Flats or Clipped?

PB Forum :: Downhill
Flats or Clipped?
Author Message
flag dher0521
Posted: Dec 7, 2011 at 22:46 Quote
johan90 wrote:
Looking at wc history there is only one person that has been truly konsistently competitive on flats and that is Sam Hill so i'd say that it takes far more talent, balls and training to ride flats as well as clips as fars beating the clock.

But if you dont plan on becoming the best one should ride what they enjoy the most. Personally i prefer clips for the simple fact that my feet stays on the pedals and the added control is also nice, but most importantly since my feet stays on the pedals i can just concentrate on the track and my riding.
Hate to grave dig but I just talked to my shop owner about this today for like an hour. He likes to get all of our team riders to try clips before they decide if they want to run flats. That being said everyone on our team now rides clips. It’s easier to get consistent results when you don’t have to worry about foot placement. Also it allows you to float over rocks and roots by being able to suck the bike up. Not to mention you get more power out of pedaling! People don't give them enough credit. Flats have their place but from my experience and what I have seen at races, riders that run clips are consistently fast while riders on flats may be deadly fast one day and then just decently fast the next. If you really want to get the most out of your bike I think clips are the only way to go. It opens up a lot more ways to control your bike and forces you to have perfect technique.
flag kizzapalooza
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 at 3:29 Quote
^^ all true and I ride clips, but I disagree with '...forces you to have perfect technique.'

I think with clips you can get away with bad technique, and that is probably my biggest flaw, but then at least I dont fall off on rocky sections. And going to flats, I found that having my weight back helps with staying on.

Also, with clips I ride over the front of the bike like an mx bike, and tend to preload on jumps rather than boosting properly, which is another flaw of mine... :S
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 at 3:31 Quote
shoxxer wrote:
^^ all true and I ride clips, but I disagree with '...forces you to have perfect technique.'

I think with clips you can get away with bad technique, and that is probably my biggest flaw, but then at least I dont fall off on rocky sections. And going to flats, I found that having my weight back helps with staying on.

Also, with clips I ride over the front of the bike like an mx bike, and tend to preload on jumps rather than boosting properly, which is another flaw of mine... :S

This,you gotta ride the back of the bike more.
flag dher0521
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 at 12:40 Quote
Weird. For me with cornering it forces me to work on my technique. It makes me want to keep my feet clipped in so I tend to work more on weight distribution through corners and more bike lean. When I ride my flats I tend to just rely on being able to put a foot out in a tight corner or just put most of my weight all on the top side foot. My form is not nearly as good. That might just be me though. I defiantly notice a big different in my riding speed when I ride clips.
flag JamesJozef
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 at 13:22 Quote
I'm of the mind frame that putting a foot out is a crutch (although it has it's place), and never good technique. In my mind (trials + DH rider) flats force you to have better technique. You can't clip jump/hop by just pulling up. With flats you actually have to understand where your weight needs to be to float over things.
flag johan90
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 at 13:35 Quote
At the same time when you race you wont always be in perfect control and when problems arise it sure is nice to be able to cheat with manuvering the back end. But it is always good to have a proper base technique to work from.

As to feet out i am only going to say Danny Hart at worlds, properly smoked everyone on clips on the steepest, most technical track in the worst kind of wheater conditions. So it just shows flats arent inherently better than clips for tech stuff.
flag kizzapalooza
Posted: Dec 9, 2011 at 1:22 Quote
johan90 wrote:
At the same time when you race you wont always be in perfect control and when problems arise it sure is nice to be able to cheat with manuvering the back end. But it is always good to have a proper base technique to work from.

As to feet out i am only going to say Danny Hart at worlds, properly smoked everyone on clips on the steepest, most technical track in the worst kind of wheater conditions. So it just shows flats arent inherently better than clips for tech stuff.
I never said it was, but with clips I heard that people get away with not boosting properly, and this is the bad technique I meant.
flag johan90
Posted: Dec 9, 2011 at 13:32 Quote
That is how it is for me, i havent really gotten down a proper bunny hop. So when i run clips i sure does make it easier to clear objects and since i am only riding for fun i dont really care that i cant bunny hop properly. But clips definetly forces me to ride more smoothly and tactical then what flats do.
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Dec 9, 2011 at 18:03 Quote
johan90 wrote:
That is how it is for me, i havent really gotten down a proper bunny hop. So when i run clips i sure does make it easier to clear objects and since i am only riding for fun i dont really care that i cant bunny hop properly. But clips definetly forces me to ride more smoothly and tactical then what flats do.

But do you feel the love.
flag Bennyy4x
Posted: Dec 11, 2011 at 15:14 Quote
clips, rode them for about a week and straight away became a better rider, and you get used to unclipping and clipping back in if you want to get loose, pedaling is a lot more effective and i just feel more in control of the bike
flag racerforever
Posted: Jan 6, 2012 at 11:53 Quote
There is no type faster or slower.
The MAIN goal is to be at ease (so confident in your riding) with your set up,this will make you fast,remember WC has been won on both!
flag johan90
Posted: Jan 6, 2012 at 12:51 Quote
I agree and since we aint pros what matters is the fun we are having so everybody should just "run what they brung".


But statistically clipped in riders are consistently faster and to be fair its only sam hill of all flat pedal riders that has been really consistent result wise. From my memory hill hasnt finished a full (as in not missing half the season due to injury) wc season worser than 3:rd and worlds worser than 7:th, but other than hill i dont think any flat pedal riders has won more than like 2-3 wc or a single worlds title. Havent researched this to much, but between nico, minaar, peat, hill and barel there cant have been all that many other winners in recent years. So based on that, clips should be faster when it comes to beating the clock.

If this is due to good shoes and flat pedalt not having been around for to long or just that they are inferior is impossible to say imho.
flag kizzapalooza
Posted: Jan 7, 2012 at 3:48 Quote
photo
This is the worst thing to clipless pedals, when you're used to them and 'one with the bike' and after the kick you get unclipped. Worst feeling on a bike (before crashing)...ever!!
flag steve-miller
Posted: Jan 7, 2012 at 5:45 Quote
Rider preference. Period.
flag z-man
Posted: Jan 8, 2012 at 20:20 Quote
any one here have the balls for toe straps

 


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