To cleat or not to cleat?

[Crankin]

It's not the annoying pedal flipping that I dislike... it's the actual riding on flat pedals. Feet flying off occasionally does not help the general feeling of discombobulation I feel. Add to that the pain in my feet from continually scrunching them to help them stay on the pedals.

[north woods gal]

I can't see spending big bucks on special shoes for flat pedals. That's marketing B.S. Put the money into quality flats, not the shoes. If you get quality flat pedals with metal pins (not plastic) and follow up with proper technique, any kind of shoe will work, even for technical trail riding. Haven't had a shoe slip off a good quality pinned flat pedal - ever - and that's with all kinds of shoes, riding every day. I use everything from sandals in the summer to felt lined pac boots in sub-zero cold, depending on the time of year. I've also gone away from stiff soled shoes. Now prefer some flex in my shoes when pedaling. It is more comfortable for my feet and gives me even better grip. My favorite summer biking shoes, for instance, are cheap Wal-mart sneakers. The only thing I have to watch when using different shoes with different thickness soles is my seat height. I notice even that little bit of difference, sometimes. Having a QR seat clamp for quick seat height adjustment helps.

[ny biker]

Okay, fans of flat pedals, how do you get started on a hill?

With clipless, I have my left foot clipped in and my right foot on the ground. I move my left foot up to around the 2:00 position, then start to pedal with it. Then I sit down and clip in with my right foot. If for some reason I can't get the right foot clipped in on the first try, I can pedal around again with the left foot.

Also, when shopping for flat pedals, what should I look for?

Any thoughts on these?

bontrager-line-pro-pedals

I will be buying them from my LBS when I get the new bike (any day now). I will not lie, I would be very happy to orange pedals on my blue bike with orange bottle cages.

Thanks!

[north woods gal]

N.Y., I do it exactly the same way, except I start with my right foot up, since my right leg has the most power. Your feet won't slip, not to worry, as long as you have a good set of pinned flats. Plus, you won't have to waste time or lose momentum trying to clip in. Just give it all the power you want and keep climbing.

Those Bonties will certainly work, but they're more of a downhill pedal, meaning they're heavy at 420 grams and much thicker than you need for road work and definitely too thick for trail work. On my road bikes and my trail bikes, much prefer something thinner for the sake of pedal clearance and, especially lighter. Expedo flats are much thinner and lighter at 270 grams and cheaper, too. Use them on several bikes. Great choice for either a road or trail flat.

[north woods gal]

Max durability and stability. Remember, these folks are the kamikaze riders of the bike world, often doing jumps off ledges on their way downhill, hitting speeds that are just plain spooky, riding over everything in their path. Their bikes also reflect this in being overbuilt with a geometry that puts them in the optimum position for riding downhill. Not for the timid (me ) I get spooked just on my downhill runs on my trails when I goo too fast and my runs are baby stuff by comparison.

N.Y., what was I thinking on my pedal position? I start at about 11 o'clock with the right pedal up, then stand on it with my right foot, but immediately get down on the seat for proper traction. It's the same method I use to get started when their is any depth of snow on the ground, since the bike has no roll when it's sitting in anything more than a couple inches of snow.

[ny biker]

Thanks for the input, NWG. It is very helpful. I think my 2:00 and your 11:00 might be the same thing. Basically I try to start with the pedal as close to the highest point (12:00) as possible, after it has come up and past 12:00 and is on the way down again.

I poked around online, looked at the Spry pedals as well as some others, and ultimately decided to order some Race Face Chesters. They get good reviews and are relatively inexpensive, so if I try them and decide I prefer clipless after all I won't be out too much $$. And I was able to get them in orange.

I would like to try to put them on the bike myself, to save some labor costs at the bike shop. Looking at a few videos, it looks pretty easy, but one thing is not clear. Do I need to put some kind of grease on the threads before I install them, and if so do you know what kind of grease?

Thanks!

[north woods gal]

Okay, getting the pedals off on a new bike should be doable. Sometimes getting pedals off on an old bike that has had the same pedals on for years or pedals that were tightened down by a gorilla of a guy can be beyond my strength to loosen. That's when I take the bike to the bike shop.

Can get confusing as to which direction needed to get the pedals loose or to tighten. Simple way to know. Put the wrench on the pedal and turn the crank. Turning the crank, backwards will loosen the pedal. Turning the crank forward, as when pedaling, tightens the pedal.

Most pedals, today, use a #8 allen wrench on the inside of the pedal shaft, but some still use a 15mm metric open end wrench. Some are setup to use, either. Note that you won't get any bike tool that has a #8 allen wrench. Way too big, so you'll need to buy one. Same for the 15mm open end wrench.

When removing the old pedals, be sure to retrieve the washer that fits on the pedal shaft and that goes between the pedal and the crank arm. Sometimes its stuck on the pedal shaft and sometimes it's stuck on the crank arm. The washer prevents wear on the crank arm. Don't install a pedal without that washer. Also, be patient when threading on a new pedal. It's a fairly fine thread and can sometimes be a little finicky to get started. Whatever you do, don't force things and get it cross-threaded. Then you've ruined an expensive crank arm.

Absolutely, do grease the pedal shaft threads when installing a new pedal. You'll be glad you did if you ever want to remove the pedal, again. I just borrow some all-weather multi grease from my husband's shop. Don't think it has to be anything bike specific. Just a grease that won't dry out or dissolve with exposure to the elements.

Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. The biggest issue for me and the thing I can never predict is how hard it will be to loosen the old pedals.

[ny biker]

Thanks!

The new bike does not come with pedals, so that eliminates any difficulty in removing them.

I did buy a pedal wrench to take the old pedals off my mountain bike. That was almost 2 years ago, I think. I ended up having to have the LBS mechanic take them off for the reasons you cite. But I still have the pedal wrench. Not sure about that allen wrench -- I will have to see what I have in my tool box.

About that washer -- would it come with the bike? Or with the new pedals? Or would I have to buy some?

I don't have any grease at home. I guess I will see what they have at the bike shop.

[north woods gal]

The washers should come with the bike or crankset, but the bike shop will have all kinds of them, anyway, should you ever lose one, free for the asking. Never have had to buy any.