i used to ride my dh bike clipped in.
shimano dx m646 pedals are really good.
i used specialized rockhopper comp boots before they died then switched to some shimano mt-50’s
the boots are ugly so i never clean them
but i also use some shimano dx flat shoes with normal flat pedals

Switch between flats and SPDs quite a bit, don’t really give it much thought. Trail HT and the AM (or whatever they are called these days) bike have flats, and the XC race bike has SPDs. Much prefer to be on flats when shredding the gnar 🙂 don’t have problem with feet bouncing off, and more fun for foot out cornering! Only really want to be on SPDs when it’s very pedally and racey.

I’ve been riding clipless for about 2-3 years now since I started riding bikes seriously

That’s your problem, you know you’d have fun riding on flats.

Probably been said before, but try not to worry about getting stuck in your SPDs, if your going down, i find you’ll just rip your foot out of them no problem.

I once lost the front end on solid ice (on my slick tyred mtb), i mean it really went, fast! I unclipped both feet and jumped off the bike over the top tube, landing next to the bike, holding it in one free hand. I still have no idea how i did it, but I’ve found its very possible to get out of standard Shimano SPDs without thinking about it.

Christ, I’m more concerned now with what I should be doing with my feet ? All this heel down and lead foot forward seems more complicated than ballroom dancing, I’ve never really really given any thought any of this ?

As a general rule of thumb if things are any more complicated than a balloon pump I loose interest ?
I tend to hop on my bike and think about nothing ? That’s the great thing about going out on my bike ? The only thing I generally tend to think about is getting past the person in front and not letting any one pass, as I drift off into lala land an occasional STRAVA athlete belts past and brings me out of my day dream, sometimes when it hurts I count in my head but now I’m going to have to think about all sorts ?

Who invented this footwork stuff ? Is it a new thing ? Am I getting old ?
Do people still ride their bikes for enjoyment or am I the only person not getting paid for riding their bike ?

I thought the hardest thing about riding a bike was countering gravity by doing an un natural lean into the fall to counter the weight ? Now I’ve got to worry about things I didn’t even know existed ?

Riding my bikes great, over complicating it isn’t so great.

So just ride your bike ?
You don’t have to worry about any of that stuff if you don’t want to ?
The above may have been statements or questions ?

Technique, Technique, Technique! Innit…

Flats or clips, heels down think about body position, steer with your whole torso, etc, etc…

Dare I say it, book some training to look specifically at the issue, if your happiest on flats stick with it and hone your technique… Constantly switching kit will not improve anything, especially if you end up scared of getting stuck in the clips, that’s just replacing one issue with the opposite one, Shirley?

Footwork and technique doesn’t complicate your riding. It’s kind of the other way round- bad technique complicates everything, good technique makes things more controlled.

That’s very true, but for the first few weeks of riding with proper technique it’ll feel weird and wrong, and you’ll probably be thinking about how to ride, as you don’t have the right muscle memory.

You’ll be surprised how much more you’ll enjoy riding when you learn how to ride differently, and a bit better.

For me that’s one of the most fun things about riding a bike, learning something new every ride. 🙂

I’ve only ever ridden with SPD’s since they came out about the same time i started riding properly off road. Before that its was toeclips and straps! The feeling of not being clipped to the bike is as alien to me as it is to someone who is trying them for the first time. When i have tried flats i spent most of the ride worrying about where my feet where on the pedals. Horses for courses in the end, muscle memory and technique you choose!

I found a great compromise with XT Trail pedals, better than the smaller SPD’s as you don’t get that roll under your foot when trying to clip back in and they have a bigger target area. I had a pair of the caged 545’s and felt like they were too much like a flat trying to be a SPD.

Skinnyboy. Exactly that, I struggle to manoeuvre both myself on the bike and the bike itself not only on the ground but in the air when not clipped in, i rode with toe clips and straps all through the 80’s on road bikes and went straight to SPD’s when they came out.

More than anything if I ride in flats I struggle to get the power down, pedaling with the pedal under my arch gives me massive cramp, pedaling with it under my arch results in foot spitting forward and then my heel ends up on the pedal and then that ends in big scrapes up the back of your calfs “which look good” but are shit !

Pedaling with it under the ball of my foot and knowing I’m fastened to the thing gives me more confidence than riding in flats, it’s all down to the personal thing again.

More than anything if I ride in flats I struggle to get the power down, pedaling with the pedal under my arch gives me massive cramp, pedaling with it under my arch results in foot spitting forward and then my heel ends up on the pedal

And you say you’ve been riding a long time 😉

If you ever decide to give flats another go, start with your feet in the same position as you would with SPDs. Roughly middle of ball over the centre of pedal. No more cramp and much more control.

Roughly middle of ball over the centre of pedal. No more cramp and much more control.

Yeah, but it doesn’t stay there for long!

I ride spds but I never do my lace up tight 🙂

Euro, as curiousyellow states, it doesent stay there, I was making another one of my generalised sweeping statements by suggesting that I pedal with it under my Arch, I don’t. It was just the half way point in my head between toes and heel.

If I ride clipped in its there, its simple. If I ride flats it’s just something else to think about, the last thing on my mind whilst riding about is where my feet are in relation to the pedal, its kinda hard to explain other than if you have never pedalled in clips then it must appear daunting ? Well for me its the other way round.

The real issue with SPDs is getting clipped back in quickly in techy riding if you do need to get a foot out for a quick dab, especially in really muddy conditions where the cleat and pedal get packed with clag!