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

[wyld thang]

I have the platform pedals on my (antique) MTB which I rode/ride mostly on the road. Back when I was riding the bike a lot, I also had a kid in a seat on the back so clipless freaked me out. I never had a problem with slipping off the pedal though. I did focus on good pedaling form which I would suspect has a lot more influence than being clipped in.

I did have some great (clipable) mtb shoes from Performance way back. They were a lot more helpful than regular tennis shoes, lot less general foot fatigue. My dog chewed them up tho when she was a pup(boo!) and I'm hoping to pick up some new shoes soon. I have some trail running shoes that I use now(saucony) that seem to mesh well with the pedals. I do like a stiffer sole. The Performance mtb shoes had nice deep hard rubber cleats that made grip easy.

But yeah, have always liked having options to positioning feet on pedals(or pegs on the dirt bike, feet move around a lot on those too depending on how much flexion you want for body suspension--more towards toes for more flexibility, back towards arch for stiffer). Helps with fatigue on long rides, and the repetitive movement injury thing.

[Koronin]

My mountain bike has platforms (and I fully intend on keeping it that way). My road bike has those hybrid ones, platforms on one side and clipless on the other side. I still have issues clipping my right foot in. My left foot I don't mind. However, I do like my roadbike shoes, although since I have the hybrid pedals I can wear just regular tennis shoes if I want to. Which reminds me that I need to buy a new pair of tennis shoes, old ones are worn out and the other pair I have I don't like.

[Velocivixen]

I ride with the platform pedals which came with my Trek FX 7.3 and have no problems standing up on them and pedaling. No issues whatsoever.

[blackhillsbiker]

I have the MKS Lambda (aka Grip KIngs) pedals on my commuter, mtb and road bike. I love them. I've ridden in a variety of shoes with no slipping. I guess I'm too old to worry about what people think. I love to ride, and am a skilled rider. I just don't want to feel clipped in. I can keep up with my clipped in roadie friend, so I guess it's all good.

Deb

[Velocivixen]

@blackhillsbiker, do your shoes slip when those pedals get really wet? I saw a couple of reviews of them at Universalcycles website (they're in Portland and I could go pick them up in person). They look great, but being in a rainy part of the world it would be good to know about slippage. Also, if I wanted to wear sandals for a half mile ride to coffee or something how do you think these pedals would feel through softer sole shoes?
Thanks.

[KnottedYet]

I ride the same pedals here in the rainy northwest, and I don't find them slippery at all in the rain. Riv has instructions for adding BMX spikes if you find they slip on you. (I buy my BMX spikes at the LBS for something like $10-15 for a box with more spikes than I'll ever need) They are not as grippy as my spike-y Crank Bro 5050, but they are a long way from slippery for me.

Keen and Chaco sandals have no problem on my MKS Lambda pedals.

[Kerry1976]

Ditto on loving the MKS Lambda/Grip Kings. Have them on my Trek Pure and will have them on my Bike Friday NWT (when I can ever get the order moving forward - waiting for my bike consultant, Dave, to email back).

I should add, it was so dewy this morning on my ride to the office that it was as if it had rained. Those pedals were not remotely slick. In fact, I didn't even realize how fabulously wonderfully unslick (is that a word?) they were until reading this thread and seeing the question about rain.

I ride with my Ecco sandals and have no problems at all.

[blackhillsbiker]

I haven't had any slipping problems, wet or snowy. I've worn them with a variety of footwear without any discomfort, from canvas sneakers to hiking boots. They are long, making them comfortable. They are not as wide as the rattrap pedals I had before, making them better for cornering (they don't hit the pavement). I haven't tried them with flipflops because I don't wear them, but I think even those would work. I got them because I was having a hotfoot problem at the balls of my feet. I don't have any desire to clip in. I wanted to find efficient, comfortable, well-built pedals. I've been very pleased. This is just one person's opinion, though, and YMMV.

Deb

[Velocivixen]

@Knotted, Kerry & Deb, thanks for the clarification. They look like very functional and cool pedals.

[kimikaw]

So glad for this thread. I've been struggling since Friday with my decision to remove the clipless pedals from my commuter. Thoughts of not being a real cyclists without being clicked in, trying to decide if I should impose a deadline to put them back on. All silly, ridiculous thoughts, really.

This thread plus today's commute on flat pedals made it all so clear. This is the right decision for me, on this bike, for this route. So nice to not be constantly worrying about my feet, or balancing one unclipped foot on a pedal. No problems with the hills - even where on Friday I stopped at one place and pushed bike up - mainly due to being afraid I'd lose momentum and tip over unable to get foot out while standing and mashing.

I'll continue to use the clipless on the road bike, and work towards them on the mountain bike. I know someday I will get more instinctual. But for my commute with lots of starts and stops, lots of traffic. I feel better in flats.

But am going to check out some of these recommended pedals. Was looking at BMX type - do the little spikes tear up soles of shoes? Seems like they would.

[Velocivixen]

@Kimikaw - here's my .02 cents worth. If you are riding a bike for any reason, then you are a "real cyclist". You're not on foot, not on roller skates, not in a car or on horseback. You're on a bike. I think, despite what you are riding for, it should be fun. You might be riding to work, or grocery shopping or whatever, but if it's not fun then I'm less likely to ride.
So, yes, you are a real cyclist pedals and all.

[wackyjacky1]

Wow, great input from everybody! Thank you so much.

I totally get the "Does this mean I'm not a real cyclist?" thing -- I was having a bit of a hang-up with that, myself. It's nice to see that so many of you ride platforms without problems (either physical or psychological, lol).

So many choices out there, too! I stopped at my LBS on the way home and had them slap on some inexpensive Wellgo platforms. I have to say, I really liked how it felt on the rest of my ride home. I may upgrade at a later date to a lighter weight version, but for now these'll do.

One thing I missed was, when at a stop, being able to raise the foot that is still clipped-in so that the pedal is in the "go" position when I'm ready to take off again. But I'm sure I'll get used to that.

Once again, thank you for all the excellent advice.

ETA: The inexpensive Wellgo pedals that I got (model B087) do not have replaceable pins. They are painted black, and the paint seemed to make the pins feel perhaps a little slick. That sorta worried me on my way home, wondering how they would be if they got wet. I just sanded the paint off the tops of the pins, and they seem more grippy now. Just fyi.

[sundial]

I'll continue to use the clipless on the road bike, and work towards them on the mountain bike. Was looking at BMX type - do the little spikes tear up soles of shoes? Seems like they would.

Cycling is sort of an evolution in itself. You go through several seasons refining what you like or dislike and you make changes accordingly. There's no pressure in the decisions you have to make today. It may not be on the radar by next season.

As for the BMX pedals and shoes--none of my soles have been affected by the pins on the pedals--whether it's cycling shoes or Keen sandals. If you want really super sticky soles that self heal so to speak, 5.10 shoes paired with BMX pedals are great together.

[Velocivixen]

@wackyjacky1 you said, "One thing I missed was, when at a stop, being able to raise the foot that is still clipped-in so that the pedal is in the "go" position when I'm ready to take off again. But I'm sure I'll get used to that."

So here's what I do with regular platform pedals. When I get to the stop light & am stopped I lean to my right with the weight on my right leg (I am left leg dominant and want that leg in the top "go" position), I use my left foot to backpedal the pedal & stop when my left foot is in the "Go" or top position. It's a quick, automatic loop that I make and I don't really even think about it. I hope that makes sense.

[Brina]

my road bike has Look pedals and my hybrid has campus pedals (flat on one side, spd on the other). If I am using the hybrid for training and back when I used to pull my daughter in a burley, I use cycling shoes and spd. If I am just riding around with my kids, going to the farmers market on a Saturday or running a quick errand I use the flat pedals and wear sneakers or Keen sandals.