Mountain Biking - Thinking about ditching clipless for platform

Hey all

.... I like the "connected" feeling of clipless, especially when climbing but there is alway this fear that I won't be able to unclip on time (not unfounded since it has happened) and get seriously messed up (which hasn't happened yet). This is compounded by the fact that I'm a contract employee at the moment and have no health insurance.

So what I'm wondering is:

A.) Should I keep with it and build up confidence? (sounds great but I'm into season two and it's no better)

B.) Try a different design? (Ditch the SPD and go with something like CB's Eggbeater)

C.) Go back to platform?

Any thoughts?

C). :D...I don't like or use clipless.

I'm a beginner, so I go pretty slow when I'm mountain biking. But I have clipless pedals on my bike, and of all the times I've fallen, the lateral forces of falling have forced my shoes out of the brackets anyway. I think clipless pedals may even be safer, since your feet won't slip off the pedals at an inopportune moment.

Thanks for your responses Maelstrom and jumpr

A big reason why I'm asking is also that there is a good sale on the eggbeaters, which based on what I've read are a lot more flexible than the SPDs.

*Thanks for the html tags tip

html tags won't work in vbulletin. They are turned off for security reasons. Replace the <> with [] and the bolding will work :)

I have the candy pedal by crank bros., and being my first clipless set, I also wonder if platforms would be a better option. I have fallen a few times with nothing hurt but my pride, thankfully. Though, everytime I take a small jump (1 or 2 feet, light XC), I feel better knowing that my feet won't slip off or bounce off the pedal during the landing. For me, that assurance is probably worth keeping the clipless.

I have the candy pedal by crank bros., and being my first clipless set, I also wonder if platforms would be a better option. I have fallen a few times with nothing hurt but my pride, thankfully. Though, everytime I take a small jump (1 or 2 feet, light XC), I feel better knowing that my feet won't slip off or bounce off the pedal during the landing. For me, that assurance is probably worth keeping the clipless.

Or you could learn to jump and that won't be a problem. Seriously that doesn't sound safe relying on a product to help you jump means you probably need to practice jumping :)

Or you could learn to jump and that won't be a problem. Seriously that doesn't sound safe relying on a product to help you jump means you probably need to practice jumping :)

If your pedals get wet or something it's not all that hard to slip I'd think.

Well, you're probably right. My skills may not be up to par in jumping situations, but my pedals are not the first product I've relied on to help me jump more safely. I also rely on: proper tires, helmet, gloves... Anyways, I ride for fun and I ride for good health. I don't think handicapping my jumping skills by using clipless pedals is much of an issue.

If your pedals get wet or something it's not all that hard to slip I'd think.

Are you talking clipless or flats? I don't have issues slipping off my pedals when its wet. A considering I live in a temperate rainforest where it rains a lot I think that says a lot. Its how you move with the bike and hold the bike under you.

Now flying through a rock garden I have lost my pedal a couple of times on my hardtail. Being bounced around can bet tough

Well, you're probably right. My skills may not be up to par in jumping situations, but my pedals are not the first product I've relied on to help me jump more safely. I also rely on: proper tires, helmet, gloves... Anyways, I ride for fun and I ride for good health. I don't think handicapping my jumping skills by using clipless pedals is much of an issue.

Interesting way to look at it. Protection while knowing how to do something is not the same thing as using something to help you do something you can't do without it. Jumping a bike properly (clipped or clipless) is much safer than not knowing how to jump and just holding on. I would rather be clipped and know how to jump than not know how to jump, that was my only point.

You will be able to pedal more efficiently with clipless. If that isn't important to you (freeride, downhill, just messing around, etc), you don't need them. They allow me to hammer up climbs and use the whole stroke of the crank to smoothe the power when I need to. I wouldn't be able to make it with platforms

C). :D...I don't like or use clipless.

+1

And as far as jumps on platforms go... well, just try to place your foot more carefully, seriously, pedal slips are not very common, BUT, they tend to happen more when a rider is not confident.

i like clipless because you can bunny hop a lot higher. and for me, its easier to level out my bike on a landing after a big drop.

pedal efficiency, and well, i like feeling 'oneness with my bicycle.'

I have to agree with Maelstrom on this one...Flats all the way!!! Especially if you are jumping or anything and it's not that hard to pedal up a hill with platforms...I use mine for XC sometimes.

And about the whole jumping with clipless so you feet don't slip off...I again have to agree with Maelstrom...Jumping with clipless is suicide I would rather have my foot slip off my pedal then fall while clipped in and relying on clipless so you can jump properly is not the best thing to do. Learn to jump...actually learn to do everything in flats will help a LOT with your skills when you go to clipless.

thats true dylan, ever since i went clipless, i've never had the same control i used ot have on flats

Flats are a cop out!

Connect with your bike and keep it clipless... don't fear the falling - in a crisis situation they unclip very easily. Like this morning when I went over the handlebars after a bad landing from a wheelie.

how are you in your second season and still cant use them correctly?

when i first rode them, it took me 1 month and i had them down like walking

i like clipless because you can bunny hop a lot higher. and for me, its easier to level out my bike on a landing after a big drop.

pedal efficiency, and well, i like feeling 'oneness with my bicycle.'

Pedal efficiency I will give you. hopping and jumping are bull plunk. Check out any bunny hop record in mtbiker and bmx. No one wears flats. GOOD jumpers and GOOD huckers all flat it out.

then maelstrom label me a bad jumper lol.

i've only had plastic flat pedals in my life and they slip like no other.

i've only had plastic flat pedals in my life and they slip like no other.

No doubt, they likely didn't last long either :D...

It is contingent on the sort of riding you do.

But with practice, unclipping becomes natural, and you'll be able to do it quickly even in tight situations.

You might try clipless pedals with a large platforms like the Mallets, though I have a pair and have never gotten much use out the platform.

how are you in your second season and still cant use them correctly?

when i first rode them, it took me 1 month and i had them down like walking

I can use them just fine as far as clipping in and unclipping (planned).... however it's the few time that I couldn't unclip that is making me wonder if I'm either using the wrong clipless pedals or if I shouldn't use clipless at all.

Like I said before, due to my employment status, a hospital trip isn't an option.


*****
Thanks for all your input guys. Also, if you do use clipless. Please include why you use the brand/type that you do and why you like it better than the others.

Ok, I've recently went through this same process. When I first bought my bike it came with SPDs. Basically I liked the smooth spinning and it is better for climbing stuff but it was slower to release that flats. I figured that it would get better through the season but even after a full season I was still falling over when I'd get stuck on a climb. This spring I decided to seriously investigate clipless vs flats. My first action was to try out my girlfriends egg beaters and they are *way* easier to get out of. The second was to actual practice getting out of the clips. So the last couple of weeks I have been dorking around with doing trackstands and unclipping on both sides, and from any point on the rotation. It has gotten much better.

Based on my own experience (and stuff in Ned Overend's book) I would say that clipless is a better way to go if you want to climb stuff (smoother = more traction) but you don't mind giving up some efficiency then flats are a fine option and are more forgiving. I think it is more preference than anything.

I had the same problem as you valbowski. Even after riding clipless for 7 months i still had trouble getting out of them. I then switched to eggbeaters and couldnt be happier. I can get out of them just as fast as about anyone can step off of a platform. I dont even know im riding clipless now it is secondnature to unclip. My other pedals thow i had to like work hard to get out of. Try eggbeaters and be happy.

I use clipless for almost everything save some urban stuff. Once you develop the muscle-memory, you won't even have to think about unclipping. Actually it's best that you don't think about it at all because that can oftentimes screw you up. On the subject of jumping, relying on clipless to keep you connected is bad form. It means you don't know how to properly disperse foot pressure and likely don't have good leg positioning. Granted clipless can help keep your feet attached but I wouldn't consider it a substitute for proper jumping technique.

As far as clipless pedals go, I'd recommend Time ATACs or Crank Brothers Eggbeaters. They are vastly superior to Shimano SPD. SPDs require you to use tension to control float and release angle. Unfortunately this means that you are either very locked to prevent inadvertant foot motion or running low tension to allow you some ability for englishing. However, when tensioned up, the release angle is closed up too and thus a sudden jolt that will overcome the spring forces will instantly pop you out. If however, you're running them loose then there isn't a whole lot of spring force so your foot may still pop out inadvertantly. It's tricky to tune. Pedals like the Time ATACs decouple release angle from tension and tension from float. You have a choice between two different release angles depending on how you've positioned the cleat. The tension needs no adjustment but float can be dialed in via the SET adjuster. Basically these pedals have two float regions. The first region is a free-float region that offers no resistance. The second region is encountered once you've crossed over the free-float threshold and continues on until you hit the release angle (13 or 17 degrees). The boundary between the free-float and resistive float is adjustable within a +/-5 deg range. Thus you can run up to 10 deg of free float or clamp it down so that you're always within resistive float or anywhere in between.

I just rode a serious trail today with platforms that came with my singlespeed.
There were several sections that would have required a very rapid pedal release. I have ordered a set of eggbeaters for each of my bikes and can't wait to try them out. Clipless pedals are a no brainer on road bikes. On mountain bike it really is a matter of personal preference. I'll give the eggbeaters a try.