Flat Pedals

[Boris Bajic]

I got a lift to a pal's place today to pick up a bike I'd lent him for a charity event. It was (is) my favourite, nicely-nicely road bike and I'd missed it a little.

He dislikes clipless, so I'd put flat pedals on it for him... and had forgotten that I'd done so.

So... I had a 22-mile ride home in SPD shoes on flats. Hilly with lots of fast descents and gasping climbs. I hadn't ridden further than the local shops without being clipped in for a decade or more.

Bugger, Bugger, Bugger!

But... It was fine. It was different, but it was fine. My heels slapped against the chainstay once or twice, but no major difference.

After telling myself for years that clipless it the only way to enjoy a bicycle, I'm beginning to think I bought the hype a little.

It is better in many respects - and for someone of my limited ability it is a must on fixed - but insofar as it is better, it's 'a little better' rather than the 'different planet' of better I've been telling people it is for years.

So... free yourself and have a fast ride on flat pedals!

(Obviouly, the Egg Beaters went straight back on as soon as I got home!)

 

[Norm]

I have a variety of bikes with pedals ranging from full SPD to single-sided to flats, and I think that each has a place. I feel there are some limited performance gains and I feel better when I am more connected to the bike but I wouldn't be surprised to hear there was no difference.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I have rat traps on my general purpose bike for the sole reason that i can jump on it wearing any shoes if i want to nip to the local shop for example.

 

[Nebulous]

I got a new commuter 2 months ago. An Edinburgh Bike tourer at 13.5 kg with full mudguards, rack, 32 mm tyres and flat pedals. Road bike has spd-sl, 23 mm tyres, and weighs just under 10kg. For work use I generally do less than 20 miles a week, but I need to carry stuff so the tourer is more practical.

Due to problems with the road bike, the tourer landed up doing over 500 miles in 6 or 7 weeks, and I'm very reluctant to admit even to myself, how little difference there was. I managed some reasonable times on Strava segments, and even did my best time on a segment I have tried a lot.

Clipless pedals and a better bike certainly feels good, it helps make the world seem a better place, but in reality in terms of getting from A to B, it doesn't make that much of a difference. For the past year or so I've been trying to work out a justification for buying a lighter, full-carbon, racing machine with better gears. The question I keep getting from friends and family is:- is 'How would it be better than the bike you've got?' My experience in the last couple of months, makes finding an answer that would pass scrutiny, to that question, is even more difficult than it was before!

 

[guitarpete247]

I've got Revolution 2-way pedals on the MTB and SPD-SL on road bike. Last month I had my brother's old bike to do up for him and it had flats on. I brought it home on the back of the car (it was almost unrideable at this stage) but rode it back the 3 miles. It was awful riding on flats again. Part could be that I had trainers with flexible soles but for the most part it was not feeling I was part of the bike. My feet slipped. I felt on a couple of the hills I couldn't put in my full effort.
I rode with toe-clips and straps for years and have always enjoyed being strapped or clipped onto the pedals. It puts my feet in the right place and don't allow them to slip off pedals and ding my shin , which I did on my brother's bike.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I've got Revolution 2-way pedals on the MTB and SPD-SL on road bike. Last month I had my brother's old bike to do up for him and it had flats on. I brought it home on the back of the car (it was almost unrideable at this stage) but rode it back the 3 miles. It was awful riding on flats again. Part could be that I had trainers with flexible soles but for the most part it was not feeling I was part of the bike. My feet slipped. I felt on a couple of the hills I couldn't put in my full effort.
I rode with toe-clips and straps for years and have always enjoyed being strapped or clipped onto the pedals. It puts my feet in the right place and don't allow them to slip off pedals and ding my shin , which I did on my brother's bike.

I think that might be the nub of it.

When I rode my own road bike on flats, I had nice, stiff SPD shoes on. I do think that added to the loveliness of the experience.

 

[Theseus]

Of my steeds ...

The nice fixed and the geared tourer both have SPD's (and drop bars)
The pub fixed has cages, but I keep the straps loose to ease use
Both utility bikes have flats

For the last few weeks I have only been riding one of the utility bikes as the cycle store at work is being revamped and we have to leave bikes outside. I have quite enjoyed the comparative freedom of being able to cycle using normal shoes.

 

[Davidc]

Interesting read.

I injured my knee last year and the consultant I saw was sure I was the 30 somethingth person he'd seen that year with a similar injury caused by using cleats on a bike. The issue being that like many people I have joints which aren't aligned in a straight line facing forwards. Stopped using the cleats and it seems to have recovered.

Apart from the time with the cleats I have always used toe clips of some sort. The normal strapped type when suitably set up seem little different to cleats in terms of connection with the bike and assistance in getting good power transfer. The open sided plastic things I have on the utility bike stop feet moving back and forth or getting near the front wheel, but don't give any other benefits.

What I really don't like is using flat pedals with no clips, cleats or other foot restraint. It usually leads to toes meeting the front wheel, ankles meeting chainstays, bruised shins or other unpleasantries. Shoes that don't have a stiff hard sole are also a disaster. Gym shoes, trainers or any other soft shoe just hurts.

 

[MacB]

Why do people think stiff soles make a difference, assuming a sole thick enough not to allow pins to dig into your feet?

 

[Davidc]

Why do people think stiff soles make a difference, assuming a sole thick enough not to allow pins to dig into your feet?

It's just that most of us find that non-stiff ones are uncomfortable.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I have rat traps on my general purpose bike for the sole reason that i can jump on it wearing any shoes if i want to nip to the local shop for example.

My fixed is used for commuting and general running around, it has toe clips and straps on it, I ride it in steel toe capped boots for commuting, often in trainers for general running around and cycle shoes when its being used for winter Sunday rides, I'm comfortable whatever boots/shoes/trainers I wear, the clips and straps give good basic foot retention with the freedom to wear what I like. The Sunday best bike is fitted with clipless pedals, this restricts me to wearing cycling shoes and gives me hardly any advantage over the clips and straps, I recon I'd need a stop watch to measure the difference.

 

[RhythMick]

I got a lift to a pal's place today to pick up a bike I'd lent him for a charity event. It was (is) my favourite, nicely-nicely road bike and I'd missed it a little.

He dislikes clipless, so I'd put flat pedals on it for him... and had forgotten that I'd done so.

So... I had a 22-mile ride home in SPD shoes on flats. Hilly with lots of fast descents and gasping climbs. I hadn't ridden further than the local shops without being clipped in for a decade or more.

Bugger, Bugger, Bugger!

But... It was fine. It was different, but it was fine. My heels slapped against the chainstay once or twice, but no major difference.

After telling myself for years that clipless it the only way to enjoy a bicycle, I'm beginning to think I bought the hype a little.

It is better in many respects - and for someone of my limited ability it is a must on fixed - but insofar as it is better, it's 'a little better' rather than the 'different planet' of better I've been telling people it is for years.

So... free yourself and have a fast ride on flat pedals!

(Obviouly, the Egg Beaters went straight back on as soon as I got home!)

Couldn't agree more. I bought the hype for a while too. For me I think flats are mostly the right choice, though I would put the SPDs on for a pure road ride.