Will flat pedals make me a better rider?

quick question which way do people twist their foot to get out of spd’s?

I’ve always twisted it in. Ie the heels go in.

So theres 2 movements 1 to twist the foot in then 1 to move it back out and put my foot on the ground.

I’ve never understood “there’s plenty of time to unclip” because there isnt for me.

So do most people unclip by moving their heel outwards? This would enable one movement to put your foot on the floor.

I’ve tried this but I dont seem to have the muscles in my leg to accomplish this movement. esp in my left leg. I twist and nothing really happens.

It has to be said there’s an awful lot of flat pedal angst on this thread, some of you have got a pretty sizable chip on your shoulder about it. Why so defensive?

Because the prevailing wisdom in magazines and websites seems to be that you “need” SPDs, and not using them is tantamount to zip-tieing your brakes on and filling your frame with builder’s sand. 😉

Really? Can’t say I’ve ever noticed.

Whatever floats yer boat is best, surely?

Remember that we do all this stuff for fun!

Unless you do it for fitness and then you be better off in spinning classes.

So ride whatever is the most fun for you.

quick question which way do people twist their foot to get out of spd’s?

I’ve always twisted it in. Ie the heels go in.

So theres 2 movements 1 to twist the foot in then 1 to move it back out and put my foot on the ground.

:S twisting inward would seem totally counter-intuitive and the crank would be in the way 50% of the time? If you twist outward it just becomes one fluid movement to unclip and step off. Still not as fast or confidence inspiring as flats, but nearly.

I dont glean any confidence from being clipped in, mainly because I obviously have wayward legs and they unclip mid-air all the time despite having the pedals as tight as possible on new cleats – I have to concentrate on keeping my legs straight so as not to clip out. When on flats I just go with the flow and tend to point my toes down and push back with my feet so I stick to the bike.