flats or clipped in ?

he he
I grew up on flats, but then went 100% clipless for a few years when racing XC. I had inadvertently learned to cheat, and pull up on the pedals to hop.

My first time back on flats, I went for this huge hop...but my feet weren't connected... my bike stayed completely still while I somersaulted over the bars. What a barney.#-o

From that day on, I try to spend a fair amount of time on my flats to keep the skills

 

sigh...old question, but whatever...

okay for me:

flats are for all free-riding/having fun DH. namely, lift access stuff, jumping, drops that aren't part of a race course, etc. they're easier to bail on, and have a better platform to stand on (duh)

clips for going fast. I use clips whenever possible for racing, since you can get that much more power for starts, turn exits, general sprinting, etc. It is also one less thing to worry about, not having to keep your feet in the correct position. set them tight and don't take them out unless you're gonna crash.

granted, there are exceptions. I occasionally do stupid things in my clips, but not often. also, I occasionally race with flats, depending on the course. for example, if there are a lot of places where a dab could be useful, definitely go with flats. I actually raced on flats in vail lake, since the course was sandy enough that I needed to throw a foot down to drift a corner a few times.

your opinion may vary. some people just like flats no matter what, and they work for them (including very fast racers). clips work for me, so I use them

 

Sam Hill uses flats. World Champ.
Greg Minaar uses clips. World Champ.

Enough said.

That said, I heart them both.

 

It really depends on what you want and comfort level. Both have proven themselves with DH riders. Actually in 2007 Steve Peat went back and forth on the gnarliest track on the second stop of the World Cup. He couldn't decide and finally went with flats, but only after practicing with both. If you do go clipless, make sure the pedals have a nice platform surrounding them so if you pull out you still have something to put your foot on. If you go with flat pedals, make sure you have a nice flat bottom sole with waffle like pattern. Cut and buff soles like Vans work well and mold themselves around the pins of the flat pedals. Don't go with anything that has a middle shank on the sole or any holes/ gaps for the pegs to sit it. With that said, go with what makes you comfortable. BMX is flats for freestyle, jumps, etc., but clipless for racing, but even that rule was broken by guys like Robbie Miranda. Only problem is MTB flat shoes are very Fugly. Go with skate shoes with proper soles like BMXers do. No Fugly, granola, weird, mtb shoe, ha ha. Good luck, either way you can't go wrong.

 

Clipped in

I prefer a clipless set up over flats by far. You increase your peddle efficiency as well as gain more control over the tail of the bike. It does take a while to get used to though.

 

whatever feels comfortable? oh wait, that's been said like a thousand times, huh?

when i first got into dh from xc, i thought i was supposed to use flats for jumping/freeriding and just general dh. i tried them... they didn't feel comfortable for me due to the xc background.

i don't subscribe to the whole "using your clipless pedals to jump is cheating" stuff either. i use my pedals to jump, whip, hold onto the bike etc... cuz they're there and i use that to my advantage! to me saying i'm cheating or have bad form is like saying i'm cheating by having suspension on my bikes.

 

I think they say it bad form due to the fact that if you have a faulty pedal, have to ride flats, etc... and you always pull up with feet you that can put yourself in a bad spot.

 

...they don't know.:lol:

 

Sounds like you have experienced one of those situations:lol:

I know its probably instinct to use clips but its still not the best idea.

 

I ride clipped in, ALL the time, only time it may be an issue for me is in the mud, but a little pam cooking spray on the pedals takes care of that. Better pedalling, more con trol over the tail of the bike, better overall feel for the bike, feet always being in the proper position.

I ride with shimano545 clipless/cage pedals, I can get in and out quickly withouit issues, never have I been Hung up in the pedals keeping me stuck to the bike. As for a shoe, whatever I can get my fat foot to fit in at the time that feels comfy.

 

interesting. I never thought control of the rear was a strong point of clips. for me, the lack of float on the SPDs restricts a little, especially on hip-type jumps, doing whips, or really throwing your weight into a cutty. I've noticed that I come unclipped unintentionally in those situations more than any other, even with the pedals set to their hardest setting.

 

I guess since I used the "C-word" (cheating), I should clarify. I would agree with Danlorek that clipless are another tool that should be used to their advantage..

I would assert, however, that riding clipless exclusively can mask sloppy technique... that riding flats will quickly expose.

In riding downhill, if you are reading the trail properly, flowing with your bike, have good timing, soaking bumps with your legs.. you do not need clipless to maintain control of your bike.. or keep your feet on the pedals. Now, if you got that part down and then put on clipless and get a little something extra out of it.. then great.

Same for jumping, hopping, etc. If you can't jump without clipless, then your body position and timing are not proper.. you will likely pay dearly one day. If you can't hop, etc without clipless, then your timing and position are off. If you practiced with flats and got it down, then when you put on clipless, you'd really be smoking.

Anyway, I guess my winded point is that I think:
a) riding clipless can mask poor riding position, timing, etc
b) it would be a good idea to run flats occasionally to expose these issues
c) I take back the 'cheating' nomenclature
d) take full advantage of clipless pedaling power, and any other control it gives you (just don't be lulled into false sense of control!!)

BTW- on a similar vein, i think it's a good idea to downhill on a hardtail every now and then... cause it helps keep line choice and bump soaking skills sharpened.. which can come in handy on the downhill bike too.

 

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Lee already said it, but Multi release cleats will help out alot, that or run Mallots, which have more float. As far as teh jumos, and styles ETC, Flat would be better, but the original question was about downhilling, which, while it looks good, style is less important than making it to the finish line. I still jump, maybe a bar turn, or a one hander from time to time, but thats it. I just want to go fast

 

Agreed! It doesn't hurt to take a hardtail out and race DH once in a while. (This was from the first race of the Winter Series when I didn't feel like riding my M3. Note that I'm running platforms.)

 

come to think of it, it maybe the rocking that I'm looking for :?: I'm otherwise happy with the regular cleats too. they hold on well enough, and I've never had a crash where they didn't release. perhaps some platformed SPDs would help, since they can get tighter in my experience than other spds.

I also agree with riding hardtails for DH. nothing forces you to ride more than a hardtail. If I had a spare 3000 to spend on something silly, I'd want a knolly free-radical with a fox 40, and a full DH race build. oh, and some 3" tires :lol:

finally, style isn't necessary by any means for racing, but I like it anyway. if I can stick a sweet, low risk trick during my race run, it usually gives me a confidence boost/ keeps me in the flow. can't argue with that.

btw, is that the build that's on your mob Lee? nice work...

 

I can't believe this thread got this far (unless I missed a post) without someone saying that the absolute best shoes for flats are 5.10's (aka FiveTens). They use sticky climbing shoe rubber and your feet will not slip at all on platforms with pins. You will have to lift your foot to reposition it. Anyhow, search for the many other past threads on this topic...

 

thanks again for everyones opinions. i think once i get healed up i'm going to get some fiveten's and flats and give them a try. that way i can see which feels better.

thanks

 

I ride flats, but havent tried clip ins. I think I would just prefer the flats to a clip cuz I can take it on and off easy, I hear it's easy to clip in and out, but your doing more work than a flat guy would just stepping down....Check this picture from Pink bike. If I remember correctly it's a girl too, I think she broke a few bones on this one. Clipped in. Doesn't always stay clipped, but when it does! OUCH!(I think I've seen some pictures like this with platforms too though)

 

now, now... i've seen my share of people getting straight-wrecked from flats too! heck, I can look down at my shin and see some quality scar tissue from those nice-and-sharp allen set screws in my wellgo's.