Switching to flat pedals

[peterh11]

I've been a long time user (35 years) of first toe clips and straps, then SPD, on my tourer. But last year I injured one knee pretty badly. Not a fall, just damaged through riding. I have been getting back to a decent amount of riding, but then hurt it again last weekend, on my first ride with SPD's longer than a couple of hours. I believe the root of the problem is that the foot on that side is turned out quite a lot, and also has a forefoot varus tilt (tilts up to the inside). I have been using an angled cleat (VV1) and wedges, which helps, though my foot is still turned out.

This is not good bio-mechanically as I tend to push forward once the pedal reaches the top of the circle of motion, so inevitably there is sideways pressure on the knee. I got away with it for a long time but now it is weakened and will take some time to reach full strength.

I am ok on flat pedals - I use them on my city bike. The thing I like about SPD's is the security when climbing and descending (mainly on roads and farm tracks). I'm reading up on this and there is clearly a school of thought that says the pedalling technique and even foot position on the pedals can be and even should be different from clipped in. It's also clearly a case of "what works for you is right"! I am not a racer, I simply want to be able to ride my bike all morning/afternoon/day with my CTC friends!

So I will be on flats for a while at least. I have ordered some Five Ten "Freerider" shoes as they are supposed to be grippy and comfortable for riding on flat pedals, as the Specialized Tahoes I have are not ideal, and I have several different pedal types to try in the shed. I have ridden a fair bit in lightweight walking boots which is OK, though a bit warm in summer.

Has anyone experience of going through this and found things to look out for in adjusting to it? For example today going to work and back I thought that having the ball of the foot say 1cm in front of the pedal spindle instead of over it encouraged me to really push DOWN not forward, and that takes strain off the knee, nearer to a walking action, and also maybe it would help to move saddle a bit further forward ...

Peter H

[Mark1978]

No advice but I did find when renting a MTB I was twisting my foot to release it from the pedal!

[Erudin]

Have you tried MTB platform pedals with pins? The grip is fantastic and the large platform leaves plenty of room to find a comfortable position. The DMR V8's are a good design as they have a greaseport.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dmr-v8-flat-pedals/

[peterh11]

Have you tried MTB platform pedals with pins? The grip is fantastic and the large platform leaves plenty of room to find a comfortable position. The DMR V8's are a good design as they have a greaseport.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dmr-v8-flat-pedals/

Thanks for that - yes should have commented I do have some of these (not the exact model) and I will be testing them when I get the new shoes. I have used them quite a bit with walking boots which was very good for grip, though I found the tread on the walking boots tended to make precise foot placement hard, so I am hoping that the flat soles on the 5-10s will fix that.

Peter H

[Brucey]

..... but then hurt it again last weekend, on my first ride with SPD's longer than a couple of hours. I believe the root of the problem is that the foot on that side is turned out quite a lot, and also has a forefoot varus tilt (tilts up to the inside). I have been using an angled cleat (VV1) and wedges, which helps, though my foot is still turned out....

If you are riding like that it might be worth you fitting a pedal extender, remounting the SPD cleat so that your foot doesn't tilt outwards (I bet it isn't anywhere near centred at present) and also think about shoe with stiffer soles.

If you feel the foot twisting up against the release gate on the SPD pedal you need to fix the cleat angle or to have more float. If you are handy with tools you can grind cleats to give more float.

In the meantime, good luck with the flatties!

cheers

[LollyKat]

What about using toe clips? I have had a dodgy knee for years and so prefer not to risk using SPDs. I used to use metal toe clips with straps but these days I'm happy with strapless plastic ones like these Zefal ones:


They are roomier than trad metal ones so can be used with a wider range of shoes or even some boots. You can't pull up on them much but they are great for keeping your foot on the pedal when honking or descending ... I hate riding without them.

[hamish]

I moved to flats for similar reasons. Hurty knees with spds.

I commute most days in flats (22 miles round trip), tour, ride my tandem, mountain bike and go bike packing on my fat bike all in flats.

I use DMRs and Gusset flats with 510 impact shoes and it works well. I would not worry about foot placement and just do what feels right. I find I put one foot further forward on the pedal than the other - maybe as a result of leg length discrepancy. If I think about where i am placing my feet I find my feet getting fidgety. Saddle height is key too.

I do miss spds at times as I like the certainty of foot placement they bring. But at the same time it's great to be freed from stupid shoes and have pedals you can ride in anything.

I guess you have read this- https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=45 May be a bit opinionated but an interesting perspective.

[Drake]

Have you tried MTB platform pedals with pins? The grip is fantastic and the large platform leaves plenty of room to find a comfortable position. The DMR V8's are a good design as they have a greaseport.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dmr-v8-flat-pedals/

I use very similar pedals to above and find that they grip very well.
I must admit thai don't buy cycling specific clothing or footwear. As most of my riding is off road at the moment, i wear combat boots. Not most peoples choice, but they work for me.

[mjr]

Have you tried MTB platform pedals with pins?

They eat shoe soles, don't they?

I chose Vavert commuter/leisure pedals for one bike, another came with classic rubber blocks and a third came with what look a bit like Contec CP-060 folding pedals. The non folding ones are both good and the folding ones not far behind.

[timdownieuk]

I moved to flats for similar reasons. Hurty knees with spds.

I commute most days in flats (22 miles round trip), tour, ride my tandem, mountain bike and go bike packing on my fat bike all in flats.

I use DMRs and Gusset flats with 510 impact shoes and it works well. I would not worry about foot placement and just do what feels right. I find I put one foot further forward on the pedal than the other - maybe as a result of leg length discrepancy. If I think about where i am placing my feet I find my feet getting fidgety. Saddle height is key too.

I do miss spds at times as I like the certainty of foot placement they bring. But at the same time it's great to be freed from stupid shoes and have pedals you can ride in anything.

I guess you have read this- https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=45 May be a bit opinionated but an interesting perspective.

An interesting read. I love being clipped in and do enjoy my explosive sprinting up hills and frequently do pull on my pedals but, having said all that, I would prefer to have a free choice of footwear, particularly in cold/wet weather when I find my cleated shoes seem to suck the heat out of my feet.

For me I think the answer is to keep my pedal threads well greased and to just change my pedals when I want to wear warmer shoes.

[MartinC]

I too was a long time user of clips and straps who switched to clipless when they arrived (Look and SPD depending on the bike). A few years back I started to find SPDs uncomfortable unless I had a very stiff soled shoe (i.e. expensive and cycling specific) and SPD pedals with some sort of platform. I've gone back to flat and clipped pedals on several bikes.

On my town/utility bike I use flat pedals and half clips (like LollyKat). I find these provide all the location and security I need for this bike and they couldn't be easier to pick up and get out of. They're very comfortable and I can use any shoes or boots I like. On my touring bike I've gone back to quill pedals, clips and straps. Again the same advantages as half clips but better foot location (picking up a clipped pedal is like riding a bike - having learnt it you never forget). The only slight downside is that if you have shoes with heavily cleated soles they can catch on the pedal on the way in. Both systems save the couple of yards at start off when an SPD doesn't engage properly first time and the precautionary half disengage as you approach an obstacle in traffic.

[mrjemm]

Until I discovered power grips, I also used the toe cap type things Lollycat proposes. Still have on my (currently in useability hiatus) Merlin 'MTB' thing. I will say beware of certain lookalikes of these- some are very flexible and utter rubbish. I think the Zefal ones are quite good.

[ANTONISH]

quote="MartinC"]I too was a long time user of clips and straps who switched to clipless when they arrived (Look and SPD depending on the bike). A few years back I started to find SPDs uncomfortable unless I had a very stiff soled shoe (i.e. expensive and cycling specific) and SPD pedals with some sort of platform. I've gone back to flat and clipped pedals on several bikes.]

I've been using SPD's for about fifteen years. Before that I'd quite happily been using toe clips and straps (and nailed on cleats in racing days) .
I was persuaded that SPD's would be a great boon to my cycling.
I went through all the faff of setting them up and getting used to them and had all the unclipping difficulties.
To be honest I'm still waiting for the benefits to kick in. My girlfriend meantime has stayed with toe clips and straps and has a good smooth pedalling action at a good cadence and climbs hills very well.
I can understand the benefits of clipless systems to a racing cyclist but for the average cyclist I'm not convinced that there is any benefit to be had.
When a beginner starts with our club run they usually appear with toe clips and straps and wearing a pair of trainers - obviously not ideal footwear for cycling.
Most of my club mates ( most of whom have only used clipless systems) then persuade them that they would benefit greatly from SPD's - whereas I feel that an appropriate pair of cycling shoes would be fine with the toe clips and straps.

[Si]

Have you tried MTB platform pedals with pins?

They eat shoe soles, don't they?

I've had welgos on my work bike since last September and have not noticed them having any negative effect on my shoes.
If going for just flat pedals I'd certainly choose a 'pinny' type like the welgos. But I find that they can still be slippery when giving it some dog in the wet, so something like shimano dx with toe clips might be better, if you are OK with the clips and don't mind the slight faff of getting into them.

[Brucey]

When a beginner starts with our club run they usually appear with toe clips and straps and wearing a pair of trainers - obviously not ideal footwear for cycling.
Most of my club mates ( most of whom have only used clipless systems) then persuade them that they would benefit greatly from SPD's - whereas I feel that an appropriate pair of cycling shoes would be fine with the toe clips and straps.

I can see that. I used clips and straps for years before (mostly) turning over to SPDs. I still use clips and straps at times.

I would agree that keeping clips and straps on with better shoes is OK but only if the rider is completely au fait with getting in and out of them; many are not, and for them, SPDs may be a better choice.

cheers