Flat pedals and hardtails

Riding a ragley big wig 29er which is a kind of a hardcore hardtail 29er but was thinking to switch to flat pedals when I go to BPW or other more extreme places . I’m not a downhill god but the thought of being able to take your feet out quicker sounds ace . Would your feet get blown off to easily ?

Cheers

I switched to flats and have started crashing noticeably less, have had no issues with being bumped off the bike.

What bike are you riding ?

Cotic Soul and Liteville 301. Don’t take the Soul on the gnarley stuff but I think you’d be fine at a bike park (I’ve never been to BPW)

Cheers 🙂

I ride a Cotic Soul w flats and don’t have problems with feet getting shaken off – but you do need to push down with your heels more to prevent this – just takes a few sessions to get used to it.
I do find I have to be more thoughtful about using my legs and feet when riding with flats – which overall is a more conscious way to ride.

And as above – I come off less – not sure why – just thinking a lot more about how I ride I suppose + knowing I can get off the bike easily probably means I’m more relaxed in the first place

I can’t say i find a lot of difference in the “grip” of ones foot to the pedal when swapping between flats and clips, assuming you use decent pedals and shoes. I’m pretty sure that the only times i’ve ever been “spat off the pedals” on flats the same would have happened if i were using clips.

Flats, for me, are about confidence, and being able to get a foot out and crucially IN rapidly.

I rode with flats for a little while this summer and didn’t find them quicker for getting your feet off, it’s getting them back on that is easier. Depends on how good you are at unclipping of course. I did find them more tiring on my feet but I think that was a combination of fairly long pins on the pedals and very well worn skate shoes with now quite thin soles. On the other hand the grip on the pedals was fantastic to the point where I actually missed the degree of float my SPDs have.

I ride flats on my cotic bfe, descending they don’t get rattled off although they do on flat/climbing!

On the other hand the grip on the pedals was fantastic to the point where I actually missed the degree of float my SPDs have.

I “get” where this is coming from too. Once my foot is on the pedal it’s very hard to shift it so if it goes on a bit off angle then it’s staying there.

I rode clipped in at BPW – it was great. There’s no need to clip in/out regularly there, and I like the foot stability.

Thanks guys for your thoughts 🙂 I have hope pedals on five ten shoes but my shoe on the ball of my feet don’t have the same grip so I can move them slightly . This should help abit

it’s getting them back on that is easier

This for me.

I don’t have problems with losing my footing and neither to thousands of BMX riders. It can take time to get the technique right if you have been a long time spd user.

FWIW I switch around depending on the ride. HArd stuff I prefer flats but stick spds on for racing.

I rode flats on my rigid much of last winter. I gave up in the end despite liking the downhill / single track aspects of them as they killed my feet through the bottom of my shoes (airwalk skate shoes) on the climbs and flat bits of my more usual xc.riding. Do something like 510s cure this.

I’m back on flats again after a couple of weeks on spds, I’m not sure which I prefer tbh, with trainers that work I’ve had no problem getting bounced off the pedals, but I’ve got a pair of Nike skate shoes which are awful. What put me back on flats was as above, I clipped out leaning the bike over in a bumpy downhill turn and nearly binned it with no grip at all.

Wore my half decent trainers at Mabie on Monday last week and had no issues. Btw, by half decent I mean grip wise, they were a tenner from sports direct, fake Adidas superstars. Sole is torn to shreds though.

stevenmenmuir – Member

it’s getting them back on that is easier.

This guy, he knows. Also restarting after a dismount/stop.

The only real advice, imo, is give both a proper try- they both have genuine advantages and disadvantages but for most folks, neither are big enough to outweigh simple personal preference and that you can’t judge til you’ve got the skill and experience to ride both well. I reckon most riders will benefit skillswise from this too (but especially clippists, as clips can cover up a lot of issues, whereas flats are not shy about ****ing you up if you do it wrong)

Basically the skills that keep your feet on flats are also useful on SPDs. And the pedalling smoothness that SPDs make easy can be transferred back to flats.

One of the things I love about flats is just how much weight you can put on the outside pedal in corners – makes it a whole lot grippier, and also easier to manual through the rough stuff and rolling sections. Basically I ride a lot more with my legs and pedal a whole lot less which makes it easier to focus on the right line – much calmer all round.

On flat sections and uphill it’s harder work tho. If I was doing long XC rides I think I’d be on SPD but for general 2-3 hr hacks, flats are so much more involving IME

Having been to BPW, it’s not really about the slow, techy stuff where you might need to bail so stick with your clips.

If you decide that your gonna ride flats then have a few rides on them before you go to Wales. It’s very jumpy and without a bit of practice, you might find your feet leaving your pedals as you jump.

I used to ride clipped in but now love flats, I feel it helps my technique, which needs lots of help 🙂

rode bmx/flats for years however run SPD’s for last couple of years on hardtails due to feet getting kicked off. I ride v hard downhill and tech stuff on an Evil Sov with the rad & gnarr turned upto 11.
Would go back to flats only for being able to get back on the gas quicker than Spds after foot dragging/drifting corners.

Big pedals [Vaults] + 5tens for the win.

forgot to add – i use DX spds that have a big cage for unclipped pedallin’