Anyone Ride with Plain Ol' Platform Pedals, No Clips or Nothin'?

[wackyjacky1]

One thing to be aware of with BMX pedals is something called pedal slap.

Ha ha, years ago I had a mtb with those bear-trap style pedals that are kinda serrated on both sides. I was riding in the street and decided to try hopping up the curb and onto the sidewalk (I had just come back from a visit to The Netherlands and saw folks do this a million times, it looked so effortless and easy). I totally flubbed it, my left foot slipped off its pedal, and with all my weight on the right pedal, the crank arm swung around and the left pedal smacked me full-force in the shin. It opened up a series of 2- to 3-inch long scrapes on my shin that went down to the bone. Hurt like a mother!!! It looked like I had been mauled by a wild animal, lol.

(I got back on my bike and made my way to a bar called Duddley's Draw -- this happened in College Station, TX -- and ordered a pitcher of beer. I sat on the front porch of Duddley's, propped my bloody leg up on a chair, and drank that whole pitcher.)

[luv2climb]

Ha ha, years ago I had a mtb with those bear-trap style pedals that are kinda serrated on both sides. I was riding in the street and decided to try hopping up the curb and onto the sidewalk (I had just come back from a visit to The Netherlands and saw folks do this a million times, it looked so effortless and easy). I totally flubbed it, my left foot slipped off its pedal, and with all my weight on the right pedal, the crank arm swung around and the left pedal smacked me full-force in the shin. It opened up a series of 2- to 3-inch long scrapes on my shin that went down to the bone. Hurt like a mother!!! It looked like I had been mauled by a wild animal, lol.

(I got back on my bike and made my way to a bar called Duddley's Draw -- this happened in College Station, TX -- and ordered a pitcher of beer. I sat on the front porch of Duddley's, propped my bloody leg up on a chair, and drank that whole pitcher.)

Ow!

I use the serrated bear-trap pedals on all my bikes, but they all have toe clips and straps. When I buy a bike one of the first things I do is install clips and straps. They have saved my shins many times and they are definitely more efficient, especially on climbs. When I did the steep hill climbs on my single-speed Dahon folding bike that I posted video of, I did a lot of pulling up on those hills. It helped a lot!

[Espresso]

(I got back on my bike and made my way to a bar called Duddley's Draw -- this happened in College Station, TX -- and ordered a pitcher of beer. I sat on the front porch of Duddley's, propped my bloody leg up on a chair, and drank that whole pitcher.)

LOL! What a great (but painful!) story!

[wackyjacky1]

Wanted to post a quick follow-up to say how much I LOVE these pedals. Having used toe clips my entire adult life, it felt a little weird to go without, but now that I've adapted to these new pedals, I am a platform pedal convert.

I now experience zero foot fatigue, and where I once would get some slight knee pain after a long ride, there is absolutely no knee pain now. I love being able to wear any old shoe and still be able to pedal efficiently (the wide platform seems to serve the same purpose as a stiff-soled shoe).

Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. And thanks again to everyone for the helpful tips and advice.

[Velocivixen]

So you're still with the Wellgo's you mentioned? Sounds like a good choice. My DH has similar pedals on his commuter and limes them a lot.

[wackyjacky1]

Yes, the cheapie Wellgo B087's. They don't spin too freely, but I'm hoping the bearings will smooth out when they get a few more miles on them (I've put about 100 miles on them so far). If they don't, I may upgrade, but even the way they are, I love 'em.

[Catrin]

Wanted to post a quick follow-up to say how much I LOVE these pedals. Having used toe clips my entire adult life, it felt a little weird to go without, but now that I've adapted to these new pedals, I am a platform pedal convert...

Glad to hear these are working for you! I really do like BMX pedals, but I have knee problems if I am not attached to my bike so have moved to Frogs which have made a world of difference. The important bit is what you and your knees like