Pedal Question
 

Hey,

I purchased a mountain bike a few days ago and am wondering if clipless pedals are a necessity for single track riding. I do not have all the confidence in the world at going over certain obstacles, or down some of the drops/downhill sections. I was wondering if I would be better off using platform pedals until my confidence is built up.

Should I just man up and buy some clipless pedals and shoes? I have used clipless before, but never on the trail. What would you suggest?

get the dual sided pedals, clip on one side, platform on the other with some mtn bike shoes. I use the platforms when I was uncomfortable with the clips and no matter which side is up you have good contact.

No you don't have to ride with clipless pedals. Just stick to the platforms for a while.

I have platform pedals with some little bolts that stick up and hold the bottom of your shoes. They work great and take my mind off of falling due to failure to unclip.

No, you dont, but its also not that hard -- set the release tension loose and go to town --- the more comfy you get with them the tighter you can set the release ---- you can use one of the newfangled platform pedals, like the XT or XTR trail model, or the Crank Bros. Candy until you get a bit more confidence too

This.
I've been riding clipless for probably 15 years now, and I'm still not as confident on them as I am on platforms, so much so that I'm considering switching my 29er to platforms (my 26" already has them).
The ONLY advantage I've experienced from running clipless pedals is during long hill climbs you can get the full rotation of the pedal stroke.
Other than that...I don't see the point of them (which is odd when I consider that I have 3 pairs of Crank Bros Candy pedals around here...)

being clipped in feels a lot more secure to me than a platform pedal would. I have fell/crashed many times and never stayed clipped into pedal - its really not hard to learn to get in and out fast and will become a non issue after a few rides. Climbing, braking, cornering all better when clipped in IMO (for general cross country/singletrack )