Mountain Biking - Is clipless dying for the Fat Tire Crowd

I started shopping for a new pair of platforms. Seems that I can find a ton of Clipless for 50-60% off. Platforms not so deeply discounted. And the advertisements for platforms seem to aim specifically at (in this order) DHers, FRers, BMXers, CX and sport riders.

I know that 18 months ago it was the new flavor of pizza that I had to have. Now, I am feeling comfortable on an old pair of Wellgo platforms. But I am getting some frisky back and ready to speed up a bit.

How's the crew out there. Is clipless still the rage? Not so much, what say you? :thumb:

Funny you ask. I'm about to change to a set of Shimano clips on one side, flats on the other.

I just bought my first set of clipless. Otherwise I ride platforms and toeclips.

I took clipless off my XC race bike and put some nice Sunline platforms on. I know clipless would be more efficient but I enjoy platforms. And with a 1x9 setup, I run up the hills better with skate-soled shoes ;).

might it have something to do with the increase in bike commuting? platforms being more convenient for those new to commuting.

just a thought

i don't think clipless will ever die out or be gone, it has it's place, it makes sense for the racers who are pretty much road racing on dirt. there are many folks who are comfortable with them and prefer them. i ride clipless on my road bike. i currently ride flat pedals on my mountain bike, and i always will. there are many reasons why flat pedals make more sense on a mountain bike, at least for me. i think it's half and half. there will be an article coming out in dirt rag about flast vs clipless. it's a great article, will explain why we prefer flats to clipless on mountain bikes. (no, i didn't write it, my friend landon did)

I went to clipless a few months ago, and i tried to go flats and couldn't do it..feet kept on slipping off the pedals. I probably wont ever go back to standard pedals..love my clipless!

I ride with flats on my road bike and my mountain bike. Tried clipless for six months or so but it just wasn't for me. I could care less what people use, if it works for you, so be it.

zerogravity, did you use proper shoes with your flats? Five Tens make all the difference for me. Wearing Five Tens my feet pretty much never slip on any pedal, except maybe those smooth plastic pedals. Just like buying cycling specific shoes for clipless pedals, you have to buy cycling specific shoes for flats to get the most out of them.

I cheat with clipless. I'd like to wean myself off completely. I remember the first time I rode with this one group, I showed up with platforms and Impacts (and a 4" travel weenie bike). The entire time, everyone kept telling me that "clipless are so much easier! You should switch! You'll ride so much better!" I finally gave in on the third or fourth ride with them. No doubt, I was definitely faster and rode better on the technical uphill sections, but I cheated the bike into the air a million times on the way down.

I first went clipless in '02, worked up through SPD clones to ATAC; spoiled now. I'll NEVER go back, unless they quit makin' em!

Had to run some flats for a short time, the month before I first got the ATAC's; my calves STAYED cramped, because of the loss of 'pulling' on the pedal!

More than alive and well.

...feet kept on slipping off the pedals.. .

sounds like you didn't have a set of real actual flat pedals...your feet don't slip off flat pedals when you have real ones.

A friend of mine runs clips and has done a triathalon. She is used to the faster-paced stuff. We went together through a lot of very technical trails (average speed probably 4-8mph--on my 29er I am usually on the 32t front and largest two gears in the rear) with lots of bumps and rocks and roots and branches hanging everywhere, and she was having a lot of trouble. I am far more used to that kind of riding where one's ability to manipulate the bike is IMO a larger factor, and I still have to put my foot down 5-10 times on aggressive days (and that's just a one-hour run, heh). There are probably occasions where I put a foot down that being clipped in would have either made me approach more cautiously (and not needed to put a foot down), or where having my feet firmly attached to the bike would have allowed me to get through whatever obstacle caused me to put the foot down. Still, I am confident I would have gone down at least a few times so far (she did at one point, just a fall over).

I am better than average, and at least for my preferred style of riding (relatively slow and quite technical), I think clipping in would do me just as much harm as good.

So, at least until I get into faster-paced riding as opposed to slower, more technical stuff

If your feet slip on platforms, you have cheap platforms. Switching from nylon Wally World flats to Kore Race II's, I had more overall grip than I ever did with clipless. Can't pull up with them, but definitely better lateral grip than the SPD's on my road bike. And I'm still riding with gripless skateboarding shoes (flat, non-waffle outsole). Still deciding between a pair of FiveTens or some new jeans to get me through the colder months.

To answer the question, my only assumption would be that clipless pedals were over-produced & flats are now making somewhat of a comback as the DH scene starts gaining mainstream fame outside the NW.

I went clipless in 08. After a broken wrist and two broken ribs I chucked them for a set of Azonic 420's and have loved every second since. All of my riding has gone to the dirt and I have no interest in how fast or how far, so the need to have whatever magic folks think is in a clipless is not for me. YMMV

Clipless4Life, Spydee. (even on the Parker)

I never had my feet slip off of MG-1s.

Clipless all the way...

Been that way for so long that when I ride flats, my feet lift off the pedals on the up stroke.

I just got some Shimano platform pedals and Teva shoes, I have been using Shimano XT clipless for a while now, and really do like them, but I am sometimes a bit cautious when going over large objects such as trees. My plan is to use the platforms for a while to get better at climbing large objects without being worried about being clipped in. I also need to learn to learn to bunny hop correctly without yanking up on my pedals which I know is not the proper way to do things. So.. this year I will be going with flats and then eventually I will be going back to clipless. I would NEVER give up on clipless with my road bike though.

I ride clipless on the road bike. No-brainer there. Never got used to clipless on the mountain bike. But with that said, I'm getting a newer mtb tomorrow and it comes with "egg beaters". Will try them and see how it goes but I really hate the feeling of being 'clipped in' on a mountain bike. After many years of dirt biking, I'm so used to having my feet free to "dab" when I need to. Clipless(with straps) has always worked fine for me on a mtb.
I doubt I'd like just platforms either. Don't want to slip off the pedals either.

Good conversation, for me I guess the "dab" ability on some of the more technical portions keep me leaning towards platforms. But on some bouncy downhills, I feel more secure when I have been clipped in.

I did ride a century about 18 months ago and have a couple planned for this spring. The pedaling seems more efficient clipped in. Plus its kinda electric when you hear @40 riders clicking in when the light turns green. Crap does this make me a FRED?

< rep for using roadie term in a MTB forum.

Clipless pedals have become less popular for mountain biking, at all levels, IMO.

Me and my buddies were some of the eager first adopters of compact SPDs in the first months they were introduced back in 1992(?) I think it was. we were jonesing for them something big once we'd heard the news.

I have since gone back to platforms for off road riding.

My first MTB race in '93 convinced me to lose the toe straps and go with clipless pedals (Onza, then SPD).

Riding clipless in British Columbia last summer has got me pretty close to drinking the platform koolaid.

What a ridiculous question.

What a ridiculous question.

Don't bogart that **** my friend,........:innocent::innocent::innocent:

What a ridiculous question.

What ^^^^he said.

And:

i don't think clipless will ever die out or be gone, it has it's place, it makes sense for the racers who are pretty much road racing on dirt. there are many folks who are comfortable with them and prefer them. i ride clipless on my road bike. i currently ride flat pedals on my mountain bike, and i always will. there are many reasons why flat pedals make more sense on a mountain bike, at least for me. i think it's half and half. there will be an article coming out in dirt rag about flast vs clipless. it's a great article, will explain why we prefer flats to clipless on mountain bikes. (no, i didn't write it, my friend landon did)

What he^^^^^ said, though I'm an avowed clipped in rider.

If someone tells you you can't ride techy stuff with clippless pedals, they are full of ****.

Yes, then we will toss seats, handlebars, derailleurs, brakes and cranksets. "Ridiculous" doesn't come close to describing how stupid this question is.....
:wtf:

If someone tells you you can't ride techy stuff with clippless pedals, they are full of ****.I probably can but I don't like to. Does that make me full of sh|t . . . or just an ordinary hack?

all i know is that I'm a roadie/cyclocross racer who has been on a mountain bike maybe 8 times in my life. i ride clipless in full kit on the trails and it seems really odd that people wear baggy shorts, dont ride clipless, etc... I am new to mountain biking though.

I also ate **** on a rocky descent last week that shook me pretty good.

Yes, then we will toss seats, handlebars, derailleurs, brakes and cranksets. "Ridiculous" doesn't come close to describing how stupid this question is.....
:wtf:

For comparative purposes, can you please explain what the alternatives are to: seats, handlebars, brakes, & cranksets? For clipless pedals, it's platform pedals. For derailleurs, it's SS. I can't quite figure out how the other items you mentioned fit into this category of optional parts though...

For comparative purposes, can you please explain what the alternatives are to: seats, handlebars, brakes, & cranksets? For clipless pedals, it's platform pedals. For derailleurs, it's SS. I can't quite figure out how the other items you mentioned fit into this category of optional parts though...

http://www.leelikesbikes.com/wp-content/091708bmxpluscover.jpg
No clipless pedals, no derailleurs...and no saddle! He's still got bars and a crank though.

I probably can but I don't like to. Does that make me full of sh|t . . . or just an ordinary hack?


Of course not - but you know that isn't what I meant.

I don't think anyone would say it is impossible to ride technical stuff while locked in, just that on such trails it is much more confidence inspiring to be able to snap your foot down in a 1/4 second and go about your business, rather than fall over. There are lots of obstacles I've crossed, just barely having to touch a foot down at the last second, and then immediately getting my foot back in place to start cranking. I don't think that is possible with clipless pedals, especially after putting your foot down in mud and such like I have.

Again, not that clipless systems don't have their place, more just that so do platforms.

I haven't tried anything but platforms in 18 years of bicycling and I can easily imagine their advantages, but I can also easily imagine (and have seen) their disadvantages. Thus, for me, while I might eventually try them just to see for myself, it isn't something I'm dying to do, nor do I feel like it is something that would better my personal riding experience.

zerogravity, did you use proper shoes with your flats? Five Tens make all the difference for me. Wearing Five Tens my feet pretty much never slip on any pedal, except maybe those smooth plastic pedals. Just like buying cycling specific shoes for clipless pedals, you have to buy cycling specific shoes for flats to get the most out of them.
Ya know..just used my Vans...didn't have Five Tens..i know Five Tens are pretty Dialed...but i already have my Clipless shoes...probably wont invest in another bike shoe for a while to be honest.

[picture]
No clipless pedals, no derailleurs...and no saddle! He's still got bars and a crank though.

Damn! Knew someone was going to call me out on the trials bikes:notamused:

Of course not - but you know that isn't what I meant.You're right of course but if I didn't twist what you said, it would be harder to stir the pot. :D

To be completely honest, I wish I had gotten confident enough with clipless a long time ago to ride/race downhill and other gnarly stuff clipped in. I probably would be faster and maybe more fluid; but I just couldn't bend my mind past the pucker factor to get comfortable.

To be completely honest, I wish I had gotten confident enough with clipless a long time ago to ride/race downhill and other gnarly stuff clipped in. I probably would be faster and maybe more fluid; but I just couldn't bend my mind past the pucker factor to get comfortable.

I can absolutely +1 this!

What a ridiculous question.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Clipless a rage? Since they first came out over twenty years ago? That's a long run for a "rage"!

There are lots of obstacles I've crossed, just barely having to touch a foot down at the last second, and then immediately getting my foot back in place to start cranking. I don't think that is possible with clipless pedals, especially after putting your foot down in mud and such like I have.

This is absolutely possible with clipless.




I probably can but I don't like to. Does that make me full of sh|t . . . or just an ordinary hack?

To me dminor, you're no ordinary hack. You're a truly extraordinary hack.

For comparative purposes, can you please explain what the alternatives are to: seats, handlebars, brakes, & cranksets? For clipless pedals, it's platform pedals. For derailleurs, it's SS. I can't quite figure out how the other items you mentioned fit into this category of optional parts though...

For many of us SPDs are as indispensible as any modern improvement. I would gladly give up index shifting rather than my clipless pedals.

For many of us SPDs are as indispensible as any modern improvement. I would gladly give up index shifting rather than my clipless pedals.

Cool story. Wasn't my question.

Would you give up your handlebars & crankset for SPD's? Where would you put them?

I don't think anyone would say it is impossible to ride technical stuff while locked in, just that on such trails it is much more confidence inspiring to be able to snap your foot down in a 1/4 second and go about your business, rather than fall over. There are lots of obstacles I've crossed, just barely having to touch a foot down at the last second, and then immediately getting my foot back in place to start cranking. I don't think that is possible with clipless pedals, especially after putting your foot down in mud and such like I have.



Depends on your perspective. I, and most of the people I ride with - ride all sorts of nasty stuff, and have no issues putting a foot down when needed, and getting it right back to being clipped in.

Just like any other personal preference with bike setup, it just takes getting used to.

I'm the other way with flats: have played around with them a couple times, and just really disliked them. Stick with what you like, and don't worry so much about what the other guy is running.

Damn! Knew someone was going to call me out on the trials bikes:notamused:

Not calling out, I just thought it was an interesting thing I found a while ago.

Though if you want me to call you out...that's not a trials bike. :p

Not calling out, I just thought it was an interesting thing I found a while ago.

Though if you want me to call you out...that's not a trials bike. :p

Double damn! I noticed the knobby tires & high-rise bars, but I didn't know seatless BMX bikes were ever made.

Double damn! I noticed the knobby tires & high-rise bars, the race helmet, number plate and big BMX Plus! cover title and still didn't clue in that it was a BMX race bike.Fixed.

There's room in my world for both. I ride clipless right now, but I wouldn't mind having a Straightline/661 combo to go with it.

Fixed.

Hey now, how am I supposed to know whether or not trials races existed when I was two years old? And I suppose this would be the first time a magazine had a front cover of something unrelated to the original topic of the magazine...

http://www.foliomag.com/files/images/rolling_stone_obama.jpg

I have SPD's on my mtb right now, but I am kind of falling out of love with the whole "clipped in" thing. Especially since I came to a dead stop when my back wheel hit a root a few weeks ago, and promptly fell over. I was standing and climbing at the time, so it kinda sucked as you can imagine. I am thinking of ordering a set of low profile platform pedals. I used some regular thickness platforms when I first got my mtb, but it seemed like I hit them on every single root, lol. Some wide flat ones would do the trick I bet.

On the road though?? SPD/SL's, or road SPD's all the way. Shimano road SPD's are actually nice looking pedals IMHO. They're my favorite, since I can actually walk when I get off my bike, hehe.

http://www.ae7.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/56a8a6ed0ad59d2bb36a0e7c5c9ea743.jpg