I’ve been riding clip less all last season and until last week I decided to switch to flats. Last week I decided to switch to flats to see if I can improve ride comfort. I was surprised during my first ride. It felt weird and I maintain the same technique as if I was in clip less minus the pulling up the pedal. I noticed that first couple of rides I was struggling to place my feet, trying to find the “perfect spot” but then I forgot all about it and it became second nature. I didn’t do long ride in flats yet but I rode bunch of smaller efforts during the week to combined 378km. I feel like my feet are changing positions during the ride depending on terrain and my saddle position (going up, down or during standing). I believe this change of position allows better comfort. Does anyone have similar experience or its just my bias or poor bike fit?
I prefer being clipped in as it gives me more stability (as long as the bike fit is good). I live in a very hilly area where I’m going downhill 30-40% of my ride. being clipped in gives me the security of bombing down those hills.
I have a pair of single-sided SPD pedals, like these. They allow me to use my clipless shoes if I want, or flip the pedal over and use any shoes. Main drawback is that you have to fumble sometimes to get to the right side of the pedal you want.
I use clipless when riding recreationally, and flats when I’m commuting. I strongly prefer the feel of clipless in all aspects. The only reason I ride flats is so that I can wear regular shoes (when I’m, say, commuting to the office).
I rode clipless for years, but didn’t prefer to use them when commuting, and now I ride on flat pedals 99% of the time. I do like to be able to shift positions sometimes, but more than anything, I like being able to wear different shoes when riding, especially when it’s cold and I can just wear warm boots. My fitness level isn’t so extreme that I notice the marginal gains of clipless pedals anyway.
it doesn’t matter as long as your shoes and pedals fit properly.
if you are having issues you have the wrong pedals/shoes, wrong crank length, or q factor. or a combo of all three.
