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Flats – why so popular?
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avdave2Full Member
I spent 25 years off road with toe clips or SPD’s and only gave flats a try at the beginning of the winter on my rigid bike. I’m wishing I’d done it years ago and I’ll be buying some for my hardtail soon as well.
For me I just feel more comfortable knowing I can get a foot down more easily and without giving it conscious thought. I thought I would end up putting a foot down more often although in reality it’s the opposite. I also thought I’d be constantly worrying about my feet slipping off the pedals but so far using some very ordinary shoes and only the very cheapest pedals with only small “moulded” pins this hasn’t been a problem. And that’s riding off road every day to work and back through the whole winter.I also find moving my weight around and controlling the bike in that way easier.
If I were a more skilled or confident rider then the advantages of SPD’s might make me stick with them, but the simple fact is that I’m not and I’m enjoying riding more and that in the end is the only criteria that counts for me.
Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...SaxonRiderFull MemberI rode on nothing but SPDs for more than 20 years (road and off-road). I switched back to flats for my MTB because I couldn’t stand the fact that going out for a ride had become such a faff – divorced from other associated activities.
So, for example, when we were kids, we would use our BMXs to go off into the woods and explore – leaping off and climbing trees (or whatever) when we wanted. And that’s what I always liked about my bike: it allowed me to do whatever I wanted outside.
With SPDs, I had to consciously change my clothes and my shoes just to get out on the bike, only to then find that I couldn’t just get off and walk anywhere because I was wearing these things on my feet.
Back to basics for me, then.
crikeyFree MemberFunny how everyone who rides flats needs to keep putting their feet down…
…it’s a bicycle, not a scooter.
TandemJeremyFree MemberWith SPDs, I had to consciously change my clothes and my shoes just to get out on the bike, only to then find that I couldn’t just get off and walk anywhere because I was wearing these things on my feet.
Why did yo have to change your clothes as well? My spd shoes are OK for walking in
SaxonRiderFull MemberWhy did yo have to change your clothes as well? My spd shoes are OK for walking in
I had these weird ‘Lake’ shoes with two cleats at the front, and hence a upward curve to the toe. Not so bad with shorts in the summer, but they looked mighty goofy with cargo trousers or jeans.
cooganFree MemberFunny how everyone who rides flats needs to keep putting their feet down…
I ride flats and always put my foot down. Not sure how else to get off the bike once I’m finished riding really.
macbFree Memberfor those proclaiming that flats have no place on a road bike…seriously? or did you mean just your own road bike?
Next time I do a long or tough ride I’ll try to remember that my pedal choice is just wrong and that what I’m doing is technically an impossibility.
GWFree Memberflats are shit (for a number of reasons) with the saddle at full height (ie. proper leg extension) on a roadbike.
jam-boFull MemberI ran flats on my road bike for a bit while I waited for some spds to turn up.
Don’t try pedalling out of fast corners. Sparkingly sketchy…
uselesshippyFree MemberIf your happy with flats on your road bike, knock yourself out, great.
But there is a reason why every pro roadie rides clips.mrmoFree MemberDon’t try pedalling out of fast corners. Sparkingly sketchy…
That isn’t a flats thing, that is a pedaling thing, i have the grind marks on some time pedals when i clipped them peddling through a corner.
As for the OPs question, i guess the fact is that traditional XC isn’t as popular as it involves getting fit. The current trend for playing about on bikes, going to trail centres for a meal and a ride, fitness isn’t an issue, having a comfy pair of shoes for walking matters more.
worsFull MemberFlats are the future.
+1
I ride flats and always put my foot down. Not sure how else to get off the bike once I’m finished riding really.
Amen to that.
flats are shit (for a number of reasons) with the saddle at full height (ie. proper leg extension) on a roadbike.
. I don’t ride with my saddle full height on my mtb. I like flats.
GWFree MemberDon’t try pedalling out of fast corners. Sparkingly sketchy..
or learn how much clearance you have first 😉
Got old skool DX 636 on my road bike, must be one of the worst pedals for clearance ever made.
garage-dwellerFull MemberI like the pedalling efficiency of SPD’s if it’s something XC oriented and I think that’s partly the stiff sole on the race style shoes I use on them. I prefer “caged” SPDs or flats for trail centres and playing around.
My flat technique isn’t that good though, I’ve been bounced off the hardtail a couple of times but trying to get better.
Flats have one other advantage, you can jump on your bike and pedal along the waterfront path for a pint at the nearby marina/ take nipper to the playpark (not necessarily on the same trip) without wearing disco slippers.
macbFree MemberOh dear me
‘there is a reason why every pro roadie rides clips’
let me just check, nope never mentioned I was a pro, astoundingly also never indicated that I raced, had any intentions of racing or that I was unhappy with the level of performance I get.
Just double checked and nope, nobody else rides my bikes.
Just triple checked and sorry, I just can’t seem to find any reason why my choice of pedals should matter to anyone else. Or why anyone else would choose to make wildly innacurate statements of ‘fact’ as to what can or cannot be ridden with a certain type of pedal.
Actually it’s quite often the case that top level equipment requires top level input to glean the maximum returns. As we move down the input chain the returns often diminish. Most of my kit is beyond any level I’ll ever attain or desire to attain. I found the performance gains from using SPDs on the road to be outweighed by the inconvenience. I am however quite happy to acknowledge that you tower above me on the input chain and so your returns make flats unthinkable. I didn’t even have to use much imagination to figure that out, you should try it sometime.
hockFull Member“both have their place.”
i agree with this person.I agree with this person that agrees with that person. 🙂
And as mentioned before it is sad in a funny way or funny in a sad way that some people seriously consider one or the other wrong or right. If they are serious about it.
But what I get out of this thread – apart from some amusement – is that there may be a few more reasons for flats than I thought. And that’s a good thing. I mean, broaden your horizon, consider things you didn’t before etc.
…Now, tell me, how do you bunny hop on flats again? Pedals 45° tilted forward, feet pressed into the pedal?! How do you keep the pressure up/the feet connected to the pedal when in the air?
taxi25Free MemberAnother stupid thread ! Ok you like to ride with flats fair enough, but especially on a road bike don’t try and say their better ! They aren’t, personal prefference doesn’t alter the laws of physics.
worsFull Member…Now, tell me, how do you bunny hop on flats again? Pedals 45° tilted forward, feet pressed into the pedal?! How do you keep the pressure up/the feet connected to the pedal when in the air?
Practise scooping the back wheel of the floor without lifting the front.
RustySpannerFull Member…Now, tell me, how do you bunny hop on flats again? Pedals 45° tilted forward, feet pressed into the pedal?! How do you keep the pressure up/the feet connected to the pedal when in the air?
The trick is to tie of couple of particularly long pubic hairs around the top tube.
macbFree Membertaxi25, you need to point to where someone said flats were better for the road…or did you just make that up to have a rant against?
I said the benefits were not enough for me versus the downsides, which is a rather different statement. But feel free to rant away at the invisible posters upsetting you.
uselesshippyFree Membermacb, i wasn’t having a go, as i said “if you like running flats on your road bike,GREAT.” none of us are sam hill or lance armstrong, it’s just riding a bike, it’s supposed to be fun. jesus…..
macbFree Member@uselesshippy – think nothing of it, it’s only the net, some of the people on this thread might even own bikes as well.
I just get a chuckle out of the flat out, excuse the pun, declarations of right and wrong, possible and impossible, etc. I also struggle to resist indulging in pedantry when the ‘but the pros do this’ reasoning is trotted out….which is my problem not yours
aracerFree MemberI already have enough sport specific shoes!
running shoes
approach shoes
Hiking boots
Mountaineering boots
Diving boots
spd shoes
winter spd shoesThere’s room for a bit of consolidation in there – personally I use running shoes for what you probably do with approach shoes and hiking boots (I’ve even worn them in situations where most people would use mountaineering boots!) Mind you, I do now own 3 different pairs of shoes suitable for riding flats since I’ve been riding a uni (which then resulted in me putting a pair of flat pedals on my hack MTB), and my list goes like this:
bike shoes:
SPD
winter SPD
roadie
flats
running shoes:
road
trail
fell/XC
orienteering
XC skiing:
classic
skate
rollerski
touring
windsurf/kayak:
summer shoes
winter bootiesGlitterGaryFree MemberI think we’re all missing the point here, it’s not flat pedals that are wrong- it’s road bikes.
chiefgrooveguruFull MemberPractise scooping the back wheel of the floor without lifting the front.
Don’t scoop. Launch the bike into the air by pushing it into the ground and your feet will stay on the pedals – it pushes you, you don’t pull it.
tarquinFree MemberI switched to riding SPD from cheap flats.
Cost wise, little more expensive for SPD shoes and pedals, but then the “top” flat pedals aren’t cheap at all.
I found that in wet weather I was slipping on the pedals, a stiffer/gripper shoe (I was using Globe Skate Shoes) may have helped, or some better pedals or both. I switched to SPD to improve pedalling efficiency, made a massive difference to my riding and fitness.
I feel that I have to wimp out a bit on some tougher sections where I feel I might fall. I struggled a bit at Gisburn in the wet on the Northshore and some very muddy sections where it was slow going and I wanted to dab out now and again.
As for OMG I HAVE TO PUT SPECIAL SHOES ON, well I would wear special shorts, gloves, helmet anyway, so some shoes isn’t much else, and besides, I wouldn’t want my normal shoes getting all cacked up. Just wash down my SPD shoes after a ride with a sponge and they come up great every time.
SuperficialFree MemberI think it depends on the trails. I rarely see serious-looking riders in the peak riding flats, whereas replies on here would seem to suggest that flats were the norm.
I dunno. I ride flats for DH because it’s fun to get rowdy with flat pedals. But on the usual peaks trails I got really annoyed the last time I tried flats. Inefficient, kept hitting them on rocks and was never quite happy with my foot positioning.
epicycloFull Membertarquin – Member
…As for OMG I HAVE TO PUT SPECIAL SHOES ON, well I would wear special shorts, gloves, helmet anyway, so some shoes isn’t much else…Some of us don’t like to have to dress like a bike warrior specially for the bike. My bike sits at the back door and I can just jump on it and ride wearing my normal clothes for a day outside. I dress for the mountain not the bike, and I don’t want to be limited where I can take my bike by my footwear.
Some examples of a day out…
No track at all.
mrmoFree Memberto be fair epicycle, if that is truly representative of where your riding i wouldn’t bother with the bike. I see no fun riding across bogs, rocks, rough grass land. Bikes IMO suit places where trails exist, be it sheep, badgers, deer etc. or man made ones.
easygrooveFree MemberSome great responses – a few that have intrigued me most, say things like i’ve been riding for 15, 20, 25 years but i’m not that skilled at this that or the other…..jeez after 20years you should be nailing it!!!
I rode BMX for 10 years before injury forced me to ride Mtb. The flats to spd conversion was ‘interesting’ but now having been on mtb and road for over 10 years, i dont think i could ride flats that well. My riding is just not that gnar anymore either but even when pushing hard at inners 6/7 years ago over jumps and drops it was always with spd on, no problems….main thing was having confidence and being able to handle the bike.
mrmoFree Memberjeez after 20years you should be nailing it!!!
Why?
I have been riding 20years and the reason i started and still ride is to escape, i know what i can do, and can probably do more than my head will let me, but i know i have limits technically, it doesn’t bother me.
As for flats, for me i see no point, SPDs work, i know when i climb my feet are where i want them, i know the bike will do what i tell it to do, after a few hours i don’t have to think about pedal position/about weighting/unweighting/bunny hops etc. just pull and the bike comes.
aracerFree MemberI dress for the mountain not the bike, and I don’t want to be limited where I can take my bike by my footwear.
Yeah, but you have a “special” bike. In any case, are you telling me that you wear normal street shoes to ride there? Personally I found I didn’t have any shoes which worked well on flat pedals when I got my uni, and had to buy some more special ones. That’s not to mention that the SPD shoes I own are fine for hiking through stuff like that – in fact I suspect I’ve hiked further with a bike wearing SPD shoes than most on here who claim they need flats because they like going for hikes with their bike.
epicycloFull Membermrmo – Member
to be fair epicycle, if that is truly representative of where your riding i wouldn’t bother with the bike…Probably is – in that it’s my favoured terrain. Mountains are like magnets to me, doesn’t matter what I’m riding, if I see an interesting track I’ll poke a wheel along it regardless of what I’m riding.
I think druidh was the one who expressed it nicely “putting the mountain into the mountain bike” (or was it munrobiker?)
If am out for more than an hour or so, I’ll almost always hit a bit where it’s like that. Why let my footwear limit me to tracks when a cut across the mountain will take me somewhere interesting and save me from simply doubling back over stuff I have just ridden?
Anyway how else would I get there? Can’t afford a helicopter – but fat tyres do make offroad much easier. 🙂
nedrapierFull Memberriding for 15, 20, 25 years but i’m not that skilled at this that or the other…..jeez after 20years you should be nailing it!!!
I’ve been rock climbing on and off for about 10 years. I’m still not amazing. I can live with myself.
aracerFree MemberWhy let my footwear limit me to tracks when a cut across the mountain will take me somewhere interesting and save me from simply doubling back over stuff I have just ridden?
Indeed – which is why I wear grippy SPD shoes rather than the flat pedal specific ones which have far less grip when walking.
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