Pedals: Flats or Clips?

Written By beth salman

By Josh Whitmore – MTB Skills Factory

There are strong opinions out there for which one is best! Which one do you ride and why?

The truth is that there are pro/cons to each system. The technique used for each one is different, but you can perform the exact same maneuvers with either system. Also, if you swap from one system to the other, you’ll likely feel like a worse rider till you adapt. So, which one is better? Well… it depends. Let’s dive into the pros/cons of each system to understand why you might choose one over the other.

Flats:

Pros

  • Fast / easy to put your foot on the ground

  • Can reposition your foot (move foot back for more efficient pedaling, move foot forward for more stable descending, can tilt your foot side to side if needed for balance)

  • Spikes on pedals + grippy shoes mean rotational forces through your feet are more effective (example – doing an aggressive turn by initiating body rotation)

Cons

  • Feet can more easily bounce off or disconnect from pedals

  • Aggressive spikes can be a hazard to your shins

  • Can be hard to be precise for foot placement on pedal

  • Potentially less efficient for pedaling

  • Need to be more precise with foot angle to maintain grip (heels down, heels up, or “wedge” your feet)

Clips:

Pros

  • You can “pull” on the cleats to move the bike. (this is not “cheating”, just using the tool appropriately)

  • Foot is always in the same place = more predictable handling.

  • Feet don’t bounce off as easily

  • Potentially better efficiency when pedaling (ALL high end cross country, gravel, and road racers are clipped in).

Cons

  • Takes longer to unclip and get foot to the ground

  • Potential for falling over from your foot getting stuck in the pedal

  • Foot is stationary, can’t move it around

  • Less ability to apply rotational forces through the pedals to drive the bike. There is a tendency to unclip if too aggressive with rotational forces

To further complicate matters, there are a range of pedals and shoes for each system. From lightweight cross-country clip-in pedals designed to be ridden with svelte carbon soled shoes to bigger platform gravity oriented pedals designed to be used with shoes that have more rubber on the bottom. There’s even some hybrid systems like The gravity oriented clip-in pedals that have more of a platform around the cleat with spikes to help address the weakness of rotational forces. Press into the pedal and the rubber flexes into the spikes, helping resist unclipping when rotating.

My advice? If you are just starting out mountain biking, the ease of flat pedals and freedom to get your feet to the ground without extra movements means these are the best choice. Mountain bike specific shoes designed for flat pedals are best, but any flat soled shoe will work well (like vans or other skateboard shoe). Choose a flat pedal with smaller spikes to help avoid the inevitable pedal-to-shin strike injury. If you are a rider who prioritizes downhill and technical skill ability, upgrade your flats to bigger pedals with bigger spikes and flat-pedal specific shoes. If you are a rider who prioritizes pedal efficiency, like cross country events, consider training yourself to use clip-in pedals and shoes. Choose a stiffer sole shoe and smaller lightweight pedals. Finally, if you get into high-end gravity racing (enduro and downhill), consider the more gravity oriented clip-in shoes and pedals.

So, which one are you choosing and why?

beth salman
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The Bike and Body Connection