Last fall, I wrote a bit about moving from clipless to flat pedals. When I left it in September, I felt the jury was still out on the matter. There were points of discomfort – things that seemed not quite right – and I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready to pull the trigger on the move.
But then I got a new pair of flat pedals – the Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Large – and became a bit more invested (my test pair were borrowed).
And honestly, the Stamp 1s are not all that great. They’re not as concave as the previous pair I’d tried, and so when they get wet, the shoe tends to slip a bit on the center axle. Now, having that happen, I’ve made my call – and I’m still sold. I love the flat pedals. They make a huge difference in comfort. I read back on my previous writings on the matter and they reminded me of the cramps I was getting in my feet.
I also remember trying to find the right shoe. I’ve gotten close, but have never really found a good clipless shoe that wasn’t cramped or long or just overall uncomfortable over the long haul. When I think now on my recent rides – an 80-miler a few weeks back and a 100-miler this past Saturday – I can’t recall any foot pain (other than the typical tiredness) anything like what I felt before. The ability to hop off the bike and walk like a normal human being is extra-helpful there. There’s no thought involved. And things like alignment and knee pain have just not been the problems that I thought they might be when I tried it last year. Overall, I think it was just a matter of getting used to it.
I’m quite thrilled with the result, and where I thought I might try to mix it up before, I’m convinced that staying with the flats permanently is the way to go. In most of the reading I’ve done, they’ve gone to the matter of power when it comes to going clipless, but in every case it’s about power in situations in which I just don’t find myself. Yeah, I can get 16% more power in a sprint…but why would I sprint? I’m not in some kind of competition, and I think I’m safe enough that I won’t often find myself trying to outrun a car. As a matter of fact, being in the cross-hairs of a car without having my feet clamped onto the bike sounds like a safer prospect than having to rely completely on my ability to accelerate quickly. I like the idea of being able to jump off in just about any direction.
The benefits of the flat pedal for recreational riders simply outweigh any gains (if any) you can get out of clipless. Flat pedals are easier on the budget, more comfortable, allow you to expand your choice of shoes, and give you multiple positions for your feet just to name a few. Why would anyone want to willfully subject themselves to the torture of cramming their feet into what the industry tells you is the “norm”? It just isn’t so. Don’t fall for it.