We know there are some strong opinions out there, so let us know below - do you ride flat pedals or clipless pedals? And do you call them Clips, Clipless, SPDs, or something else?!
They’re two separate Blakes, why else would they be riding two entirely separate bikes? If it was just one they could have simply swapped the pedals around. GMBN keeps a shed full of Blakes for segments like these (and for when he gets a bit too much steeze on a ride and they lose one)
The best pedals are the pedals you like, enjoy and you're comfortable with. I have used clips and flats. Technically the clips were no problem as I am pretty comfortable with them. But I stick to flats because I just love them. I ride XC and Enduro and I never worry if I could maybe win a couple of seconds here and there by using clips. I just enjoy my rides and am happy with my pedal choice. I receive comments every now and then from other riders that clips would be better. I just smile and answer "not for me".
I ran clipless for a long time (mostly xc) and used flats when I switched up to enduro style riding and now I'm back to clipless. I feel clipless gives you more control over the bike and makes you feel more connected but it gives you a few bad habits on more technical terrain. Basically flats were very important for me to build up proper technique but after a while I wanted to go back to clipless to get that extra control. Might use flats every once in a while if I want to work on my skills.
In my book, clips work perfectly for as long as everything goes according to plan. But i learned the hard way that if things suddenly go wrong and you just have a split second to get a foot on the ground to prevent a crash, or to just jump off the bike for that matter, it might be that one or even both clips just wont let you do that. At least not in the time you have.
Both.... always loved flats and smashed trails on my hardtail. Just got an FS and trying flats out while i ger used to it and finding them mega dor jumping and technical climbs (although the only climb has actually been a stair set!)
I actually own both flat and clipless in one! All the efficiency of a clip, but all the safety of bailing out on gnarly downhill which thankfully hasn't happened. Both of best worlds.
Flats. Always used them from my younger years till now. I prefer the feeling of being able to move my feet. Plus, I damaged my left leg very badly and the foot has ever been straight since
Flats as the Army taught me always have a plan B if Things get messed up I like to eject and not be connected to the bike's lead. Unless I was competing. :) Old 53 dude
I’m primarily a downhill rider. I switched to clipless because I got tired of my foot shifting on the pedal or falling off in the rough stuff. I’d have gouges in my calves and shins all summer with flats. When I’m clipped in my foot never moves and is always in the right position no matter how rough it gets. But don’t listen to me, almost all the top downhill pros are clipped in. One reason is just like he mentioned in the video, you don’t have to drop your heels so you can have a more forward attack position, allowing you to go faster. As far as being able to put your foot down? Clipless pedals are tunable, I have mine set so the slightest twist will release them. I can dab as fast as any flat pedal rider and I’ve never had a problem getting out in a crash.
Same, you just have to remember that if you want to move your foot away from the pedal you just have to relax it, so that when you're going for a dab the unclip motion will generate itself as you move your leg towards the ground.
Flats for me, I'm too clumsy and don't trust myself clipped in. I have definitely gotten some chuckles seeing roadies not being able to unclip at stop lights and just fall over 😅. After making sure they were ok of course.
Just a personal opinion, based on my sense of security: If the terrain is *rough*, I feel more connected clipped in. If the terrain is *loose*, I feel more at ease on flat pedals.
I ride both. Flats when I want to get a bit more security of being able to put a foot down fast. Clips when I'm cross country riding. Also, the video doesn't talk about being able to pull with clips, which helps with putting power down, and using other muscles.
I've been using clipless for so many years that putting my foot down is no problem at all. Just adjust the clip tension so enable jumps and easy disengaging.
I tried clipless a year ago and have been using them since, i feel like i can be a bit more wild and crazy with the bike when on clipless. But i do switch to flats when doing skills at parking lot.
I was a roadie for decades before I began mountain biking so being clipped in was normal to me. However, on the trails, I am 100% a DMR Vault and five ten rider. Early on, I rode with spd because that was what I was used to but I find I have no knee issues on flats and I am faster too. On an 18km loop in a local mountain trail that is used for XC racing, I have never cracked the hour in spds but I always do on flats in the dry. To me, the feel I get through my feet on flats allows me to push harder in sketchy bits and as for power transfer, enough tests have proven flats are not a disadvantage due to the better natural recruitment of major muscle groups that a mid foot position encourages. Even a previous roadie GMBN test a few years back proved this.
I love flats for trying new stuff or just messing around 😊 but the clips I like for racing or long climbs it just makes it easier although love seeing comparing of them
I'm riding clipless pedals on my enduro for about a year now and I switched because I recognized in Bikepark Leogang that I often slipped away from my flat pedals while riding enduro/downhill trails. So for gnarly stuff clipless pedals are better but flats are still enough. For me clipless pedals are the better option for my riding style. I'm still riding flats on my dirt jump because it would be nuts not to haha.
I just can’t stick to Flats on rough or jumpy terrain. I’ve been trying for over a month. Any tips or advice I get is helpful before I go back to clipless.
I actually started using SPD pedals last week and it took me about 10min to get used to it. And as my knees are not great... the clipless pedal allows me to make sure my feet is always in the right position... and my knees hurt a lot less. Mind you, I mostly ride in the city with some dirt and singletracks now and there.
The irony is that flat pedals and proper flat pedal shoes are actually much better regarding reducing knee pain. I can only assume you were not riding mid foot position on the pedals or some such.
I was running cleats for a couple of months, tried flats and I must say I prefer to be clipped in. More control and confidence. I'm using Time pedals, they unclip way easier than shimano style cleats.
Not sure if this is a dumb question - so please let me know if it is and why. With the clipless can you get some power from the 'upstroke' (how would that work) or is it that you don't waste power? Hope someone can make sense of my query, sorry if it's annoying.
You can push and pull at the same time. You can spin very round also. Modern flat pedals are awesome. But on a long hard ride pushing and pulling of a clipless pedal will help conserve energy by using different muscles.
I wish mouch earlier i would have tried clipless or cleats as it is i have arthritis in my left ankle and cleats are just not an option, having the freedom of flatties gives me that extra bit of movement that allows me to adjust while riding which i just couldnt do in cleats ..... besides i just dont have the bottle for beig clipped in. great episode though guys love it.
Went for clipless few months ago because I wanted all the grip and control on the rough stuff. I thought that I will go back to my Nukeproof Horizon DH flats when the bike park season begins but boy how wrong I was. I would never want to go to bikepark with flats anymore. I have so much more control over the bike and I just feel invinsible when clipped in. (Not sure if that's good thing.. 🤭) But I have to admit I do have racers mind. Adrenaline is my middle name.
I used to mountain bike in Shimano's MTB Sandals...anyone remember those? They actually did a re-issue a few years ago..... They were awesome - no protection! But, the soles were stiff and they could be run clipless or for Flats....
i run flats. 5/10 shoes and oneup flat pedals. Flats work fine for me. i don't see the cost of going clipless as worth the change...at least not yet lol
One time had spd but fallen hard because I couldn’t get the shoes clipped in while going down. Later fell while climbing and tipt over. Can’t have the feeling that my feet are stock. Flat is more my riding style.
I just got a set of Shimano Saint's yesterday, my first set of clips. I have to say, I really do not like them. My feet don't seem to be touching the platform part of the pedal at all. It feels like my shoes are just floating around on the clip part of the pedal. There's no way I can ride with these.
Dvs skate shoes. Never had fancy clip ins or riding specific shoes. Dvs and globe were always super comfortable I us d to be sponsored and did a lot of hard tail dirt jumping but also down hill. I’m sure these shoes would have been nice to have. But hell i ran all kinds of races with just skate shoes on. I back flipped off a house one time with just shoes on and a hard tail.
Bad MCL in the left knee says clipless is a NO GO!!! Obviously it may help relieve stress in some aspects but the twist motion is what makes it too painful to use.
Should have added an extra test where, on technical terrain, you should dab your foot, and put it on the pedal again and put the power on. Then see how long it takes for the couples shoe to clip in before they can do it.
I’ve just gone back to flats because my clipless shoes just fell apart, I miss clipless for uphill and trails, but downhill I just feel safer with flats…
Personalmente me gustan mas usar clips, siento que tengo mayor control sobre la bicicleta (hardtail en mi caso) y la posición de los pies en el pedaleo siempre es la misma, algo que cuesta conseguir con flats.
Another piece of bro science, comparing pedals on two different bikes. You could reuse the same footage to do a coil vs air shock comparison. Or blue vs yellow bike.
Being clipped in sure makes shoe companies profitable. Being on flats sure makes the salve and band-aid companies profitable. Or we could all just ask the question, why did we say toe cage pedals where such a problem with the common every day shoe?
Flats, all day long. Trusty 5/10's and the cheap and durable DMR V8's. When you gotta bail you gotta bail. clippless are for roadies and pro DH'ers who smash the gnarliest of courses at speeds beyond the realms of mortals.
With clips is good to end up in hospital badly becose whey crash you crash with the bike to. Recently I got a bad one and i am lucky becose using flat, managing kick out the bike on air. Accept clips is better but some results can be far more dangerous
Yesterday I was coming down a hill and my handlebars clipped a sapling. The bike went one way, and I went the other. I was able to roll and got away with minor scrapes. I think it would have been worse if I was dragging the bike with me.
With SPD pedals you can just lower the tension in the pedals. I have mine pretty loose and I’ve had a couple minor unexpected crashes and the cleats released on me. (Unexpected meaning I didn’t react to release the cleats from the pedals)
Years a go when training road cycling I get a corner to fast and end up flying on other side off the road together with bike, firt part off my body be my left side on rocks, miracle no broke my femur but never forget the 15min off agonising and crying 😅
@@felipegonzalezm.4644 that sounds horrible, I see why you’d be cautious about them. My accidents were mountain biking which is generally a lot slower than road cycling. Cleats for road cycling are usually very tight. Mine would sometimes release in the upwards pedal if I was pulling at a bad angle. In a road bike, you’re probably going flying with 20 pounds of bike attached to you.
Flats. Extremely rare I find my feet skipping off the pedals, and certainly not enough to upset me anyway, but I still see people who have ridden clips for years have stupid accidents as a result of them 😂
I think its crazy how blake has a clone whos equally as good at riding! I guess you get one when you become youtubes funniest people! Sam pilgrim has dusty aswell 😅
I've never had bloody shins with my clipless. But nothing like falling over still clipped in and trying to disengage while lying on the ground, kinda feels like a beached whale.😆
