Mountain Biking - Clipless Pedals Good or Bad

I have just recently purchased some downhill clipless pedals, because I was told about the huge benifits in pedal power. I ride mostly trails but got the down hill because they had a larger platform to clip out of and pedal in the downhill sections that I was intimidated by. I'm a newbie with not a whole lot of riding experience. I would like to hear what you guys think are the pros and cons of clipless pedals. To dangerous or the only way to go?

If your for clipless pedals do you have any words of wisdom on good technic when using clipless pedals, eg what time is a good time to be clipped in or out rock gardens, small drops, tight trees, jumps etc......

Clipless pedals are really good. We have all had that first time experience where we needed to clip out of them and the bike stopped and just like in the movies...in what seems like slow motion one just teeters to the side and falls over....My word of advice would be to practice getting in and out of them...until you got it pretty good...you'll probably fall trying to get out once or twice but soon it will seem like second nature....they really do help in pedaling power.

Seth

i personally like clipless pedals .. ahh there is a little power avantage but again it depends on your riding style and what you need it for...

Bad

I honestly think I'd have trouble adjusting to riding without clipless pedals now. They are the single best thing I have ever bought for my bike.

yeah ,what Chris said !!:)

GOOD !

No relation to Kevin G at all. Ever.


If you are confident in your bike handling skills then they are good.
If you are still getting to grips with your bike, then they are something which can wait.

Having some attatchment to the pedals is a safety feature which will keep you riding over unexpecetd bumps, and prevent you barking your shins if you slip off platform pedals.

My main complaint against clipless pedals is their use by newbies on the urban road, where traffic can force you into a emergency stop, and if you topple over, there are cars waiting to run you over. No such dangers face you riding off-road trails.

Clipless pedals are the way to go for xc, I dont see how anybody wouldent use them. And you cant just get bucked off of your bike if you have platform pedals....it just dosent happen.

I don't thinkkits a good idea to use clip-inns for downhill. Seems like suicide to me. for xc of course, but not downhill.

Im thinking about getting some for me. . .what should i look for when buying (brands and all that)?

Jared

I've always used time attac clip-ins. they are easy to get out of and they allow a good range of motion while clipped in.

Hey thanks for al the advice! I thinkl I will just bite the bullit and stick-it through all the bumps and bruises getting to know my pedals. Truth be known its kind of an adrenilin rush knowing that if I wipe out their is the possibility of the bike coming with me!

About how much should i look at for a good shoe and the pedals?

Thanks!
Jared

i love clipless pedals and have them on 3 (MTB fully, MTB commuter, road bike) of my 4 bikes - not on my old old MTB i use when i park somewhere i don't want to leave one of my expensive bikes...

for XC clipless are awesome. for downhill I personally need my pedals otherwise i destroy my shins...

don't know much about trials, but most the trials riders i have seen use various stuff based on pwersonal preference - power straps or wide platforms or clipless(although always also with the wide platforms).

i think unless you're doing huge freeride 6ft+ jumps or you are into BMX style tricks - which i personally think are cool but i can't do - then clipless should help your riding.

clipless pedals are more efficient so you get more power. also on bumps or technical sections the bike stays with you. i can bunnyhop higher with clipless pedals b/c you can pull with the feet and then also do stuff like hop the rear to the side and do track-stands easier... for me in rock gardens or technical stuff i MUST be clipped in or i'm worthless - i can't bunnyhop well or do a trackstand or hop or whatever well w/o my pedals --- probably the only problem i've had is practicing wheel-riding and then flipping over backwards while clipped-in - ouch! so always keep your hand on the back-brake to prevent this...

the 1st few hours are tough - even harder if you're used to straps and pulling back instead of twisting... but you should leanr it fast.

once you learn to get in and out quickly they are almost never a problem - in a few of my really bad crashes i didn't unclip before i lost control but the cleat alway turns rather than my foot breaking or something...

practice until you are really condifident - unclipping comes pretty fast and then you need to practice clipping in - now after a few years and a few thousand miles of practice i can clip in starting a drop on a downhill or uphill on near 20% grade...

if you want to be a good rider and are intersted in 'normal' stuff like trails and XC and some downhill and not specialized stuff like trials and BMX then i strongly recommend going clipless.

When you mean DH, do you mean chairlift rides and just DH, or do you mean DH sections of your singletrack ride?

If DH only, and as a newbie, I'd stick with Platforms. Easier to get off the bike in an emegency and you need to learn how to control the bike before being clipped in!

Like nathank said, you can bunnyhop higher with clipless, only if you don't know how to bunnyhop! No offense nathank, but a newbie should learn to bunnyhop on platforms first! You'll be a better rider. This requires you actually push down on your pedals first and then pull back! Kinda like b-4 a cat jumps, she bend down to "Coil" and then release!

I've seen a person (w/platforms) bunnyhop onto a picnic table. The motion is more: Down then Up! Hard to describe AND hard to do properly. But, if you do learn, it's the same motion you use to jump higher off ramps, curbs, other obstacles...etc.

If riding xc trails with DH sections, I'd go with the clipless, the benefit on the rest of the trail is substantial. Also, being clipped-in forces you to ride stuff w/o putting a foot down that you would normally "dab".

Shimano has some platform pedals with a SPD cleat in them. The models are 646's and 545's (I believe - going from memory here!). I own a pair of 646's and use them in XC conditions with big DH sections. Otherwise, I use my TIME A.T.A.C.'s on my XC rides and Plat's on tricky stuff and/or Urban!

L8R:beer:

Actually, you can bunny hop way higher without clip-in pedals. Clip-in pedals are only good for cross-country riding.

If you are jumping or doing drops, platforms or clipless w/a platform are better. With clipless they dont offer enough suport for your foot. You risk "turning" or breaking your ankle. If you are doing drops of more than 2 or 3 feet use a pedal with a platform of some sort.

I am not related to Kevin G either......unless Kevin G is a woman, it is not this Redhed.

I have platform pedals that have the "thingy" that you stick your foot into. At first I wanted to remove them, but after I realized that it helps on hills ect. I love them. It is like having the advantage of the clip in pedals(??) without the special shoes. I may switch one day, but I have no idea what to buy......

Originally posted by Redhed
I am not related to Kevin G either......unless Kevin G is a woman, it is not this Redhed.

I was going to ask why everyone was distancing themselves from Kevin G, then I saw his tagline :eek:

I'm about to buy some pedals on my new bike that have an SPD clipless job on one side, and an ordinary surface on the other. Could this be the best of both worlds?