Flat pedals?
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- This topic has 28 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by
Tim Kelley.
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July 23, 2015 at 10:12 pm #917128
KelOnWheels
ParticipantIn the interest of not dredging up the pedal thread from last year, I shall start a new one!
So I’m thinking of getting flat pedals to put on the Horse for around-town riding, now that I am car-free in the PDX and all.
Looking at Velo Orange (mostly because I wanna order a fork crown eye bolt thingy from them) but open to suggestions.
What do you think? Will my feet slide off to certain doom? Will I die? Will my bike hate me?! :confused:
July 23, 2015 at 10:20 pm #103446983b
ParticipantI’ve got a pair of VO touring pedals on my around town bike and am very happy with them. No slippage issues, even in dress shoes in wet weather. The only problem has been that the platforms are made of a softer metal, so one got mildly bent when I clipped it in a corner. Though that hasn’t affected performance at all.
I tried a pair of their road pedals and hated the single-sided platform. Not recommended (nor intended) for a town bike!
July 23, 2015 at 11:05 pm #1034470TwoWheelsDC
ParticipantFlats are probably best for year-round/all-weather use…I recently started riding clips/straps on one of my bikes and like it, but the clips aren’t big enough for winter shoes/boots. But for JRA, it’s nice to be able to wear regular shoes and still have foot retention.
I use:
MKS Urban Platform Pedal + MKS RD STL Toe Clips + leather toe straps.
July 23, 2015 at 11:54 pm #1034473mstone
Participant@TwoWheelsDC 120648 wrote:
Flats are probably best for year-round/all-weather use…I recently started riding clips/straps on one of my bikes and like it, but the clips aren’t big enough for winter shoes/boots.
SPD boots FTW!
July 24, 2015 at 12:50 am #1034477dkel
Participant@mstone 120651 wrote:
SPD boots FTW!
Till the cleats get packed with snow. Learned that the hard way this winter; makes it almost impossible to keep your feet on the pedals.
July 24, 2015 at 2:29 am #1034481kwarkentien
Participant@dkel 120655 wrote:
Till the cleats get packed with snow. Learned that the hard way this winter; makes it almost impossible to keep your feet on the pedals.
Never had that problem with my Lake boots with SPDs. Maybe I’ve just been lucky?
July 24, 2015 at 2:38 am #1034482Phatboing
Participant@KelOnWheels 120646 wrote:
What do you think? Will my feet slide off to certain doom? Will I die? Will my bike hate me?! :confused:
You’ll get a lot of people talking to you about why you don’t use clipless and OMG why don’t you believe in foot retention?
I like (i.e. have):
1. MKS Lambdas, which would look really spiffy on the Space Horse. Though they do get slippy in the rain, if you wear the wrong shoes. Rivendell has a hack for making em grippier.
2. VP-001. So many colors.
3. Crank Bros 5050, in Red.
4. VP Push, which are nylon composite things. I had them on the winter studly singlespeed, and the nylon stuff has the advantage of not conducting away what little heat you have in your feetses, too.I once rode briefly with someone who had the VO Sabot pedals – I’d have gotten those if the three above weren’t significantly cheaper.
If you get pedals with pins that you screw in yourself, you can leave just 3-ish mm exposed – it doesn’t take much exposed pin for adequate grip, and it doesn’t take much more before they get shoe-shreddy.
July 24, 2015 at 5:30 am #1034487Bruno Moore
ParticipantHeard some great things about the MKS λ, especially with the extra Rivscrews added. I used to use MKS Sylvan Touring pedals before getting my dual-sided PD-A530s; loved them to death, except that, for everyday long commutes, the lack of proper platform started to hurt my feet. Might work for you, though.
July 24, 2015 at 11:55 am #1034489dkel
Participant@kwarkentien 120659 wrote:
Never had that problem with my Lake boots with SPDs. Maybe I’ve just been lucky?
I only had the problem twice last winter, and only one of those times was it such a problem that I had to bail and get a ride. Both were during heavy snow, so there was fresh, untreated snow on the road. If you never have to stop, it isn’t a problem because you never put a foot down, of course! The shape of the tread on the shoe might make a difference, too, I suppose.
July 24, 2015 at 2:49 pm #1034492vvill
ParticipantI have one bike in the fleet with flat pedals. I use MTB style ones with the little screws for retention (these ones actually), they’re great in the winter if you’re wearing winter boots, etc. Later on I bought a pair of grippy Five Ten shoes. Before those two purchases I used whatever street shoes with regular stock nylon pedals.
I’m actually tempted to switch out another bike to flats, but will probably just use regular flat pedals on that one if I do. The retention screws work great but also hurt and cut you up if you get them wrong. With the grippy shoes, I think stock pedals will be fine. One day I may even want to hipster it up and get some toe straps.
I like the look of some of the xpedo pedals but haven’t ever seen them in person.
July 24, 2015 at 3:07 pm #1034493dplasters
ParticipantI have these platforms and they are lovely.
I’m not sure I entirely get the whole clippless pedal thing as a commuter. Even as a commuter who rides for a workout and rides fast I don’t get them. I have 15 stop lights and 6 stop signs in my six mile ride. You can go plenty fast (Just #3 in avg speed on the BAFS 2015 board is all. Of course it means nothing, but let me hold onto my glory.) and know that you can comfortably and easily stop whenever the laws, regulations and safety dictate. And don’t tell me that people don’t use being clipped in as a reason to not stop because there was a topic on this forum about it recently.
What I do like about clipless pedals/shoes is the accessories available. Your options for warm/waterproof coverings is huge meanwhile no such products seemingly exist for platform pedal users because they don’t take cycling seriously? Or aren’t willing to spend money on accessories? I don’t know why, but I guess the market isn’t there for companies.
So you just end up using waterproof socks and or plastic bags and calling it a day. And wet shoes. You’ll have those too.
*Edited to better clarify –
My opinion on clipless and commuting is based on my commute. I recognize that there are many other distances and types of surfaces ridden on. The point was not that clipless pedals and commuting are a stupid combination. It was to point out why I don’t use them on my route and hit a few major reasons you see on the internet as to why everyone and their mother should ride clipless.
I will still say that I still don’t “get it”. I don’t have knee, ankle or foot pain etc. I know that others have these things. That doesn’t mean I understand it. I don’t “get” having a long distance time wise. I live where I live specifically to have a short commute. I understand that these options exist and they make sense to people, but I clearly don’t buy into them otherwise I’d be riding clipless. Do whatever makes you ride more.
There is no answer to the question. Both are great ways to enjoy a bicycle. But whenever I get to try and convince a clipless person to try platforms I’m all in.
July 24, 2015 at 3:27 pm #1034494mstone
Participant@dplasters 120672 wrote:
I’m not sure I entirely get the whole clippless pedal thing as a commuter. Even as a commuter who rides for a workout and rides fast I don’t get them. I have 15 stop lights and 6 stop signs in my six mile ride.[/quote]
I don’t ride particularly fast, but prefer SPDs because my knees feel better if my feet are in the right place over my 20 mile ride. Note that I use pedals with platforms on the other side, and don’t bother to clip in when riding to the pool in sandals, etc.
Quote:And don’t tell me that people don’t use being clipped in as a reason to not stop because there was a topic on this forum about it recently.My not stopping has nothing to do with whether I’m clipped in and more to do with whether it’s stupid to come to a complete stop and put a foot down while riding a bike.
Quote:What I do like about clipless pedals/shoes is the accessories available. Your options for warm/waterproof coverings is huge meanwhile no such products seemingly exist for platform pedal users because they don’t take cycling seriously?Most SPD shoes come with a cover that allows them to be used without a cleat. In general, though, the stiffer the shoe the more the bottom is like glass and the safer it is to clip in.
July 24, 2015 at 4:10 pm #1034495hozn
ParticipantMy $0.02 is that my use of clipless pedals on the commuter is more about the shoes (stiff, carbon-sole) than the pedals. I could (and have) commuted with flats but I prefer proper cycling shoes, even (maybe especially) in winter. Time Atacs don’t have issues with snow packing the pedals/cleats — or at least nothing that you can’t fix by tapping your feet against the pedals a couple times. I’ve done lots of MTB deeper-snow rides. Usually I don’t bother commuting if there’s going to be significant snow on the trail since it’d take too long. The ice ruts are the winter norm around here and I’d rather be clipped in for that.
I also ride my commuter off-road, and I’d *always* prefer to be clipped in there.
For casual road rides I don’t really put much value in being clipped in, honestly. Especially on flat terrain. I don’t think there’s much efficiency difference (even the pros aren’t generating power by pulling up on pedals in normal situations). But again, the shoes.
I have flat pedals on the unicycle. I think that is the right call there
They are the MTB kind with the sharp pegs. Learning with those has meant a lot of cuts on the legs; luckily I’m a little further along now.
July 24, 2015 at 4:59 pm #1034499GovernorSilver
ParticipantThose Velo Orange Grand Cru Sabot platform pedals look great.
The stock pedals on my Uptown 8 are rubber and aluminum. They’re fine most of the time. When they get wet, though, my preferred shoes for riding (Etnies Jameson Eco – the guys at a LBS recommended skate shoes if I didn’t want to go clipless) sometimes slip on them.
The Sabots look big enough that I might actually be able to ride with my Crocs clogs. The Crocs are too wide for the stock pedals – they got in the crank or something close to it when I tried pedaling with the Crocs.
July 24, 2015 at 5:08 pm #1034500jabberwocky
Participant@dplasters 120672 wrote:
I’m not sure I entirely get the whole clippless pedal thing as a commuter. Even as a commuter who rides for a workout and rides fast I don’t get them. I have 15 stop lights and 6 stop signs in my six mile ride. You can go plenty fast (Just #3 in avg speed on the BAFS 2015 board is all. Of course it means nothing, but let me hold onto my glory.) and know that you can comfortably and easily stop whenever the laws, regulations and safety dictate. And don’t tell me that people don’t use being clipped in as a reason to not stop because there was a topic on this forum about it recently.
I think it depends on what sort of commuting you do, and what you use your bike for. Flats have advantages when it comes to convenience (wear whatever shoes you want, don’t worry about walking around in cycling shoes at your destination). Clipless pedals/shoes are vastly superior on the bike though, and I say that as someone who has done a fair amount of riding on flats (my DJ/urban bike and DH still have flat pedals). I commute out in suburbia and wouldn’t even consider flats, even though my commute is short (5 miles), because I’m used to the pedaling efficiency. I do run MTB pedals/shoes though, which are a bit more pleasant off the bike.
If I lived in a more urban area with more short distance utility riding I might do flats purely for convenience sake.
Its not like its an expensive swap, especially if you just grab a cheap pair of BMX-style cage pedals. If you’re wondering if it would work better, grab a pair and swap them and see what you think. I keep a few pairs of flats on hand because I loan my bikes to new riders sometimes.
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