ll give you that – there will be blood. But only initially and it’s all part of the fun.

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    picking scabby legs is both satisfying and rewarding!

    oh and when pedaling try to concentrate on the “wiping shxt from your shoe” lowest part of the pedal stroke, that should get you more power and efficiency. (its also quite a handy mental exercise to focus on during hellish climbs)

    jfeb
    Free Member

    Regarding losing pins on MG-1’s – I have lost a fair few pins on mine but only from when I have whacked the pedal on a rock or something. I don’t know how “normal” this is as they are my first pair of flats (since “back in the day”). Its quite annoying though a a couple of pins ripped the thread out of the pedal too so I have had to Araldite replacement pins back in!

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    mine haven’t shed any pins, one set (grey) I used for about 10mths and still have all the pins despite stamping them on some rocks and the new ones seem to be holding up pretty well 🙂

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