I tried flat pedals yesterday

I have used both 5.10's and Vans, and never really have a problem slipping pedals with flats. Usually I roll with the 5.10's but I was wearing an older pair of Vans on the last OOS ride at Creek, and despite the damp conditions didnt loose grip once the whole day. Was on newish , Deity compounds for pedals, which are the cheap plastic flats, which have a few less pins than the Chesters on my hardtail. So while I respect everyone's personal experiences and preferences on this subject, I have trouble understanding while so many clipless riders fear riding technical trails with flats. Im thinking it's more about technique than the pedals or shoes if you loose your footing in the gnar.
 
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jklett said:
I have to ask, what's wrong with vans? I wore them when I was a kid and I wear them now and never had any problems slipping off the pedals. Am I missing something?
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It’s the rubber. 5.10 shoes use the same rubber climbing shoes use (5.10 started out as a climbing shoe company). It’s a soft, grippy rubber. Compared to the typical sole used in skate shoes the grip is significantly different, especially when your shoes get wet.
 
mtbiker87 said:
I have used both 5.10's and Vans, and never really have a problem slipping pedals with flats. Usually I roll with the 5.10's but I was wearing an older pair of Vans on the last OOS ride at Creek, and despite the damp conditions didnt loose grip once the whole day. Was on newish , Deity compounds for pedals, which are the cheap plastic flats, which have a few less pins than the Chesters on my hardtail. So while I respect everyone's personal experiences and preferences on this subject, I have trouble understanding while so many clipless riders fear riding technical trails with flats. Im thinking it's more about technique than the pedals or shoes if you loose your footing in the gnar.
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Well said !!
I think it all boils down to the shoes, pedals and techniques. I've ridden in some pretty gnarly places and I think I may have slipped off the pedals once that I could remember and hit my shin. And that was on my fatbike and my technique was at fault.
You can be proficient with flats. Just takes time to get used to them and learn the techniques that are needed to take you over whatever your riding over.
And I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've saved myself from planting my face on the rocks while going OTB. Most times I was able to land on my feet and catch myself.
 
mtbiker87 said:
I have trouble understanding while so many clipless riders fear riding technical trails with flats. Im thinking it's more about technique than the pedals or shoes if you loose your footing in the gnar.
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I can only speak for myself but you may be right. I don't have to think about technique. Clip in and spin your heart out. Don't really have to worry about feet coming off or slipping.
 
jklett said:
I have to ask, what's wrong with vans? I wore them when I was a kid and I wear them now and never had any problems slipping off the pedals. Am I missing something?
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For me, they are uncomfortable and I find the slightest tap of your foot with so much as a twig hurts. It's like riding barefoot to me. But I bought these to wear as regular sneakers and never wore them cause I found them uncomfortable walking also. Plus all the cool kids told me Vans are so 1990s and I NEED 510's now...lol
 
Xler8 said:
20mm sounds like a lot... that’s almost an inch. I can see 2-5mm difference maybe? I’d be surprised if there was that much difference in pedal/shoe thickness between flats & clips.

When I swapped out, saddle height stayed the same and my angle of flexion was about the same. Maybe .5 degree difference which isn’t much at all.

If you’re in the saddle and you’re hands are blistering then there’s something else going on...
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When I switch between clipless and flats on my bikes my saddle changes height by 6mm to keep the same leg extension when the dropper is fully extended.
 
Santapez said:
The Pedaling Innovations pedals are great, as @Dajerseyrat mentioned, you get the planted feeling of doing a squat. You can really get a good hip hinge and squat down on the bike. But then again, they're pedals designed by a crossfitter...

It's not that they're bigger, it's that they're longer where you can get your lower portion of your foot (heal) down on it and have much more stability. A lot of people need to actually change saddle positions with them.

I really liked them, however I felt the grip was lacking with the threaded pins. After they sent me to the ER I swapped over temporarily to clipless again and just never went back....yet.

The Chesters were like glue on the shoes when compared to the Pedaling Innovations, but nowhere near the same amount of support. I guess I'll go back after cross season...
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My Chesters always felt like my feet were stuck to them, but I got several shin strikes while using them. I went to Crank Brothers Stamps (large) and never slipped a pedal once even though my feet don't seem as stuck to them. I imagine the Pedaling Innovations Catalyst pedals would be even better than the Stamps.

There are a couple things I noticed between flats and clips. First, I feel more over the front of the bike when clipped in. I especially notice this when bunny hopping. I have to really concentrate on getting my weight back to get the front wheel up. I wonder if this is a common phenomenon and a reason why clipless riders have problems on flats? Secondly, I get a little nuisance pain in my left knee when using flats. I don't get this when clipped in. I assume it's because when on flats there is no float and my foot can't move around.
 
I have found on flats I can move my weight around the bike easier than clipped in. I do know the feeling of being forward weighted on clipless, probably causes your planted at the ball of your foot with them, whereas on flats you can move your foot around the pedal till you find a comfort zone. I think after a few sessions of flats, I can call myself a flats rider for now. I don't see me having a hard time transitioning.

Remember when the guy on flats was the oddball out in the crew? Now the opposite holds true where if your clipped in people are looking at you as the oddball.lol
 
Personaly,though I do notice what other folks are riding,I never care about who's riding what, I only care about what works for me. It dont to matter if I'm one of the cool kids, or one of the oddballs, as long as I'm getting the job done. It's great to try something new, but only stay with it because it works for you, not because all your riding buddies, the youtubers, on line forum gurus, bike mags, and manufacturers are throwing it in your face.
 
I don’t really care who rides what, either. The weird thing is when I am on flats all I seem to notice is riders on clips. When I am riding clips it seems like everyone is rocking flats.
 
I've tried three different brands of platform pedals.

1. Specialized Bennies
2. Crank Brothers Stamp 3
3. Shimano XT M8000 flats

I would rank the Shimano XT M8000 flat pedals as the best of those three. The design and shape seems to hold really well and they come with multiple sets of pins of different sizes. They also look really good. The Specialized Bennies are nice and do a decent job, but they're bulky and I seem to have more pedal strikes with them. I was not happy with the CrankBrothers Stamp 3's at all.
 
CrankAddictRich said:
I've tried three different brands of platform pedals.

1. Specialized Bennies
2. Crank Brothers Stamp 3
3. Shimano XT M8000 flats

I would rank the Shimano XT M8000 flat pedals as the best of those three. The design and shape seems to hold really well and they come with multiple sets of pins of different sizes. They also look really good. The Specialized Bennies are nice and do a decent job, but they're bulky and I seem to have more pedal strikes with them. I was not happy with the CrankBrothers Stamp 3's at all.
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What didn’t you like about the Stamps?
 
sptimmy43 said:
I don’t really care who rides what, either. The weird thing is when I am on flats all I seem to notice is riders on clips. When I am riding clips it seems like everyone is rocking flats.
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I guess you have to ride with other people to notice what kind of pedals they have. Who does that? But even when I do, their pedals are the last thing I would check out, if at all.
 
rick81721 said:
I guess you have to ride with other people to notice what kind of pedals they have. Who does that? But even when I do, their pedals are the last thing I would check out, if at all.
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I'm glad you have it all figured out.:thumbsup:
 
Dajerseyrat said:
Just ordered my 510 shoes, like all the cool kids have.
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When you look at the soles you will wonder how they work, not much of a tread but they grip amazingly well. Getting kind of bummed that I will have to switch to my Wolvhammers in a month or so.
 
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