Tell me about flat pedals

**Self Jupiter** · 04-08-2021, 09:23 AM

I like my OneUps more than my chesters for that type of riding. Bigger, more grip and they’re little thinner.

**evasive_MT** · 04-08-2021, 09:29 AM

There are so many better options than Chesters. I used a pair for 3-4 years on my fatbike until I got annoyed enough to change. The Deity composite pedals are significantly better: better grip, better feel underfoot.

**jackstraw** · 04-08-2021, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by nickwm21

Try your giro shoes - The cleat block might be annoying though. But I’d look for a mtb specific flat pedal shoe on sale somewhere. A skate shoe would likely have too soft of a foot bed, to slippery of a sole, soak up the wet, etc...

Yeah, I tried a couple of different pair of my skate shoes and my foot hurt after the ride. Definitely not stiff enough for me.

**Andeh** · 04-08-2021, 09:46 AM

Chesters are too small, unless you're a child.

**Wes Mantooth** · 04-08-2021, 10:01 AM

Sweet thanks for the info. Picked up a pair of OneUps for a decent price. Now hopefully I won't kill myself in this experiment. Haven't ridden flats on a trail for like 15 years

**Duffman** · 04-11-2021, 01:43 PM

In the same boat here, started MTB in the late 90s after being a road weenie for years so always used SPDs. And have always had shitty form , pulling up on the pedals for all hops and such. Getting back into the game now, and also just got the Shotgun for my 3.5 yo to ride simple trails and around town w me. As experienced as I am w SPDs, I don't want to do it with my kid on the bike too, and it seems like a good time to learn proper technique anyway when she's not on the bike. So the consensus here for beginner level flats is the One up Composite or the Deity? Lots of techy rock gardens here here and my BB height is low so pedal strikes are a huge concern (broke the Crankbros candy's I tried in the past from Rick strikes. Is one flat any better than another for pedal strikes?

**Andeh** · 04-11-2021, 04:38 PM

If you're worried about pedal strikes, get some with pins that thread through, rather than grub screws, so that you can replace them when they inevitably get broken off. Other than that, most alloy pedals will be a tad thinner than composites, so that will help a tiny bit with strikes.

With regard to pulling up, with the right technique, good shoe rubber, and concave pedals, you can still pull up. That's basically how a hack like me bunny hops.

**EWG** · 04-11-2021, 06:42 PM

I've got a pair of Transition made TBC flats that I love and have had forever. Bomber and great platform. The new Transition in house components brand is ANVL, and the new pedals are the ANVL Tilt V3. They have been getting good reviews and if they are the improved version of mine I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

Not cheap at $99 or so, but you can actually find them in stock right now. Plus, they have colors, so ... colors.

**schuss** · 04-11-2021, 07:11 PM

Running oneup composites on the new bike - they're nice (also bit my calf today). Have a set of azonic wickeds on my singlespeed that also seem to do well. Lots of nice pedals out there these days.

**jm2e** · 04-11-2021, 09:10 PM

I'm intrigued by the Tenet pedals, but Fuck. Backordered until mid-October!!!

sf · 04-12-2021, 01:45 PM

Highly recommend the HT AE03.

Very grippy, very thin, pins go all the way through (but I broke none last season). Slightly smaller platform than a lot of the competition, beveled corners and, as mentioned, thin. Feels like I have less rock strikes than before.

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**skaredshtles** · 04-12-2021, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Andeh

If you're worried about pedal strikes, get some with pins that thread through, rather than grub screws, so that you can replace them when they inevitably get broken off.

I'll 2nd this. I've got Xpedo SPRY pedals, and they are nice platforms... but I have yanked more than one pin out due to pedal-strikes which has subsequently destroyed the female threads and made it such that a replacement pin won't stay in at all.

**Andeh** · 04-12-2021, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by jm2e

I'm intrigued by the Tenet pedals, but Fuck. Backordered until mid-October!!!

Yeah, they're awesome but unobtainium right now. I must have gotten one of the last available pairs from Evo last year.

**grinch** · 04-12-2021, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by sf

Highly recommend the HT AE03.

Very grippy, very thin, pins go all the way through (but I broke none last season). Slightly smaller platform than a lot of the competition, beveled corners and, as mentioned, thin. Feels like I have less rock strikes than before.

Best feeling pedals i ever had. Hard to step away after youve ridden pedals that thin but the bearings didnt last long at all. Same with the replacement set. Maybe the new ones are better. I sent them an email but they were unresponsive. Too bad. They were awesome when they were new.
I have canfield crampons on one bike and chesters on the other. Both good. Chesters could be bigger and thinner. Canfields need new bearings after 3 years but shouldnt be any problem. I think the next pedals i get will be deity composites or t macs or yoshimura's. They look as good as it gets and should last

https://yoshimuracycling.com/product...-bicycle-pedal

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

**Self Jupiter** · 04-12-2021, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by Duffman

In the same boat here, started MTB in the late 90s after being a road weenie for years so always used SPDs. And have always had shitty form , pulling up on the pedals for all hops and such. Getting back into the game now, and also just got the Shotgun for my 3.5 yo to ride simple trails and around town w me. As experienced as I am w SPDs, I don't want to do it with my kid on the bike too, and it seems like a good time to learn proper technique anyway when she's not on the bike. So the consensus here for beginner level flats is the One up Composite or the Deity? Lots of techy rock gardens here here and my BB height is low so pedal strikes are a huge concern (broke the Crankbros candy's I tried in the past from Rick strikes. Is one flat any better than another for pedal strikes?

I’m still a total beater, but I feel like my progression took off when I switched to riding with flats because they force me to ride with better technique.

**EWG** · 04-12-2021, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by Self Jupiter

I’m still a total beater, but I feel like my progression took off when I switched to riding with flats because they force me to ride with better technique.

This is a weird comment to me, and I've heard it before. I ride differently in flats than I do in clips. I don't think one is better or worse than the other. I like that clips allow me to unlock the front and rear of the bike more - in other words, I don't need to do anything with my hands to whip the rear end of the bike around. I can bounce the bike into the air like with flats, then if I'm a little low on the rear end cause I'm not clearing something, I can pull the back up without rotating the bars down - kinda fold into the cockpit is how it feels. I can force-pedal through sharp babyhead crap and keep uphill speed high, and whip my bodyweight around without worrying about deloading my feet.

I get flat pedal love. I have some and ride them at times. Nothing like them for technical stuff you know you aren't going to 100% clear, for example. Nice on smooth downhills with loose corners too. But I don't think my style while using clip-ins is worse technique. I just think it's different. Am I missing something? Is it that you feel safer trying stuff so you progress faster?

**Self Jupiter** · 04-13-2021, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by EWG

This is a weird comment to me, and I've heard it before. I ride differently in flats than I do in clips. I don't think one is better or worse than the other. I like that clips allow me to unlock the front and rear of the bike more - in other words, I don't need to do anything with my hands to whip the rear end of the bike around. I can bounce the bike into the air like with flats, then if I'm a little low on the rear end cause I'm not clearing something, I can pull the back up without rotating the bars down - kinda fold into the cockpit is how it feels. I can force-pedal through sharp babyhead crap and keep uphill speed high, and whip my bodyweight around without worrying about deloading my feet.

I get flat pedal love. I have some and ride them at times. Nothing like them for technical stuff you know you aren't going to 100% clear, for example. Nice on smooth downhills with loose corners too. But I don't think my style while using clip-ins is worse technique. I just think it's different. Am I missing something? Is it that you feel safer trying stuff so you progress faster?

My comment was in reference to how switching to flats seemingly aided my progression from an intermediate to an upper-intermediate or advanced level rider, not to suggest one pedal style is better or worse— I wouldn’t be qualified to say that.

I actually felt less safe when I first made the switch, I hadn’t ridden a mountain bike without being clipped in since I was a little kid. Clipping out wasn’t the issue. I find I can’t ‘’cheat’’ as much with flats, so it forces me to have better technique and fundamentals. Getting better at bunny-hopping and jumping is the easiest example to bring up, but it’s been more than that. When I first made the switch I became cautious about going through really chunky stuff because I would bounce/slide around the pedals until I got better about body positioning and manipulating the bike. But if I were to enter an enduro race I’d probably want to be clipped in. (please excuse terrible writing)

**Quadzilla** · 04-13-2021, 11:13 AM

Late to the discussion here, I used clipless pedals from the beginning. My first pair were Onza pedals, they had a elastomer release and pretty light. I remember I had a wreck where I slide off a spine into a tight small gulley upside down. I couldn't get out of my pedals and had to go into contortions to untie my shoes to release from my bike. Anyway, stayed with clipless for years, decades and ended with XT trail pedals and indeed they worked great. Then around 2014 my wife was hating her shoes and decided to move to flats and flat pedal shoes. She was liking here new setup so well I decided to try them as even so I like my pedals I didn't like my shoes either especially bike hike and driving. I ended up liking flats and never went back. I have kept logs on my rides for a long time and my ET's one vs another were similar.

So, my setups are my Hightower has Canfield pedals, I like them a lot, mainly the shape but the internal parts are cheesy and need regrease more often than I would like. My Ebike has Crank Bros X7. Big and IMO burly and tough and does not need regreasing. I don't like the way the width hangs out a little and potential catching a pedal strike.

I don't think you can talk about flats without talking about shoes. IMO, to get best performance you need dedicated Flat pedal shoes. I have had 5 10's the light ones like VX fell apart in less than a year and the heavy ones are way heavy. I now have RC shoes, my wife too. IMO, excellent shoes light and tough would not hesitate to buy them again.

**Dantheman** · 04-13-2021, 11:37 AM

Since I was recovering from a head injury last year I switched to flats for trail riding for maximum bailability (Protaper pedals and Freeriders). Didn't ride a ton, but rode them enough to form a legitimate opinion. I was never a fan, especially on extended and/or tough climbing. Bought myself a pair of PI X-Alp Summits and Time MX8s for Christmas. First ride on the new pedals and shoes was a few weeks ago and all was immediately right with the world. YMMV.

eta: I always ran flats on my DH bike. But, kids, etc. happened and I wasn't riding it enough so I sold it and rode clipless exclusively on my trail bike for about a decade. For bike park riding I'd still say flats are probably the right call if you're not racing and want to be able to ditch the bike as easily as possible. For trail riding though, NFW.

**east or bust** · 04-13-2021, 11:39 AM

my favorite pair of flats shoes are the 661 filters. not made anymore though

5.10 freerides look like they’d fall apart in a season

**skaredshtles** · 04-13-2021, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Since I was recovering from a head injury last year I switched to flats for maximum bailability (Protaper pedals and Freeriders). Didn't ride a ton, but rode them enough to form a legitimate opinion. I was never a fan, especially on extended and/or tough climbing. Bought myself a pair of PI X-Alp Summits and Time MX8s for Christmas. First ride on the new pedals and shoes was a few weeks ago and all was immediately right with the world. YMMV.

I will say that the one place the flats *still* don't work as well for me is on extremely techy climbs. I apparently still have muscle memory that has me pulling up on the pedals in certain circumstances... and that definitely don't work worth a shit with flats.

Other than that, I have nary a complaint with flats - I started with bear-traps back in the early 90's, quickly "graduated" to clipless, rode those for 20+ years, then migrated to flats about 5 years ago...

**snowaddict91** · 04-13-2021, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by skaredshtles

I will say that the one place the flats *still* don't work as well for me is on extremely techy climbs. I apparently still have muscle memory that has me pulling up on the pedals in certain circumstances... and that definitely don't work worth a shit with flats.

Other than that, I have nary a complaint with flats - I started with bear-traps back in the early 90's, quickly "graduated" to clipless, rode those for 20+ years, then migrated to flats about 5 years ago...

Maybe you should try climbing the road instead

I was a flats rider forever, occasionally throwing the clipless pedals on for a ride or two and then eating shit a bunch and taking them back off. Probably 5 years ago I decided to commit to leaving them on for a month and didn't look back after a few weeks. Then everyone switched to flats.

**XXX-er** · 04-13-2021, 01:18 PM

flat pedals ... are flat

been on them for > 50 yars

IME just buy some cheap metal apres market pedals

even the plastic that came on the FAT bike seem fine

**skaredshtles** · 04-13-2021, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by snowaddict91

Maybe you should try climbing the road instead

I was a flats rider forever, occasionally throwing the clipless pedals on for a ride or two and then eating shit a bunch and taking them back off. Probably 5 years ago I decided to commit to leaving them on for a month and didn't look back after a few weeks. Then everyone switched to flats.

Fuck dat road!!

**Wes Mantooth** · 04-13-2021, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by EWG

This is a weird comment to me, and I've heard it before. I ride differently in flats than I do in clips. I don't think one is better or worse than the other. I like that clips allow me to unlock the front and rear of the bike more - in other words, I don't need to do anything with my hands to whip the rear end of the bike around. I can bounce the bike into the air like with flats, then if I'm a little low on the rear end cause I'm not clearing something, I can pull the back up without rotating the bars down - kinda fold into the cockpit is how it feels. I can force-pedal through sharp babyhead crap and keep uphill speed high, and whip my bodyweight around without worrying about deloading my feet.

I get flat pedal love. I have some and ride them at times. Nothing like them for technical stuff you know you aren't going to 100% clear, for example. Nice on smooth downhills with loose corners too. But I don't think my style while using clip-ins is worse technique. I just think it's different. Am I missing something? Is it that you feel safer trying stuff so you progress faster?

My desire to try flats is almost purely for jumping and handling the bike in the air. I love clips for really technical stuff (techy climbing is probably my biggest strength on a bike) and I see the advantage there to being able to quickly move the bike laterally and/or vertically instead of just forward or backwards. I've been riding clips since I was 12 so I can easily ditch the bike therefore it's not really a confidence thing for me - I find when I need to bail I'm out of the pedals without thinking about it. But as soon as I get in the air I find myself dead sailoring or pulling up on my pedals to get extra height to clear landings which tells me a) I'm not properly loading up on the ramp b) I'm not releasing off the lip properly and c) I'm not gripping the bike in the air properly. So when I get into bigger jumps or have to bunny hop something legitimately high I lose control pretty quickly. As a result I feel like my progression there has plateaued and I think clips allow me to get away with those bad habits that ultimately limit progression. I also think I'll feel less confident in high speed chunk with flats which will push me to have a better body position.

I think there's a huge advantage to overall bike control if you can ride both flats and clips equally effectively (albeit different styles) and make the decision based on which one you prefer, not which one you know. Right now I'm not even close to that point with flats so I feel like my riding will benefit from being expanded in a slightly different way. In reality I'll probably fucking hate it but who knows