Clips or flats for MTB?

cowbellsandcoffee

Just wondering what pedals riders here use for MTB.

I use clips on my 29 XC hardtail and flats for my 27.5 full squish.

How about you?

TheBigYin

SPD's on the MTB and the 'cross bike - but then again, I don't do "gnarly and rad dooooodd..."

SingingSingleTracker

SPD's on everything - mountain bikes, road bike, recumbent, exercise bike.

CarlydogsMom

I ride with 5-10 shoes (very hard sole), no clipless or toe clips. I prefer it that way for multiple reasons.

Done quite a bit of reading on it (one example here). And here.

I wish I could easily find the longer document I read, as well as the YouTube video that compared energy outputs from different pedaling scenarios, but it's bedtime and I'm sure you can find the same things I did with simple searching.

I think many people assume that if you're hooked into your pedals you have more power on the upstroke, ergo a more efficient ride, and perhaps ride faster. That's not what some of the research out there shows. Seems like any benefit is fairly minuscule unless you're really trying to cull micro-seconds off your time or are way into racing.

I personally like the ability to move my feet around as I'm riding, rather than having my feet locked into a certain position the entire ride (I have permanent sciatic nerve damage from an old back injury, and my part of my right foot is numb/dead). I also don't want to have to remember to unclip when falling or banging around.

That being said, the trade-off is that the bike can bounce me off the pedals on bumpy trails.

I'm not a fearless, go-for-it, fast rider though, I'm a *kitten*-foot when the trail gets all rocky and steep. I'm a gal in my mid-50's just out for fun, not for testing my limits. Your mileage may vary. I just mostly wanted to respond about the research I've found online that indicate it's pretty much a matter of personal preference and that actual speed/power benefits are fairly minimal and not all that significant for the average rider.

CarlydogsMom

Oh, meant to add...a friend of mine bikes with one SPD and one flat no-clip shoe. She doesn't clip in the one foot that she typically puts down to balance herself. So, two different shoes.

AnvilHead

Clips on road bikes (which I currently don't own one), flats on MTB. I tried clips on my MTB years ago, crashed more than I usually do and they made me completely lose my confidence in sketchy sections. Now, at 54 years old with a plate and screws in one collarbone already, I do everything I can to avoid crashing anymore. I've discovered that I don't bounce as well as I used to.

niblue

Clips on MTB and road for me - much prefer riding off-road while clipped in, feels much more secure than using flats.

smiles6428

I have crank brothers egg beaters on everything - mtb and road.

ntnunk

Speedplay Zeros on Road and TT bikes, Time ATAC on MTB and CX. The only time I ride flats is very occasionally doing low-speed balance work on CX or MTB.

cloggsy71

MTB? What is this weird witchcraft you speak of?

daj150

It's where you are riding and the road turns into dirt and rocks and large hills...so you pick up your bike to walk over it back to rideable road.

NorthCascades

I use Garmin Vector 2 pedals on my road bike. Used SPDs for years and they're great, but there's no SPD power meter.

I don't own a mountain bike, only rent, so that puts me in regular hiking shoes. I still have a nice pair of mountain shoes and I guess if I hadn't given the pedals away I could have the shop mount them when I rent. Seems like a pain.

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

I think many people assume that if you're hooked into your pedals you have more power on the upstroke, ergo a more efficient ride, and perhaps ride faster. That's not what some of the research out there shows. Seems like any benefit is fairly minuscule unless you're really trying to cull micro-seconds off your time or are way into racing.

It's really not about speed, it's about comfort and safety.

bike4hamburgers

SPDs on all my mountain bikes and my gravel bike. I started on flats but I got tired of them turning my shins into hamburger. I don't do any crazy downhill stuff, mostly XC riding.

version50

SPDs on my Ultimate, Flats on my Stumpjumper. My shins pretty much look like I've been mauled by panthers, but I'm hoping I'll learn how to stick a landing before I'm 50.

ntnunk

cloggsy71 wrote: »

MTB? What is this weird witchcraft you speak of?

You don't ride mountain bikes at all? You should. It does worlds of good for your road riding. Road and MTB are very complimentary in my experience. And even though I'm a roadie at heart, hitting the single track is a lot of fun.

NorthCascades

I agree with @ntnunk. An MTB is a nice change of pace occasionally, and it demands more in the way of handling skills, which translate to better cornering on a road bike.

RhysT28

When I used to ride road, it was SPD-L, but MTB, flats all the way! Five10 impacts are my current pair, good firm soles but ridiculous amount of grip!

superjohn71

On my road bikes, two are spd-sl's and one is on spd's, although that one basically lives on a turbo trainer. My CX bike is on SPD's, and the gravel bike that is presently just a pile of boxes will be on SPD's when built. My hardtail MTB was on SPD's, but got relegated to trail-a-bike duties for munchkin #2, so I put it back to flats just to be sure I could put my foot down quickly enough in an emergency, but I am trying to encourage her to learn to ride her proper big bike now, so have taken it off to 'fix it' (in other words, put loads of upgrades on it for no apparent reason! ) and am contemplating putting it back on SPD's, as I just don't like not being clipped in.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

SPDs on my road and 29er MTB.

GrayRider61

I think it's a personal choice. I used to clip in but had a nasty fall a few years back. Went to flats and never looked back. Have some excellent Kona pedals and wear a shoe with a grippy sole that's flat. Nothing like a running shoe. More like a skater type shoe (VANS, etc.). But I don't race but I feel more secure not being clipped in.

niblue

SPD's on all the mountain bikes, SPD-SL on the road bikes. I really don't like riding without being clipped in.

sufferlandrian

I change out pedals a lot. Winter on ice I go flats on my MTB. Summer I change to SPDs. My Fat Tire is flats only. My commuter is also SPDs. My trainer is SPDs. However, all my road bikes are Look Keo classics

Lesgamble

Nukeproof Horizon flats on both race BMXs, and XC and Enduro MTB. Coupled with FiveTen shoes, this has been one of the best things to happen to my riding (lockon grips, dropper posts and tubeless being the others) . Hell even my commuter and roadie have flats on at moment (allows me to wear my "pub shoes" )
Might throw clips back on the BMXs for the big races this year, but doubt ill ever go back to clips on the MTBs. Hasn't effected my climbing times, but downhill times and grin factor hugely improved...