Mountain Bikes!

The Magped are pedals with magnets installed. You need a different type of shoe that has a spot for the other magnet to slip into. They have a list of shoes on their site that work with them.

 

Its mental memory

Ride the shit outta them around town and eventually you won't even think about it

I don't normally brag about crashing.......but over 20yrs I've gotten pretty good at it......you'll pop your feet out faster than you think.....you wont even think about it

 

You're overthinking it. Getting your feet out of SPDs is second nature.
They are called clipless because prior to them, people rode flats with toe clips and straps on them.
Then someone started calling it "clipping in" somewhere along the way for whatever dumb reason.
They are cleats and bindings, and are super simple and smooth to get in and out of.

 

Pros/cons clipless for me are:

Pros:
-Noticeably faster climbing
-Noticeably faster flat ground speed (1-2mph)
-No foot wandering or nagging feeling of repositioning like on flats
-Much faster through rock gardens and chunk
-Better shoe options available imo

Cons:
-I've clipped out mid-jump before
-Little sketchier practicing skills
-Weight pedals a bit better on flats
-I ride a little looser on flats than I do clipless

 

They're so much fun! If my ankle wasn't so bad I'd ride one far more.

Check what length crank arms are on there, so many supply issues during covid I've seen some bizzare conglomeration of parts on new bikes lately. Completely different forks, brakes, crankset, drivetrain etc. than what the spec sheet shows.

 

+1

Trek did this to me on my supercal

 

Bikes are also just lower now then they used to be. My Siskiu seems to ride pretty low. My local trails require an annoying amount of ratcheting sometimes, but the cranks are long at 175mm.

 

There is a method to riding flats beyond just mashing.

Imagine how you put your foot on a step to scrape mud off your boots. [Or dogshit off your sneakers.] You can do that all the way through the bottom of each revolution. Engages your hamstring through one half of the stroke and your quad through the other half. Takes some practice to learn but once you do it's amazing how much more efficient you can be with less effort. It's the real superpower of pinned flats and often overlooked.

 

I don't know if anyone has brought these up over this thread but if not, these are probably the best flats on the market.
https://yoshimuracycling.com/collections/pedals

 

You're an ass.

Now I gotta buy stuff I don't even need

 

The Supercal has a lower BB and with 175mm crank arms, it took a little getting used to, to avoid pedal strikes. Fine now, although I wouldn't mind swapping to 172's at some point.

And Melk, the clipless pedals are the way to go. Takes a little getting used to, but much more efficient. I run egg beaters with minimal tension so I can "unclip" in a pinch super quick.

 

You ever have unclipping issues jumping or hucking? I rode with my XTs yesterday and got a bit nervous as I’ve un clipped on a landing before. I love the efficiency of being clipped in and it makes rock gardens so much faster, but if I increase the tension enough to not unclip in air or at landing it’s a little sketchy getting out if I get stuck on the trail somewhere.

 

I don't know how you guys ride with flat pedals. Clipless is such a huge advantage with being able to maneuver the bike so much easier plus being able to pull up and push down on the pedals. yeah there is a little learning curve but a couple easy rides on easy trails and you'll be dialed. I really like the crank brothers mallet e pedal as its a flat pedal with their eggbeater pedals in the middle. Gives you a good platform for your shoe to rest on and if you want to clip out and ride through a super sketchy area you can and you still have a real pedal to ride on.

 

I haven't, but I'm not sending it on a regular basis around here. We do have some techy and flowy switchback areas where I'll sometimes unclip MX style going into a turn, clip back in - then unclip on the other foot for the next turn, just to get my foot out. Do I need to do this? No, but it's fast and fun..

I do have eggbeaters on all my bikes and a flat/platform eggbeater that I'll sometimes use in the winter on my fatbike. It's handy when riding on ice and I don't want to be clipped in for certain sections, but I've gotten comfortable enough unclipping and clipping in that I don't need them. I run them with light tension too for that reason, but haven't had issues unclipping when I didn't want to.

 

RIGHT?

i've had my old red DX cleat pedals since 2003(?) and just upgraded to some look enduro ones for the intense. uphill, downhill, flat .. advantages everywhere.

i've fallen exactly twice due to not getting out quick enough, but that was when i still learned and the tension on the springs was too high (for a beginner at least) . and one of those falls was aiginst against a traffic light pole attempting to wedge the bike against it until the light turns green. guess a few folks got a good laugh out of that one.

cleats, easy on the springs, train in and out for 2-3 weeks and after that it becomes a no-brainer. then increase the tension for added retention.

 

I still have a set of Crank Bros Candy C's that are the precursor to those.

 

I have to say I love the Dagga's a bit more, I love the offset and the large platform. They are grippy, but you do not want to take one to the shin

https://chromagbikes.com/collections/pedals/products/pedals-dagga

 

The Daggas are sick. Kovarik is a badass rider, too.

 

Anyone that wants to learn SPD clipless, but a set of peddles and swap the cleats with me. I wear them out and then they come out to easy for me. I think I have 2 sets of old cleats I'll trade out right now.

Just thought I would offer

 

There are a lot of good flat pedals out there.
It is impossible to objectively state any of them are the best since everything about pedals is subjective.
Color, material, number of pins, thickness, blah blah.
None of them will make you a better rider than another. Just pick one you like and go ride.
Same with clipless. There are objective differences like float, and adjustability, but aside from that just pick one and ride.
Most around these parts ride spd, second and nearly as popular are crank brothers. I know a handful with time pedals, but haven't met anyone yet that rides those magnetic pedals. Doesn't mean they suck, just means I have zero experience or direct knowledge with them.