Should a new mountain biker learn to ride on flat or clipless pedals?

Should a new mountain biker learn to ride on flat or clipless pedals?

  • Clipless

    Votes: 13 13.4%

  • Flats

    Votes: 57 58.8%

  • Doesn't matter

    Votes: 27 27.8%
  • Total voters
    97
Since i last posted about this, i've gone and switched out the pedals on my hardtail to flats, too... cross bike still has clipless tho. once in a while for a race, i'll switch to the spds for the mountain bikes, but i definitely prefer the flats.
 
stb222 said:
This year I have to changed to the "skate" shoe style with clips. Makes hike a bike and TM during rides much better. I also think the "real" sole of the shoe makes cornering better when using clips with a small platform, even something small like the shimano trail pedals.

After riding BMX and trials with flats and knowing how to do stuff without clips, the benefits are undeniable.
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This is right on. I rode for 2 years on flats. I learned to bunny hop and all that good stuff. When I first switched to clips I was definitely overthinking it (apprehensive about tipping over) but now I feel weird if I am NOT on clipless pedals. Almost against logic, techy stuff is where clips really shine. I can consistently clean tough climbs on clips that I rarely get on flats. I will go back to flats if it gets icy but other than that I don't see myself going back to flats full time.
 
My $.02 on it: I started on flats way back when I was a kid then got away from bikes for a long time. I came back and started back with flats then switched to clipless this past spring and kept going OTB(I rarely did that before). Turned out that I instinctually pull up my feet to bail when the back end starts coming over and being clipped in just helped it the rest of the way. I'm back to flats for the time being. I will admit that it was definitely easier to do some things clipped in but I'm okay with what I can do as long as I'm keeping my head off of the rocks. I'm not saying that I'll never go back to them, just not until I can figure out how to break that instinct. Maybe if I started out being clipped in it would be different but that's not the case for me.

Anywho, my opinion is to do whatever you feel is best for you and don't worry about what someone else says you "have to" do. There's plenty of great riders on both sides of it so unless you have a super specific goal in mind that would require one over the other, just rock on with whatever you want.
 
Coming from years of experience using of both, learn riding flats if you want to teach yourself fundamentals of bike handling. And I mean absolute fundamentals. It's not easy and will certainly be a challenge at first, but it's BY FAR the better option. It's also way more fun (subjective).

Learn on clips if you want to learn fundamentals with an (unnecessary, but marginally helpful) aid.

Doesn't matter which you pick, but there exists a fundamental difference, and this is key. Flat pedal riders can switch to clips and ride just fine, maybe a bit uncomfortable at first but they'll manage.

Throw a pair of flats on someone's bike that's never ridden them (even an "expert" clipless rider) and try not to laugh as they struggle and fumble along the trail.
 
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sundaydoug said:
Doesn't matter which you pick, but there exists a fundamental difference, and this is key. Flat pedal riders can switch to clips and ride just fine, maybe a bit uncomfortable at first but they'll manage.

Throw a pair of flats on someone's bike that's never ridden them (even an "expert" clipless rider) and try not to laugh as they struggle and fumble along the trail.
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I'm not saying you're wrong, but what does this matter? My clipless pedals aren't going to turn into flat pedals in the middle of a ride.
 
sundaydoug said:
Coming from years of experience using of both, learn riding flats if you want to teach yourself fundamentals of bike handling. And I mean absolute fundamentals. It's not easy and will certainly be a challenge at first, but it's BY FAR the better option. It's also way more fun (subjective).

Learn on clips if you want to learn fundamentals with an (unnecessary, but marginally helpful) aid.

Doesn't matter which you pick, but there exists a fundamental difference, and this is key. Flat pedal riders can switch to clips and ride just fine, maybe a bit uncomfortable at first but they'll manage.

Throw a pair of flats on someone's bike that's never ridden them (even an "expert" clipless rider) and try not to laugh as they struggle and fumble along the trail.
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It isn’t like you magically don’t know how to pedal or something, which is key.
 
I pull on the up stroke while riding clipless, when on steep stuff. So there is that.
Or when sprinting on there trainer ?
 
Tim said:
I'm relatively new to MTB. I have been riding flats for a couple years. The biggest benefits to flats for me are being able to bail quickly and building confidence. Those 2 things are very closely related. I like to challenge myself to become a better rider and that often means riding features that intimidate me and are often times above my ability at first. Being able to put a foot down quickly without thinking about it gives me the confidence to keep trying stuff that is difficult. Others have mentioned that using flats will force you to learn to control the bike (lift the rear wheel especially) with your body weight and not rely on the clips to pull the bike up. I think this is also important but at the end of the day is not crucial. People have different riding styles/priorities and that's ok. I have been messing around with clipless pedals lately and I love the feeling of being connected to the bike. I have also tipped over from not being able to get a foot down quick enough in a technical sections that I couldn't clean. I am still working on learning clips and really look forward to being able to ride them confidently.

I think you will develop the best riding skills if you can ride both.
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I think Timmy hit it on the head with this comment and it basically echoes my feelings exactly.

As a roadie, when I first got an MTB, I immediately went clipless because I was under the impression that a "real rider" had to be on clipless. I ate it bad on the first ride out and then, on my second MTB ride, I was with Jim Vreeland at a Jorba event when they used to have it at Jungle Habitat. He took me for a ride on the easy trail and I was unclipping and walking over any and everything. He realized that I was intimated because of my previous fall and suggested that I move to flats to learn to ride. I did just that and it definitely changed the way I learned. I got a good pair of flat pedals and then a good pair of flat shoes and as Timmy said earlier, I found myself attempting more and more difficult things, learning to ride. I really only ride the MTB in fall/winter, so it has taken me 3 years to build up my confidence to move to clipless, but this season I did it... actually, just 3 weeks ago. The transition has been seamless and I'm glad that I spent the time on flats that I did. I'm noticing that climbing sections are easier to just keep the cranks turning and getting over the biggest log overs is easier.. just unweighting the back end that much more. I learned to bunnyhop on flats, but clipped in, I'm clearing just a bit higher.
 
The Kalmyk said:
Clip in imo.

I’m not buying the flats for learning. Learn what?
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Learn to ride obstacles... If someone is intimidated about falling and failing to unclip and they're walking obstacles, then they aren't learning to ride, they're walking.

I think that this is also going to be dependent on where someone is learning to ride... in south jersey, where trails tend to be more XC, I could see that beginners might be fine on clipless right away, but as you go further north and the trail systems become endless rock gardens, it can be intimidating as hell to be stuck in.
 
Still not buying into the idea that ya can't learn heal down-n-away to get out of the pedal quickly.
with the multi-directional cleat, and light tension setting it shouldn't be hard.

Like snowboarding, a couple of times burying the downhill edge, and you don't do that anymore.
 
The Kalmyk said:
Clip in imo.

I’m not buying the flats for learning. Learn what?
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It took me most of a decade but I finally figured out the pompous “learn the right way”....”bad habits” thing. Why “the experts” are so bad at basic answers is beyond me.

The reason why learning on flats “MIGHT” be better for a beginner is so that they learn to use their arms/upper body to “row” the bike over obstacles rather than just getting the front wheel up and then bashing the rear wheel over or doing an exaggerated rear wheel lift, which has a bad habit throwing you a little too far over the front end (at times). Everything else is horse shit IMO.
 
I ride clipless and one thing I don't like is that I suck at it lol
I cant clip in fast enough. Especially on features that points down. I end up walking it because I am too lazy to go back a half a mile to give myself enuff distance to clip in.
 
Patrick said:
Still not buying into the idea that ya can't learn heal down-n-away to get out of the pedal quickly.
with the multi-directional cleat, and light tension setting it shouldn't be hard.

Like snowboarding, a couple of times burying the downhill edge, and you don't do that anymore.
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Who is saying this can’t be learnt? Obviously it can lol.
 
The Kalmyk said:
I’m not buying the flats for learning. Learn what?
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Learn how to ride without being mechanically attached to your pedals. I trying to come up with a good analogy, but struggling. Closest I can come, although clearly not apples to apples comparisons:

1. Learning how to drive an automatic versus a manual transmission. Sure you can learn on both, but the manual gives you a much better feel for what's going on with the car.

2. Learning how to play guitar on an entry-level $189 acoustic versus a brand new expensive electric. Sure you can learn on both, but your fingers have to actually help "make" the sound on the acoustic and you have to press like hell into the frets to get the good sound. It's not easy. Learn on that and then swap to a nice electric and you feel like Eddie Van Halen.

It's worth noting that I rode clipped in for close to 10 years before trying flats. I still go back once every few years just for fun, and yea maybe I'm faster on certain sections because there's much less thought involved with clips, but they still feel like an unnecessary crutch to me and simply not as fun. I don't make a living racing mountain bikes and I've never been on Strava, so if I'm X% faster on clips (which is debatable) I couldn't care less.

I'm just super-passionate about riding flats and would highly recommend that riders at least give it a try. Worst-case you go back to clips. Or, maybe you'll be like me and never go back.

I've picked up bike handling skills riding flats that I'm 100% sure would be absent had I had never tried them.
 
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sundaydoug said:
I'm just super-passionate about riding flats and would highly recommend that riders at least give it a try. Worst-case you go back to clips. Or, maybe you'll be like me and never go back.
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Y doe?

NICA had the big push for flats to learn and a bunch of the coaches jumped on the band wagon. Sure, great for teaching / learning /confidence building and I agree some skills should be learned before switching...

However, take a look at NICA HS and a huge percentage of the kids switched to clips. Personally, my son (7th grade) switched this year. There are just too many advantages to clips.
 
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