OK, so now that I’ve done a few rides on flat pedals, I have some thoughts.
Right out of the gate, I’d say they’re comparable to clipless. As a matter of fact, my right cleat (the one I would snap into and out of most often at stops) was worn out enough that for the last couple of rides on clipless, I wasn’t even clipped in on that side for the entire ride. Didn’t even notice. It wasn’t exactly the same as flat pedal, but it did address what I considered one of clipless’s advantages.
So to review –there are two features of clipless that I thought most important: power on the upstroke and foot position.
This morning I discovered that if I flick back on the down pedal as I’m passing through the bottom of the stroke, the pins grip so well that it almost feels like I am indeed pulling the pedal through the stroke. I think it’s nearly comparable to clipless in this respect. Of course this isn’t the same as pulling the pedal all of the way through the stroke, but as I read more about flats, I came to agree with the claim that actually pulling up on the pedal is unnatural and very seldom actually done. We can really just toss the “power on the upstroke” advantage of clipless for the most part – especially for the more casual cyclist (which, I believe, is just about every one of us who doesn’t race professionally or doesn’t attack hills like a pro).
Foot position is a bit trickier though, and the jury’s still out for me on that. I’ve learned over time – especially since I’m older and parts of me are more sensitive to bike fit anomalies – that a few millimeters deviation in any part of the bike’s setup can make a significant difference. For example, some months ago when I was tweaking my setup to ride in a more upright position, I found that moving my seat forward a couple of millimeters (in order to squeeze a bit more “upright” out of my position) was mildly equivalent to lowering the seat slightly, so in order to keep the same general leg extension, I had to raise my seat slightly. Leg extension was important to me because a low seat (one that might be considered typical for a bike-fitting) was just too low for me and would irritate the tendon just above the knee.
But the thing about clipless pedals is that they keep your feet in an exact position every time. Now, I’ve also been reading about cleat position on clipless pedals, and there is some literature that advocates for a position more central to the foot. Too far forward brings the inefficiency of the ankle more into play. The good thing about flats is that you can move your foot forward or backward on the pedal as you feel comfortable. I’ve played with it on hills. When I move my foot forward, I don’t have the explosiveness (did I ever?), but I feel like I have more power on the climb – so much so that I can take it all pretty much sitting down.
However, like I said, a few millimeters makes a difference, and I discovered after my first long ride (52 miles) that there are a whole new set of stress points when you use flats. I really had to roll out my quads that evening, and the top of my hamstrings were noticeably sore. I did a bit more reading and surmised that my seat was as much as a centimeter too high. So I lowered the seat (which, on my Trek meant changing the seat mast cap because I had a longer one, which also meant changing my seat position on the cap), and that actually seemed to do the trick. I even stopped to raise the cap on my shakedown ride – just 2 mm or so – and had to stop to lower it again after a couple of miles. Lower was actually better.
What does this all mean? Well, it’s hard to say at the moment whether the new aches, pains, stretches, quirks, etc. are a result of not having an exact and consistent foot position on the pedals, or if it’s something else like maybe my seat is tilted forward a millimetre more than I’m used to. I’m also on a pair of borrowed pedals, so I’m not even sure yet of platform size and pin-placement. But I’m fairly confident that I’ll work this out and make it happen. The benefits – especially the ability to get off the bike easily and walk normally, plus the fact that the ball of my foot isn’t cramping excruciatingly – are far outweighing the costs at the moment. And aesthetically, most people don’t even notice the flats.
