Ask the experts

[skaredshtles]

I don’t even want to open this can of worms but is it worth switching?!? My five tens are pretty grippy but I’m tired of always readjusting foot placement in the uphill.

It might be for you.

[VTskibum]

All of this is super personal and subjective. I ride both flats and clipless. For a very long, very chunky, or fast group ride I’d never dream of flats. Friends of mine who switch in similar boat, but YMMV.

For shoes would match shoes to intended purpose, the skate shoe style are my go-to for normal 10-15m trail rides. Big miles or fast group I run xc race shoes on the same bikes.

I like Shimano shoes and have AM7 for all-mtn/skate style and XC9. Shims is fit my feet well, so would look to same/similar brand that you’re familiar with.


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[climberevan]

FYI Lake shoes fit wider forefeet better than any other brand that I know of, and are available in casual to XC race designs. I use my XC ones with carbon soles for everything, including double black tech. Of course I'm also wearing Lycra for that stuff, so prob want to disregard advice entirely.

Flats are for Burning Man and 1/2 mi trips to the gym.

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[Dantheman]

I don’t even want to open this can of worms but is it worth switching?!? My five tens are pretty grippy but I’m tired of always readjusting foot placement in the uphill.

You *will* fall over a few times, but probably won't get hurt, seriously anyway. If the foot placement adjustments bother you you will probably enjoy that aspect of clipless a lot. Worst case you're out a couple hundred in shoes and pedals.

FWIW, I swung both ways for a long time (flats for bike park and clips for trail), went all clipless for a long time since I mostly stopped riding lifts, went flats for a full year after an injury, then went back to clips and was so much happier. IMVHO, there's no comparison for climbing, especially steep and/or techy climbing. People who say they can climb just as well in flats are lying, don't actually climb, or both. I also think they're superior for most descending, but that's more subjective and personal preference.

For shoes, mostly just don't get a low-profile XC shoe. I'm a big fan of the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Summit or similar shoes with big lugs for HAB performance, but the shoes toast suggested are also good choices.

[buttahflake]

Clipless are like alpine bindings to me, flats are like tele bindings. No way I’m riding tele.
Are all Lake shoes really freaking heavy? The ones I picked up weighed a shit-ton.

[One (+) Sentence]

Not specifically. We are pretty much 80-90% tree coverage and they are perfect for that scenario.
The in and out of tree coverage in the West can be difficult, agreed.

They are not designed to adapt in and out of shade/shadows for split seconds riding at 20mph. But FWIW, I always ride with photochromatic lenses. I have no desire to ever swap lenses, unless I'm using straight up clear for some reason.

Can't speak to EC riding.

[toastybroski]

Last question, me700 or crank bros mallets?

[Dantheman]

crank bros mallets?

No, hard no. If you want something with float go Time, either Speciale 8 or MX6 depending on budget.

[toast2266]

No, hard no. If you want something with float go Time, either Speciale 8 or MX6 depending on budget.

X2.

And really, for your first time on clipless, you probably don't want something with more float.

You could bump up to a nicer shimano pedal if you were so inclined. An M8120 is the nicer version of the ME700. You could also go with something that doesn't have the platform, like the M8100, but the platform's nice for those situations where you end up riding unclipped for a little bit.

[climberevan]

Clipless are like alpine bindings to me, flats are like tele bindings. No way I’m riding tele.
Are all Lake shoes really freaking heavy? The ones I picked up weighed a shit-ton.

They are heavy. The synthetic leather XC ones are a bit lighter but they are still way heavier than Shimano or Spec or whatever.

It's a price I'm willing to pay for foot comfort and the durability that comes with thicker materials. The light ones don't last.

Lakes also have real rubber soles that are pretty grippy and durable, not hard plastic like Sidis.

[jm2e]

My five tens are pretty grippy but I’m tired of always readjusting foot placement in the uphill.

Get a bigger flat pedal. TMAC is the gold standard. CB Stamp 7. TENET. There might be others, but a big clunky square shaped metal pedal will feel better than a thin little house shaped plastic pedal that relies on tiny pins for grip.

Honestly, clip/flat is personal preference. Just make sure you report back with how superior your final conclusion is. Only way to fit in around here.


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[jackstraw]

Honestly, clip/flat is personal preference. Just make sure you report back with how superior your final conclusion is. Only way to fit in around here.
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[emoji3]

I ride both now depending on the bike. I pretty much ride trials style tech with punchy ups, kinfe edges, and skinnys. I've concluded that both shoe options suck and I'm going back to twisting a throttle because it's easier.

[toastybroski]

Well, I picked up some m1820 spd pedals locally. No where has skate/trail style shoes though which I am really bummed about. Would something like the specialized recon 2.0 work or is that too race oriented?

[Andeh]

Get a bigger flat pedal. TMAC is the gold standard. CB Stamp 7. TENET. There might be others, but a big clunky square shaped metal pedal will feel better than a thin little house shaped plastic pedal that relies on tiny pins for grip.

Honestly, clip/flat is personal preference. Just make sure you report back with how superior your final conclusion is. Only way to fit in around here.


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Words of wisdom here. "Pick a pedal interface and be a dick about it."

On a serious note though, if your feet need readjusting constantly while going uphill, it sounds like a combination of not good enough shoe rubber (not all 5.10s are created equal), pedal shape/pin type, and technique. (Assuming you mean just pedaling along, not doing techy ledgy up and overs constantly.)

[toast2266]

Well, I picked up some m1820 spd pedals locally. No where has skate/trail style shoes though which I am really bummed about. Would something like the specialized recon 2.0 work or is that too race oriented?

I haven't worn them, but they look like they'd work fine. Good lugs for walking. Not crazy stiff. I have a love / hate relationship with BOA that's currently tipped more towards hate, but it's increasingly common on bike shoes.

[Huskier]

Looking for ways to make a 150 rear shock feel deeper and more plush than it is and my attention has come to the Megneg. Two questions: 1) Is this a reasonable expectation? And 2) I understand having to run a higher PSI because of the larger chamber, which comes with a weight limitation What is that weight limit approximately? Sparse info on the rockshox website.

[XXX-er]

I’m thinking of trying clipless without breaking the bank. Any good deals? It seems like spd is the most recommended. I am slightly terrified. Is it worth it? I almost exclusively trail ride.

All the fast people seem to have clips.

Hard to beat Shimano SPD IME, just like a ski binding turn down the retention ( both sides of pedal ) i would start a newby with 3 clicks

find a shoe that fits you

[One (+) Sentence]

I have a love / hate relationship with BOA that's currently tipped more towards hate, but it's increasingly common on bike shoes.

We're going to start seeing more and more use of BOA on alpine ski boots, which seems really weird to me. Pretty sure I'm only going to go there if absolutely forced.

[Huskier]

Looking for ways to make a 150 rear shock feel deeper and more plush than it is and my attention has come to the megneg. Two questions: 1) Is this a reasonable expectation? And 2) I understand having to run a higher PSI because of the larger chamber, which comes with a weight limitation. What is that weight limit approximately? Sparse info on the rockshox website

[toast2266]

We're going to start seeing more and more use of BOA on alpine ski boots, which seems really weird to me. Pretty sure I'm only going to go there if absolutely forced.

Yeah. I have absolutely no interest in it for ski boots. On bike shoes it's nice when it's new. Then it gets a bunch of dust and mud in it and and the little plastic bits inside go to shit until it eventually breaks. And then they warranty it no questions asked, because there's like 3 cents worth of plastic in the thing. And the cycle repeats.

Or I can just use laces, which work fine.

[simple]

Ok I've got a question. Most of my roadie kits are getting pretty worn out. They get used for commuting all year. Since my days of racing are very much done I don't have access to good clothing anymore. Let's say I wanted to buy 3 to 5 new kits, what brand would you have me look at? I've bought newer Pearl Izumi stuff that is more relaxed (gravel) fit and it's been good for tops but their bottoms are meh. Rapha is very expensive so is there anyone in that style but reasonably priced and doesn't go out of style quickly?

[Iowagriz]

I'd like to try oakley's prizm trail lens.

I've been using these for the past few years. What I consider to be a pretty bright lens, but what I like for going on and out of the trees. Worth a shot if you have a frame model that can easily swap out to test.

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[Supermoon]

Ok I've got a question. Most of my roadie kits are getting pretty worn out. They get used for commuting all year. Since my days of racing are very much done I don't have access to good clothing anymore. Let's say I wanted to buy 3 to 5 new kits, what brand would you have me look at? I've bought newer Pearl Izumi stuff that is more relaxed (gravel) fit and it's been good for tops but their bottoms are meh. Rapha is very expensive so is there anyone in that style but reasonably priced and doesn't go out of style quickly?

A couple summers ago I got a good deal on some of the patagucci mtb stuff and I’ve been really happy with it so far.

[Iowagriz]

Ok I've got a question. Most of my roadie kits are getting pretty worn out. They get used for commuting all year. Since my days of racing are very much done I don't have access to good clothing anymore. Let's say I wanted to buy 3 to 5 new kits, what brand would you have me look at? I've bought newer Pearl Izumi stuff that is more relaxed (gravel) fit and it's been good for tops but their bottoms are meh. Rapha is very expensive so is there anyone in that style but reasonably priced and doesn't go out of style quickly?

Same dilemma for me. Voler shorts have been working well for me at a reasonable price. I'll be receiving a full kit from neoprocycling.com on Friday. I'll report back when I have a few days with them. Very low price, so expectations are also low. I did get a Rapha Merino short sleeve jestlast year for bikepacking. It is really nice and works well for a broad temp range, but hard to justify the cash outlay.

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[SchralphMacchio]

I’m still riding on Voler chammies that I bought through my team 20 years ago, though they are finally getting transparent and need to go. But there’s a plug for durability and trustworthiness!