Tell me why I should ride flats in the bike park...

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

So I recently got a DH bike. Fucking love it. Already hitting some big jumps and wooden features with drops, etc. Coming from an XC background I am running clipped in on VP components adventure race pedals.

http://www.vp-usa.com/vx-adventure-race/

After about 4 different days at Mountain Creek and Blue Mountain I have seen ONE other person riding with clips. That's like a couple hundred bikes I looked at. I must be missing something?

Heard someone say something about actually being able to ride the bike better on flats? Need more technique etc?

I need to improve how I pop off the lip of a jump better. 75% of the time I am nice and level in the air, but occasionally I get bucked forward and was real close to an over the bar yard sale on a 15-18 foot double. That would have probably hurt a lot.

Will riding flat pedals force me to learn how to handle the bike properly?

[kidwoo]

One word:

nonfooterz





Getting bucked doesn't have to do with not using flat pedals.

But ditching your bike from getting bucked might.

People go on and on about what "flat pedals teach you". The only thing they teach you is how to ride flat pedals.


I don't usually ride flats in bike parks fwiw

[evdog]

I ride flats all the time. I used clipless for a few years but just find flats work better for me. Its personal preference, really.

If you do decide to try flats you need to give it a couple months to really get comfortable on them, same as if you switched to clipless. But if you are comfortable with clipless there is no need to change.

For entertainment go post your question on MTBR and let the experts enlighten you why everyone else is wrong.

[kidwoo]

For entertainment go post your question on MTBR and let the people who are proficient at neither tell you why everyone else is wrong.

Clarified

[Swine]

For entertainment go post your question on MTBR and let the experts enlighten you why everyone else is wrong.

After you do this please provide a link in this thread so I can easily find it amongst the douchebaggery over there.

This guy will tell you all about why flats are SO MUCH BETTER.

It's mostly personal preference. I used to think flats were better and taught you things. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Mostly I can ditch the bike when I crash a little bit faster, and I like being able to re-position my foot. Although, there are a lot of people who can't bunny hop when switching from clipless to flats. Does that mean they have bad techique? Probably not. They just have to learn they can't pull up and need to load the suspension. I don't think that is making you go nose heavy off jumps though.

[Lindahl]

Not quite good enough about getting out of clipless to be comfortable at the bike park with anything but flats. That said, I would like to have clipless on occassion. I sometimes get lazy with my flats technique and get a foot booted off a pedal which probably causes me to crash a little more. On the other hand, I rode down some steep gnar and had to bail the other day, and I'm pretty sure I would have gone over the bars in a nasty rock garden if I was in clipless... so there's that too.

[LeeLau]

It's personal preference. But the MTBR laughs will be worth it

[jm2e]

I recently switched from clips to flats because my knee was bothering me. The switch helped my knee a little, but not completely.
I really struggled for a bunch of rides. Several jumps where I lost a pedal and landed full on the saddle, not fun. More damage to the back of my leg/calf than to my shin at first because I would slip a pedal while trying to power through something. Then it transitioned to shin damage every time I crashed. Always the same spot. Not fun.
Then I rode at a bike park. Here's the moral to the story. It made a huge difference in me getting used to flats. Just so much repetition of jumping and flailing through technical stuff. By the end of a couple days I was 100% more comfortable than I had been.
So, I don't know which route you should take, but if you do give flats a try, the park is a good place to work out the kinks.

[TahoeJ]

Not quite good enough about getting out of clipless to be comfortable at the bike park with anything but flats. That said, I would like to have clipless on occassion. I sometimes get lazy with my flats technique and get a foot booted off a pedal which probably causes me to crash a little more. On the other hand, I rode down some steep gnar and had to bail the other day, and I'm pretty sure I would have gone over the bars in a nasty rock garden if I was in clipless... so there's that too.

This about sums it up for me. I'd say ride with whatever makes you most comfortable and forget all of that other noise.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Isn't it just a matter of preference? I like the idea of not being able to throw a pedal or destroy my shins.

WG, how do you like those VP pedals? They look like 530s but better. Jenson had them for cheap.


ETA: I've had no trouble ditching while clipped in. OK, it was only once or twice, but I didn't even thing about it; I just jumped and away I went.

[shirk]

Best reason for flats in the park is no clickky claccky when you're walking around looking for a patio for post park beers.

Last weekend while riding some sketchy high alpine scree and loose dusty drifty sand corners I actually wished I had put flats on. Next time back in the zone I will.

[Conundrum]

I've ridden both and continue to do so but I'm weird about. Every couple years I switch to one or the other and I don't really have a good reason. I just look at some pedals on the shelf and think I should try clipless and again and they stay on my bike for a year or two. Currently I'm on flats and have been all season. I can't tell which I think is better...I think I ride about the same on either. If you do ride flats, do yourself a favor and get good shoes.

[McCorduroy]

Before I rode flats I relied on the clipless pedals to hold my feet on the pedals - pulling up on the pedals to jump, etc. That's bad. Flats force you to learn to drive through the pedals and move the bike along with your body or whatever. You can learn that on clipless too, but flats force the issue. I say stick with whatever you prefer. I still ride flats because I like the convenience of always having the right shoes on.

[kidwoo]

Before I rode flats I relied on the clipless pedals to hold my feet on the pedals - pulling up on the pedals to jump, etc. That's bad.

No it's not, it's fucking awesome. And is 90% of why I use them. Because lazzziiiineesssss rules. That's like saying 5.10s are bad because they allow you pick up your bike with your feet instead of properly set up a bunny hop.

It's another tool in the box. I for one will be using it! Harumph I say!

[BushwackerinPA]

No it's not, it's fucking awesome. And is 90% of why I use them. Because lazzziiiineesssss rules. That's like saying 5.10s are bad because they allow you pick up your bike with your feet instead of properly set up a bunny hop.

It's another tool in the box. I for one will be using it! Harumph I say!

so with kidwoo on this one. I grew up Dirt Jumping an BMX racing (acutally rode clips for BMX when they came out) I find clips as easy to get out of and love the fact my bike is attached to me.

[kidwoo]

Women do this to me all the time




I ain't got no time to be pulling back on no handlebars.

[grskier]

I recently switched from clips to flats because my knee was bothering me. The switch helped my knee a little, but not completely.
I really struggled for a bunch of rides. Several jumps where I lost a pedal and landed full on the saddle, not fun. More damage to the back of my leg/calf than to my shin at first because I would slip a pedal while trying to power through something. Then it transitioned to shin damage every time I crashed. Always the same spot. Not fun.
Then I rode at a bike park. Here's the moral to the story. It made a huge difference in me getting used to flats. Just so much repetition of jumping and flailing through technical stuff. By the end of a couple days I was 100% more comfortable than I had been.
So, I don't know which route you should take, but if you do give flats a try, the park is a good place to work out the kinks.

Some say the flats allow for less lateral movement and may, if you don't put your foot on right, be worse than clipless..

[eldereldo]

I switched to flats in the park because I sucked, and rising the wood features freaked me out with my feet clipped in. I was sure I was going to stall out at some point and fall off, still clipped in. Now that I am comfortable and don't think twice about that, I could go back to clips, but I think they are mostly useful when you are riding up to keep you feet on your pedals when trying to power over roots and rocks.

[jm2e]

No it's not, it's fucking awesome. And is 90% of why I use them. Because lazzziiiineesssss rules. That's like saying 5.10s are bad because they allow you pick up your bike with your feet instead of properly set up a bunny hop.

It's another tool in the box. I for one will be using it! Harumph I say!

x3 After switching to flats, I case a lot more jumps. Clips allowed me to lift the bike up just a bit and be more in control of when it left the ground and when it came back down. Much like skis, only more bike-ish and less ski-ish. Definitely miss that.
Starting in the middle of a really technical downhill, jumping off a skinny, or practicing wheelies though? Flats x1000.

Some say the flats allow for less lateral movement and may, if you don't put your foot on right, be worse than clipless..

Not for me. With clips, I would crank down on the pedals with a slight toe down angle and it was putting a horrible strain on my knee. Pedals forced me to relearn to push straight down, keeping things more ergonomic. Much less efficient, much better for my knee.
All part of the process of me moving much more toward getting through the climbs and xc sections at a casual Sunday drive pace, so that I can have more fun on the downhills.

[grskier]

I switched to flats because I was going to go to the local jumps and pump track with my outdated 26" wheeled bike that has way to much suspension for doing such things... I haven's switched back because I'm lazy.

I have noticed I'm casing some jumps, so I figured I should go a little faster... I'll be back on clipless next week probably...

Kidwoo... I figured you need the flats to get all hype in the bike park doing can-cans over gapers.

Whiteroomfishfoodforshow - yeah, whatever works is the point.

[stuckathuntermtn]

So, no comments on the VP adventures?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

My bad. Totally spaced. The VPs are nice. I have the adventures on my DH and the "trail" on my trail bike. Nothing mind blowing, but they are reliable and can take a beating. Sorta wish they were a touch easier to clip into though.

I think Jenson has a crazy sale on them right now.

Edit: sold out of the Trail. VX for stupid cheap though.

http://m.jensonusa.com/!JvHHSQS782n6...BcZhoCbYPw_wcB

[jm2e]

Mind boggling to me that people who clip in use anything other than M530s. So easy to use. So cheap. So reliable.

[grskier]

Some VPs on SAC right now

http://www.steepandcheap.com/gear-ca...--up-to-75-off

[DasBlunt]

Ive saved more crashed because I was clipped in than not being clipped in.

I feel way more secure on a XC bike clipped in.


it is like being clipped in on a pogo stick,,,,,,,dream world.