Mountain Biking - Bike Shoes

I've searched the foruims and haven't found the answers to my q's, so here goes:

I ride xc, singles track and sometimes some really heavy mountain trails, dry river beds etc.

I currenty ride with standard (flat) pedals with silly cages and normal shoes.

What is better, taking the terrain into account:

Flat pedals with / without cages and normal shoes

or

Clip on's

Thanks, all advice will be appreciated

JamisNewbie

IMO, clipins.
you'll get more control and ultimately they're safer

clip ons they are so much better... you can learn to clip out faster... and theres no way your going to stay in the pedals if you crash... you'll pop out and your bike generally won't land on you... if you have cages, then you risk breaking or spraining an angle bad.. or even worse... go clipless...

~mikeym

"clip ons they are so much better"

my ****** friend is reading my writing and correcting me..... now i'm getting punched... like crazy... haha... anyway, i meant, clip on like to clip in to the pedals without the cages... ~ mikeym

Great guys!

That's the answer i wanted to justify the expense!! I got the clip ons with the bike, now i just gotta get the shoes.

Thanks again

yo... what are you looking at for shoes? gimme a price range... and if you don't mind used shoes... you might be able to get a really expensive pair cheap on ebay... gimme your size.. i'll look... spd pedals? ~ mikeym

i would suggest the Specialized Mountain Sport shoes.

I second the Specialized Sport Mountain

I second the Specialized Sport Mountain

Thirded, provided they are the right shape for your foot. I have a long, wide hoof and they've been perfect for me. Doesn't look to be much difference between the '03 model and the '04, so close-out '03s would be a great deal.

Do yourself a favor and buy them from an LBS, where you can try them on and get some good fitting advice.. It's important to get a comfortable and secure fit with these sorts of shoes. Try a few different brands on and see what feels best to you.

i would suggest the Specialized Mountain Sport shoes.


I have to agree. I got my Specialized Mtn Pro shoes on Ebay for half price. They are awesome. The Ratchet piece is killer.

i love my clipless pedals. i ride clipless on everything minus my fixed gear since it's my commuter and my urban bike since clipless wouldn't be too smart.

if looking for shoes then specialized mountain sports are the best, for a cheap person price range

i jsut got some '03's on sale and they are great shoes, ridden alot and never feel any foot pain

Go to Nashbar. I just picked up a pair of shoes (no they aren't the most expensive), pedals (on sale), and cleats for under $50.00. They have a ton of stuff on sale, and have a 10% coupon that's good until December.

All, thanks for your excellent advice, i'll let you know how it truns out.

Thanks again

JNB

Actually clipless is actually pretty bad for the rough stuff, can't bail fast enough if you start to go down, so I'm going to say the opposite for rough trails, get a good pair of platform pedals. For xc pedal efficency is king, so clipless is the way to go. In that case, time attacs or eggbeaters. Won't make a suggestion on shoes, get what ever shoe fits you best.

Actually clipless is actually pretty bad for the rough stuff, can't bail fast enough if you start to go down, so I'm going to say the opposite for rough trails, get a good pair of platform pedals. For xc pedal efficency is king, so clipless is the way to go. In that case, time attacs or eggbeaters. Won't make a suggestion on shoes, get what ever shoe fits you best.

I never used clips on an mtb, but on a touring bike I guess they are ok.(I have used them on a touring bike.)
When going fast maybe they are quite effective.

Jacob

I never used clips on an mtb, but on a touring bike I guess they are ok.(I have used them on a touring bike.)
When going fast maybe they are quite effective.

Jacob

For XC riding, I find clipless pedals great. They make climbing much easier, and I find it good to be securely attached over the rougher terrain. I find I bail less often now with clipless, as I don't have problems with feet being thrown off the pedals on large bumps, and can clear the bike over obstacles much more easily. A small platform around the mechanism can be handy for the really slow stuff - I use a Crank Bros Candy SL and find it really good to be able to take a couple of stable strokes without clipping in (something I couldn't do as easily with Shimano M515s or standard Egg Beaters). I also own a decent pair of platforms that I'll throw on when I know I'll be riding a track with more technical downhill stuff where I prefer not to be clipped in.

For touring/commuting/road riding I wouldn't be without clipless pedals.

Personal preference thing, though. You really need to try them to know if you like the feeling, and it does take a while to get used to. Some people love good platform pedals, some love clipless pedals. Neither is right or wrong.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=108&subcategory=1078&sku=6223&brand=

Here best of both worlds. And redo the listing of price, do lowest to highest. They have about 5 different platform/clipless pedals on the first page.

http://www.nashbar.com/index.cfm

Actually clipless is actually pretty bad for the rough stuff, can't bail fast enough if you start to go down, so I'm going to say the opposite for rough trails, get a good pair of platform pedals. For xc pedal efficency is king, so clipless is the way to go. In that case, time attacs or eggbeaters. Won't make a suggestion on shoes, get what ever shoe fits you best.

clipless bad for the ruff stuff????? anything short of DH maybe but XC/TRAIL RIDING clipless is the best way to ride. i can bail in a blink of an eye if i need too, you just need to practice with them for a while. i switched to clipless 6 years ago and when it gets ruff you have more control over your bike. ;)