clipless or not mountain bike

[hooverone]

I have ridden clippless pedals for about 10 years on my road bike but just got a trail worthy moutain bike and I am riding it with tennis shoes but I find when I have to ride on the road back from the trail I have my heal that I am using to push the pedals I can not seem to keep my ball of my foot on the pedals

Should I get some clippless pedals but it seems like sometimes I have to get off the bike in a hurry and clippless pedals would not be good.

Maybe I just need a bigger platform pedal since I am using the spd's that came with the bike with the plastic insterts that make thme like a normal flat bear trap.


Jim

[terry b]

I started with clipless on my MTB - much, much better than platforms or toe clips, at least for XC and singletrack riding. Never had a problem getting out of them on time.

[cookieguy]

Personal bias on a MTB, I like clips and straps. Getting restarted climbing a slope is much more forgiving. One foot in the clips/straps, other foot as long as it approximates the pedal you can overcome stall speed that extra little bit of time to click in when you REALLY need to get the crank around Bleah

Then again...I hate pushing a bike so I try to restart on slopes that are not entirely reasonable.

[musgravecycles]

IMO going clipless on a MTB is the single best upgrade you can make. I'd rather have a rigid single-speed with clipless than a high zoot dually w/o them...

[vaxn8r]

Clipless. No question. SPD.

[toaster]

Time A.T.A.C's or Crank Bros. Eggbeaters.

Mountain biking is largely ignored here and doesn't get the attention it deserves. Serrotta makes a mountain bike frame to die for and many people who own Serottas could and should spend the bucks to have both a road and a mountain bike from the best builder in America.

That said, clipless pedals are the way to go. Sure there's a learning curve, just like road pedals, but you have to be more aggresive about clipping in and out because of the technical demands of the sport.

I miss the days when XC was more popular, nowadays when I ride my MTB I see others with baggy shorts, camelbacks, upright postures and locked out elbows and hunched up shoulders. Rarely are these guys (and girls!) in any thing other than the tiny front chainring and the 28t, or 32t on the cassette on any sort of hill. I think the strong riders are all on the road! The suspension and the easy gearing is attracting all the wimps! A good mountain bike ride should be at least 20-30 hard miles, not 5! Twenty or thirty on the trail feels like 50-75 on the road and takes nearly as long.

A mountain bike ride is supposed to be 90 percent of the time spent climbing tough hills and only 10 percent descending. Going flat and jumping off bumps every time you see one is dumb. Ride the damn thing.

[Ken Robb]

when riding an all- rigid bike or hardtail clipless prevents my feet from bouncing off the pedals in rough going. On a fullsuspension bike I can ride fine on MKS Touring pedals and rubber-soled shoes. Performance Campus Pedals have rat-trap on one side and SPD on the reverse which is a nice package. Even if I try to clip in and miss I'm still able to get going by pedaling on the flat side.
I don't like clip and straps off road because I have too many problems with the clips dragging in ruts or against the uphill side of a slope when I have to start on a hillside.

[sevencyclist]

The clipless pedals helps to keep your feet on the bike. This is very important when you have drops and bouncy trails.

Look for one with adjustable tension, so you can loosen it to easy clip out in the beginning. Once you get better, you can tighten the tension.

With that in mind, I would recommend staying away from Crank Brothers since they do not offer tension adjustment. (Some has reversed the right and left cleat to get slightly different tension, but that only give you two settings.)

I would also recommend ones with slightly bigger platform if you are starting out. It will help you pedal without being clipped in. It will be heavier, but make the riding more enjoyable and less frustrating. Once you get better, you can upgrade.

So for beginners, you can try the Shimano 300 series campus pedal, or 500 series plastic cage, or the 600 series metal cage platform clipless pedals.

Time ATAC makes great mud shedding pedals, but the platform is not as big.

Go and enjoy the trails.

[97CSI]

Shimano makes a decent platform/clipless pedal that I find very useful. Has SPD clipless on one side and platform on the other. So you have your choice, depending on the riding conditions. Have been using for about three years with good results.

[pdonk]

IMO going clipless on a MTB is the single best upgrade you can make. I'd rather have a rigid single-speed with clipless than a high zoot dually w/o them...

I'll second that. Having been a SPD user since the first ones and recently switching to TIME's I can honestly say they both work equally well. Get the ones the majority of yoru friends ride, so you can try other's bikes.

As for SPD shoes, sidi's and high end diadora's are awesome, shimano's are ok.

[Ginger]

You do need to do something other than what you are doing now. Riding flat plastic pedals with tennies is a recipe for slipping off the pedals and getting off the bike a lot when you really didn't have to. No sense in developing those bad habits!

I prefer clipless on my MTB. You can lift the back of the bike easier and apply some body english to it easier with clipless...ratcheting the cranks to go over certain obstacles is easier with clipless too...

I like Crank Bros eggbeaters. I find they're easier to get into and out of than SPDs. They clear mud, and the cleats don't get too gunked up. I did take a dremel tool to the sole of my Sidi's to give myself a little more clearance for clipping in...but I didn't really need to.

However. With my new ACL I'm currently riding flats with no toe straps...but not just any flats. BMX flats. A good set of BMX pedals will certainly give you more confidence than the pedals you're riding now. They have screws in them that grab onto the sole of whatever shoe you're wearing...no float on those babies! And I have to say that I've seen BMX kids do some amazing things with their bikes, so my inability to lift the back of the bike with these pedals is mostly user error.

Things to consider when picking mtb pedals are:
Where do you ride?
Are you riding north shore stuff? A lot of those guys ride flats for exactly the reason you state, they don't want to loose that fraction of a second it takes to disengage themselves from the bike because the penalty for going "with" the bike is way too big.

Are you riding stuff that the penalties aren't too big? Lots of trees, but no cliff edges to drop through?

Lots of mud? You need a clipless pedal that clears that stuff out of the pedal and cleat quickly and easily (this is why I soured on Shimanos back when I was starting with the clipless on the mtb...they didn't shed mud at all...mabye they're better now).

Pure single track? Or fire roads?

Mostly dry sand? You don't need to worry about mud shedding.

Oh...and don't bother with Speedplay frogs on the trail...I've gotten stuck in them more than once when the "should have" released.

You can get some fairly inexpensive mtb shoes to try out your current SPD pedals (You've got 'em, may as well try em...you may find you don't like them...)


I have more thoughts on mtb pedals...but for now, that's my two cents.

[hooverone]

I ride in Tucson, Arizona so lots of cactus some cliffs and sometimes I find that I move my foot of my pedal just in case, not sure how it will feel if I can move my foot off immediately.


I ride by some cliff edges but mainly not and most likely not cliffs like most people think of, meaning not much more than 10 foot but more than enough for me to be concerned about.

Thanks for mentioning about the speedplay frogs; I have a pair of frogs from my wife that are unused and was thinking about trying them.


That was the other thing I was thinking buy some good shoes now or just a cheap pair to try this.

[Ginger]

Arizona...land of hard rocks and cactus...I've had some fun riding down there. The old Cactus Cup course is fun, but I expected it to be a bit more difficult. I forget all the trails we rode down there...but the cactus there are a pretty harsh penalty!

I think if the SPDs that came with the bike have a big enough platform they might be your pedal really...Shimano does have some bigger platforms with clips, so you can still pedal without being clipped in.

Get some shoes with a good stiff sole and decent tread. Even if your pedal platform turns out to be smaller, the sole can help spread dissapate some of the heat and a sticky tread will help you if you have to dab on the rocks down there. I liked running my toe cleats on my Sidis....


On frogs
I really tried to like the frogs...because of their wonderful float which was kind to my knees I rode them for years excusing them for untold issues until I endo'd one day. Twisted my feet correctly to get out so I could step over the bars the left pedal didn't disconnect and I crashed hard and *still* left the shoe ON THE BIKE...it had jammed...Ugh. Heck, try them, you might like them...but if you already have the SPDs on the bike...try those first.


You could do that old "learning to ride clipless" trick and ride with one flat and one clipless for a while until you decide that you're comfortable on the trails with the clipless. It sounds silly if you've been riding clipless for 10 years, but it will let you guage your response time and comfort with the clipless....

[Tony Edwards]

IMO clipless are more valuable, and more important, on a mountain bike than a road bike. In my experience (and I've used clipless and clips and straps extensively off-road), there's a huge safety benefit to being able to just pop out of the pedals when you crash (unlike clips and straps), and, as a previous poster noted, the connection to the bike they provide makes it much easier to bunny hop, push and pull the bike as needed. They also make it worlds easier to sprint up short, steep climbs.

BTW, in case you haven't used MTB pedals before, they are much easier to get into than most road pedals, and also very easy to get out of. I honestly don't see much of a downside to them.

[ols]

My vote would be for Time pedals on the mountain bike, although I also really like bmx style giant platform pedals I have on my singlespeed too (which I ride with shin guards...) The Time pedals are more rounded than the Crank Bros, so some riders think you might be less likely to gouge your legs in a fall compared to the Crank Bros. On the plus side for Crank Bros, some people swear thet are the easiest to clip into in the mud, and they also come in lighter (and I think cheaper) versions than Time.

To help with releasing quickly, Speedgoat sells what they call "shaved cleats" for both Time and Crank Bros pedals that have removed just enough metal on the cleat that you dont need as wide an angle to disengage your foot from the pedal (helps in panic unclipping.) You can shave the cleats yourself too with a metal file, but I think they dont charge any extra for replacement cleats that they've shaved. (You would still need to buy these as extras though in addition to the cleats that come with the pedals..)

One other thought on the big BMX platform pedals with the screws. They are huge and grip your shoes extremely well (A rider named Hans Rey does all his amazing trials-type riding on platform pedals and he can move the back of the bike around in the air with no problem...) However - those pins can seriously tear up your shins if you slip off the pedals. One of the brand names for this kind of pedal is actually "shin burgers" ... so if you go that route for technical riding, you should also invest in some shin guards (or some band aids!)

[musgravecycles]

My vote would be for Time pedals on the mountain bike,

What ols said...

The ATAC is the best MTB pedal out there...

[Ginger]

You bring up something I do suggest for beginner trail riders...

Protective gear. Many people ride without, but shin guards/knee guards are not a bad idea when you're riding out there...or just beginning riding the trail. They look dorky and people might laugh, but if you're just starting riding the trails they might be a good investment for a while until you're more confident. At least the knee pads. I ride with lightly padded elbow/forearm guards as well when I'm in territory that I don't know and when I'm getting back on the bike. I use them as tree bashers around here. :banana:

I remember one trip to Pisgah (North Carolina) the gang was meeting a local for a guided ride and I had my knee guards and arm guards on...the guys were really harrassing me until we met up with the local and he had on about the same thing.

I do ride the shaved cleats on the crank bros.
I rode shaved cleats on the Times and still had issues clipping out...I'm just a princess I guess...

The only issue I've had with the crank bros is if you miss the pedal you can really whack your instep...and that really hurts...I've done it twice so far, however not on a trail...on my road bike.

[davids]

Absolutely clipless! If you ride clipless on the road, you'll adopt very quickly on the trails.

When you first use them, adjust the tension to be very loose. Tighten as your confidence goes up. Lots of good advice from others - I second everything they say, especially Ms. Martin! :)

I've used my Shimano SPDs for years with very little to complain about - They don't shed mud or snow well, but they clip and release reliably. I'll almost certainly stick with them when I upgrade.

[Tony Edwards]

Have they ever cured the ATACs lateral float issue? I bought a pair of the first-gen ones and resold them immediately because I hated that so much. I still use Shimano 747s, believe it or not, and haven't really kept up with the technological developments on MTBs over the years.

[fishylittlethin]

definitely go clipless.

I use Shimano 747s and 959s. Perfect for my use in the forests around Hamburg, as well as a tour in the Alps.

I feel naked without them to be honest.

[ols]

Tony Edwards - Can you be more specific about the ATAC lateral float issue (which I assume means problem) you are describing? Time mountain pedals do have several degrees of float in them, but my knees appreciate that.

[Tony Edwards]

Tony Edwards - Can you be more specific about the ATAC lateral float issue (which I assume means problem) you are describing? Time mountain pedals do have several degrees of float in them, but my knees appreciate that.

I believe Time itself called this "Lateral Float," but to me that was just a marketing euphemism for what I considered a very negative characteristic. Basically, the pedals allowed your feet to move a noticeable distance (something like 3/4 - 1 cm) from side to side. This was not rotational float (which they also had, but which I liked), but actual lateral movement. I found this incredibly annoying, and frankly unacceptable. As I said, I'm a little behind the times in the MTB world, and they may have designed this out years ago.

[ols]

Thanks for clarifying. I think your info isn't out of date though since the lateral float is indeed still there (in addition to the angular float.) Time's technical specs show that the ATAC pedals have 5mm of lateral float designed into them, even in their most current version.

On my current bike with Time's, the amount of lateral float just feels comfortable as opposed to feeling like there's too much play going on between the shoes and the pedals. Maybe they improved that since the first generation, but whatever ones I have, they're working well for me.

[hooverone]

How do these look times inside of a bear trap pedal maybe good for when you unclip but still need to pedal up a hill.