Comments on: When should a novice go clipless?

By: RIP Blue Collar MTB - [blog.]mountainbike.pro

RIP Blue Collar MTB - [blog.]mountainbike.pro — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:17:32 +0000

[...] tips and advice they gave was perfect for a beginner like me. The most helpful to me were this post about when to go clipless and this post about which pedals people prefer. I ended up getting a pair of Shimano shoes and [...]

By: kerbouchaud

kerbouchaud — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:03:15 +0000

Old ass post but I had to check in anyway.
I started out riding platforms but gave it up after loosing too much blood from the lugs on the pedals. Switched to Crank bros mallets which combine platform and clipless. For the first few months I would clip out and ride platform over the sketchy stuff, now I never clip out unless I’m falling. I did make a switch to platforms when traveling to a park that had some really sketchy rock gardens and downhills and was thinking that I’d do better that way. I still have the scars and my riding socks and shoes are permanantly blood stained. I will never go back to platforms again. The control that you have over the bike, the ability to apply sheer muscle when climbing long steep hills, not having to worry about bouncing off on sketchy decents or slipping your pedal during a climb make the clipless pedals totally worth it.
As for unclipping for a dab or fall? I don’t even think about it, it has become instinctive. I don’t know about the Shimano’s but the crank bros always unclip easily and more importantly always clip back in easily too regardless of how much mud you have on your shoes or pedals!

By: oki

oki — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:17:39 +0000

Drew, if your right handed, your brains response will be to preferably land you on your right hand side as this will offer you the best defence during a fall.
—have you let your subconcious get the better of you i wonder?!!!

if so….slap it upside t’ head! and let it know who the bossman is.

By: cj

cj — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:56:11 +0000

I started riding a ‘06 GT Zaskar Expert about 6 months ago, first bike i had been on since my college days. Had the bike shop wwitch out the clipless pedals for falts, so I could get used to riding a bike again. Less than 200 miles later, I put the clipless back on and bought a good pair of shoes. The difference is amazing, I imediately picked up 2 mph/ avg speed on my regular ride. It was a little awkward first couple of times out, but no problem as of yet, and I am absolutely glad I made the switch.

By: Seaducer

Seaducer — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:47:58 +0000

My mtb shoes are by Specialized, the ones with the ratchet buckle on top, pretty comfy, and I have 12 1/2 or 13 depending on brand.

I also for my road bike have a pair of Forte shoes from Performance. They are plastic and cost about 30$, and I like them better than the 130$ Nike carbon fiber shoes I have. Maybe worth looking into…

By: deranged

deranged — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:56:15 +0000

I have wide feet, 11 EEE to be exact, and I have specialized shoes that are very comfortable for me. Nice roomy toe box. So you might look into those. Also, adidas makes mtb shoes if you know they fit. I’d say go to some shops and try on as many different ones as you can.

By: Ben L

Ben L — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:31:24 +0000

I tried on shoes today (I think I’m going clipless soon) and Shimano is too narrow for me. Typically Nike running shoes are too narrow so I have to wear Adidas.

I know nothing about MTB shoes. What shoes would you guys recommend?

By: Ornery Chick

Ornery Chick — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 19:45:50 +0000

I don’t use clipless pedals with anything. I never saw the need, and I manage well enough. I can get over decent sized rocks, roots, and small logs by bringing the front end of the bike up (hard pedal downstroke, pull back on the bars, pedal on through) the majority of the time. Not being “clipped in,” hasn’t ever held me back on the climbs, nor hurt my descents. I spend most of my time on the trail off the saddle, and seem to be sufficiently rooted to the pedals. And I like the ability to bail with alacrity. When the inevitability of a crash comes upon me, I generally kind of like to be quite a ways from the machine when we all come to a stop.

I kind of ride my bike like a dirt-track auto racer drives…I’ll slide the rear end through downhill switchback curves with strategic braking. I’ve also discovered leaning a thigh against the top-tube or nose of the seat to lever the bike over more, too, in executing a hard turn at speed.

I think it all comes down to riding style, and I find that simplicity is the biggest equipment aim for me, hence a singlespeed approach to drivetrain and a no-frills approach to components and accessories. I don’t have the attention span for shifting, unclipping, or locking out forks, so I don’t shift, use clipless, or run a suspension fork. I just pick a line and ride it, hop off and hike when I must, and generally have a fine old time.

By: T. Ryan Arnold

T. Ryan Arnold — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:01:55 +0000

I started riding my mountain bike pretty seriously (about 12 miles per day) about a year ago. My bike’s not that flash…but its got some nice parts on it. Everytime I went to upgrade some little bit or piece at my LBS they were all harassing me about upgrading to clip pedals. They pretty much gave me the impression that if you used flats…then you weren’t serious about Mountain Biking. It was kind of similar to the reaction you might get if you wanted to enter a marathon wearing Converse All STars.

So anyway, I upgraded to some Shimano clip pedals and some nice mountain bike clip shoes. And promptly fell on my ass, face, hands, and arms for the next month. Everyone assured me that I’d get “used” to it…but I never did. It could be that my balance needs work…but I also tend to ride through some city streets to get to my trails. My biggest problem was with abrupt unforseen stops on the roads leading to my main rides. Finally I was like, “F this. I guess I”m just not hard core enough” and went back to flats. It’s been about six months and I still don’t feel compelled to try them again. I did notice an improvement in pedal power…but I just didn’t feel safe wearing them.

By: Deranged

Deranged — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:08:17 +0000

I have some Time ATAC Z pedals, they are clipless with a cage around them. I can use them with regular shoes, but not for long rides, I have found its just easier to switch pedals if I know I am going to be riding somewhere that I would prefer flats. But I do like having the cage around them for when I am clipped in on a ride, and I want to take one foot out for some reason and leave it unclipped for a while I can no problem.