[Closed] Recommend me some flat pedals for techy trails

DMR Vault are incredibly grippy.

Cheapish? Burgtec penthouse composite or nukeprook horizon.

I've juts got a pair of the Burgetc composites for my winter hack. They are brilliant for the money. I think I paid about £35 with a discount code.

I bought some Nukeproof Neutron EVO Flat Pedals.

Only had them 3 months but so far seem excellent.

We'll see how they cope with winter mud.

I'd go with one of the composite pedals mentioned, as you tend to get good grip for not much money.

I'd also suggest it's worth considering decent flat pedal shoes. If you don't think it's a long term change then maybe try to find a set you don't mind wearing casually. But if you aren't used to using flats IMO it's worth giving yourself the best chance of it feeling more secure.

As above, no point worrying about pedals if you ain't got decent rubber on your plates.

Superstar Nanos with a pair of 5 10’s is all you’ll ever need.
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Oh, and maybe a pair of shin guards for when you slip off them....ouch!

As K23 has said, flats are pointless without decent shoes. I dithered with flats on and off for ages and hated them until I bought decent shoes. Now I can't see me ever returning to SPDs.

I have Nukeproof Horizons and find them to be excellent. I'm sure they'll be in the upcoming Black Friday sales too.

Another current composite choice is Diety Deftrap but, as above, don’t skimp on the shoes

Not really, if it's only for a couple of trails locally, then I wouldn't be spending the guts of a hundred quid on shoes if there's a chance you ain't gonna stick with it.

I only wear my 5 tens at this time of year, or for longer days, just buggering about on local dh or jumpy bits I'll shove on a pair of running shoes.

It'll take a bit of getting used to on techy stuff, it's not just a matter of jumping over onto flats, there's some technique that needs learning.

I agree with Nobeerinthefridge just to try if you like it I am quite happy with my Aldi walking boots in most situations apart from on some jumps my feet have moved on the pedals, the most important thing with any boot/shoe is the sole needs to be flexible to grip the pins dont attempt anything with rigid spd shoes or proper hiking boots. I have 5.10s for dryer days or if I know the riding will be gnarly as I do find flats do give me more confidence on that type of riding

DMR convert ...
Can’t understand why I used SPD

Can you borrow some flats and shoes from a friend to try?

If not, I'd consider secondhand - as even new composite pedals are not cheap.

I'm having a clear out, so ping me a PM if you might be interested in some decent used metal pedals or nearly new composites for cheap.

Good point about maybe seeing whether I can borrow some. I'll ask around.
Re:shoes...Ive got a VERY old pair of 5:10s which have some life left in the sole so will do for now.

Thanks for the recommendations so far..

I just have to, sorry.... skills day 😀

super technical trails I’ve tried to ride recently but bottled out as I didn’t feel confident about clipping out if I need to bail

if you feel like you need to bail on a certain trail I’d be looking at why that is first, rather than trying different pedals. Although sure maybe it’s a mental thing , so perhaps it will help. Good luck either way!

if you feel like you need to bail on a certain trail I’d be looking at why that is first,

Aye...the trails I'm looking at have some VERY steep convex slabs so part of the problem is being able to walk down the slab to see what the exit run out is like. My tyres have a lot more grip than the soles of my riding shoes!
Maybe I should carry a short length of rope and belay in instead 😉😃

For reference...

Both riders on clips, and remi mentions it's all about braking control, first thing he says ☺️ . But as I say, if it works for you all good.

You'll get 400 recommendations for 400 different pedals 🙂 If you can find Nukeproof Horizon Comps- the plastic ones- then they're as good as any flat pedal you can buy, and cheaper than most. If you go with those or an option like them you'll neer need to think "what if it's the pedals", because it's definitely not.

Don't quite agree on shoes, it's a matter of taste that. I mean, yes sticky shoes do make pedal retention easier and inspire more confidence but equally, a lot of peopel just don't benefit from that as they're perfectly happy and well attached in a pair of wellies. It's not that they're "making do" as people often assume, tehy're just sorted with less. I like a sticky shoe personally, just because when I'm tired or generally screwing up, they keep me out of trouble but when I'm not tired or screwing up it doesn't really make any difference. You can get a good feel for it anyway on any suitable flat-soled pedal.

I'd buy cheap enough not to feel like you're married to your new gear but expensive enough to get some proper piece of kit should you end up using flats full time (trust me, this might happen, happened to every of my mates who tried flats). Modern flats and shoes are amazing.

You’ll get 400 recommendations for 400 different pedals

I'd be happy if just a handful of these actually agreed on something...

3 votes so far for Nukeproof Horizons...

Will be many you can get, if you're not jumping and potential heavy landings then composites are cheap and easy, loads around, all pretty much the same, it's more about breaking the SPD feel, folk move to flats, hate it because they still want to feel attached and pull with the feet or get lazy with how they keep contact with the pedals on downhill and jumps.

Can't say i'd go back to SPDs though, especially this time of year, honestly yesterday was a mudfest and one DH run had the tyres clogged full, back wheel was trying to overtake the front on the down, having that luxury of foot down to stop it going wrong is great, same with berms and corners in muddy condition, also the fact that on off camber muddy stuff you can effectively just let the bike go without being dragged down the hill with it!

If you want some cheap flats pm me. Ive got more spare pairs than is reasonable and I'm about to upgrade to daggas.

I live in Canada so offers to sell me your old pedals aren't going to be cost or time effective for me! 😃
Also, makes getting hold of some brands more tricky as well☹️

Nukeproof Horizon - metal not plastic, you can feel the difference. You can sell them on if you don't like them and you will not lose.

argee
Full Member

Will be many you can get, if you’re not jumping and potential heavy landings then composites are cheap and easy,

For jumps and heavy landings, the axle is doing the lifting anyway, pedal strength is really for when you smash 'em off rocks. I've managed to properly damage one of my plastic horizons that way, but then, I also managed to shatter a vault so, I won't judge

(all my plastic horizons have damage, chips and squished pins and such, but none that makes any difference)

I took my dog for a walk up Take Out The Donut yesterday 😉

For Canada, the OneUp Composite pedals are reasonably cheap and should be easy to source. I have them on my old 'Emergency' Cotic BFe, and have used them on other bikes. Not as grippy as my Chromag Dagga pedals but grippy enough.

https://www.oneupcomponents.com/collections/pedals/products/comp-pedal

Aha, @walleater - I rode the black line (riders right) on Saturday (easy!) but bottled out of the double-black (central line). The pro-line (riders left) is waaaay above my pay grade.

However, it was the wet, slick slabs on Value Added beforehand which got me wanting more grippy shoes (meaning flat pedals).

How do these compare to Highway to Hell? I may be searching that out next weekend 😉

@markgraylish, yeah the black line was part of Big Red Ted (Tempany)'s presumably dirt bike line (like Two Stroke Smoke). James Ivory changed the trail up. Not much margin for error on those other two lines so I haven't tried them!
If you can get down VA, then you'll get down Highway To Hell fine one way or another! It does have some jumps and drops but nothing you can't ride around if needed. I removed it from trailforks but just head up to the top of Hueso and turn left and you'll see the sign. Most ride lower Hueso after and that can be sketchy in the wet. If you not ridden lower Hueso before, I'd creep down the rock rolls as slow as you can as the final one gets tight and off-camber at the bottom!