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OK my first race of the season is tomorrow, and I'm still faffing around with pedals.
I run spds on the road bike, no problem and wouldn't be without them. Been giving them ago on the mountain bike (after racing on flats last year), I guess I feel a bit quicker on the boring climbs and non technical bits, but pretty sure I then slow down on anything remotely challenging because something in my head tells me that me feet are stuck so I have to go slowly and not crash.
The course I'm riding tomorrow is here...
Current plan is leave spds on, take flats+shoes with me incase, and then do my warm up lap with the spds to see how it goes. But just thought I'd throw the age old question back out to singletrack, so ignoring the advantage that me feet won't slip off resulting in sore shins, is there really that much advantage to spds?
Spds are pretty much always faster imo, apart from flat out steep downhills.
You can keep pedalling through loads of terrain that isn't possible on flats.
I have started using SPD's on my hardtail for xc stuff and think they are quite a bit better, as its easier to keep your feet/power on the pedals whilst cycling over rough ground with the saddle at XC height.
SPD's for riding around a field.
yes, no, maybe, depends.
SPDs are more efficient, for sure. As for the nervousness - if you can sort that out (by being methodical and calm in your head) you'll be faster through the rough stuff too.
FNSS = rarely technically challenging.
SPD's better from a lazy point of view imo, it's less to think/worry about. And your feet are not stuck.
yes everyone fast wears them
However following and bastardising the rules slightly if you can dish out a world of hurt then you should go with flats and unshaven legs
{ i know you are a girl so it may not hold true for girls re the legs bit]
Try it, if you feel happy riding clipless offroad then you've gained something. If not then nothing lost.
I'm assuming you're not racing to win if you're on here asking advice of which pedal to use anyway... If you are racing to win, forgive me!
The single biggest advantage to SPD's that I can tell, being a long time user of both flats and clipless, is that they are a bit more efficient over time. That is to say, you feel fresher for slightly longer, or can put in the same sustained effort for slightly longer.
Read this if you haven't already...
[url] http://www.bikejames.com/cardio-training/top-3-clipless-pedal-myths/ [/url]
Flat pedals are more fun though for sure!
I reckon its an all or nothing thing. I remember it took me about a year until I no longer thought about being clipped in on technical sections and it may be that those thoughts of "what happens if i stack now?" would make me ease up a bit. Once I was properly used to them I wouldn't feel comfortable without, having ridden a borrowed bike with flats a few weeks ago climbing was a right pain I actually lifted my foot off the pedal on the upward part of the revolution a couple of times.
Your feet are not stuck on the pedals with SPD's.
Adjust them to the lowest setting.
I can unclip without thinking or knowingly having to put effort into it.
The feeling of being stuck is in your head, not necessarily a reality. Sort your head and you will find they improve your riding, climbing and technical stuff.
For technical stuff you do need to be connected to the bike to retain control.
Yes. Being committed in a section is [u]good[/u], not bad. If the section is too tough for you, trying to get off whilst still moving in the middle of the section is definitely [u]not[/u] a good thing!
I actually feel safer in decents knowing that my feel are cliped in. Some thing reassuring about having your feet stuck to the pedal. Anyway, the times that i have crashed, my feet have always come away from the spd.
“Technical” riding with SPD s is not difficult, most of the battle is a head game where you have to overcome the idea that your foot being mechanically attached to the pedal will in some way cause you to crash…
If you can already ride fast on flats, SPDs are just the same, just think:
[I]“I know could pin this on flats, so with clips it should be even easier!”[/I]
Descending on clips can be quicker, makes you ride each corner with a bit more commitment as the whole; [I] unclip, Dab, clip back in[/I] faff just slows things down, keep your feet on and pick your line, that what you should be doing on flats anyway really, why should clips be significantly different…
Basically MTFU…
may be that those thoughts of "what happens if i stack now?" would make me ease up a bit.
I had a couple of fairly large accidents in SPDs where the pedal (shimano) was full of crud and failed to disengage, resulting in me bouncing down the trail with the bike still attached to one foot, my knees have never been quite the same since
I ride flats of road now, mind you i don't race either...
apart from flat out steep downhills.
Someone better tell Gee and Minaar!
Yes, or maybe no....
Would never ride with out cleats (spd) pedals. I like having my feet atached to the bike a pedals so they dont bounce of in rough techy terrain.
Any big offs i've always detached from the bike. And if you ride all the time with cleats your brain soon gets use to you unclipping with out having to think about it.
I rode with spds, and I am now definitely convinced by their usefulness!
yes once you get used to the idea of being cliped in, or you may just hate it and go back to flats
By the sound of it [b]now[/b] may not be the time for SPD for you yet. When your race is done and you're back to general riding and training. Try doing a route that you know on flats, but do it as though you're clipped in, try and clean all the sections and keep you feet on the pedals (no foot out dabbing in the corners), try that a couple of times. Then do the same route with SPDs, knowing fully that you can do it and commit to it, this will start to build your confidence when riding clipped in. Once you have that feeling of confidence and commitment when riding clipped in, you'll realise loosing the commitment head game will make you crash a lot more than being clipped in.
Pretty much agree with all the positives mentioned already about SPDs. I've not used flats since I was a kid 25 years ago, and subsequently swear by SPDs. So IMO, yes, they will make you faster. End of.
They make me faster.
Assuming you're not slowest, not having SPDs allows the following conversation to someone you beat up a hill...
"oooo, that was quite hard"
"yes very"
"I see you're riding spds, provide the equiv of 25% more fittness apparently"
"...."
i dont think you should be considering spd for your race if you are not confident with them and know what to expect, sounds like they would slow you down until you get used to them anyway.
there is no tangible difference in speed around my 1hr circuit in lordswood with me using spd or flats, fwiw i race in spds as they should provide more benefits
I'm definitely faster on SPDs.
As the OP responded saying she raced in spd's and all was good 8 hours ago I reckon the advice saying dont do you will crash horribly is a little 'after the event'
Dunno about faster, not that bothered unless I'm going down, but I've found being clipped in helps me put the back of the bike where I want. Sounds odd I know, but I can skip the back around to get round corners and stuff, on flat pedals I can't do it.
Depends how you peddle doesn't it? If you just push down on the pedals like with flats then no, if you pedal through the whole revolution [pushing and pulling] then yes. Couldn't live without them on the dh or xc bike
As a slight hijack, what's a good SPD pedal that also has a decent platform/grip? I used to use 520 SPDs but switched back to flats and much prefer the big platform. I quite fancy trying SPDs again for the efficiency though.
Easier to jump big jumps through a rhythm section IMO. Means you can start pedalling just before you land the jump to get the speed for the next.