An often overlooked part of any mountain bike is the pedals. While many people take pedals for granted, the truth is what type of pedal you choose can make a big difference to your riding. Some riders swear by clipless, while others wouldn’t ride anything but flat pedals. Why should you care, and more importantly, how can each type of pedal affect your riding? Read on to find out!
Flat pedals
Flat mountain bike pedals, as their name suggests, are relatively flat and are basically just a large platform for each foot. They are exactly the same on each side, so it doesn’t matter which side is facing up when y0u put your foot on them.
Pros
- Easier to bail if you lose control
- Teaches better technique
- Easier to use for beginners
- Better for freeriding as it opens up more options for tricks
- Foot position can be adjusted while riding
- Added confidence knowing you can put your foot down if needed
A key advantage of flat pedals vs clipless ones is how much easier it is to put your foot down and take a breather when things get sketchy.
This makes flat pedals great for beginner riders who are more likely to get nervous and make mistakes while riding. Having flat pedals gives you the peace of mind and confidence that you can bail easily, and not feel like you’re anchored to a sinking ship (your bike and pedals) as your bike tips over.
Another major benefit of riding on flats is that it will teach you better technique and habits while riding. On clipless pedals you can jump and your bike will follow you thanks to the pedals being attached to your shoes.
On flat pedals, you need to actually learn proper mechanics and weight shift for things like bunny hops and jumps. In the long run, learning these things will make you a better rider.
If you are into freeriding and doing tricks, or want to get into it, flat pedals are much better because you can bail easier on high stakes jumps and tricks, but also because many tricks you might do involve having your feet come off the pedals in the air. This wouldn’t be practical on clipless pedals.
Cons
- Feet can move around on rough terrain
- More attention required to foot position
- Not as efficient for pedaling, especially uphill
- Slipping off your pedals can result in some nasty scrapes
- Can be slippery in wet or muddy conditions
There are some downsides to flat pedals too. The main one is that your feet can move around from riding over bumpy trails and otherwise rough terrain. This in turn will require you to pay more attention to keeping your feet in a good position on the pedals which can take your attention away from the trail ahead.
Flat pedals can be slippery if you ride in wet or muddy conditions, and slips can also happen just from having your feet get bounced around. This is much more of a risk on flat pedals compared to clipless. It’s not always the end of the world if it happens to you, but it can lead to some nasty scrapes and cuts on your shins.
Flat pedals also don’t provide as good a power transfer compared to clipless ones, and are less efficient. This is because you aren’t able to add the pulling force to the pedals as one foot raises up, it is only the foot pushing downward on the pedals that provides force to the pedals and causes them to turn. This can cause you to tire out more quickly, especially on climbs or cross country where you need to pedal a lot.
Best uses for flat pedals
Improving Technique
Riding flat pedals is a great way to improve your mountain biking technique. When doing things like jumps and drops, and otherwise getting airborne such as on bunny hops, clipless pedals almost act as a sort of training wheels. If your feet go up, the bike will lift with them.
This isn’t the case with flat pedals, and you will need to learn to shift your weight correctly to keep the bike with you in the air. Flat pedals are a great choice for beginner riders and those new to catching air for this reason.
Hitting large features
If you plan on getting big air off features, you are probably better off using flat pedals. This is because if something goes wrong while landing, it is a lot easier to put your foot out and catch yourself, and flat pedals allow you the freedom bail from the bike completely if needed.
Freeriding
Freeriding is a type of mountain biking that involves doing jumps and tricks in the air. Some more advanced tricks can include taking your feet off the pedals while airborne. Obviously this is much better suited to flat pedals compared to clipless ones.
Learning new technical terrain or features
If you’re just learning new features, learning how to jump for the first time, or trying out new, challenging, and technical terrain and trails, you will probably be best off using flat pedals. Again this comes down to having the ability to put your foot down and save yourself from falling if things get sketchy.
Getting out of control on unfamiliar terrain and not unclipping in time from clipless pedals can be bad news. Having your foot hit the ground is much better than tipping over onto your side, especially if the ground is actually rocks or other hard surfaces.
Clipless pedals
Confusingly, clipless mountain bike pedals are a type of pedal that your shoes actually clip in to. The term “clipless” comes from the difference between this type of pedal and the old style of clipped pedals that used toe clips and straps that would go over the top of the rider’s shoe.
Modern clipless pedals clip in using a system with specialized cleats that attach to the sole of the clipless shoes and lock into the clipless pedals.
Pros
- Better power transfer and pedaling efficiency
- Eliminates foot movement when things get rough
- Steady, consistent foot position
- Get less tired
The biggest advantage of clipless pedals is the improved power transfer you get from having your feet attached to the pedals. This allows you to apply force to the pedals while your foot is pushing down AND pulling up, because by being attached your foot will pull the pedal up with it with each pedal stroke. By comparison, you only apply force to the pedal when your foot is pushing downward on a flat pedal.
By improving the efficiency of your pedaling, clipless pedals allow you to get less tired, which in turn can allow you to ride faster for longer, and makes clipless pedals well suited to going on long rides.
Besides the improved efficiency of clipless pedals, they also give you the benefit of being locked in to them. This allows you to know your feet won’t move and is great for rider confidence over the rough stuff. It also lets you be totally consistent with your foot position on the pedals.
Cons
- May develop bad habits and poor technique
- Not unclipping in time can lead to hard falls
- Intimidating for newer riders
- Difficulties with clipping in can occur
A major reason some riders steer clear of clipless pedals is the fear that they will get into a sketchy situation and not be able to unclip in time. Finding yourself in this kind of a scenario can result in hard falls, which can be made worse by not being able to get away from your bike. This makes clipless pedals intimidating to some, especially newer riders.
Clipless pedals can also lead to you developing some bad habits in your riding. Since your bike will just stay with your feet as they are clipped in, you can simply jump and your bike will follow. This can lead to riders not learning correct technique and weight shift for things like jumps, but also for bunny hops.
Poor weight shift on jumps can lead to riders being off balance and result in crashes, which again, can be made worse if you’re not able to unclip in time and bail away from your bike.
Another downside for clipless pedals is that they can be difficult to clip in, due to either maintenance issues with the cleats and locking mechanism, or if dirt and debris gets in to them and prevents them from locking in properly.
Best uses for clipless pedals
Racing
As clipless pedals allow for better power transfer and pedaling efficiency, mountain bikers involved in MTB racing usually prefer clipless pedals over flats. This holds true whether a rider is involved in racing cross country, enduro racing, and even downhill.
Clipless pedals also allow riders to be aggressive over rough terrain while having the confidence that their feet are locked in to place.
Cross-country
If you ride a lot of cross country (racing or not), clipless pedals may be better for you to use compared to flat ones. Cross country riding involves lots of pedaling compared to more gravity-oriented types of mountain biking like downhill, and this means that the improved pedaling efficiency and power transfer will be more noticeable and beneficial for you on cross country rides.
Long rides
Long rides and all day adventures on your mountain bike may be better if you use clipless pedals. Again, thanks to their improved power transfer, you will get less tired pedaling a bike on clipless pedals compared to flats, all things being equal.
Wet conditions
Mountain biking in wet conditions, while not ideal, is a part of life for mountain bikers who don’t want to limit themselves to only riding in perfect weather, and this is even more true if you’re from an area that sees lots of rain like the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, wet conditions often mean slippery pedals.
This problem can be solved if you use clipless pedals, since your feet will be locked in to the pedals regardless of them being wet. You will need to be careful to try to keep mud out of the cleat and locking mechanism, though, because this can cause issues with being able to clip in.
Other things to consider when choosing clipless vs flat pedals
Experience level
For newer riders, flat pedals are probably the way to go. They are much less intimidating and allow you to put your foot down if you’re nervous. They also allow you to bail off your bike much easier if you’re going to crash.
Experienced riders may prefer clipless pedals for the locked in feel and added pedaling efficiency.
Riding style
If you like to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, ride trails where you need to stop and put a foot down to catch yourself often, or are into freeriding and tricks, flat pedals are the best option for you.
Alternatively, if you can’t get enough of cross country riding, or want to race, whether it be cross country or even enduro or downhill, clipless pedals will help you get through the trail faster.
Terrain you ride
Generally speaking, unless you’re super experienced, the more technical the terrain you ride and the more features like jumps and drops you hit, the more it probably makes sense to ride with flat pedals.
Experienced riders who are able to easily unclip their feet do often prefer clipless pedals because they like knowing they don’t have to worry about their feet bouncing around over rough terrain. But if they are planning on doing big jumps too? They’ll probably want to stick to flat pedals.
Different pedals, different shoes
Whether your pedals are flat or clipless, you will need to get mountain bike shoes that fit your pedal type.
As you can probably guess, clipless pedals require clipless shoes that are built to attach to the pedals.
Flat pedals also require flat pedal mountain bike shoes. These are much more similar to regular shoes, but are built using stiffer soles and specialized rubber compounds that help to keep your feet from slipping around too much. You can also ride flat pedals with regular shoes like skate or tennis shoes, but they won’t grip the pedals as well as purpose built flat pedal mountain bike shoes. Check out our favorite flat pedal mountain bike shoes here.
Frequently asked questions
Neither flat or clipless pedals are inherently better than the other. Whether you ride flat or clipless pedals comes down to your riding style, experience level and personal preference.
If you are a beginner rider, or like to hit jumps and push your limits on technical terrain, flat pedals are probably going to work better for you.
Alternatively, clipless pedals will be preferred if you are doing any sort of racing on your mountain bike, or if you ride mostly cross country.
Clipless mountain bike pedals absolutely make a difference. By allowing you to lock your feet in, clipless pedals improve the efficiency of your pedaling because not only do you get power from pushing the pedals down, but also from pulling them up.
Clipless pedals also make a big difference in keeping your feet in a consistent position, not allowing them to get bounced around over bumpy trails.
Overall flat pedals will be safer for most people because of how they make it easier to bail from your mountain bike if you’re going to crash and to put your foot down quickly if you find yourself in a sketchy situation.
Clipless pedals mostly eliminate scraping your shins from slipping off the pedals, but the tradeoff is you could potentially have harder falls if you’re not able to bail in time from your bike.
Yes you can hit jumps using clipless pedals, and its not uncommon for riders to hit small to moderate sized jumps and features while using them.
It isn’t recommended to try to get big air with clipless pedals though, because if your landing is less than perfect it will be harder to catch yourself and prevent a fall because you will need to get your feet unclipped first. Also freeriding involving removing your feet from the pedals while airborne doesn’t work with clipless pedals.
Clipless mountain bike bike pedals are called clipless because of their contrast with the old type of clipped in pedals which used toe clips and straps over the top of the shoe. The clipless name is definitely confusing considering you do clip your feet in to clipless pedals using a system with specialized cleats that attach to the sole of the clipless shoe and lock into the pedal.
Conclusion
In the end, the clipless vs flat pedals debate will never truly be settled since its going to come down to your own preferences whether you go with clipless or flats. Both have advantages and disadvantages depending on your experience level and the type of riding you like to do. If you’re just getting started, we recommend learning on flat pedals, but it doesn’t hurt to give clipless pedals a try to see how you like them, especially if you’re interested in racing. If you’ve been riding for awhile, let us know in the comments what type of pedals you prefer and why!