I made the switch a few weeks ago.
I’ve ridden clipless on the road for the past 15 years, so when I started riding more off-road SPDs seemed the obvious choice. Especially as I had a pair of MTB style pedals and soft touring shoes from back in 2000, when I rode John O’Groats down to Lands End on a recumbent (well it was the millennium and you had to do something). But, while un-clipping is second nature, getting the feet back in after dabbing on more technical sections was a pain, so I decided to try flats.
It was quite an expensive experiment though. By most reports the difference between cheap copies + trainers and higher spec options was big enough that I couldn’t see the point in trying the cheap option as it still wouldn’t tell me whether I’d prefer it with better shoes/pedals and if I did like it I’d probably upgrade quite soon, which would be more expensive in the long run. So I went for Five-Ten Impacts with DMR Vault pedals.
Initial impressions are that it’s OK, but I’m still getting used to the difference.
Efficiency doesn’t seem to be an issue (for me). My times around local loops are pretty much the same (sometimes faster, sometimes slower) and any difference is less than the differences due to different weather or trail conditions and how I’m feeling. Since I don’t race it just isn’t an issue.
Getting the feet knocked off the pedals has happened but then it happened with the SPDs as well (since I run them pretty loose anyway). The difference with the flats is that I can just put my foot back on the pedal and carry on without having to fumble around to clip in, which is quite useful when you are on the verge of stalling anyway.
The main downsides are that my feet are not automatically in the right position and it’s not that easy to re-adjust the position of your foot. With clipless systems, once I’m in it feels right (after 15 years of riding with my feet in the same position it’s bound to really). With the Five-Ten/DMR combination the grip is amazing. Wherever you happen to stick your foot (within reason) it will just stay there. That’s great when you want to get through a tricky section, but moving your foot requires lifting and placing it back on. I frequently find that I start off, think “that’s doesn’t feel quite right”, move my foot a bit, “no that’s still not right” etc etc. But maybe that will improve with practice.
Anyway, hope that’s some help.
Cheers,
Andy