Why you should learn on flat pedals, develop on clipless pedals and then be able to switch between both types of pedal.
There is little that divides the mountain bike community more than the age old debate of clipless or flat pedals. Such a sensitive subject that it divides opinion even within the inner dynamics of our TrailCoach team. We sat down and had a peaceful discussion on the matter to bring you all the facts on pedal placement.
FLAT PEDALS
Flat Pedals are the most common starting point for mountain bikers, combined with mtb specific footwear, this combination is great. No maintenance required, they’re reliable, safe and simple. Pretty hard to beat, right?
Most riders begin their mountain biking journey on flat pedals, and this results in the learning techniques in the correct manner. Understanding how to manipulate and control the bike on flat pedals is the true test of rider control. Learning to push through the flat pedals effectively builds the control when cornering, jumping, and finding grip when the trail becomes unpredictable. However, is it a problem if you limit yourself to only riding flat pedals?
Become a Master of Technique
The most obvious benefit of flat pedals is that it creates good habits. Building speed and control on a mountain bike all comes from the riders ability to push the bike into the trail, feeling the reward of additional traction and speed on the trail through pushing allows riders to build flow on trails without the need to pedal.
Bailing Opportunities
For a beginner rider, the need to bail from potentially tricky situations may be high! Flat pedals give the opportunity for riders to jump off the bike in the event of a near-crash. The biggest reserve many riders have when considering making the switch to a clipped set up is the feeling like you would be ‘stuck’ on the bike… whilst this isn’t the case, it is a very difficult barrier to overcome for riders making the switch to clipping in.
The downside of this is “shinning yourself” on the pedal pins… anybody that’s ridden flat pedals and slipped off a pedal while under load with know exactly what this feels like – life is ending in your leg. It may fall off. The pain is like giving birth from your lower leg apparently… Probably the most common MTB injury!
Grip comes at a cost… literally!
To have effective grip when riding flat pedals, investment is key. A good set of pedals and flat shoes will give you the feeling of being secure on the pedal, this however, comes at a cost. Modern flat pedal shoes are near the £100 mark, and a quality set of flat pedals will set you back nearly the same. In order to create stability on the pedal, the stability of the bank balance is going to have to suffer!
Maintenance
Although there is almost zero maintenance (wash your shoes and occasionally grease your pedal bearings) it must be mentioned that flat-soled shoes can wear out pretty quickly! With the rubber usually being soft and grippy to give the best traction, the trade-off of this is a fast wear rate, both from walking in them and the pedal pins tearing little grooves in the sole. They can also become very flexible over time, drastically reducing pedalling efficiency as they bend over the pedal while under load, wasting a lot of energy and causing your feet to tire very quickly.
CLIPLESS PEDALS
While the name may confuse you, clipless mountain bike pedals refer to being clipped into the pedals. FACT ALERT: This is because previously, attachment to the pedals was created through unwieldy ‘toe clips’, until a mechanical clip-in pedal was designed in order ditch the toe clip design… hence (toe)clip-less pedals were born.
The objective of the clipless system is to create stability and power delivery through the pedals to create more forward propulsion, cross country (XC) racing and the need to go fast up hills is the most likely culprit for the development on mountain biking clipped pedals. The benefits of stability and the ease of use has won over the hearts of downhill inclined mountain bikers and now clipless pedals are by far the most common pedal of choice at World Cup level downhill races across the globe.
The initial adjustment period of riding clipped-in is worth it for the benefits that it can bring the trail, especially racing and endurance events.
Get the Power Down
The most obvious advantage of riding clipped in is that consistent, reliable power can be delivered both in the down and the upstroke of the pedal rotation. Giving riders the opportunity to get the cranks in, where mostly it wouldn’t be possible on flat pedals. This is the main reason for many racers opting to clip-in during race situations; if things get a little messy (and quite often they do during a race) riders can ‘pull’ on the pedals and get themselves unstuck during those difficult stalls.
Stability
When descending, mountain bikers only have two points of contact with their machine; pedals are one of these (handlebars the other) and if there is a feeling of instability, rider control and confidence is severely compromised. A benefit of riding clipped in is the feeling of stability on the bike when riding rougher terrain, and a feeling of attachment with the bike, allowing you to place it on the trail with more accuracy.
Push don’t Pull
Many technique related issues come from riders who make the switch to clipless pedals too soon in their riding career and their technique suffers because of this. On clipless pedals, the need to fully push through the bike into the trail becomes irrelevant as riders have the option to pull the bike into them while tackling features. While this may feel like it works, but as riders can only just ‘get through’ and ‘survive’ the feature, it severely limits the potential of the rider when attempting to push their limits and develop their riding. The unlearning of good flat-pedal techniques can be dangerous for beginners making the switch too soon, where they can start to ‘cheat’ by pulling on the pedal to lift over an obstacle rather than pushing to create grip or thrust, thus limiting their potential for movement through a manoeuvre.
Maintenance
The biggest downside of riding a clipless setup is the intricacy of the mechanical system – for this to be effective both the pedal and the cleat in the shoe must be in good working order – the cleats can wear and the cages can get damaged. If not, it is likely to fail and cause you issues while riding.
They are also vulnerable to rock strikes as they are at the lowest point of your cranks and underneath your feet, closest to the ground as your pedals are turning over rocky terrain – your chances of a successful trail-side repair for cleats or clipless pedals are unlikely to slim. These issues don’t exist with a flat pedal and flat-soled shoe set up as they tend to be far more resilient to rock strikes.
The Best of Both Worlds
The ideal scenario for any mountain biker is to be confident and comfortable riding both pedals, with no adjustment period between pedals. Our coaching staff all ride flat pedals when running coaching sessions to demonstrate technique in the most effective manner, but all could switch over to clipless pedals and squeeze those extra seconds out of a race stage in a heartbeat!
Both types of pedals, both clipless and flat, have benefits in terms of confidence and control, and as with all things bike, each is most appropriate in different scenarios – it’s the conditions, circumstances and evidence that dictate setup; not trends, aesthetics and opinions.
