Clipping in on the trail
06-30-18, 09:22 AM
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Clipping in on the trail
Hi All- I'm new to mountain biking, and am looking forward to hitting the trails. I recently purchased a trek mountain bike, but am debating whether to go with clip in or pedals with traction pins.. I'll mostly be riding trails (as opposed to downhill), but am wondering what peoples thoughts are on these 2 types of pedals. Obviously don't want the feet coming off the pedals, but want to be able to quickly get out of the bike. Any/all thoughts are much appreciated.
06-30-18, 09:43 AM
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I have only been riding a couple of years and I went clip less a couple months ago. Just my personal experience is I LOVE my clip less pedals on trails I am familiar with or when they are XC type trails. When I am riding on super technical, downhill or unfamiliar trails I like my platform pedals. I say have both sets of pedals so you change them depending on the riding conditions. I ride Shimano XT trails for clip less, and Race Face Chesters for my flats.
06-30-18, 07:14 PM
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Its really personal preference. I think about my riding style and flats are what I believe are good for me. Clips are great for super bumpy trails, with that said, I have't had a problem with my Fivetens and my specialized boomslag pedals. The pedals are great but are pretty aggressive. https://dunbarcycles.com/products/sp...omslang-pedals
06-30-18, 10:09 PM
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https://youtu.be/WW87e4OIMjs
Clip in give you control over the back of the bike. Tip your heels down over rough stuff and you won't slide off. But you can still come off them vertically on a jump.
Clip in give you control over the back of the bike. Tip your heels down over rough stuff and you won't slide off. But you can still come off them vertically on a jump.
07-01-18, 11:13 AM
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There is really no correct answer here, you will find very experienced riders on both.
As far as what to start out with: If you are already very comfortable and fast getting in/out of clipless, then I think you can go either way.
However if you are just starting out, I would go with flats. Just one less thing to be learning all at once.
As far as what to start out with: If you are already very comfortable and fast getting in/out of clipless, then I think you can go either way.
However if you are just starting out, I would go with flats. Just one less thing to be learning all at once.
07-01-18, 11:30 PM
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I'd definitely go with flats. Five Ten shoes have grippy rubber that grabs pedals with pins like they're clipless everywhere but pulling up. Sam Hill has been winning mountain bike races using flats and five ten shoes. Being able to get a foot down quickly in mountain biking is something you do several times each ride and keeps you a lot safer if you can do it (again in mountain biking). Flats are also just more convenient, I switched from clipless back to flats because their convenience makes them so much more enjoyable to ride for me. Some people claim that riding flats in mountain biking is a better way to start because you learn better technique.
Even in mountain bike racing there's a lot of debate over whether flats or clipless is the better way to go, if you're just starting out (in mountain biking) I'd definitely go with flats.
Even in mountain bike racing there's a lot of debate over whether flats or clipless is the better way to go, if you're just starting out (in mountain biking) I'd definitely go with flats.
07-03-18, 06:40 AM
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