clipless?

New here, new to mountain biking.

My lovely new Specialized Myka Elite came with cages on the pedals. They didn't bother me on my first serious ride with my hardcore DH, but I was really envious of his clipless set up on our last ride. The cages are a real pain on rocky uphills (can't quite get the second foot in, then the cage catches on big bumps). I felt like at least a couple of my many falls and near-falls were due to my stupid pedals.

I'm wanting to go clipless, but it seems so spendy! Is it worth it, or would I be better off just getting rid of the cages and using regular pedals?

Thanks.

I'll preface this by saying I'm no mountain biker.

If you want to go clipless, and have the money (because yes, it is pricey!), go for it. If not, take the cages off.

I had toe cages for 2 days. Rode with flat pedals for 5 years. Had clipless for a month or two and loved them, but I was glad I'd taken the time to figure out riding trails before I tackled clipless on trails. We're all different, but it won't hurt to take the cages off and see if that helps your stability while you ponder whether you want to pay for clipless yet!

I only had cages on my first road bike, I felt they were incredibly dangerous and hated them. I fell more than once because I couldn't get my foot out.

When I started mountain biking I had been riding clipless on the road for 4 years so it seemed natural to go clipless. It was scary though because you do have to unclip to put a foot down but I also made things because I was able to be in contact with the pedal. I would recommend if you are going clipless get something with tension settings like SPD. There are even some called 50/50 or Campus pedals, clipless on one side and flat pedal on the other. I ride Time Atac XL (women's version of Time Atac with lighter tension) and I don't have problems with predictable release at all. My first mountain bike pedals were the Crank Brother's Candy pedal and I had trouble getting out in time. I almost gave up on clipless with that first try. Now I find clipless way better, I don't have my feet sliding off the pedals but it does take trust when you first start.

You may want to trust your instinct, people who have been riding a long time may recommend their pedals but they may not be good for beginners. My friend learned this when she thought she would be happy with the same pedals her husband who has been riding 10 years had.

I mountain bike and love clipless pedal and can't imagine using cages. It almost seems dangerous. I would go for it and they are not that expensive really. Just practice on grass first.

If you don't want to buy clipless yet and want an alternative to the cages you could get some BMX pedals - they are very affordable so you could give them a try (I think I saw them for about 15$ at my lbs).

Good BMX pedals are awesome - but I would recommend a good pair like Sun Ringle ZuZu or something like that. Better quality BMX pedals allow you to adjust the height of the pins and there are more of them.

Please note I am just starting to learn mountain biking myself. I've been strongly advised that shin guards are needed when using BMX pedals on the mountain bike. They keep your feet on the pedals much better than regular platforms, but basically they are little meat tenderizers and can do a number on your shins... I have used BMX pedals extensively on my road bikes and I have a good number of scars on my calves where they have bumped my legs at lights - I do like them for road application though am returning to clipless for the added efficiency and stability in cross-winds.

Personally I am going to wait until I've a good foundation on the mountain bike before I move to clipless on that bike - however long that might take.

Thanks, everyone!

The cages clearly need to go. I'll see how I feel about the plain pedals...