Clipless Vs Flat Pedals | What's Better For EMTB riding?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2022
- The argument between riding clipless and flats pedals has been raging on now for some time, but maybe there's an answer here when it comes to what's better for EMTB riding? Steve Jones takes a look at the many pros & cons of both styles and gives you some great riding style examples from the Pros themselves!
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Do your ride clips or flats? 👇 👀
I've been on clipless since the original Shimano M737 pedals. I've tried flats but my feet always get really tired and they feel imprecise so I always go back to SPDs.
Clips :D
Doody makes me think riding mountain bike is an academic discipline. Spend enough time listening to doody and you will feel like there is a right and proper way to mountain bike that you cant live up to.
Flats for MTB, clips for road. I've seen many crashes on MTbs because of not being able to release from clips.
I've had clipless for the best part of 30 years. After buying my first Emtb 12 months ago, I bought some flats. I use both depending what I'm out doing.
Steve is the David Attenborough of emtb vids. I love the way he present videos, and his dad humour. It’s brilliant!!!!🤣
For me, I found that SPDs tended to deskill me....as I have difficulty clipping back in, I was subconsciously changing my riding lines to more conservative ones to avoid unclipping and was getting slower, I was avoiding the more technical better lines. Only after switching back to flats, did I realized this and had to retrain myself, which was surprisingly difficult for me...how quickly habits develop. For general casual, hilly, non-technical riding, I find clips great.
The issues of slipping off flats is no worse for me than not being able to un- cllip fast enough to do that crash saving foot stab.
I had a fear when jumping using flat pedals that i would come off the pedals and ripping my shins, I decide to give clips ago and have never looked back and continue to grow in confidence
That's great that clips work so well for you! Pedal slap isn't fun! 👊
I'm Flats all day every day and for all occasions, strapping myself to a rocket isn't my idea of fun....... Great video, thankyou. ✌👍
Haha! That's a great way of putting it! 😂 Thanks for the support!
I drove SPD since they came out. A few years ago i switched to the Crankbrothers system. I tried Flatpedals a few weeks, and came back to Crankbrothers again. I NEED the connection to the bike. 😜
Right now i switched to the magped ENDURO - nice hybrid between both worlds...
Started seeing clipless pedals on mtbs when road cyclists were getting attracted to the mountain bike scene and wanted to use the same pedal system as their road bikes. From what I've seen clipless may have some benefit for cross country riding or competition but flats are the natural choice for mountain biking.
I have been riding with spd's for over 20 years now, I went mounting biking here in NZ on Coronet Peak with an e bike on flats, it was horrible! Holding back no confidence, didn't feel in sync with the bike, I couldn't get into the lines, holding back because I was not used to flats. I would have to learn from scratch how to ride with flats I think now. Luckily I had my spd's in the boot to change over. Oh BTW I was riding the flats with my spd's shoes which obviously didn't help at all.
Enjoying the videos and debates, Great content guys!
This debate seems to have been going for a long time and I don't see it ending any time soon. I feel that it is more of a choice than anything else, so if you like flat's then ride flats and have fun, if you like being clipped in, then ride clipped in and have fun.
I love flats. The best thing about them is when my foot slips off forward i get to put the back of my calf through the meat grinder. Last season the scars took months to heal. But yeah...its about the freedom and comfort.
I just prefer the security of clips. I'm not a very fast or experienced rider but love my Emtb on mountain trails and have never had a problem unclipping when necessary.
Each to their own, just enjoy your riding whatever pedals you choose. Great video Steve 👍
i have rode flats all my life and in certain situations where you are about to crash or something, i would rather have flats to be able to bail and jump off the bike quicker to avoid injury then to be clipped in and go down with the ship so to speak. i watch my friend do that right in front of me where he ended up tumbling down a rocky section of the trail because he was still clipped in and could not unclip in time.
I've always used clips but just the other week I bought some flat pedals. Do you have an issue with flats when you go over jumps?
I used to ride clips and even continued for a bit after I had my left hip replaced 3.5 years ago. However, I had a slow speed, sort of a lay down on my right side and was unable to unclip. It was then I made the decision to go to flats and I have just as much fun, if not more, with them. I also have the piece of mind and confidence( I think your word was freedom) to be able to put my foot down in a millisecond if I wash out suddenly or when approaching and loose off-camber turn.
Flats for me. I came into EMTB's from road bikes, so started MTBing with clips. But discovered that a good flat shoe/pedal combination gave me loads of grip and feel. I still use clips on my hard tail MTB when "touring".
Can depend on your setup, as I've got faster and my rebound has gotten faster as a result I find it more difficult to keep my feet on flats. Now I'm on clips, I don't even have to worry about it, when you've ridden them for a while you can clip in and out as easy as anything, it's just what you get used too I think.
A good invention might be (and I appreciate there are a very few on the market already), pedals with a clip on one side. But mated to a shoe with a sticky sole AND a recessed clip. Then we could have the best of both worlds; be clipped in for climbing with feet positioned in the perfect place for efficient pedalling, then a choice of being clipped in or free for the descent. There are many trails I’ve ridden where at points I would have loved a choice when the terrain changes.
There are pedals using magnets. Easier to get out of in rough stuff but sticky enough for more efficient pedalling when wanted.
That genius
i have a pair of double-side spd pedals with the mechanism removed on one side of each pedal ... when wearing a trail spd shoe i can be clipped in on one side and flat on the other .... worked quite well as a 'look-see' if it works!
I was using spd’s long before suspension became popular and I will always prefer them, having said that the pedals I chose for my Focus E bike was the Shimano double sided pedal which are flats on one side with SPD on the other side so when I commute to work I wear my work boots and use the flats and when I go for serious ride I’m clipped in
1:23 yes, yes there was, 'no taxation without represent....' oh wait sorry wrong revolution... Love you guys as content 😀!
Thanks for the support! Safe Riding! 👍
Been riding before clipless when we were in toe clips. I have tried over the years to ride flats but always end up going back to SPD for control and feeling like one with the bike. I also notice my riding friends that went to flats tend to not be as committed to lines as us clipped in riders are. They bail out way more frequently and have much worse shin injuries. I say ride what you like and not worry about others choices.
That's a really good point. I prefer flats for several reasons but one of them is that I can dab quickly. But maybe because I can dab quickly I do it more often and therefore stop myself from progressing as I might if I were more committed?
@@peatfitzpatrick4998 It's something we have noticed over the years. The flat guys seem to say "Glad I wasn't clipped in as that would have been bad" Whereas being clipped you are committed and tend to ride it out more. On the flip side there have been many times I didn't try a line due to fear of not getting out in time to save myself that the flat guys try and make.
I love riding clips but I feel I'd prefer flats on an EMTB... For the type of riding you tend to do, Steve (trials and jibbing), flats are definitely better suited but for fast pedalling through roots and singletrack, clips are a treat.
You're right! Clips can be such a treat sometimes!
I rode 25 years clipped in for mtb, road and cyclocross mainly for pedal efficiency, but now I only ride emtb so now ride flats and loving the freedom of movement that flats allow.
I rode flats for 12 years before going to clips and learnt a better peddling technique I think , have been riding clips for 4 years now and love them. On a ebike will try both I think then decide , will be interesting
I rode clips for years , but after some nasty accidents ,went to flats.Dont like riding in flats but safer until i lost a foot on a jump and the pedal bit me, 16 stitches later and a wife that was taking a photo of the jump nearly feinting on seeing the bone lol So now i am trying magnetic pedals, hopefully the best of both worlds!! time will tell.
I wear clips 100% of the time road biking for over a decade. Over that time, I've only had 1 wall with them. That being said, I am getting back into mtn biking and I went with a flat pedal. The reason is I need to rebuild my confidence on mtn biking and a no question on/off systems when pushing my limits with a new bike. I think, once I'm adapted to the new terrain, bike, and gear, I might try clipless on mtn bike but not 100% sure. A vast majority of the times I clip out with my roadbike the terrain is very safe (concrete) and not random steep inclines where getting out of my clip a fraction of a second quicker might make the difference.
i ride both ... and change periodically for no reason ... spd is def better on rocky, chattery stuff so long as you can maintain speed ... otherwise flats are easy peasy
Flats for me. I love getting off the beaten track for an adventure in Mid & North Wales. I wear B2 mountain boots, rigid sole works well with the flats and obviously they're great when I'm off the bike. Do sometimes get bounced off a pedal on rough stuff though (I'm on a hardtail Canyon eMTB), so I see why folks might choose clipless. Climbing is no problem with the eMTB & flats but I'm always impressed with the downhillers making their bikes dance - I would not have the confidence to do that, especially clipped in.
Clipped for me. I run them pretty loose so have absolutely no issues getting in and out of the pedal when I really need it. Also, having an old standing knee injury I'm not constantly just pushing down on the pedal but can also get power but pulling on the upstroke.
I’m flats also. I used to have clips prior to my e-bike and very confortable with them. But more daredevil with the e-bike, so i need to have my feets more free to move faster. Only down side is the shin bone (even with protection)
Hi EMBN Steve i think you should try the MAGPED i been riding clipped in for best part of 25yrs but since I've had my e-bike i tried flats at my bike park and found it difficult to keep my feet on the pedals, appreciate it is a different style of riding but now i have the MAGPED its changed my style of riding and found i could unclip quickly in tight turns and there's no fumbling around trying to clip back in as you can get pedaling and adjust your foot while your on the move. Come on Steve give it a go you know you want too. lol
As I see it, clips allow for more pedal efficiency, on an ebike that's very much a secondary concern with the motor, so it's basically "ride what you are most comfortable using". I use flats on e-bikes and non e-bikes.
Yeah that's a great point! Pedal efficiency is definitely not as important on an e-bike! 👍
I have to tell you that I'm having a hard time to get my e-bike off from the ground on my flat pedals. I used to be no problem doing that with my "regular" bike... Maybe are the shoes (not gripping enough) ou the bike weight... But I'm seriously thinking to go clipless pedals, at least "until I have my skills back"... LOL
whats the strongest flat axel pedal?!?! I´m very heavy, and my pedal always broke!
Suspension has mean there is less of a need for clips these days, though i would say that focused cycling shoes give a better support platform for your feet on a pedal. I ride clips but i am old, i would love to see Steve to ride with some retro toe clips on a rigid retro bike and then on his eBike.
I have to ask the totally noob question here: why are some people and the video title saying "clipless", when others are saying "I use clips" and it seems like they are meaning the same thing? It's clipless/ clips vs. flat pedals, right? But, what is "clipless" vs. "clips"? Is there a difference?
can you recommend a pair of flat pads for a olympia trail please?
I looked just like him when I rode clips... fell in slow motion and could never get my foot out no matter how I adjusted them. I'm just clip-challenged I guess... :-) Thanks for the video!
What about magpeds? A bit of both
brilliant
Steve, what shoes you are wearing? They look like they would be incredibly comfortable.
Both it’s good but flat more fun
Yeah that's true! Both work well for different reasons! 👍
I use flats on my hard tail and once I get my full sus emtb in May it will get a pair of flats too
I don't have an e-mtb. I do ride with clips.I have done for probably over 25 years. In the last 3 years or so. I've used flats. They still scare me as I feel I have little to no control while riding my bike. I keep them on to between one and 4 rides. Then go back to my clips for between 6 to 9 months. Then try my flats again. I also feel I am unable to lift the rear wheel using flats. I know it's in my head. I even use Five Ten Freerider shoes. You never know. I may get the hang of using flats.
Flats are my choice.......used to ride clips but found the clips to be a hindrance in technical terrain and after a couple of crashes caused by not getting unclipped in time to put a foot down I won't be switching back to clips anytime soon.
I rode SPDs at the beginning because everyone was riding those, but I have been rdining flats for more than ten years now
I tend to go flats for more technical rides (because you can't unclip fast enough) and clips for cross country, enduro and commuting (you can get more power through them) Also, commuting clipless feels better for my knees.
For me, clipless is better, however one thing is very, very important.
The ability for the pedal to release when you need it to. Release set up is super important if you ride rooty, ledgy, or rocky terrain.
I first spent years riding SPDs, now I'm a Crank Bros convert. Properly set up, my Candy II's always release when I need to.
Shimano has disappointed me in times of serious topple prevention. Yeilding me with a chipped elbow, cracked ribs, broken collarbone, and countless cuts scrapes and bruises. Not all at once, lol. Oops, got off subject,,,,,,,,,,,
Every time I experiment and try flats, I end up with a new very serious shin bash. This may be because I love to jump anything that looks like it will send. I ride an ORBEA RISE now and have the ability to go for the full send. Therefore, having my footing come off the pedal. or not finding it when I need to is a very bad thing.
I do want to say this though. Learn wheelies and manuals on flats. LOL
Back in the day I was a fan of toe clips. Best or worst of both flat and clipped in.
SPD rider for 30 years plus and went to flats a few years ago - never looked back - better for skills, riding silly muddy rooty stuff and fun factor - last one is the best.
Flashy Supacaz Krypto for my girls Specialized ebike and Race Face nylon for mine, both flats!
After years and years of spd , starting this winter , i have return to flats. And i have notice that spd makes you a bit more lazy , and you forget basic skills like jumping... I have put flats on all my bikes now , and i am loveing it.
Flat for years, then clipped in, then back to flats, then back to clipped in.
Dont have an eMTB yet though, just DH+Enduro.
It’s so simple. If you need to think about your feet all the time - flats. If you need to have your feet in the correct place for pedaling, without ever thinking - clipped/cleated pedals. Shin guards, on the other hand, seem to be a universal “must” if you care about your legs. Yes, ultra light XC shoes with tiny clip pedals are stupid - until you’re continually pedaling for 2+ hours both up and down hill at your maximum velocity. Me? I’ve always used SPD’s for 20+ years. I don’t race cyclocross but sure use those moves to get around others who are struggling in the nasty tech. I get in and out like I breath. It seems if you practice the hell out of whatever you choose… no debate necessary :-)
I used clipless pedals back in my aMTB days. I started doing Enduro on my aMTB and decided to try flats and was faster on ever stag I did. I have never went back to clipless, flat for all the riding I do, eDuro, All-Mtn, Bike Park. I would only use clipless on my eMTB, if I was going to do a eXC race that had no tech sections.
Clips are no brainers for XC imho, I'd like to ride flats for enduro/trail but I get so many pedal strikes that I ended up going to clips again...
I always ran flats now I’m clipped in I like both but I can understand when you get to a sketchy point on the trails I like flats better
Been doing more slow-roll features and more techy trials-esque type riding recently...after 33 years with "looser-set" SPDs, I think the PROs of a quick dismount on flats outweigh the small efficiency gains of clipless over distance and tech climbs on an E-mtb... obviously due to pedal assist😘. Also, bonus for finally struggling to learn proper pro-style-bunny hop on flats---barely and painfully!!!🤕). The small CON...a little less confidence during ascent, but honestly, hoping muscle memory will make feet grip a little better with adaptation over time💪 I think I'm ditching my FUNN Rippers SPDs at least on my Enduro E-mtb...nooooo!😯
I used to ride clips when road biking.
Flats only now for emtb or mtb. Not going back to either clips nor road biking.
Flats of course!
If they made clipless shoes in my size (uk 121/2) I might try them again.
Loved the part where you kept falling off the clips, that’s me every time I look at clips, flats rule for me ok so easy to manage and no muscle memory required 👍👍👍👍👍👍
I've always rode with toe clips and loved them , then tried clipins with the shoes and hated them , for the last couple of years have rode with flats and now wouldn't go back , flats for me
Is there such a thing as 'magnetic' clipless pedals/shoes?
Could such a thing give a rider the best of both worlds?
yes i have a set from Bikester Magped
The thought of crashing still connected to 23 kg ebike terrifies me.
Flats, I have tried many times to ride clipped in, but it's not for me, it comes down to what each person is more comfortable with, and for me that's a flat pedal.
Dead simple when you come down to it.
If your racing and prefer to leave on a stretcher than lose a second clips all the way.
If you’re not bothered about 1/2 sec and prefer to leave standing then you’ll probably be no faster in clips and even slower.
If you ride a HT in gnar and your mates all ride FS then you’ll be faster over pedally gnar…
If you are going to jumps then flats all the way
Clipping back in will just happen on anything steep anyway with a decent platform clip (DH or enduro)
If you have a buggered knee then clips might help or make it worse.
Clips help on a hard tail, you done loose the pedals as easily, plus use multi release cleats and you have no problems releasing.
That's like, what is my favorite dinner should be yours. I ride flats. I'm over 50 and will never ride clips, but if it works for you, go for it.
Flats for me
Flats for mud, roots, and anything slippery and wet.
Clips for smooth, dry, and jumps.
One better then the other..., don't care about that. Tried clips ones...😬, almost broke my leg that day with them darn clips so nah. Flats for me. ✌🏾
Just seams dangerous I'd want to bail off it lol although I have slipped off the peddle more than once and 1 time front cog stabed me in the ankle lol
Ouch! That's the one downside really! Although your feet will naturally unclip in a crash it can be daunting while getting used to them.
Clips and flats, both have their benefits but, lets see more 'clips' of you falling off using clips, hilarious!
Clips all day long for me 👍
Flats for life.
I think it is down to individual preference I'm a flat peddle ridder and can't even think of SPD. But each to there own whatever you feel comfortable in. Future mtb tech brain remotely controlled magnetic clip in that when you need to release it just knows milliseconds before you think it🤣
50/50. Depends which bike I'm on and if I'm racing
Flats all the way for me
Flat pedals and Bosch I guess are the winners in difficult technical climbs, guess why? If you do not know the answer, ask me😉
Clips only. I have 6 bikes, all with clip pedals. Would never ever use anything else on any bike.
Clips kill knees from the twisting.
Always use SPD’s
Flats..... but would like try clips🤣🤣🤣
There is no argument. If you can't ride flats, then you are not allowed on the hills. You should be able to 'hold' the bike with your feet and not relying on being clipped in.
FLATS....the extra weight of an EMTB can break an ankle if clipped in and you go one way and your bike goes the other. Simple physics, really. That's why motorcycles don't have them.
What are the pros riding in DH, enduro and XC? All clipped in. Sam Hill is out of the equation, because he can not keep up with the clipped riders.
you just rode the wrong clips.. go with the original spd xt or xtr. You don't need to the platform around the pedal. no fails anymore. in 30 years of mountain biking, i tried many others, but I always went back to Shimano.
Absolutely no need to be clipped in on an eeb
That's a fair point. Power transfer from your feet to the pedals doesn't really need to be as efficient when you've got some electrical assistance.
Most arguments for/against either option are a load of rubbish, it’s just people trying to justify their preferred type of pedal. Once you’ve spent years riding one type it’s hard to change so you inevitably favour that type. A good clipped-in rider can get their foot out as fast as a flat pedal rider. Pedalling efficiency between the two is likely irrelevant if you aren’t elite. Comparing elite riders is irrelevant to most of us, except for the fact that you can find elite riders riding clipped, and elite riders riding flats, which just shows it comes down to personal preference.
Never considered clips !! There's some strange people out there mind
Clipless is the way to be, until you eat it a couple times and decide to go back to flats.
FLATS All the Time !!!
Isn’t this just regurgitating old videos now from GMBN
The pedals weight the wheels
I have more fun when I ride flats
Ride flats and then imagine you are a freerider, while riding your xc trails.
XC clips, other flats.
Did Evel Knievel wear clips 🤔
Flats forever forever flats.