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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    265
    Quote Originally Posted by juanbendedknee View Post
    Flat pedals have helped me push my bike way harder toward its limit. I'll attempt way dumber stuff riding with flats knowing I can jump over the bike if I explode a berm too hard or do some wrong steering into a rock garden.
    I've been finding the the same thing. It's also forcing me to use a better pedal stroke.

  2. #27
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    Jan 2006
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    my biggest hesitation with flats is that I'm a crappy bunny hopper.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  3. #28
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    Mar 2006
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    in your second home, doing heroin
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    You have almost as much up pull with flats. It's just a matter of bracing your feet against your pedals rotated forward using your arms........especially with sticky shoes like 5.10s. I know you've done this. Everyone has.

    People seem to think it's like a character flaw or something to lift up on your pedals. I use any means necessary to not run into stuff.....clips or flats. If I had a 'not suck' button on my bike, I'd use that too.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidwoo View Post
    If I had a 'not suck' button on my bike, I'd use that too.
    when you find one, grab me one too por favor? It would be great if it worked on skis too...
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  5. #30
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    Jan 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidwoo View Post
    You have almost as much up pull with flats. It's just a matter of bracing your feet against your pedals rotated forward using your arms........especially with sticky shoes like 5.10s. I know you've done this. Everyone has.

    People seem to think it's like a character flaw or something to lift up on your pedals. I use any means necessary to not run into stuff.....clips or flats. If I had a 'not suck' button on my bike, I'd use that too.
    so much easier to suck it up on clipless... but yeah, I need a pair. I'll go see what the local shop has tonight and cross reference with the advice in this thread. But with all the recs, I'd think they have a decent pair

    not suck button would be dope.... I'd actually go ride the local DH track again .

    edit to add:
    When I go to the bike park to practice air awareness (like the awareness I don't make most LZs) the hardest part is getting the three pedals strokes needed post clip in... I guess I should practice clipping in whilst track standing too...
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    whistler
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    5.10 shoes will make a bigger difference, by a huge margin, to your flat pedal experience than any pedal ever will. The end.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Nhampshire
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    pedal rotation is so key to bunny hopping on flats. Once I focused on that, I smacked myself in the head a few times for doing it the hard way for so long. A good bunny hop is a wheelie quickly linked with pushing the back out and away from you.

  8. #33
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    Mar 2006
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    in your second home, doing heroin
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    14,690
    Quote Originally Posted by grskier View Post

    edit to add:
    When I go to the bike park to practice air awareness (like the awareness I don't make most LZs) the hardest part is getting the three pedals strokes needed post clip in... I guess I should practice clipping in whilst track standing too...
    ew

    Just go to the bike shop and buy some 50 dollar pedals.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Nhampshire
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    7,762
    FYI to all - pricepoint has a sale on the azonic wicked pedals woo mentioned. If you like orange or white, anyway.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    BZN
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    511
    Switched from Time ATACs to Spank Spikes/5-10 Freerider and I love the combo. I will never go back to clipless. Living in MT its good to have shoes that are conducive to hiking.

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    In a parallel universe
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    Quote Originally Posted by nickel View Post
    5.10 shoes will make a bigger difference, by a huge margin, to your flat pedal experience than any pedal ever will. The end.
    I found this to be true to...
    Was a big part of going "flat" for me and not looking back about 10 years ago.
    Amazing how well those original Impacts have held up.

    Discovered the Eclat Surge Alloy from a friend several years ago.



    Technically they are a BMX pedal, whatever...
    They are relatively thin and they have a generous platform, they also came with extra pins and bushings.
    These things have taken a beating, bearings and bushings have held up and have I found the grip/release to be predictable.

    I hardly ever click in on dirt any more.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    996
    The flat revolution has arrived. Maybe I need to harken back to my 12 year old bmx days as well.

  13. #38
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    Mar 2008
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    [a] Van [down by the river]
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidwoo View Post
    You have almost as much up pull with flats. It's just a matter of bracing your feet against your pedals rotated forward using your arms........especially with sticky shoes like 5.10s.
    w8 waaat?

    Sure it works, but that's a giant waste of energy to get a 1/2 assed pedal stroke...

    ... but considering you're on a mountain bike, does that even matter?

    Carry on.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
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    Shadynasty's Jazz Club
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    10,249
    I've reserved flats for dirt jumps until recently. I've recently started running them more often because there are some jumps in the middle of an XC ride I do regularly. I've been fine descending and bunny hopping. It's climbing that's been causing me issues. On steep and/or technical sections, I have a bad habit of lifting my foot off the pedal. I've found that pointing my toes in these situations helps keep the power going, but it's something I have to think about.

    I dig flats, but I'm not sure I'll switch full time, particularly on really long trail rides. I still like my clipless pedals.
    Remind me. We'll send him a red cap and a Speedo.

  15. #40
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    Feb 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by grskier View Post
    my biggest hesitation with flats is that I'm a crappy bunny hopper.
    IMHO it actually makes you better(w/practice) at bh and a lot other things.

    and wot Nickel said
    watch out for snakes

  16. #41
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    May 2010
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    where the rough and fluff live
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    you can't possibly be a good rider if you don't use flats.

    Sam Hill. Quod erat demonstratum.

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    in your second home, doing heroin
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    Quote Originally Posted by kalisto View Post
    w8 waaat?

    Sure it works, but that's a giant waste of energy to get a 1/2 assed pedal stroke...

    ... but considering you're on a mountain bike, does that even matter?

    Carry on.
    I wasn't talking about pedaling. I meant lifting your bike using the pedals.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  18. #43
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    Mar 2008
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    [a] Van [down by the river]
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    deeerp

  19. #44
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    Mar 2007
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    Eugenio Oregón
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    Bumpity.

    I made the switch on my trail bike from XTR Trail pedals with carbon-sole race shoes to Race Face Chesters with Adidas Trailcross Terrex Protect shoes.

    It was fun, I pumped a few airs and didn't die.
    It was scary, I came off the bike on the very first feature, forgetting that I wasn't clipped in and couldn't cheat the rear end of the bike by just lifting my foot without pumping.
    It was tiring, as I used a lot of extra foot and leg muscles trying to make sure I was properly balanced, kind of like when you've been off skis for a while and are "toe clawing" your way into your boots to stay on top of everything.
    It wasn't magic, I don't feel any better or worse of a rider, even climbing over rocks - maybe that will change after some more time at the pumptrack.

    The hardest part was, if I didn't get my foot down exactly the way I liked it before dropping into a trail segment, it took a while to find a smooth section of trail where I could get my pedals upright instead of level, so that I could unweight and then adjust the location of the misplaced foot. That actually took a lot of getting used to!

    Also, what's the deal with alloy vs. composite? I went Chesters because they are way less expensive than blingy alloy pedals and still relatively light. Am I missing anything other than bling at this point? I'm not trying to set DH records (and if I were, I'd be clipped in, duh) so just wondering if it's really just a stiffer feel you get with alloy over composite pedals.
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
    ... Andy Campbell

  20. #45
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    People's Republic of OB
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    4,407
    Whatever you do, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get used to them if you think they aren't working out.

    Not sure on alloy vs composite. Lots of the alloy pedals are low profile which will mean fewer rock strikes, especially important with the long/low/slack trend. Personally I've been disappointed with the longevity of them. I have a set of 15 year old axiom pedals whose bearings are in better shape than all the low profile brands I've ridden for 12-18mos.

  21. #46
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    Jan 2006
    Posts
    1,572
    Composites make a less worse noise when you hit them on rocks.

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    12,611
    I have two pairs of Chesters, one for my mountain bike and one for my road bike that is mainly a commuter/bar bike. Love em. Cheap, and durable, like nothing else in mountain biking. Ride em with 5.10 free rides. Love that setup for going DH, or for Moab. Nice to be able to bail a little easier and faster when riding tech. I almost high-sided going 30 mph on a dirt road a few weeks ago but was able to self correct by putting a foot down, and I never would have gotten it down in time if I were on clips.

    However, on my local trails, I still ride clipped in. They are mostly pedally XC trails without much tech. The efficiency over a long climb is noticeable. I hate not being able to adjust foot position on long descents to avoid foot/calf fatigue though.

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    781
    Just remember bmx folks can bunnyhop pretty damn high and they use flats. For us folks who grew up riding bmx I don't think I could ever get used to being clipped in while mountain biking. Plus how can you bust out a gnarly one footer or nac nac or boosted table in the air being clipped in!

    I recently bought a pair of 5.10s and as much as I hate how they look the grip is in fact amazing. Probably the best upgrade to my biking.

    Currently I have a $50 metal VP pedals from Amazon. Thinking about trying out plastic pedals for mountain biking (anyone remember the bmx Odyssey PC craze of the mid 00s?) with those new Kona pedals. I like the grip on the VPs but want to try some wider platform pedals to better distribute weight/pressure on my feet especially for some longer bikepacking trips.

  24. #49
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    12,611
    Don't BMX racers wear clipless?

  25. #50
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    Feb 2011
    Location
    The Land of Subdued Excitement
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    Yep

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