Mountain Biking - more nervous than i was for prom

hey guys i just bought a set of clipless pedals and shoes . The pedals are crankbrothers mallet 3 (http://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_mallet3.php) and shoes are specialized buzz saw (http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/legacy/bikeradar/categories/clothing/cycling-clothing/shoes/images/specialized-buzzsaw-399-75.jpg). The problem is I am more nervous than i was for prom to be cliped and stuck to my bike. Ive been riding for four months now and finnaly was convinced to give it a go. Did i make the right decision? Will it help my riding ? Am i going to do the first 360 frontflip without leaving the ground?:cry: Also how hard would it be to resell the pedals say i ever vow to never ride clipped again:D. Thanks again

If you don't want to ride them and want same "ammunition" by which to argue back at those who keep nagging you to try them, then head oven over to bikejames.com and read some of his articles on riding flats. Otherwise, enjoy the experiment and see what you think after you've tried them for awhile.

Just like with prom, make sure and rub one out before hand and relax. It will all work out.

Some people swear by them. I went back to platforms. A nice pair of pinned platforms with some good stickie shoes (5.10 Camps) are almost the same are getting bolted to your bike.

I've only been clipless for about 4 months. (Crank Bros Candy 2s) I'd say be a bit cautions at first while you get comfortable. You may fall over a time or two (I did) before getting out of the pedals becomes more natural.
Like you, I was reluctant to try clipless at first, but I'm liking it more as I get more comfortable and confident. Just increasing my general bike skills has helped build confidence that I can ride some things without worrying about being clipped in. Actually, being clipped in has helped build my skills. There have been times when I wanted to put a foot down but couldn't so I had to pedal and make it through things I didn't know I could.

Just don't ride near the edge of any cliffs for a while. :p


On another note, do those Mallet pedals work as flats, at least temporarily? There are some times where I'd like to not be clipped in, usually for trying more technical sections the first few times.

I say clipless is better for most things. Some say it's worse. It's not the same as a good pair of 5.10s but it's not for everyone either. You'll probably be fine. Don't panic, Arthur.

I've only been clipless for about 4 months. (Crank Bros Candy 2s) I'd say be a bit cautions at first while you get comfortable. You may fall over a time or two (I did) before getting out of the pedals becomes more natural.
Like you, I was reluctant to try clipless at first, but I'm liking it more as I get more comfortable and confident. Just increasing my general bike skills has helped build confidence that I can ride some things without worrying about being clipped in. Actually, being clipped in has helped build my skills. There have been times when I wanted to put a foot down but couldn't so I had to pedal and make it through things I didn't know I could.

Just don't ride near the edge of any cliffs for a while. :p


On another note, do those Mallet pedals work as flats, at least temporarily? There are some times where I'd like to not be clipped in, usually for trying more technical sections the first few times.
Thanks alot everyone for the advice im think im becoming more confident about using them. And yeah the reason i got the mallets was because the platform is so wide that if i get to scared i can just unclip. Do pedals help your climing significantly? I have been having trouble getting up some hills my buddys have been blasting up?

I switched to clipless recently on my mountain bike. I have been riding clipless on the road for about a year now. It might have been an easier transition for me, but I notice a HUGE difference in climbing. You can use the whole rotation of the crank with both legs the whole time, makes a huge difference. It also has helped me stay on the pedals on rough downhills which is always a good thing. I did fall once or twice, even though I was used to clipless on the road, I was used to platforms for mtb'ing so there was still a slight learning curve. I have had some non-pedal related falls and i've come out of the pedals, so no worries there. I think the usefulness of the clipless can depend on the type of terrain in your area. If you're typically on sprawling trails with light rolling hills and smooth packed dirt, maybe you will not see a difference. Otherwise, it's definietly worth trying for a couple of months (give it some time before you swear off of them).

Started out on flats, went to clipless, now Im back to flats. Clipless have their benefits and ive been considering giving it another go but i have found that my cadence is actually smoother with the flats. I think it has to do with having to put even pressure on the pedal the whole way through the rotation rather then just hammering on the up and down stroke like I tended to do with clipless. But hey you dont know till youve tried it. On techy punchy climbs though it is really nice having your foot glued to the pedals with the clipless. Only thing I really miss.

I would say just go for it and take it easy at first. I ride clipless only when I'm on my mountain bike and wouldn't even think of going back unless I was doing downhill or jumping. For cross country, they are great. Once you get used to them, it becomes second nature to clip out in a hurry. I have never had a crash that I could have avoided if I hadn't been clipped in. I have however avoided crashes thanks to the clipless because you can really throw the back end of the bike around if necessary. YMMV though.

.... Did i make the right decision? ..

depends on you


...Will it help my riding ? ... yes, in some ways, and it will also hurt your riding


.... ...how hard would it be to resell the pedals... depends on where you live.

riding clipless is fine, but not mandatory. i prefer flat pedals and feel there is no real advantage to clipless, including climbing. the people who prefer them for climbing use clipless pedals instead of technique and strength. people ride clipless because they think it's what you are supposed to do, and it makes you a "real" cyclist. nope to both.

depends on you

yes, in some ways, and it will also hurt your riding

depends on where you live.

riding clipless is fine, but not mandatory. i prefer flat pedals and feel there is no real advantage to clipless, including climbing. the people who prefer them for climbing use clipless pedals instead of technique and strength. people ride clipless because they think it's what you are supposed to do, and it makes you a "real" cyclist. nope to both.

Platforms on the dmr here, because clipless on a dirt jumper is kind of stupid.

Have clipless on the fixed gear, serves its purpose.

i prefer flat pedals and feel there is no real advantage to clipless, including climbing. the people who prefer them for climbing use clipless pedals instead of technique and strength.

What a load of crap.

Do Troy, George et al know that you're spewing this BS on the net?

What a load of crap.

Do Troy, George et al know that you're spewing this BS on the net?

yup, it's not BS, they hear it all the time, and we sell flat pedals all the time.

Sorry Pablo but you are full of crap, and you couldn't be any more wrong. I have cleared more obstacles with my clipless pedals than my flats. Just the simple idea of falling made me attack the terrain much much harder and I cleared tons more technical stuff even when I first started to clip in.

Same goes for the descents...I feel 100% more in control when I'm one with my bike. Knowing that my feet are not coming off. my pedals gives me confidence regardless of the terrain

And let's not even starts talking about shreded shins while using a good pair of flats. Hell my scars have scars because of my turivativs, but since I made the switch a few years back not one pedal related cut.

So keep telling yourself there is no difference between flats and clipless but in reality difference is like day and night.

yeah, trials riders can't get up anything unless they are clipped in. and i guess all of us who ride flat pedals aren't actually riding up the technical stuff we ride up then?

i'm not saying you personally don't feel more confident, and i'm not saying it doesn't help. read what i write, argue with what i say, not with how you feel.

we also don't bang our shins on our pedals, our feet don't come off. technique.

yeah, trials riders can't get up anything unless they are clipped in. and i guess all of us who ride flat pedals aren't actually riding up the technical stuff we ride up then?

i'm not saying you personally don't feel more confident, and i'm not saying it doesn't help. read what i write, argue with what i say, not with how you feel.

we also don't bang our shins on our pedals, our feet don't come off. technique.

I read what you wrote and I'm arguing with what you said and you did say it doesn't help. Just because I said " I" I didn't mean just my personal experience. Fact is spinning is more efficient than mashing and when you have flats you mash more than you spin.

And if you haven't had at least one pedal to shin contact you must be riding nothing but fire roads.

I read what you wrote and I'm arguing with what you said and you did say it doesn't help. ...

please, highlight where i said clipless doesn't help. oh, wait, you can't, because i didn't say that.

congrats. you win. bye.

Wow who farted in your cereal this morning? Pablo are crying man? It's ok bro didn't mean to hurt your feelings sorry about that.:roflmao2:

I guess from now on we won't argue with what you say because you get your feelings hurt

By the way I did ride Furita, grand junction, ribbon, holly cross, porcupine rim all in my clipless pedals and no shin guards.

Why did you edit your post bro?

I can clean a lot of stuff clipless that I can't with platforms. But clipless also makes me lazy, and I tend to cheat the bike into the air a lot. So whenever I'm by myself or people who are worse than me, I ride platforms for the practice. When I'm riding with people better than me who I feel bad about holding back, I go clipless.

yup, it's not BS, they hear it all the time, and we sell flat pedals all the time.

Whether OTE sells flats or not is irrelevant.

What is relevant is your really ******** comment: " the people who prefer them for climbing use clipless pedals instead of technique and strength. "

The next time I'm having a beer and tequila with Troy I'm sure we'll have some laughs about his lack of technique and strength. Especially since we've done many tech climbs together (got Geronimo?) and he prefers clipless....

It's one thing to be opinionated. It's quite another to be a clueless windbag.

woahhhhhh haha this is almost as heated as 29" vs 26". Thanks to everyone for giving your opinions and thoughts and i think everyone here has a valid point. I finally grew a pair and had the people at the path slap them on and here is my experience if anyone is intrested.Your thought would be appreciated.

I already have fallen on my first day because i forgot that i was clipped in when i came to a stop. After that i went for a real trail ride and i loved them for climbing. For me I think they helped alot due to the fact that it gave me confidence to not bail out on climbs ( mainly due to the fact that i would topple over if i did). It also made me a safer rider because my speed slowed to half going downhill for fear of flying off with my bike still attached. Its nice to know though that my foot wont slip off the pedal however im bumbed that it makes me chicken out of some more technical stuff i think due to the fact that Im scared im cliped in.Anyways to sum it up, climbing is nice, downhill is slow, and i am waiting to topple over onto a cactus. Will i become more confident as i go on and also are you supposed to pull up as you pedal? thanks again

I'm glad you try them. :)
Don't worry about the downhill speed. You'll get whole lot I mean whole lot faster as you get used to them. Also I'm sure your friends told you that you can adjust the pedals to the point that is so loose almost any foot movement will get your feet out of them. So try to adjust for easy release.

I'm glad you try them. :)
Don't worry about the downhill speed. You'll get whole lot I mean whole lot faster as you get used to them. Also I'm sure your friends told you that you can adjust the pedals to the point that is so loose almost any foot movement will get your feet out of them. So try to adjust for easy release.
Hey thanks alot . I hope ill get used to them but i dont think i can adjust them because their crankbros and they have a diffrent system? dont quote me thats what i though i heard. something about float. but ill definitly keep the update up

depends on you

yes, in some ways, and it will also hurt your riding

depends on where you live.

riding clipless is fine, but not mandatory. i prefer flat pedals and feel there is no real advantage to clipless, including climbing. the people who prefer them for climbing use clipless pedals instead of technique and strength. people ride clipless because they think it's what you are supposed to do, and it makes you a "real" cyclist. nope to both.

How can there be no advantage to clipless while climbing?.... If you think mashing on only the downstroke of either leg is proper pedaling technique, you've got it all wrong. I don't see how else you could do it without being attached to the pedal somehow. It shouldn't be about pure strength on the downstroke. You should be utilizing all your leg muscles and applying power throughout the entire pedal stroke, not just downwards...

Unless of course you superglue your shoes to your flat pedals.

How can there be no advantage to clipless while climbing?.... If you think mashing on only the downstroke of either leg is proper pedaling technique, you've got it all wrong. I don't see how else you could do it without being attached to the pedal somehow. It shouldn't be about pure strength on the downstroke. You should be utilizing all your leg muscles and applying power throughout the entire pedal stroke, not just downwards...

Unless of course you superglue your shoes to your flat pedals.

I do think it's easier to pull up with clipless, but it's certainly not impossible with platforms. Tip your foot slightly vertical and you'll find that you can pull up with platforms. You can pop your rear tire up that way too.

That and how much power do you really get from pulling up versus pushing down?