Mountain Bikers chime in please

[imported_goku]

If you're a mountain biker, do you have clipless pedals? Or do you have standard pedals and wear regular shoes? My friends insist that I'm insane for mountain biking with clipless pedals and that they're only for roadbiking. Yet I know some guys like me who mountain bike with clipless pedals as well so I'm wondering, 1. Do you use clipless pedals and 2. If you don't, why you don't use them.

 

[UTmtnbiker]

I've been mountain biking with clipless pedals for pushing 15 years now. I think a lot depends on what type of riding you do. I'm more XC, so I think there's a strong benefit there, especially with climbing and the technical stuff. However, if you're freeriding or doing DH, I could see why you wouldn't want to go clipless.

 

[Drakkon]

I use clipless only for non-singletrack mountainbiking. I had a buddy go on a steep trail and ended up falling over a cliff cause he couldnt get his cleet off in time and he was a good biker that had been doing this for years. it was scary as hell and from then on (after a few months of recovering from various broken apendages) he now rides with only standard pedals when single-tracking. Cant jump as high but feels a ton safer as do i

 

[CombatChuk]

I like the idea of when I wipe out that the bike doesn't stay with me.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I have used clipless pedals on my MTB since about 1993. I can't imagine going back. I actually think they're safer than the alternatives (platform pedals or toeclips) for anything but extremely technical riding. I have suffered sprained knees from wiping out with toeclips, but with my SPD pedals I've always popped right out and never suffered serious injury in a mountain bike crash (other than one that had nothing whatsoever to do with pedals).

 

[bob4432]

when i use to ride i would never go clipless. my last 3 bikes came with clipless and they were the first to go on ebay. i always used more of a bmx style platform with the metal pins in them. my riding style was more freeride and i understand the benefits of clipless, but like others have said i don't want to be attached when the shtf. i did suffer quite a bit of shin hits with the pedals, but you get use to that after numerous times. a lot of the stuff i rode i wouldn't have been in clipless.

while riding there were many others i would see on the same trails as i with clipless, but it seemed to limit them to just certain trails. maybe they were not comfortable with the pedals as i doubt i was much better of a rider than they.

 

[potato28]

Im fine with my regular pedals and shoes for the rocks and roots I go over.

 

[Dirigible]

I'm all about the clipless. Couldn't imagine climbing without them. XC rider here. If I were DH-ing or FR-ing, I might do the platform thing. Otherwise, no. Everyone I ride with rides clipless as well, and I ride with a lot of people. I've run into multiple bike company founders/presidents/other bike big shots at places here in the Bay Area, and they all rode clipless too.

So no, I don't think riding clipless is crazy.

 

[imported_goku]

bump

 

[jumpr]

Clipless is the way to go. I have combo clipless/platform pedals on my bike (think these) and I spend 95% of my time clipped in. For singletrack, I think it's the only way to go. My shoes have popped out of the clips on their own every time I've fallen. Just keep the tension as low as it goes and you'll be fine.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: goku
If you're a mountain biker, do you have clipless pedals? Or do you have standard pedals and wear regular shoes? My friends insist that I'm insane for mountain biking with clipless pedals and that they're only for roadbiking. Yet I know some guys like me who mountain bike with clipless pedals as well so I'm wondering, 1. Do you use clipless pedals and 2. If you don't, why you don't use them.

Clipless pedals rule. It takes a few rides to get used to but it's so much better.
No risk of slipping and you can use both up and down stroke to apply power.
Set the springs on the loose side in the beginning so it's easy to get out and after that you can tighten them up once you get more comfortable.

Go clipless!

 

[GrantMeThePower]

I rode clipless a lot, but after a couple falls (including one down a hill) that wouldn't have happened without shoes I switched to regular. I was really good at clipless, but as we all know some things happen so fast you dont have time to twist out. Without clipless, climbing is harder but i really dont care. I ride partially for the excerise anyway. I can't bunny hop like i could, but that was always just silly anyway. My favorite stuff is good single track and I think platforms do nothing but help in that.

 

[BatmanNate]

I use clipless for road, toe clips for mountain. If I did a lot of downhill stuff I'd probably switch.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Ouch! Toe-clips for MTB?

That's more annoying than anything else IMO.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Ouch! Toe-clips for MTB?

That's more annoying than anything else IMO.

Yeah, my mountain bike is old and I didn't want to buy a new set of pedals and shoes when I already had them for road cycling and I do that more anyway. For me, the extra power on the up stroke is worth less in mountain biking than just keeping the feet planted when you bomb over a root or something. And as has been mentioned, the whole ditch the bike factor.

 

[Anubis]

clipless for everything here even DH

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
I rode clipless a lot, but after a couple falls (including one down a hill) that wouldn't have happened without shoes I switched to regular. I was really good at clipless, but as we all know some things happen so fast you dont have time to twist out. Without clipless, climbing is harder but i really dont care. I ride partially for the excerise anyway. I can't bunny hop like i could, but that was always just silly anyway. My favorite stuff is good single track and I think platforms do nothing but help in that.

Bunny hop over obstacles?

 

[oboeguy]

I haven't done any real MTBing since the mid 90s but I remember wishing then that I had the cash for a set of SPDs. They were relatively new then, therefore pricey. It's funny to think that I currently have SPD clone pedals on my folding bike which cost me a whopping $25 a year and change ago.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Ouch! Toe-clips for MTB?

That's more annoying than anything else IMO.

Yeah, my mountain bike is old and I didn't want to buy a new set of pedals and shoes when I already had them for road cycling and I do that more anyway. For me, the extra power on the up stroke is worth less in mountain biking than just keeping the feet planted when you bomb over a root or something. And as has been mentioned, the whole ditch the bike factor.

I used to ride a mountain bike with toe clips, including over some pretty treacherous, technical terrain. Frankly I think clipless is MORE beneficial on a mountain bike than a road bike, because toe clips can safely be used on a road bike, even if they're not optimal, whereas I think they're pretty dangerous on a mountain bike, since you're fairly likely to stay attached in the event of a crash. At least on a road bike crashes are few and far between.

 

[sash1]

Clipless pedals ftw. They're not just for road biking. They make biking in general a lot easier, because they allow you to pull up on the pedal much easier than regular pedals. Once you get used to clipping in and out of them, they're really no different. I have them on both my road bike and mountain bike. Would never go back.

 

[Brutuskend]

Been using clip less for about 15 years.

Once you get the hang of them (you WILL fall over, usually in front of some HOT babe you are trying to impress) you will never go back!

I'm a XC kinda guy!

Yeah I KNOW the car is a clunker, but the BIKE is nice!

 

[Corn]

I'm a clipless MTB XC rider as well. Big air and I might go platforms but I am definitely faster using clipless. Thought I would hate them at first--really had to be convinced, but now I'll never go back to platforms....

Red bikes are faster than blue, Brutuskend.