MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I know its whatever suits the individual preference, but its not for me(Prefer flats) its for a bike build. And spd at least has both options.
If flats are the general consensus, then it will be Hope F22(orF20) and if spd's are thought to be the better all round choice, then I shall get Hope Union TC(Or GC)
Im asking mainly as fashions change, and while it used to be the preference for flats, spd's do seem to be more available and with Hope expanding to 3 clipless options, thought Id ask.
I like the look of the GC, very reminiscent of the Shimano red DX you used to get bitd.
In Orange.
A bike build for who? If it's not for you then don't put any pedals on it. There are far too many options to be able to guess.
(I'd throw either of your two choices in the bin for instance)
SPD on one side, flat on the other. All bases covered 😄
Well it might be for me. Bike is or was or still could be the bike to keep as a spare if the Ebike goes down for any reason and i need something nice to gad about on.
I dont mind spd's, i only use flats these days as its urban rambling, but my inability to jump without being attached makes me lean towards the clippies
Well it might be for me
Well put whatever pedals you want to use on it then.
If you might just need it as a spare for when your ebike fails, then just take the pedals off that while it's being repaired/replaced.
Depends on the riding, for XC it’s spd, my big travel bike used for more technical riding it’s flats.
And yes, I’ve used spd’s for decades. I just prefer for slow technical sections to not be clipped in.
For my urban riding I do use SPD’s. But that’s generally on a gravel bike.
If you’re going to be using it for technical and jumpy trails then just go with whatever you’re comfortable with. If you’re going to do a mix of urban and technical and you prefer flats for urban, then surely it’s flats then?
Shimano SPD for me though. Used for a long time so very comfortable with them.
Ah there were a bunch more posts when the page refreshed from posting.
But as someone who can't make up their own mind get a set of each and if it's not "your" bike let the usual rider pick.
I was never that comfy with flats on the trail. Been more than a few instances of a foot slipping off and its then shin/pedal which we all know really puts you off flats.
Possibly the GC. More of a platform if i need to bike urban, plus the safety of clips on the trail
Decisions Decisions 😕
Flats because they're proper pedals for real men who call men men and spades spades and pedals pedals rarrrr.
No one bloody uses SPDs any more. Take a look around a trail centre car park, or bike park - everyone is on flats. Even in the peak, 90%+ of the riders I see are on flats.
I’m back on SPDs though after a few years of riding almost exclusively flats. I don’t actually have a strong conviction or preference, but I’ve been blown away recently by how one-sided this debate is.
SPD on one the side of the pedals in the spares box, hidden away at the bottom under the curled up old shoe covers that are/have fallen apart, flat on the other all pedals attached to anything you might pedal. FTFY* 😁
(*other opinions are available, however wrong they may be) 😜
Assume it’s for that mega you are building to sell? Buy a set of each, doesn’t matter which, of whatever has the highest discount on your online shop of choice.
Nobody buys a bike based on what pedals it has fitted.
but I’ve been blown away recently by how one-sided this debate is.
Blimey!
I'll be honest, as an SPD user I've not really been feeling like a subjugated minority, just someone with a (currently) slightly unfashionable pedal preference. But I also remember riding flats in the 90s when 'serious' riders used SPDs (according to the comics of the day)...
The funny thing is in all that time, nobody has ever made any comments about my pedal choices IRL, almost as if it doesn't actually matter.
I reckon the OP should just shove flats on it, if that's what he normally rides, and source a cheap pair of SPD's to sit in the spares box just in case.
If you can’t jump in flats, and keep slipping off flats on the trail, get some coaching as it’s a sign that you’re not in the correct position on the bike. Moving to clipless isn’t solving this problem, just masking it.
And if it’s a big bike, fit flats.
I'm normally a mix and match and have ridden clips for years.
At the moment though I've gone flats on both bikes and preferring it - Superstar Nano's and five tens.
Flats are definitely better on the e-bike - with the torque available, it's too easy to spin out on a technical climb and have to dab (very) quickly. Was clipped in for ages on that wanting to be attached to such a heavy bike, but flats are working way better.
When I took the mallets off the e-bike, I stuck them on the HT, but have switched back to flats again on that, just preferring the foot position really. With grippy shoes you can easily spin the cranks backwards with just one foot from their lowest position
I ride either.
But both my bikes have SPD's on. I personally find them marginally more efficient in pedalling feel and I like the security on rough ground.
I don't feel as though there's any animosity about it.
ive switched to flats to or everything, was in spds for years, but I've gone back to flats and loving it, i just don't have the commitment to hit sketchy sterp stuff clipped in and the times I've bounced off on flats counteracts the times id come unclipped and been unable ti ckip back in.
another biig reason for me was comfort, on long technical rides my feet would ache, whatever shoes, insoles etc i used, much easier to relieve pressure points by shifting foot, even a tiny amount with flats.
also ime Endura, Shimano, fiveten all make excellent flat shoes now
Personally, I struggle to give a shit about how other people pedal their leisure bicycle, I care even less about the "reasoning" behind their choices as I'm not 12, it's not a competition, and I don't need to impress the popular kids.
Personally, I struggle to give a shit about how other people pedal their leisure bicycle, I care even less about the “reasoning” behind their choices as I’m not 12, it’s not a competition, and I don’t need to impress the popular kids.
Guessing this isn't the thread for you then, just saying....
I just wish it would die like straight bars vs risers or whatever was the last personal choice that became a argument on the internet. Neither choice is "right" neither is "wrong" they're just preferences, and the best way to decide is not ask people, but try them and see which one you like best.
SPD everywhere for me, but it's preference. The MTB'ers I ride with are all flats, my mates I ride with all on SPD - we ride road as well and all have CX bikes too.
Assume it’s for that mega you are building to sell?
Oh no, are you still doing that? Are you trying to guess what pedals a future buyer will want?
Do what bike shops do and stick some cheap plastic flatties on. They'll be going straight in the parts bin anyway.
@jeffl
SPD on one side, flat on the other. All bases covered
https://flowmountainbike.com/features/bike-check-hans-reys-custom-gt-force-e-force-mountain-bikes/
Yes, that is a flat pedal on the drive side, and a clip pedal on the non-drive side. Hans calls it the ‘HalfWayRey’ setup
There are a bunch of YouTube videos where he talks about it too
Another either / or here. eBike never has spds, but the others sometimes do. Noticed in the garage yesterday I had 3 pairs of flats sitting on the side, so I must've been spding recently. 😀
No one bloody uses SPDs any more. Take a look around a trail centre car park, or bike park – everyone is on flats.
Funny innit - cos so many trends in ridnig come down from DH racing, like people think that's what they do (or aspire to) - short stems, wide bars, fat rims, big discs.. but most DH racers use SPDs and that seems to have gone the opposite way with the mortals.
No one bloody uses SPDs any more. Take a look around a trail centre car park, or bike park – everyone is on flats.
Also look around and realise how many people are on 170mm ebikes, wear Fox kit, drive a cool van or car - that does not mean that I have to follow suit...
Funny innit – cos so many trends in ridnig come down from DH racing, like people think that’s what they do (or aspire to) – short stems, wide bars, fat rims, big discs.. but most DH racers use SPDs and that seems to have gone the opposite way with the mortals.
That's just a tacit admission that you can't buy skill.
Also look around and realise how many people are on 170mm ebikes, wear Fox kit, drive a cool van or car – that does not mean that I have to follow suit…
I happen to do/have all of that, but not driven by fashion/what others are doing (ok, maybe some of the Fox kit - but then I don't look particularly cool wearing it anyway). Just as flats are suiting me at the moment, but it's got naff all to do with what anyone else does
Unsure flats or spds is a fashion thing...seems to be whatever works - or if the media are telling us that flats are better - ultimately, it is whatever works for the individual. I really don't think it is a fashion thing...saying that, I've never followed fashion and I've only ridden spds since 1996, so I'm clearly not the best person to ask an opinion on these (admittedly you didn't ask me specifically!).
Whatever works for you and don't bother about fashion.
SPDs where the priority is going long or fast.
Flats where the priority is fun or where you'll also need to walk a bit (commuting, hike a bike etc).
SPD's every time for me, party because I'm too tight to buy another pair of shoes but mainly because flats off road feel weird.
When I got into mountain biking, there was not really dedicated mountain bike flat shoes and the mtb press/companies were pushing SPDs. I soon switched to SPDs. A few years later I changed to flats after riding more technical trails and not liking being clipped in. Flat shoes and pedals had really come on by then. Still on flats for most mountain biking but will fit SPDs if I'm riding a longer more xc route.
I do find that flats trash your crank arms.
And your shins.
SPDs for me on XC and Road - very much a wheels on the ground rider tho. Guys i ride with are a mixture of SPDs and flats. We still like each other!
With flats, it's my calfs that get more scrapes than my shins. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, wouldn't be the first time 😄
With flats, it’s my calfs that get more scrapes than my shins. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, wouldn’t be the first time
This is why I gave up on flats after a year of ‘giving them a go’. The muscle memory of lifting the rear foot on technical climbs would not leave me.
For the OP, the Hope Union GC feels like a good pedal. I’m only a couple of rides in but I liking the feel of them so far.
it’s my calfs that get more scrapes than my shins
With me that's usually from pushing the bike. Or tripping over it in the garage like a twonk. (all bikes are hung up except the ebike which would probably pull the garage wall down if attempted. With a crane)
<span style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #eeeeee;">With flats, it’s my calfs that get more scrapes than my shins. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, wouldn’t be the first time 😄</span>
I've got a lovely "shark bite" on the back of my left calf from my pedals in the Alps this summer
I still wouldn't go back to clipless though. On tech, flat pedals give better feedback about my body position, and remind me to keep my heels down.
I rode flats for years but as I am now very old and don't do any death defying trails, I have gone back to SPDs for more XC/ Gravelly stuff. One of my three bikes still has flats though. Oh, and actually, one bike has no pedals at all because the old ones are shot and I haven't got around to replacing them
I was always flats on the MTB but thought I'd give SPDs a go when I was on a hardtail as I always worry about feet being bounced off on rougher stuff. I actually really liked it, just stops me from thinking about if my feet are in the right place so I can concentrate more on the rest of it. Went back to flats when I got a FS again but I might put the SPDs back on as I've found I'm worrying about my foot position more again. Also I don't have any decent flat shoes and too tight to buy new ones at the minute.
I swap about depending what I am doing.
TBH in either case I wouldn't be using the Hopes, they're just still not especially good.
But, the choice, I learned on spds, switched to flats because I wrecked my leg a bit, hated flats, got good at flats, thought there were advantages and disadvantages to both that mean it's so close that you should only ever choose the one you prefer...
And then I think the clincher was probably just that I really like not having to put on different shoes just to ride a bike.
straight bars vs risers
This is now just descending into silliness. I mean who rides flat bars 😮
History repeats itself, its 1985.
Original choice is for flat, as A. im used to riding flat, and more importantly B, I can get them in orange. Hope do a lovely shade of orange and the finishing bits are Hope orange(As are the main NP decals) spacers,clamp, master cylinder covers and rotors.
With the finishing kit being Hope, the brakes, the wheels too, I simply thought Hope would be the choice for the pedals too.
Whatever you buy, you won’t get back when you sell, so buy as cheap as you can, or simply don’t sell with pedals.
Even people who ride clipless aren't that likely to want Hope as they use their own cleats and it's handy to be able to swap shoes between bikes. I don't know anyone who mixes systems other than between road specific ones and mtb.
Ahh, i didnt realize they were different cleats. Probably best option is flats. Suits me, suits whomever
There is one other thing that's different between flats and spds that just came to me.
Spds tend to be about 5-10mm higher then flats IME. When I swap between the two, I can feel the saddle height difference so adjust the saddle height to suit. 5-10mm might not seem much but if I'm in the saddle all day then it can be really noticable and not in a good way.
Seems it's been discussed on here before:
SPD. As I don’t need to dab on decents
*swoons
Flats for me.
If you can't decide, flat on the left and SPD on the right?
Shimano M524's. I've never killed a set. I have them the recumbent and on an MTB. The recumbent so people can just have a go. Bearings last a decade at least.You can file them if you want more grip/pins.
Flats for uplift/downhilling.
SPD for everything else.
Fatbike = flats
Full suss = clips
If you can’t decide, flat on the left and SPD on the right?
Ideal if you can guarantee that the trail will always sweep round to the left.