I did a 7 day bike tour on flat pedals, it's fine if you're not pushing any real wattage. But you constantly need to adjust your feet to make sure they're positioned properly, especially on bumpy terrain.
In the first year of my cycling I only wore trainers with flat pedals because I was too worried about falling over and I did a 200km with them but I wouldn't go back. You just have to keep changing your foot position a lot of the time which can lead to pain on certain points of your feet and especially when your climbing out of the saddle
@@reecedawson6113 Agreed - I rode my 1st 18 months back into cycling on flats, and did my 1st century on them. But on long distances readjusting foot positions became an issue and led to sore feet. Now ride mostly on SPD's and I find them much more comfy and wouldn't go back!
Needed to comment because: I've been cycling 'properly' for nine months, started racing, doing sportives, generally beginning to fall in love with cycling. I've done coast to coast in a day on flats, bikepacked in Scotland alone, and just did a training week in Girona. But I still have huge imposter syndrome because I'm using flat pedals, and everyone tells me all the time I need clipless to 'really be a cyclist'. I'm a woman in my thirties in love with endurance cycling - I moved into 'cycling' from cycle-commuting. I'm performing well, placing in events, but when I went to join a club everyone in every ride I went on commented (unasked) on my flat pedals. They told me I should really think about clipless. They told me my performance would be bad. Everyone, even those I was riding stronger than, had a negative opinion on flats and made me feel super self-conscious and inadequate. I'm commenting because I haven't been back to the club, I've stopped going to group rides, and I feel embarrassed about cycling with flat pedals. Thanks Conor and GCN for putting this video out (and your others about flat pedals) but also it would be awesome if it could just be reflected as a personal preference, rather than a freakish dumb choice.
This comment is the biggest thing I hate about clipless and road cycling. Its almost like a cult, I've had this before, people I'm stronger than on the bike but banging on telling me to get clipless. It's like they wanna justify they're pointless purchase. Keep smashing on the flats, you're better off away from that club
I've ridden flats in the group ride (knowingly, I've been riding over a decade on the road) to troll. People get quiet pretty fast when they see you on a 50 dollar bike going faster than them. That being said. I am indeed faster with clipless simply because to close down accelerations, you have to sprint. I know this and can see it in the data. I only bring out the flat bike in bad weather or in a slower group
I've been riding all my life. I'm soon 70. But I switched to road cycling just 3 years ago. I was also under the pressure that riding clipless is the thing to do, but fell badly and considered it too dangerous for my age to experiment further. I occasionally ride 100 to 130 kms and will get rid of my clipless pedals that I kept using with running shoes. So a total switch back to flat pedals is coming soon for me.
I pick and choose which pieces of cycling clothing and equipment make my rides comfortable for me. They would always be fun because I love it. And I love it with flat pedals!
My wife and I did ~400km in Japan over the course of a week this summer, all on flats. Zero complaints. It let us vary foot position to avoid muscle fatigue, and meant we could randomly hop off the bikes to explore without having to consider whether our shoes could handle the terrain.
on the shoe bits you can use the mountain bike spds with shoes that can handle all terrain too (which makes sense as mountainbikers and crossbikers need to be able to run on hilly muddy ground). But it is still easier to get on and off and all your other points still remain. I personally use both. i use flats for regular shorter rides and clipless for longer. Mostly because for being stuck to the pedals when I am not pedalling. If there are bumps there is less chance of the feet losing contact with the pedals.
@@peterwillson1355 no I haven't, but I have no issues with clipless pedals. The one issue is that getting on and off the pedals is a bit of work (I dont see how toe clips will change that though). So I am happy to ride flat pedals (without anything) if it's riding to friends/family/work (about upto 15kms) and clipless if it is a more serious longer ride. but to each their own.
id suggest changing your tyres to puncture resistant ones, i use fincci ones for the last 1.5years and ive had 0 punctures since... to be honest im only commuting and im doing it w an ebike, but the rear tyres lasted around 700miles before going completely threadless (2000w ebike, so constant 30mph and no skidding unless i gotta stop fast)... yes they are quite costly compared to others, but not hassling over punctures worth the price i think
That is not true at all. I remember falling and nor wanting to unclip and hoping to stay with my bike with me. Later I had problem to unclip, but still thinking that having clipped on bike safe me for even bigger injury. All slipping and sprinting kind of crashes, much better to stay with your bike. Jumps, are different story.
until you crash bcs your foot slid out of pedal when hitting some hole or rough cobbles. crashed a lot in my years of cycling, never felt that my situation was caused or could be improved with flat pedals. on the other hand, i feel much safer when clipped in
Here in German we have what is called Die Ruhrtal Radweg (The Ruhr Valley Bike Path). It’s around 230 km long, 550 meters uphill and 1,150 meters downhill. From the Ruhr river spring in Winterberg to the city of Duisburg were it runs into the Rhein river. From the spring to my house is about 110km, my wife and I take the bikes on a train and ride back home we’ve done it 6 times. After the first couple of times my son moved to the other side of Winterberg which added another 27km to the trip and another 560 meters uphill (on return trip). We now take the train to Winterberg (line ends there) ride down to my son and the next day ride all the way home, around 130km. I’m now 72 my wife 65. On flat pedals
Ha, I knew I am not the only one doing this. Deutschlandticket + 4eur for a single trip bicycle ticket was my way to greatly expand my cycling reach. Although I do it in the other direction - I ride out, then take the train back home. Added benefit is that I can choose the direction of riding on the spot (based on the wind forecast), and then the train takes me back into the headwind :)
@@bostjan-sj We were doing it before the Deutschlandticket came. The good thing about the Ruhrtalweg is that it also follows the rail lines. So if you do get tired or have problems with the bike there's a station not far away in the next town. By train I can get within 400m of my home 🙂
I ride fast. Clipped in for 5 years, crashed 2 or 3 times a year. Always felt that not being able to unclip in a blink of an eye was to blame in every instance. Now I ride flats on race or gravel bike. Just saved a wipeout on gravel the other day, hit a soft spot, swung my leg out instantly for counter balance, rode on to multiple kudos from my mates!
That is one of the main reasons I always ride flat pedals, plus I commute so often stop and walk into shops. I've also had a couple of times where I've had a mechanical and had to walk a couple of hours home. Wouldn't like to of done that with clipless shoes, your shoes would be destroyed and your feet in agony to.
I feel GCN forgot to mention costs. If you're new to the sport and/or you're on a lower income, I'd say flat pedals are your best option. Clipless pedals and mediocre shoes will cost you around £120.00.
Not necessarily - if you are not too hung up on big brand names you can get a decent pair of shoes and clipless pedals for half that money at Decathlon for example.
@@tonyBobb5209 If you stick to the Decathlon brands (Van Rysel, Rockrider, Triban etc) then I would say yes, the equivalent shoe from one of the big brands would be considerably more expensive (so probably equivalent to a mid-tear model from a big bike brand). But I am no expert, I just know I ride with a pair of Van Rysel shoes and they are great (had a pair of Specialized before). And if you can pick them up in the sale even better.
I would say just new to the sport is enough. There is enough to learn in terms of optimal gear shifting, braking and cornering technique, group riding skills, etc. Once these have become 2nd nature, then you can think about adding clipless pedals and purpose built cycling shoes.
@@tonyBobb5209 if you're new to the sport why would you need mid tier products? Entry level is what you should be after, and Decathlon does a great job of serving that market.
I honestly hate clipless and road cycling lol. People that have only ever ridden road bikes or get in to it later in life make it seem like you can't put down a watt without slipping off your pedals. I wonder how these people learned to ride bikes as children. Most people aren't sprinting or pros, and as Connor says, the research shows theres barely a difference. Riding flats you can wear whatever trainers you want, walk around like a normal person off the bike and save money
As a persistent flat rider, love this perspective. Flats are great (sure clipless have their strengths), but nothing wrong with flats, as confirmed here!
I use MTB flat pedals and FiveTen flatpedal shoes on all my bikes. Even on my roadbike. I don't like the feeling of being clipped in. To ride 100 km is a joy with them.
@@timoakley277I used to feel the same. Switching to flats took a while to get in the habit of always keeping some contact pressure on the rising foot especially as it comes over the top. Using midfoot position on long (Catalyst) pedals works for me. But I am in full agreement with each rider doing what is comfortable for himself or herself.
Flat pedals have 3 major advantages 1: you can use any shoe, clipless shoes are trash, they ruin your foot health. 2: if you slip in a corner you can put a foot down and avoid a crash while with clipless you are just there watching how the world changes the pov and not in a good way 3: they allow you to try some moron steep road that you know you won't be able to beat, with clipless once you are done trying you will fall with a more than decent chance, with flat pedals though, foot on the ground and good to go.
And (at least) 3 major disadvantages: 1) if you don't choose your shoes properly they ruin your foot health (this is a spurious argument for both types of pedal, obviously) 2) if your foot slips off your pedal you'll probably gash your leg or even lose control of the bike completely 3) you're more likely to fail on a steep climb because you can only use power on the downstroke. And if you're halfway competent you'll easily unclip if you need to.
@@stevemawer848 if you try to pull up with the cleats on a very steep climb you'll crash 😂 You only do downstroke with both pedals and you can't unclip any second, pedal must be at the bottom of is up you're stuck so you have decent chances to fall if you fail climbing like we all saw many times in videos
@@nemure What nonsense, of course you can pull up with the cleats (not both at the same time, obviously), but I can't see why that would make you crash. Maybe you're just better at falling off than I am.
@@stevemawer848 you never did it, you're just Bluffing 😂 😂 😂 Let me tell you what happens in case you ever want to try it so you can avoid falling Climbing up hill you move forward your body weight in order to avoid front wheel losing contact with the ground, if you pull from one pedal trying to use cleats in the 360 degrees back wheel will lose contact with the ground Loosing contact with any wheel may end in you falling and this is such a basic thing, any cyclist knows this, I wonder if you ever used a bike at all 🤷♂️
@@nemure Never did what? Fall off climbing a hill? No, I never did that. And obviously if you put all your weight over the front fo the bike you'll risk skidding the back wheel - so I obviously don't do that, either. And you can wonder, but the people I used to beat know different. BTW, it's "losing", not "loosing" - totally different meanings.
My only critique if you will about the video is that maintaining foot position on Flats is no different than keeping your core in the right position as you ride. it's about muscle memory and consistency and those muscles that were prematurely fatigued would be as developed as the rest of your leg muscles
And you can move your foot position around on flats. Gives you more stamina to have a little variability, like adjusting your car seat on occasion on a long car drive.
so maybe riding clipless gives you that muscel memory for flats - I rode clipless for about 10 years then got a gravel bike which I decided to ride with flats - very little difference in power or control.
@deanblackwell2090 I can't speak to that, but I would use the video as proof that it doesn't work. I imagine that when your shoes can't move, you probably are flexing against your shoes and not realizing it. I'm a terrible road rider and I constantly realize I've slipped into a bad body position and have to concentrate on keeping my core tight and not putting all my weight on my wrists and slouching.
This plus general fit. Different Pedals with different Cleats will see you have a change in height... and with flats and MTB-Shoes i believe this will be quite more significant... so looking into that might also make a bit of a difference
Glad you lot finally approached this question with an open mind. After riding my first Century on flats I have never looked back. So much more comfortable and forgiving. And of course safer.
It depends what you’re after with your riding. If you just want to enjoy riding then flats are perfectly fine. If you’re chasing marginal gains, especially if you’re racing then clipless is probably the best option. I use old fashioned toe-clips (quality MKS ones) on my road bike and flats on my hybrid for getting around town.
I'm a recreational and occasional sportive rider. I'm not chasing Marginal Gains, but I do enjoy the feeling of security that clipless pedals give me when stomping a steep climb, or transferring weight when cornering a technical descent.
@@leonardhpls6 whatevs. I find them as easy to use as flats. Don’t have them done up super tight. You can wear normal trainers, just ones with stiff soles work best. I just find it helps to keep your foot on the correct position on the pedal. Just cycled 70km on them today.
Made the transition from clips to flats because the fixed position was leading to soreness-I was riding 5,000+ miles a year, no racing. Now about 4 years and 25,000 miles later, flats are my go to for every type of riding.
Funny enough I had to do the opposite. I found with sticky shoes and grippy pedals (needed or I'd slip on rough gravel), my feet position was really locked in and couldn't move without taking my feet off the pedal; I always got sore knees. Now I'm on clipless with 6 deg float and my knees have been much better in the past year, my feet angle can move without any pressure, while still not slipping off. I do ride flats on my commuter though. Do what works best for your riding.
I quite enjoy the freedom, and the ability to alternate foot position on the pedals from heel to toe to activate different muscles and thus give relief to fatigued ones. And the performance when you step off the bike to conduct whatever business you desire is huge when you can wear any (or no) foot wear. As an adventure thing flats are great.
This isn't just a matter of which type performs better Where I ride, I have to stop often, and sometimes with zero warning So flats all the way for me, regardless of any performance drawbacks
For years i used flats on my commuter & mtb bike's. When i got a road bike & used Shimano SPD's, I really enjoyed the feeling of being clipped. Within a couple of months I switched over to spd's on all my bikes & have remained on spd's ever since. When I bought a ebike though ive run flats. With the motor assist i didn't feel spd's were needed. So now i happily get to switch between flats & spds depending on what bike im using.
You're only feeling fatigue in those muscles because because being clipped in doesn't require you to use them. It would be no different to feeling muscle fatigue from riding for the first time.
That's fine if you want to waste energy keeping your feet on the pedals, instead of using that energy to propel yourself forward. Your choice - waste or efficiency.
@@stevemawer848 There is no loss in efficiency though. Studies have shown that. GCN showed that. I've switched between clipless and flats on a bike with a power meter. There was no difference except for sprints.
@@iknowzeverything2740sprints or low cadence grinds. I use every pedal system out there. Clips, MTB clipless, road clipless, flats. There's a place for all of them, but personally, I'd use clips if I was intending for "flat" benefits
I think the long ride that is good for flats is a bike touring one where there is a lot of stopovers where the rider needs to do a lot of off the bike activities
I use spd pedals for these. Mountain bike shoes you can walk in all day and bike with. Clipped in or out. Flat on one side, spd on the other. The main penalty is the extra added weight for having the combination pedals
Used clipless and got hamstring cramps, fell over a couple of times ruined my knee for weeks. now back to flats zero stress and worry, 500k a week no problem. Yes you lose some acceleration in sprints but avg speed is about the same.
Fascinating along with the comments as I agree with you Conor. Nothing wrong with flats it’s just when I swapped to clipless on my road bike, it was so much easier to hop on the bike and go. No little foot adjustments to get that “right” feeling. There’s enough float and I find it very easy to clip out. I also feel more confident descending as I’m “locked” into the bike.
It's all about personal preference 🙌 Finding a system that works for you and your riding style is always best. We feel you on the locked in statement, clipless does carry more security!
It's especially apparent on fast descents on bumpy roads. Despite having cycling flat shoes it still moves my legs slightly offset especially on the bigger bumps. There's a reason why pro downhill riders use DH specific clipless from what I've heard despite not pedaling much on DH tracks. That security is a big factor.
Any educated occupational therapist or physio therapist will let you know that it's much better for the body and your performance to alter your work position regularly. It's beyond me how this simple wisdom has not made it to cycling yet. “Float” in clipless pedals won't cut it: You can't change your foot position forwards or backwards, etc. The only advantage of foot retention in cycling is when you need small bursts of power staying in the same gear. That is, sprints, breakaways and short grade increases on climbs. For that, flats with straps would be perfect. But, alas, the cycling industry wants to give you impression that you NEED clipless pedals and cycling shoes.
Not to mention about the cramped design of cycling shoes. Most shoes are designed to be narrow because pf wind tunnel tests, but one has to wonder how much power is lost because ones feet are cramped up.
Unfortunately I have a sad story to tell... I was recently run over by a van while waiting at a roundabout, dragged underneath. One pedal clipped in, the other not. Being clipped in, the shoe was forcefully removed from my foot and have lost the big toe, broken ankle and needed a skin graft. Many other injuries, but I guess flat pedals may have saved my foot in this case 😢
I've changed all my pedals to flats. Long distance country rides are about the only reason I would ever re-install clipless. For commuting or urban riding flats RULE.
I'm a huge supporter of clipless, but I use all types for these different use cases. Flats are absolutely the way to go for short commute and urban riding. However, even better than that, I prefer actual clips
I believe there’s a reason clipless pedals are a thing. They are much more comfortable for climbing, descending, sprinting and for longer rides. Flats for around town probably make sense, but otherwise I will keep my clipless pedals.
I changed to flats this year. Pretty much the same conclusion. Especially on the downhill comment. I would always choose clipless at speed. It's just much more secure. On really bad tarmac (which is thankfully very rare where I live), at speed, clipless wins as well. You never have to think about your feet. Having said that, I like being able to get off the bike and walk around normally. I've ridden on SPD pedals before and I like them, but even with them, you've got that "scrape, scrape" on the floor in a shop which I'm not happy about. For low intensity rides where you are doing some sight seeing, flats are the superior choice, IMHO. For high intensity training sessions, or crazy roads with a lot of traffic, give me my clipless. Luckily it's easy to change pedals :-)
I use flat pedals in the winter on my "winter bike" (an old MTB) because that way I can ride in winter boots to keep my feet warmer and dryer. Also handy when I hit sheer ice as the bike is easier to escape from when it goes one way and I go the other. Rides of about 1-2 hours typically. Always love the return to my clipless for the added security of being one with the bike.
As you said you get used to and you adapt… the same is true of using flats. You build those stabilizer muscles and it has an overall benefit to riding. I challenge you to switch to flats for a full year and repeat this. I would suggest a better flat that will hold up to more work. The PNW Loam pedals are the best pedals on the market flat or clipless.
@@stevemawer848 prove your point. I’ve riden the last 4 years over 70,000 km on flats. The stabilizer muscles in my legs have increased to the point where I overall have more ability to put force through the pedals. Did 2 fondos (one grand and one forte) this last summer including one very well known that Si has been to and competitor. I finished in the top half of both with good flats on my bike. Relying on your own body for support and structure can only help you long term. So I say again prove your point, put good flats on your bike and ride it consistently for a year and then compare on a long ride.
@@stevemawer848 it does take more energy to use more conscious muscle but if you get those stabilizer muscles strong enough that they just do their job unconsciously then is suggest it doesn’t take anything away from the ride experience… I’d argue that it adds to the experience because the you have overall less fatigue in your legs.
I started riding clipless pedals in 84 or 85 when the first Look pedals came out. I ride flats now. Better for my knees plus my shoe size is 14 wide or roughly 49 in European sizes.
I wonder if the niggles you felt on flats is something similar to the difference between doing free weights (flats equivalent) and a weight machine at the gym (clipless equivalent). The flats are engaging more of your stabilisation muscles that are under utilised with you being so used to clipless. Also, you didn't show the café stop with you walking around normally and now clipping around like a tap dancer 😉
Great analogy! And how much healthier it must be for the legs. It's also like running on dirt as opposed to concrete. After the adjustment period the ability to change foot position slightly will actually make your legs less tired.
On my road bike, I have Look pedals. On my gravel bike, I have the flippy flat/spd pedals. It's really just dependant on what you're going for. For me, the best part of clipping in is having movements being totally synced with the bike. The pedals are just an extension of your leg. Real nice when you have a training goal or something in mind. But, if you're just going out for fun, the flats are great. No special shoes, no worrying about clipping in and out at stops. Just enjoying the time.
I swapped back to flats recently because I was getting foot pain from longer hours in the smaller clipped in pedals. I'm heavier and have wider feet so it just suits me more and there's little to no difference. It also makes it much easier to stop and get out of the way of cars on country lanes.
I have used flats for last 4 years on my road bike and decided to buy Shimano SPD PD-EH500 pedals with platform on one side and spd on the other. Will try them on in Spring.
I have ridden both and I now have flats on all my bikes. The slight advantages clipless offers in a few situations do not offset the drawbacks for me. YMMV
Well said. I believe that bicycling is a leisure activity that many can take too seriously. Small performance gains in limited situations didn't offset the ease and convenience of flat pedals for me-being formerly clipped in. But I've had to relearn how to bunny hop curbs and obstacles. Clipless is like cheating! Definitely an advantage lost there.
@@TerryPagel Yes, bunny hopping with clipless pedals is like a cheat code. I like wearing normal shoes and being able to adjust my position as I ride rather than being locked into one alignment. For commuting, shopping, going to the park, etc., clipless are a drawback. I even went through a phase where I used pedals that were flat on one side and clipless on the other. I discovered that I used the flat side >90% of the time. Since making the switch to pure flats, I have not missed being clipped in. That said, I do not race nor chase marginal gains; I ride for exercise and enjoyment. For serious competition, clipless makes more sense.
For me since I race crits and road races, having the ability to push down high wattage quickly or accelerating quickly to attack or chase breaks is very important. Clipless is more secure and efficient. Would never go back to flats on all of my bikes, clipless is just more comfortable
@@yourtypical1722 For racing, or any high power output scenarios, clipless makes perfect sense. If I were racing, I would definitely use them. I mostly ride around town or on backroads, either commuting or for exercise. For me, clipless offers very little. For what you do, clipless offers a lot.
Thanks so much for this excellent video Conor and gcn! Love this content! I've used both SPD's and flats on numerous multi day bike touring adventures. I am coming down on the side of flats. Why? Those 'micro adjustments ' Conor speaks of prevent me from getting injured. Clipless put the same pressure in the same places and over multi day tours this is a diaster for feet and knees because you can't shift for temporary relief mid ride. Yes, I get that your body has to adapt at first, but its really like the difference between using free weights versus machines. Both work fine, but as long as you are watching your form, you can use/exercise/ train/relieve muscle groups, adapt more quickly. I was heartened by Conor's honesty and impressed with the results and his conclusion that it is a highly personal choice. The other bit is that I can hop on my touring bike (with panniers) for a quick run for shopping without a pedal change. In Canada, (although our winter so far in Hamilton Ontario has been British like so far with little snow, in winter here, flats are an essential safety aspect. Great video! Really thought provoking! Please keep this content coming!
I have a really nice carbon road bike that I've found myself not riding for the past couple of years. I always grab my hybrid bike when going for rides because it has flats and I don't need to put on the shoes with cleats to ride it. I've decided to switch to flats on the carbon bike this year because it is such a shame not to ride such a nice bike. This video helped me to make up my mind on this. I don't care if "real cyclists" only ride clipless. I'm riding whatever makes me comfortable from now on.
The Flat Pedal Manifesto busts some of the myths around pedal stroke and human physiology. For me, the only times I need clip-in are sprint efforts or jumping the MTB, so very rarely. One favorite thing about flats is I can vary my foot position slightly which helps avoid cramping for me. Plus we're all slightly asymmetric and flats reduce the setup brain damage
I think too many people are influenced by the pro racing scene, and think they have to use clip-ins. Flats are far better for Endurance rides.......Look at Lachlan Morton's self supported Tour de France - switched to flats early on.
@@Andy_ATB flats in endurance rides? There’s no way I could audax on flats, especially not when tired and on the rolling hills you’ll inevitably encounter on uk audaxes.
As a mountain biker I use both, and I completely agree with what you said. I find flats good for shorter rides with more moving around (like playing around in the woods), but for longer xc style training rides I’d use clipless, it’s just more comfortable and does help when riding uphill.
Especially offroad those roots and gravel bumps actually move your foot despite using sticky flat shoes. For long XC rides the security and consistency wins out overall.
Liked your video. Just put flats on my newly purchased Canyon Grail and gotta say l loved them. I even found myself " clipping out" from the pedals when l had to come to a stop on an uphill for a traffic signal. I laughed at myself and said, " Those pedals actually made me feel like l was clipped in " Not my first rodeo but my first gravel bike and first time riding flats on a dropbar bike and gotta say I love it. As others have said, l think your little bit of leg fatigue probably stems from using some leg muscles in a way that you are not used to, and thats a good thing Right as long as you're not injuring yourself in some way. I remember how it was first getting used to SPDs , same deal with flats if you are riding on them hard trying to get that little bit more efficiently out of them that SPDs have over them. Image if you will a saddle that you were clipped in to , couldn't rise of to get relief, couldn't move around front to back couldn't move but a few degrees side to side and had to clip out of everytime you wanted to stop or in the event of a dicy situation or in the event of an emergency! How funny looking , uncomfortable, dicy or dangerous, would that be ?!! No, let's not do that with a bike saddle, but let's do it with pedals instead!😂
Biggest advantage of flat pedals for me is ability to switch from pedal spindle very on the front of my foot on the flats vs. mid foot position going steep uphill with slower cadence.
I have Catalyst pedals which are long enough to bridge across the arch. I find the midfoot position supports activating the glutes and and feels more secure than a forefoot position when descending or climbing out of the saddle. On a long ride switching between forefoot and midfoot can change which muscles are doing the most work. It is a matter of preference and personal comfort.
@@bradriedle6535 100% agreed. I do think some folks are just brainwashed into thinking that one can be “dialed-in” for every possible race situation. If the trend shifts one day, they will act like they’ve known all along. We will see if the Zone 2 winds blow away and if they do they’ll be back again. Lmao
I have fitted one-side clipless, one-side flat pedals (Look Geo Trekking) on my adventure/endurance bike, and it's the single best upgrade I have ever given that bike. Being able to change my position to either stretch or relax different muscle groups and to change the pressure points - or just clip in for climbs during multi-day adventures has been a true game changer for me. You don't have to choose. You can have both.
City riding: flats, just a lot more practical when hopping into the supermarket to do some shopping. Recumbent: clipless, gravity just works in the wrong direction. More than 100 km: always on a recumbent. Horses for courses.
I’ve been riding my road bike with Ubebike flats for a year now I’m not slower, it is brilliant, I love it, such a free feeling it gives you, and when you get off your not walking about like penguin, I generally ride 19mph av on flats
But what do you do in a sprint? In my group rides, we average 24 mph and there's acceleration exiting each corner. On my flats, I have to use more energy to catch back on to the group because it's slower to accelerate. On my clipless bike, it's much easier, I don't get separation and stay in the draft
Long before clipless pedals were invented. Long before UA-cam. Long before "cycling" was a thing here in San Diego -- back when I could ride 30 miles through the city and never see another 10-speed, I installed toe-clips onto my flat pedals, and leather straps that cinched tightly around my Converse Allstars. Seven years later, I bought a pair of (Italian) cycling shoes to which I nailed a pair a cleats. Now, of course, I ride double-sided clipless on all my bikes -- road (Zeros), mountain (Egg Beaters) and high performance tandem (SPDs). That said, my younger mountain bike buddies all use flats -- which I don't mind since I climb better than any of them.
Have you ever been on a group ride and you’re in the back? And when your group approaches a stoplight and all you hear is click, click, click 50 times over, and i am just happily silent with my flat pedals.
I do love it when the cycling world eventually comes round to my everyday ride, I have a gravel MTB and 2 road bikes, all have flats, just used to them
Spot on. Clipless are much more likely to cause repeated stress injury unless you have them in the exactly perfect spot. Adjusting to your foot position is important to not hurting yourself. Not to speak of the danger of crashes while clipped in.
This is why I'm trying out flats again this summer. Last year I rode a bike tour with clipless pedals. On about day 5 or 6, I started getting knee pain after a 140km day. I'm hoping with flats I can change my foot positions as I need it. I do like the connected feeling of clipless though.
I have two bikes. One is sort of an all road/gravel bike equipped with flat pedals. My road bike has the old fashioned toe clips and straps. I have been using the latter for about a year after using flat pedals exclusively all my life. I use some low key sneakers (Adidas Sambas) for both and it seems to work. The flat pedals are nice on rides with varied terrain and the others are fine for road rides where spinning is the norm. I’m appalled that some of the commenters have been “shammed” for riding on flat pedals. Roadies can be awful, I am a lone wolf on the bike for this reason.
I've started cycling last summer and I have clipless pedal setup. One thing to think about is the anxiety they bring, espically if you ride in buys areas (London for me). I have already fallen over once because I couldn't get my foot out at a roundabout. Now when I am riding through traffic busy areas which are start/stop there is quite bit of anxiety in the back of my mind thinking "ooo should I unclip here? Or shall I just go? Oh no im going to slow!" etc Flat pedals eleminate all of that. Im going to keep practicing but I may switch back to flats.
I e been cycling for over 50 years and all but a short period I’ve been riding flat pedals on both road and mtb. I recently joined a local cycle club and succumbed to peer pressure and got some clipless pedals. The anxiety I felt every time I went out on the bike got to me that I was riding less and less. Now I’m back to flat pedals I’m enjoying my cycling again.
I've used flats for decades but I'm an urban cyclist and to me flats are perfect for the type of riding I normally do. However, I think you nailed it on the "niggles." On my longer rides I do find myself doing these micro shifts and adjustments and why I'm moving towards clipless on my touring bike. I will always have flats on my single speed and commuter bike but for those rides that are longer than an hour, I want to have stability in my feet. I really don't care about the data, and I never have, I just love riding bikes, but it does get annoying constantly adjusting my foot position on a flat pedal. Thanks for this video!!
This video matches my experience. I slightly prefer being clipped in but can enjoy a ride on flats. Just like prefering drop handlebars but being able to ride decently and enjoyably on flat handlebars. Same with preferring a double chainring, but a triple is fine. On their own, these things are all marginal, but for the greatest ride possible you want everything just right.
Exactly this. I consider how much unclipping and walking around I do more than any other aspect. I have bikes with all sorts of pedal systems. But when it comes down to performance, dura ace is my go to. Sooooo secure in the sprint
I've been a 100% car-free bike commuter for the past 15 years. Before the shift to working from home over the last few years, I would routinely ride over 10,000km per year. This was pretty much all done on flat pedals. There was a brief stint where I tried to go clipless, but because all of my errands and shopping trips had to be conducted on my bike, it was the constant awkwardness of clip-clopping around stores, coffee shops, libraries, and other businesses that made me give up the idea.
Outside racing / performance, there are some practical undoubted advantages for normal everyday cycling for flats, like having normal shoes that allow you to walk if needed. Also, clipless don't make much sense when riding in a big city.
Use MTB SPDs in that case, they're as walkable as normal shoes and pretty easy to clip in and out. I use them daily for commuting to work in busy urban Tokyo without issues. I use my SPD SL for the faster and longer group rides since I love the stiffness of the shoe and bigger platform. SPDs gives you the best of both.
"Shoes Ruse" is the title of a short article written by Grant Peterson of Rivendell Bicycle. After reading the article, I tried some rides around town on my touring bike (I don't ride road bikes anymore). I switched to flats and rode toured across the U.S. twice with flats pedals. Off road touring the GDMBR, I also used flat pedals. Main thing is the ability to move your foot around on the pedal to relieve some repetitive stress syndrome. Using pedals like Shimano SPD's off road or touring, your knees and feet are locked into one position for longer hours than fast, quick, shorter road rides on a group ride.
Used to run SPD on my mtb and gravel bike, I've been switching back to flats on all bikes except the hardtail (flat gets sketchy on rough trails). Have done 200km+ bikepacking days and 60km MTB rides on flats. Good pedals and shoes do help a lot I'll take the ability to reposition my feet over a tiny amount of efficiency !
I did a century on a gravel bike with flat pedals and did fine. I used to ride clipless many years ago and I think when you get out of the saddle clipless pedals are better but I really like the versatility of flats and the quality of the flats I used are good quality and gave me plenty of surface area for my feet. Especially if you’re not riding club or fast group rides where acceleration and speed are an issue and your just touring or pleasure riding flats are great and a bit more economical. I ride simply for the enjoyment of riding and I’m mostly a runner where cycling gives me some other form of of cardio I really enjoy.
It will become second nature after some more practice and a few more falls. Clipless are way safer overalll as you are securely locked in and can't slip causing you to potentially lose balance with flat s.
After thirty years using clips I switched to flats on all my bikes, road, gravel, mtb, fatbike. Mainly due to age and sore kness. But the performance blew me away. Paired with flat cycling shoes I love the versatility riding flat pedals. As far as cost, not much difference. I bought three pairs of boa flat shoes and high end flat pedals. The fatigue you noticed is from using non specific shoes. Proper flat shoes are glued to the pedal.
I've ridden 100 km on flats and on clip less. In fact the longer the distance the less difference between them. The only thing impossible for me on flats is full power sprinting but I rarely sprint on long rides. On constant, average rpm I get the same speed per effort between the systems. I am back to flat pedals after tearing a muscle in the ankle because I need to change a little the foot position every now and then or my whole sole goes numb. I saw several doctors including a sports one, hardcore MTB rider and they all agreed that flats are healthier for the normal body. It will adjust its position to avoid injury although performance wise it may not be optimal. I can notice that in the morning the feet are placed slightly different than in the evening, perfectly normal as in the morning Im more tight, it's colder. The body takes care of avoiding injury. When I was wearing clip less I noticed some muscles being pulled or aching until the body was getting used to the position set during the bike fit, usually in a studio at 23 degrees and a nice warmup. Some people can tolerate better these discrepancies, for others it s a higher risk of injury.
I only have flats on my road bike. Not done 100k + yet but close to it and have had no issue. I don’t feel I’d gain much using clips and I wouldn’t want to chance clip ins in a busy city.
@@mrmetd7585 I’m not a pro and I’m happy with the pace I can keep with just flats. Could I gain with clip ins, I think so but would I really be that much faster?
I’m a hybrid athlete, mixing different disciplines (running, biking, weight lifting, fighting, climbing). To me, special bike shoes just feel weird. I can’t just get off the bike and do something else, because I’m in clunky riding shoes. As I almost exclusively wear barefoot shoes (I have a model I like for running, biking and fitness), I find riding shoes very unnatural for my feet. I am sure that clip less will be measurably faster and more efficient in extreme situations - and at least marginally so during normal rides. But to me it lacks flexibility and freedom. The “weird niggles” and muscle soreness on the other hand are very likely just due to the rider not being used to this kind of strain. I’m sure this would be different after some weeks of using only flats. On a related note: The (road) biking community sometimes feels snobbish to me and very specific in which pedals to use, how to dress, and whom to greet (not the MTB people!!! We also don’t really like the gravel folk. And e-bikes are the worst invention ever (oh no, someone is quicker uphill than me!).). As a lifter, I’m about 20kg heavier than most cyclists my size, cycle in my MMA shorts, frequently with backpack, and use barefoot shoes on flat pedals on my gravel bike and eMTB. And I like it that way. I guess I’ll stick to biking alone and with the other weirdos 😅
Nice video Connor! I live in a hilly area of Italy "Colli Tortonesi" good wine and food :) , soon I will be 64 years old. I've always used flat pedals but at Christmas I gave myself a gravel bike with spd pedals and I feel great, on the climbs I seem to push better. Thank you
I have only used flats. 100, 70, 50 mile rides on flats (long rides are BS). I ride single speed so being able to move foot forward and back is key for power and cadence.
Fascinating insight, I've never got on with clip-in pedals and have used flats on most of my bikes. Unlike Connor I get less knee issues using flats but that may be down to the fact I've not been a pro cyclist. Will be doing TTs this year and will try flat over clip-in, will be interested in the results.
You get knee pain because your cleats were in the wrong position or didn't have the correct amount of float. And how do you deploy power on the upstroke with flats?
knee pain is completely due to poor setup or overworking. if it's one side of your knee versus the other side then you're stressing one side of your knee more than the other and you need to rotate your cleat on that foot. if it's both sides then maybe you're going too hard, or possibly your saddle is at the wrong height causing you to bend your knee beyond where it can put down the most power. sure going with flats also solves it but it introduces other things. you definitely use some different muscles on flats than you do with clipless, I remember I had a period of adjustment, and not just with muscles but also with remembering to unclip BEFORE I stopped. in fact that caused me to get into a habit of unclipping my right foot first. every once in a while though, because of circumstances my weight would be over with my left foot and I would fall to the side that wasn't free... I think there's only once where I crashed and was stuck on a downhill with my foot that was trapped under the bike still clipped in. took me a minute to think my way out of that. I think I took my shoe off
@@stevemawer848 knee pain is due to torn meniscus, the restriction of cleats just doesn't offer the freedom flats give me. Also I'm very dubious of the exaggerated power provided by the upstroke.
@@billybigconkers Tests reveal most riders don't exert power on the upstroke, but merely unweight the pedal while the other leg is pushing down on the opposite pedal. Very efficient!
I have ridden over a hundred km many times on flat pedals on a loaded down gravel touring bike and it was fine. I also use clipless when I'm road touring or want to go fast. I like the comfort of being able to change your foot position on flats during a long ride. At the same time I don't like when your foot slips around when you don't want them to. Clipless is definitely more efficient which is why the pros use them. As a casual cyclist though who rides for fitness and fun, if I had to choose only one it would be flats.
Much prefer flats. Foot movement does not worry me and I like to be able to put my feet down at any time instantly. Each to their own! Great video as usual.
flats all the way ,tried clipless not good on all sorts of levels ,knees suffered ,need shoes for them which are too expensive ,cleats wear out far to quick and another expense to factor in ,i like many others have a few bikes flats just make more sense than equipping every bike with spds ,the biggest thing for me is though the comfort on flats is supreme and the freedom of not being stuck on the bike like with spds ,hope that made sense !!!
Proper flat pedals along with proper grippy shoes (e.g. Five-Ten) work really well on the mountain bike. Not sure I'd go for them with road bikes, but if needs required I'd give it a go.
Remarkably fair-minded video. I do think that whatever pains Connor was feeling towards the end were probably due to not being that used to the flats. I personally only use flats now and never have an issue with them. As mentioned in the video, there's not much of a performance difference if you're not sprinting, and for riding in heavy traffic in urban areas, which I do most of the time, it's just easier to ride on flats than having to clip in and out all the time. I even use flats when touring; six hours on flats is actually a lot more comfortable to me than using clipless. The only time I would even consider using clipless again is on a technical mountain bike route. Ultimately though, pedals are like religion and politics: people have their preferences, and you're probably wasting your time if you try to change their mind.
Whatever pedal your use to is what your going to ride best with. No one at GCN is going to like flat pedals or not complain about them or ride as good with them cause its not what they are used to or what the choose to ride with. Its also the same for flat pedal riders. If you want your feet locked to the pedals then get clipless, if you don't then use flats. Its really that simple. Whatever you choose is what you'll adjust to and ride best with
i was never able to get used to clipless, the fact that your position is locked means you'll always pedal the same way, i believe this will inevitably damage your joints in the long run on the other hand flat pedals allow you to make adjustments and using your muscles and joints differently
You keep doing "tests" with a bloke who has ridden his whole life on clipless, and about 2hours on flats, and thinking its fair....you are not used to flats. but its whichever you prefer, performance wise it makes absolutely no difference. for 99.% of riders, 99% of the time, its literally, no difference, not even marginal, this has been tested extensively now. Do you like clipless? use it, do you want be be able to walk properly off your bike? use flats. Personally I prefer flats, I can shift my feet as I want, I dont get the whole "clipless locks you in so forget your feet" thing, I dont need to think about my feet, its like walking, its just natural now. and I can wear whatever shoes I want so can walk round comfortably off the bike.
I am a casual rider as I have never been a road racer. I used clipless pedals for a while but then about 7-8 years ago decided to see if there were any peer reviewed research papers out there on the subject. I found one at that time. The paper basically concluded that there was no significant advantage to clipless pedals except for professional or serious amateur riders who have very high (150-180) cadences. Basically, the paper indicated it helps keep their feet on the pedals. Since I have never come close to riding like that, nor would I in the future as I was nearing 55-60 years of age, I went to flats. End of discussion for me. Zero difference. And for touring, which is what we do now, I can tell you that less than 10% of the tourers we come in contact with use clipless pedals. Maybe less than 5%. The end result for me? If you are into road racing and you are very good - use clipless pedals. If not, go flats. Either way, JUST RIDE YOUR BIKE!
Being clipped in was more important in the old days when gearing was limited. You needed to be able to pull up in steep sections of a climb, and in sprinting.
Most of my road rides will include at least one sprint start or hill sprint, so I can't use flat pedals on the road. I was really surprised, the first time I tried to do a standing sprint with flat pedals and I couldn't keep my feet planted on the pedals. That remains true to this day, but they seem to work fine if I stay seated, even at fairly high power levels.
Thanks for the video. I ride flats all the time. No complaints just prefer the feel. Just keeping it fun and relaxed I'm not a pro so just works for me.
Tried the half flat/half clipless SPD pedals for a while, but riding in the city means so much stop-start that I stayed on the flat side most often. I went back to straight flats.
City riding can be where flats come to life, hoping on and off the bike and the stop start nature of traffic means that flats are a great option. How do you find flats when you're trying to put the power down?
Being able to hike-a-bike, ride in sandals, walk easily at rest breaks, and generally just not giving a lick. Flats have their upsides. I find I shift foot positions based on how hard I’m riding too. In the drops cranking hard I am on the balls of my feet, sitting up going easy it is mid-foot.
I've been using MTBs for 26 months now (used to be a BMXer), and I've always used flat pedals. The farthest I've been was 192kms. So far I never had sore feet or had pain in my legs from not having my shoes in a fixed position. But then again, it's a matter of personal choice. Some use clips, some use flats. Whatever makes you comfy.
I started riding a pinned flat pedal, stiff cycling shoe, with a Velcro strap on a fixie so I could jump off and run up hills and found I could climb out of saddle, corner, sprint and ride in packs. I’m using this combination for all riding now.
Feedback from the machine to human flows throughout the points of contact between both. With flat pedals, I'm simply missing confidence. It's about feeling the bike, not about just power. Clip-in to me is like a proper bucket seat in a grand tourer car
An intriguing video and test. As a non sporting rider "dipping in" to this I was intrigued that you noted the added security of clipless pedals on bumpy roads. Particularly fast downhills.. Of all things I have clipless pedals on my Brompton for that reason. Paired with "adventure" shoes that are much more walkable than most "road" shoes. Although probably too heavy for a sporting rider, my SPD pedals have a normal pedal platform on one side and a cleat clip on the other. Which might be a middle way allowing "horses for courses" for riders willing to accept the weight penalty.
After falling over four times, while using Wahoo clips (and feeling like an idiot) I just switched to flat pedals and couldn't be happier. I was also in an accident where I could not remove my foot from the pedal and went down really hard and suffered from a concussion. Leave the clips to the pros. What are we trying to prove?
Yup, helmet was on. Always! My head hit hard. Asphalt doesn't give much. It took about a month to not have any head injury effects after the accident. If I had been using flat pedals I could have stopped myself from going over that hard. Never again. Thanks for asking!
I've ridden clipped in for around 10 years, after starting out with flat pedals. I'd always thought that clipped in was more efficient, especially up hill or in sharp acceleration situations. That was the conventional wisdom anyway. It seems that a succession of videos from GCN backed by actual data suggests there is little difference. Maybe I'll return to flats.
The fact Connor is getting different aches actually shows a problem with clipless rather than flats. It shows weakness from only being used to one specific motion rather than the more dynamic movement on flats. Personally, I alternate between clipless and flats. On long rides, I do prefer clipless. The difference isn't massive but on climbs I can feel it. Where flats shine is city riding so my commuter bike is permanently set up with flats. With constant traffic lights, junctions, unpredictable traffic and pedestrians, I like to know I can get my foot on the floor quickly and easily.
It actually shows the problem with flats - you're wasting energy keeping your feet on the pedals - energy that could be used to propel you. You've demonstrated that clipless are more efficient!
Totally agree. Commuter bike with flats is a winner. And she can do long rides if I want too. I *like* wiggling my feet. I miss that on my road bike with the clipless. Done long rides on flats and had a blast. His different aches are because a slightly different muscle set is being prioritized. The wiggling can help alleviate pain issues - my toe goes numb on my road bike more often than my commuter due to a minor injury. I can shake it out a bit on flats. However, I have an overuse minor injury that the flats are *not* good for. The flats are more quad dominant (which Conor felt). My knee injury is, in part, due to too much quad strength proportional to hamstring and glute strength..... and I ride my commuter and go ALL QUADS regularly, carrying heavy loads on it. On my road bike, locked to the pedals, my quads don't really have issues, but my hamstrings sure do - I'm still trying to put on hamstring muscle as part of remedying my trouble (but my refuse to put clipless on the commuter, for safety if nothing else). Conor is used to clipless, so he certainly has better balanced quads/hamstrings, and going quad-dominant isn't his normal. My 1st 100km ride on the new road bike with clipless pedals only had quads fatigued, never sore. My hamstrings though? Very sore, right one nearly cramped up. If that had been my commuter with flats I'd probably just be more fatigued in the quads and slower. For the sake of muscular balance - on long rides, the clipless I do think win, even if my pinky toe goes numb due to lack of wiggle. General fun and commuting? Love flats. If I didn't have a muscle imbalance injury I'd be saying all flats all the time.
After using both clipless and flats I still don't see any big differences between these two. Sometimes it's even faster on flat pedal especially if you stop often on stop signs or traffic lights. Also it's easier to do hill climb on flat pedal on steep gradient like 18% or more to stop (take a quick break) and resume your bike ride.
I can give you the answer. Mtb clipless will make your feet ultra sour. Their contact point is way smaller increasing a lot pressure on tissues. Performance is the same but not comfort Seen this in other channels before
I've done this every year. Have thousands of miles on all three. MTB clipless, very nice, but less stability than road. Flats, good if you have to walk a ton. Performance, road all the way. There's nothing that feels like it when out of the saddle full tilt
In all the years I have been riding bicycles, I've never used clipless. And I have used BMX type flats even on a short wheel based recumbent bike. That's right. It is the kind where your feet are high and in front of you and yet, with these pedals, I never had my feet drop down unexpectedly. The fact that one can move their feet to different positions on the pedals is what makes them so great. For example, when climbing hills or needing to sprint fast on my recumbent, I would position my feet so that the flat surface of the pedals where closer to my heels. That allowed me to really pour on the power, almost like I was on a leg pressing machine. Many a times, I would zip by my fellow riders on much lighter road bikes using clipless pedals. I think that if the rider in the video used flats much more often, his performance and comfort would improve over time on them. Like anything that one does that is new, there is a period of acclimatization to go through. And yes, I have done 100 km rides with those flats.
Have you ridden over 100km on flat pedals? 🚲
Let us know how it went👇
I did a 7 day bike tour on flat pedals, it's fine if you're not pushing any real wattage. But you constantly need to adjust your feet to make sure they're positioned properly, especially on bumpy terrain.
In the first year of my cycling I only wore trainers with flat pedals because I was too worried about falling over and I did a 200km with them but I wouldn't go back. You just have to keep changing your foot position a lot of the time which can lead to pain on certain points of your feet and especially when your climbing out of the saddle
yep.
@@reecedawson6113 Agreed - I rode my 1st 18 months back into cycling on flats, and did my 1st century on them. But on long distances readjusting foot positions became an issue and led to sore feet. Now ride mostly on SPD's and I find them much more comfy and wouldn't go back!
no but exactly 100km. it was fun.
Needed to comment because: I've been cycling 'properly' for nine months, started racing, doing sportives, generally beginning to fall in love with cycling. I've done coast to coast in a day on flats, bikepacked in Scotland alone, and just did a training week in Girona. But I still have huge imposter syndrome because I'm using flat pedals, and everyone tells me all the time I need clipless to 'really be a cyclist'. I'm a woman in my thirties in love with endurance cycling - I moved into 'cycling' from cycle-commuting. I'm performing well, placing in events, but when I went to join a club everyone in every ride I went on commented (unasked) on my flat pedals.
They told me I should really think about clipless. They told me my performance would be bad. Everyone, even those I was riding stronger than, had a negative opinion on flats and made me feel super self-conscious and inadequate. I'm commenting because I haven't been back to the club, I've stopped going to group rides, and I feel embarrassed about cycling with flat pedals. Thanks Conor and GCN for putting this video out (and your others about flat pedals) but also it would be awesome if it could just be reflected as a personal preference, rather than a freakish dumb choice.
This comment is the biggest thing I hate about clipless and road cycling. Its almost like a cult, I've had this before, people I'm stronger than on the bike but banging on telling me to get clipless. It's like they wanna justify they're pointless purchase. Keep smashing on the flats, you're better off away from that club
I've ridden flats in the group ride (knowingly, I've been riding over a decade on the road) to troll. People get quiet pretty fast when they see you on a 50 dollar bike going faster than them. That being said. I am indeed faster with clipless simply because to close down accelerations, you have to sprint. I know this and can see it in the data. I only bring out the flat bike in bad weather or in a slower group
I’m considering flats for duathlon and triathlons. Doing the bike in my running shoes shoes would be a huge time savings.
I've been riding all my life. I'm soon 70. But I switched to road cycling just 3 years ago. I was also under the pressure that riding clipless is the thing to do, but fell badly and considered it too dangerous for my age to experiment further. I occasionally ride 100 to 130 kms and will get rid of my clipless pedals that I kept using with running shoes. So a total switch back to flat pedals is coming soon for me.
I pick and choose which pieces of cycling clothing and equipment make my rides comfortable for me. They would always be fun because I love it. And I love it with flat pedals!
My wife and I did ~400km in Japan over the course of a week this summer, all on flats. Zero complaints. It let us vary foot position to avoid muscle fatigue, and meant we could randomly hop off the bikes to explore without having to consider whether our shoes could handle the terrain.
on the shoe bits you can use the mountain bike spds with shoes that can handle all terrain too (which makes sense as mountainbikers and crossbikers need to be able to run on hilly muddy ground).
But it is still easier to get on and off and all your other points still remain. I personally use both. i use flats for regular shorter rides and clipless for longer. Mostly because for being stuck to the pedals when I am not pedalling. If there are bumps there is less chance of the feet losing contact with the pedals.
@driwen Have you tried using toe clips and straps with your flat pedals?
@@peterwillson1355No! Bad advice! When I was a teenager I used those and I will never come back!
@app6336 they didn't work for you, doesn't mean its bad advice: millions used them happily
@@peterwillson1355 no I haven't, but I have no issues with clipless pedals. The one issue is that getting on and off the pedals is a bit of work (I dont see how toe clips will change that though). So I am happy to ride flat pedals (without anything) if it's riding to friends/family/work (about upto 15kms) and clipless if it is a more serious longer ride.
but to each their own.
Having just walked 3 miles to the nearest station this afternoon after my 3rd puncture, I was very grateful for my flats!
Pedals or tires?!
More flats, more walks! 😂
Hahahaha that's a great point! Walking in road shoes is never enjoyable 😂
+baltic... Just use SPD pedals and you have clips and you can still comfortably walk.
id suggest changing your tyres to puncture resistant ones, i use fincci ones for the last 1.5years and ive had 0 punctures since... to be honest im only commuting and im doing it w an ebike, but the rear tyres lasted around 700miles before going completely threadless (2000w ebike, so constant 30mph and no skidding unless i gotta stop fast)... yes they are quite costly compared to others, but not hassling over punctures worth the price i think
100 percent of cyclists prefer flats when crashing or falling.
That is not true at all. I remember falling and nor wanting to unclip and hoping to stay with my bike with me. Later I had problem to unclip, but still thinking that having clipped on bike safe me for even bigger injury. All slipping and sprinting kind of crashes, much better to stay with your bike. Jumps, are different story.
Absolutely bruh..
100% of cyclists like grip on their paddles when its drenched outside
until you crash bcs your foot slid out of pedal when hitting some hole or rough cobbles. crashed a lot in my years of cycling, never felt that my situation was caused or could be improved with flat pedals. on the other hand, i feel much safer when clipped in
Here in German we have what is called Die Ruhrtal Radweg (The Ruhr Valley Bike Path). It’s around 230 km long, 550 meters uphill and 1,150 meters downhill. From the Ruhr river spring in Winterberg to the city of Duisburg were it runs into the Rhein river. From the spring to my house is about 110km, my wife and I take the bikes on a train and ride back home we’ve done it 6 times. After the first couple of times my son moved to the other side of Winterberg which added another 27km to the trip and another 560 meters uphill (on return trip). We now take the train to Winterberg (line ends there) ride down to my son and the next day ride all the way home, around 130km. I’m now 72 my wife 65. On flat pedals
Sounds amazing! Would love a trip to Germany from Canada to experience that and driving on the Autobahn.
That is great, people like you and your wife give me so much hope
Ha, I knew I am not the only one doing this. Deutschlandticket + 4eur for a single trip bicycle ticket was my way to greatly expand my cycling reach. Although I do it in the other direction - I ride out, then take the train back home. Added benefit is that I can choose the direction of riding on the spot (based on the wind forecast), and then the train takes me back into the headwind :)
@@bostjan-sj We were doing it before the Deutschlandticket came. The good thing about the Ruhrtalweg is that it also follows the rail lines. So if you do get tired or have problems with the bike there's a station not far away in the next town. By train I can get within 400m of my home 🙂
Congrats! That's amazing! good for you! You know what this means? That 72 is the new 27.
I ride fast. Clipped in for 5 years, crashed 2 or 3 times a year. Always felt that not being able to unclip in a blink of an eye was to blame in every instance. Now I ride flats on race or gravel bike. Just saved a wipeout on gravel the other day, hit a soft spot, swung my leg out instantly for counter balance, rode on to multiple kudos from my mates!
I've had several sudden stops that had I needed to unclip I likely would have fallen.
That is one of the main reasons I always ride flat pedals, plus I commute so often stop and walk into shops. I've also had a couple of times where I've had a mechanical and had to walk a couple of hours home. Wouldn't like to of done that with clipless shoes, your shoes would be destroyed and your feet in agony to.
Thanks for Sharing your experience
Do you use any specific shoe or shoe type for riding?
Clipless or not, very rigid shoes are beneficial for cycling
@@SantoRedentor No I just use ordinary trainers, nothing special.
I feel GCN forgot to mention costs. If you're new to the sport and/or you're on a lower income, I'd say flat pedals are your best option. Clipless pedals and mediocre shoes will cost you around £120.00.
Not necessarily - if you are not too hung up on big brand names you can get a decent pair of shoes and clipless pedals for half that money at Decathlon for example.
@roubaix3843 that's great! Are these mid tier though? That's the point I'm making.
@@tonyBobb5209 If you stick to the Decathlon brands (Van Rysel, Rockrider, Triban etc) then I would say yes, the equivalent shoe from one of the big brands would be considerably more expensive (so probably equivalent to a mid-tear model from a big bike brand). But I am no expert, I just know I ride with a pair of Van Rysel shoes and they are great (had a pair of Specialized before). And if you can pick them up in the sale even better.
I would say just new to the sport is enough. There is enough to learn in terms of optimal gear shifting, braking and cornering technique, group riding skills, etc. Once these have become 2nd nature, then you can think about adding clipless pedals and purpose built cycling shoes.
@@tonyBobb5209 if you're new to the sport why would you need mid tier products? Entry level is what you should be after, and Decathlon does a great job of serving that market.
I honestly hate clipless and road cycling lol. People that have only ever ridden road bikes or get in to it later in life make it seem like you can't put down a watt without slipping off your pedals. I wonder how these people learned to ride bikes as children. Most people aren't sprinting or pros, and as Connor says, the research shows theres barely a difference. Riding flats you can wear whatever trainers you want, walk around like a normal person off the bike and save money
As a persistent flat rider, love this perspective. Flats are great (sure clipless have their strengths), but nothing wrong with flats, as confirmed here!
THIS! ☝ Nothing wrong with flats, flats can be the way to go for those long casual rides 🙌
I use MTB flat pedals and FiveTen flatpedal shoes on all my bikes.
Even on my roadbike.
I don't like the feeling of being clipped in.
To ride 100 km is a joy with them.
Ah. I hate the feeling of not being clipped in. It just feels really unsafe. Like not wearing 5seatbelt
@@timoakley277I used to feel the same. Switching to flats took a while to get in the habit of always keeping some contact pressure on the rising foot especially as it comes over the top. Using midfoot position on long (Catalyst) pedals works for me. But I am in full agreement with each rider doing what is comfortable for himself or herself.
Yes! Same with me. Flat pedals and FiveTen shoes is a nifty combo!
Flat pedals have 3 major advantages
1: you can use any shoe, clipless shoes are trash, they ruin your foot health.
2: if you slip in a corner you can put a foot down and avoid a crash while with clipless you are just there watching how the world changes the pov and not in a good way
3: they allow you to try some moron steep road that you know you won't be able to beat, with clipless once you are done trying you will fall with a more than decent chance, with flat pedals though, foot on the ground and good to go.
And (at least) 3 major disadvantages:
1) if you don't choose your shoes properly they ruin your foot health (this is a spurious argument for both types of pedal, obviously)
2) if your foot slips off your pedal you'll probably gash your leg or even lose control of the bike completely
3) you're more likely to fail on a steep climb because you can only use power on the downstroke. And if you're halfway competent you'll easily unclip if you need to.
@@stevemawer848 if you try to pull up with the cleats on a very steep climb you'll crash 😂
You only do downstroke with both pedals and you can't unclip any second, pedal must be at the bottom of is up you're stuck so you have decent chances to fall if you fail climbing like we all saw many times in videos
@@nemure What nonsense, of course you can pull up with the cleats (not both at the same time, obviously), but I can't see why that would make you crash. Maybe you're just better at falling off than I am.
@@stevemawer848 you never did it, you're just Bluffing 😂 😂 😂
Let me tell you what happens in case you ever want to try it so you can avoid falling
Climbing up hill you move forward your body weight in order to avoid front wheel losing contact with the ground, if you pull from one pedal trying to use cleats in the 360 degrees back wheel will lose contact with the ground
Loosing contact with any wheel may end in you falling and this is such a basic thing, any cyclist knows this, I wonder if you ever used a bike at all 🤷♂️
@@nemure Never did what? Fall off climbing a hill? No, I never did that. And obviously if you put all your weight over the front fo the bike you'll risk skidding the back wheel - so I obviously don't do that, either. And you can wonder, but the people I used to beat know different. BTW, it's "losing", not "loosing" - totally different meanings.
4:00 "stumbled on a nudist beach and almost turned back, then said maybe this could be a good idea" lol, good stuff.
My only critique if you will about the video is that maintaining foot position on Flats is no different than keeping your core in the right position as you ride. it's about muscle memory and consistency and those muscles that were prematurely fatigued would be as developed as the rest of your leg muscles
And you can move your foot position around on flats. Gives you more stamina to have a little variability, like adjusting your car seat on occasion on a long car drive.
so maybe riding clipless gives you that muscel memory for flats - I rode clipless for about 10 years then got a gravel bike which I decided to ride with flats - very little difference in power or control.
@deanblackwell2090 I can't speak to that, but I would use the video as proof that it doesn't work. I imagine that when your shoes can't move, you probably are flexing against your shoes and not realizing it. I'm a terrible road rider and I constantly realize I've slipped into a bad body position and have to concentrate on keeping my core tight and not putting all my weight on my wrists and slouching.
Flat pedals can take some time to get used to 👀 Should we make Connor use them for 6 months and see how he gets on?
This plus general fit. Different Pedals with different Cleats will see you have a change in height... and with flats and MTB-Shoes i believe this will be quite more significant... so looking into that might also make a bit of a difference
Glad you lot finally approached this question with an open mind. After riding my first Century on flats I have never looked back. So much more comfortable and forgiving. And of course safer.
It depends what you’re after with your riding. If you just want to enjoy riding then flats are perfectly fine. If you’re chasing marginal gains, especially if you’re racing then clipless is probably the best option. I use old fashioned toe-clips (quality MKS ones) on my road bike and flats on my hybrid for getting around town.
I'm a recreational and occasional sportive rider. I'm not chasing Marginal Gains, but I do enjoy the feeling of security that clipless pedals give me when stomping a steep climb, or transferring weight when cornering a technical descent.
@@andrewmcalister3462 Toe clips and straps do the same thing.
@@andrewmcalister3462Flats are indisputably safer in case of crashing or falling.
Toe clips 😂 bless you, even in the 80s they sucked
@@leonardhpls6 whatevs. I find them as easy to use as flats. Don’t have them done up super tight. You can wear normal trainers, just ones with stiff soles work best. I just find it helps to keep your foot on the correct position on the pedal. Just cycled 70km on them today.
Made the transition from clips to flats because the fixed position was leading to soreness-I was riding 5,000+ miles a year, no racing. Now about 4 years and 25,000 miles later, flats are my go to for every type of riding.
You should have invested some time in getting your cleats positioned correctly and with enough float to avoid the soreness.
@@stevemawer848or they could just ride flats lol
I ride 5000 miles a year too. Never ever felt sore from riding
Funny enough I had to do the opposite. I found with sticky shoes and grippy pedals (needed or I'd slip on rough gravel), my feet position was really locked in and couldn't move without taking my feet off the pedal; I always got sore knees. Now I'm on clipless with 6 deg float and my knees have been much better in the past year, my feet angle can move without any pressure, while still not slipping off. I do ride flats on my commuter though. Do what works best for your riding.
@@jrooker1113 I know right! If you're riding 25k in 4 years, no one has anything to say about how you setup your bike to do so!
I quite enjoy the freedom, and the ability to alternate foot position on the pedals from heel to toe to activate different muscles and thus give relief to fatigued ones. And the performance when you step off the bike to conduct whatever business you desire is huge when you can wear any (or no) foot wear. As an adventure thing flats are great.
Flats certainly have their good points! For those than are on and off the bike more often a flat shoe is a great option 🙌
This isn't just a matter of which type performs better
Where I ride, I have to stop often, and sometimes with zero warning
So flats all the way for me, regardless of any performance drawbacks
MTB pedals/shoes works for that
Same here. Riding in the city, flats come in handy. Drivers tend to not be favorable if I’m sitting at a stoplight faffing with my clipless shoes.
For years i used flats on my commuter & mtb bike's. When i got a road bike & used Shimano SPD's, I really enjoyed the feeling of being clipped. Within a couple of months I switched over to spd's on all my bikes & have remained on spd's ever since.
When I bought a ebike though ive run flats. With the motor assist i didn't feel spd's were needed. So now i happily get to switch between flats & spds depending on what bike im using.
You're only feeling fatigue in those muscles because because being clipped in doesn't require you to use them. It would be no different to feeling muscle fatigue from riding for the first time.
That's fine if you want to waste energy keeping your feet on the pedals, instead of using that energy to propel yourself forward. Your choice - waste or efficiency.
@@stevemawer848 There is no loss in efficiency though. Studies have shown that. GCN showed that. I've switched between clipless and flats on a bike with a power meter. There was no difference except for sprints.
@@iknowzeverything2740 shhhhhhh. They don't believe it. To them clipless it the only way.
Outside racing flats is better for most people.
@@iknowzeverything2740sprints or low cadence grinds. I use every pedal system out there. Clips, MTB clipless, road clipless, flats. There's a place for all of them, but personally, I'd use clips if I was intending for "flat" benefits
@@stevemawer848 What does that have to do with experiencing muscle fatigue as a con? Your rebuttal is completely unrelated.
I think the long ride that is good for flats is a bike touring one where there is a lot of stopovers where the rider needs to do a lot of off the bike activities
I use spd pedals for these. Mountain bike shoes you can walk in all day and bike with. Clipped in or out. Flat on one side, spd on the other. The main penalty is the extra added weight for having the combination pedals
I use flats when MTB bikepacking, means I only need to bring 1 set of shoes. For gravel & XC I use SPD’s.
Used clipless and got hamstring cramps, fell over a couple of times ruined my knee for weeks. now back to flats zero stress and worry, 500k a week no problem. Yes you lose some acceleration in sprints but avg speed is about the same.
With You cannot pull pedal up. That will ruin Your knees.
With clipless pedals You cannot pull pedal up. That will ruin Your knees.
A happy medium on my multi-day bike tours is an SPD system with flexible, walkable shoes, basically sneakers 👟 with recessed cleats.
When I get tired, my balance is one of the first things to go, so for me on long rides, it’s flat pedals all the way.
Fascinating along with the comments as I agree with you Conor. Nothing wrong with flats it’s just when I swapped to clipless on my road bike, it was so much easier to hop on the bike and go. No little foot adjustments to get that “right” feeling. There’s enough float and I find it very easy to clip out. I also feel more confident descending as I’m “locked” into the bike.
It's all about personal preference 🙌 Finding a system that works for you and your riding style is always best. We feel you on the locked in statement, clipless does carry more security!
It's especially apparent on fast descents on bumpy roads. Despite having cycling flat shoes it still moves my legs slightly offset especially on the bigger bumps. There's a reason why pro downhill riders use DH specific clipless from what I've heard despite not pedaling much on DH tracks. That security is a big factor.
That's the best Spoonerism I've heard in a long time @16:00 "wroved prong" love it.
Any educated occupational therapist or physio therapist will let you know that it's much better for the body and your performance to alter your work position regularly.
It's beyond me how this simple wisdom has not made it to cycling yet.
“Float” in clipless pedals won't cut it: You can't change your foot position forwards or backwards, etc.
The only advantage of foot retention in cycling is when you need small bursts of power staying in the same gear. That is, sprints, breakaways and short grade increases on climbs.
For that, flats with straps would be perfect.
But, alas, the cycling industry wants to give you impression that you NEED clipless pedals and cycling shoes.
Not to mention about the cramped design of cycling shoes. Most shoes are designed to be narrow because pf wind tunnel tests, but one has to wonder how much power is lost because ones feet are cramped up.
Unfortunately I have a sad story to tell... I was recently run over by a van while waiting at a roundabout, dragged underneath. One pedal clipped in, the other not. Being clipped in, the shoe was forcefully removed from my foot and have lost the big toe, broken ankle and needed a skin graft. Many other injuries, but I guess flat pedals may have saved my foot in this case 😢
My sincere sympathy. Im glad you werent killed.
keep it up bro
I've changed all my pedals to flats. Long distance country rides are about the only reason I would ever re-install clipless. For commuting or urban riding flats RULE.
I'm a huge supporter of clipless, but I use all types for these different use cases. Flats are absolutely the way to go for short commute and urban riding. However, even better than that, I prefer actual clips
I believe there’s a reason clipless pedals are a thing. They are much more comfortable for climbing, descending, sprinting and for longer rides. Flats for around town probably make sense, but otherwise I will keep my clipless pedals.
Just like there is a reason flat pedals are a thing too.
I changed to flats this year. Pretty much the same conclusion. Especially on the downhill comment. I would always choose clipless at speed. It's just much more secure. On really bad tarmac (which is thankfully very rare where I live), at speed, clipless wins as well. You never have to think about your feet.
Having said that, I like being able to get off the bike and walk around normally. I've ridden on SPD pedals before and I like them, but even with them, you've got that "scrape, scrape" on the floor in a shop which I'm not happy about. For low intensity rides where you are doing some sight seeing, flats are the superior choice, IMHO. For high intensity training sessions, or crazy roads with a lot of traffic, give me my clipless. Luckily it's easy to change pedals :-)
I ride clipless for decades and switched to flats about four years ago. My knees haven’t felt this good in years.
Hmm... interesting. Yes, with clip-in pedals your knees are always in a fixed position and there's low level constant pressure on them. Makes sense.
Your cleats might very well have been at the wrong angle. It wouldn't take much to hurt your knees. Ask me how I know!
If you have plenty of float in your pedals you won’t get any knees issues when clipped in.
I use flat pedals in the winter on my "winter bike" (an old MTB) because that way I can ride in winter boots to keep my feet warmer and dryer. Also handy when I hit sheer ice as the bike is easier to escape from when it goes one way and I go the other. Rides of about 1-2 hours typically. Always love the return to my clipless for the added security of being one with the bike.
"...when (the bike) goes one way and I go the other." Ooooh, yeah, I had one of those recently lol.
As you said you get used to and you adapt… the same is true of using flats. You build those stabilizer muscles and it has an overall benefit to riding. I challenge you to switch to flats for a full year and repeat this. I would suggest a better flat that will hold up to more work. The PNW Loam pedals are the best pedals on the market flat or clipless.
How does spending energy on using additional muscles give an overall benefit to riding? Wasting energy needlessly doesn't seem like a benefit to me.
@@stevemawer848 prove your point. I’ve riden the last 4 years over 70,000 km on flats. The stabilizer muscles in my legs have increased to the point where I overall have more ability to put force through the pedals. Did 2 fondos (one grand and one forte) this last summer including one very well known that Si has been to and competitor. I finished in the top half of both with good flats on my bike. Relying on your own body for support and structure can only help you long term. So I say again prove your point, put good flats on your bike and ride it consistently for a year and then compare on a long ride.
@@brittwoodruff9369 Not sure what point I have to prove? That using more muscles uses more energy? I'd have thought basic biologly would prove that.
@@stevemawer848 it does take more energy to use more conscious muscle but if you get those stabilizer muscles strong enough that they just do their job unconsciously then is suggest it doesn’t take anything away from the ride experience… I’d argue that it adds to the experience because the you have overall less fatigue in your legs.
I started riding clipless pedals in 84 or 85 when the first Look pedals came out. I ride flats now. Better for my knees plus my shoe size is 14 wide or roughly 49 in European sizes.
I wonder if the niggles you felt on flats is something similar to the difference between doing free weights (flats equivalent) and a weight machine at the gym (clipless equivalent). The flats are engaging more of your stabilisation muscles that are under utilised with you being so used to clipless.
Also, you didn't show the café stop with you walking around normally and now clipping around like a tap dancer 😉
Great analogy! And how much healthier it must be for the legs. It's also like running on dirt as opposed to concrete. After the adjustment period the ability to change foot position slightly will actually make your legs less tired.
On my road bike, I have Look pedals. On my gravel bike, I have the flippy flat/spd pedals. It's really just dependant on what you're going for. For me, the best part of clipping in is having movements being totally synced with the bike. The pedals are just an extension of your leg. Real nice when you have a training goal or something in mind. But, if you're just going out for fun, the flats are great. No special shoes, no worrying about clipping in and out at stops. Just enjoying the time.
I swapped back to flats recently because I was getting foot pain from longer hours in the smaller clipped in pedals. I'm heavier and have wider feet so it just suits me more and there's little to no difference. It also makes it much easier to stop and get out of the way of cars on country lanes.
I have used flats for last 4 years on my road bike and decided to buy Shimano SPD PD-EH500 pedals with platform on one side and spd on the other. Will try them on in Spring.
They are great for deciding, I ended up switching to spds after 2 years on flats with EH-500 in between
One minor issue is the stack height is not the same side to side. (From the axle to the foot)
I ride flats, and the freedom has definitely saved from crashes caused by crosswinds and slippery patches of road.
The ability to get that foot out can be super handy 👀
I have ridden both and I now have flats on all my bikes. The slight advantages clipless offers in a few situations do not offset the drawbacks for me. YMMV
Well said. I believe that bicycling is a leisure activity that many can take too seriously. Small performance gains in limited situations didn't offset the ease and convenience of flat pedals for me-being formerly clipped in. But I've had to relearn how to bunny hop curbs and obstacles. Clipless is like cheating! Definitely an advantage lost there.
@@TerryPagel Yes, bunny hopping with clipless pedals is like a cheat code.
I like wearing normal shoes and being able to adjust my position as I ride rather than being locked into one alignment. For commuting, shopping, going to the park, etc., clipless are a drawback. I even went through a phase where I used pedals that were flat on one side and clipless on the other. I discovered that I used the flat side >90% of the time. Since making the switch to pure flats, I have not missed being clipped in. That said, I do not race nor chase marginal gains; I ride for exercise and enjoyment. For serious competition, clipless makes more sense.
For me since I race crits and road races, having the ability to push down high wattage quickly or accelerating quickly to attack or chase breaks is very important. Clipless is more secure and efficient. Would never go back to flats on all of my bikes, clipless is just more comfortable
@@yourtypical1722 For racing, or any high power output scenarios, clipless makes perfect sense. If I were racing, I would definitely use them. I mostly ride around town or on backroads, either commuting or for exercise. For me, clipless offers very little. For what you do, clipless offers a lot.
Thanks so much for this excellent video Conor and gcn! Love this content! I've used both SPD's and flats on numerous multi day bike touring adventures. I am coming down on the side of flats. Why? Those 'micro adjustments ' Conor speaks of prevent me from getting injured. Clipless put the same pressure in the same places and over multi day tours this is a diaster for feet and knees because you can't shift for temporary relief mid ride. Yes, I get that your body has to adapt at first, but its really like the difference between using free weights versus machines. Both work fine, but as long as you are watching your form, you can use/exercise/ train/relieve muscle groups, adapt more quickly. I was heartened by Conor's honesty and impressed with the results and his conclusion that it is a highly personal choice. The other bit is that I can hop on my touring bike (with panniers) for a quick run for shopping without a pedal change. In Canada, (although our winter so far in Hamilton Ontario has been British like so far with little snow, in winter here, flats are an essential safety aspect. Great video! Really thought provoking! Please keep this content coming!
I have a really nice carbon road bike that I've found myself not riding for the past couple of years. I always grab my hybrid bike when going for rides because it has flats and I don't need to put on the shoes with cleats to ride it. I've decided to switch to flats on the carbon bike this year because it is such a shame not to ride such a nice bike. This video helped me to make up my mind on this. I don't care if "real cyclists" only ride clipless. I'm riding whatever makes me comfortable from now on.
The Flat Pedal Manifesto busts some of the myths around pedal stroke and human physiology. For me, the only times I need clip-in are sprint efforts or jumping the MTB, so very rarely. One favorite thing about flats is I can vary my foot position slightly which helps avoid cramping for me. Plus we're all slightly asymmetric and flats reduce the setup brain damage
I think too many people are influenced by the pro racing scene, and think they have to use clip-ins. Flats are far better for Endurance rides.......Look at Lachlan Morton's self supported Tour de France - switched to flats early on.
@@Andy_ATBum, that was because of knee pain. He switched back to clipless the moment he could for the climb
@@Andy_ATB flats in endurance rides? There’s no way I could audax on flats, especially not when tired and on the rolling hills you’ll inevitably encounter on uk audaxes.
@@Shadowboost Why did flat pedals alleviate the knee pain?
As a mountain biker I use both, and I completely agree with what you said. I find flats good for shorter rides with more moving around (like playing around in the woods), but for longer xc style training rides I’d use clipless, it’s just more comfortable and does help when riding uphill.
Especially offroad those roots and gravel bumps actually move your foot despite using sticky flat shoes. For long XC rides the security and consistency wins out overall.
Liked your video. Just put flats on my newly purchased Canyon
Grail and gotta say l loved them.
I even found myself " clipping out" from the pedals when l
had to come to a stop on an uphill for a traffic signal.
I laughed at myself and said, " Those pedals actually made
me feel like l was clipped in "
Not my first rodeo but my first gravel bike and first
time riding flats on a dropbar bike and gotta say
I love it.
As others have said, l think your little bit of leg fatigue
probably stems from using some leg muscles in a
way that you are not used to, and thats a good thing
Right as long as you're not injuring yourself in some
way.
I remember how it was first getting used to SPDs ,
same deal with flats if you are riding on them hard
trying to get that little bit more efficiently out of
them that SPDs have over them.
Image if you will a saddle that you were clipped in to , couldn't rise
of to get relief, couldn't move around front to back
couldn't move but a few degrees side to side
and had to clip out of everytime you wanted
to stop or in the event of a dicy situation
or in the event of an emergency!
How funny looking , uncomfortable,
dicy or dangerous, would that be ?!!
No, let's not do that with a bike saddle, but
let's do it with pedals instead!😂
Biggest advantage of flat pedals for me is ability to switch from pedal spindle very on the front of my foot on the flats vs. mid foot position going steep uphill with slower cadence.
Ding ding ding
Mid foot position is really stupid - the arch of your foot isn't designed to take the pressure. But it's your foot, mistreat it as you wish.
You don't ever want your foot position to change from a biomechanics standpoint
I have Catalyst pedals which are long enough to bridge across the arch. I find the midfoot position supports activating the glutes and and feels more secure than a forefoot position when descending or climbing out of the saddle. On a long ride switching between forefoot and midfoot can change which muscles are doing the most work.
It is a matter of preference and personal comfort.
@@bradriedle6535 100% agreed.
I do think some folks are just brainwashed into thinking that one can be “dialed-in” for every possible race situation.
If the trend shifts one day, they will act like they’ve known all along.
We will see if the Zone 2 winds blow away and if they do they’ll be back again. Lmao
I have fitted one-side clipless, one-side flat pedals (Look Geo Trekking) on my adventure/endurance bike, and it's the single best upgrade I have ever given that bike. Being able to change my position to either stretch or relax different muscle groups and to change the pressure points - or just clip in for climbs during multi-day adventures has been a true game changer for me. You don't have to choose. You can have both.
That's the stupidest think I've heard in 😂
@@leonardhpls6 please elaborate how having multiple positions on the contact points is a stupid idea for long distance cycling ergonomics...
Be sure the flat side is not too smooth...
@@leonardhpls6 Makes plenty of sense, I'm wayyy more comfortable on flats for anything technical, but would love clipless for climbs
City riding: flats, just a lot more practical when hopping into the supermarket to do some shopping. Recumbent: clipless, gravity just works in the wrong direction. More than 100 km: always on a recumbent. Horses for courses.
I’ve been riding my road bike with Ubebike flats for a year now I’m not slower, it is brilliant, I love it, such a free feeling it gives you, and when you get off your not walking about like penguin, I generally ride 19mph av on flats
But what do you do in a sprint? In my group rides, we average 24 mph and there's acceleration exiting each corner. On my flats, I have to use more energy to catch back on to the group because it's slower to accelerate. On my clipless bike, it's much easier, I don't get separation and stay in the draft
You can just use SPD pedals and you won't be walking like a penguin
@@帥勾克里斯 Or wear walking shoes with toe clips and straps.
Long before clipless pedals were invented. Long before UA-cam. Long before "cycling" was a thing here in San Diego -- back when I could ride 30 miles through the city and never see another 10-speed, I installed toe-clips onto my flat pedals, and leather straps that cinched tightly around my Converse Allstars. Seven years later, I bought a pair of (Italian) cycling shoes to which I nailed a pair a cleats. Now, of course, I ride double-sided clipless on all my bikes -- road (Zeros), mountain (Egg Beaters) and high performance tandem (SPDs). That said, my younger mountain bike buddies all use flats -- which I don't mind since I climb better than any of them.
Have you ever been on a group ride and you’re in the back? And when your group approaches a stoplight and all you hear is click, click, click 50 times over, and i am just happily silent with my flat pedals.
I do love it when the cycling world eventually comes round to my everyday ride, I have a gravel MTB and 2 road bikes, all have flats, just used to them
For 90% of people flats make more sense. You can vary your feets position to avoid knee injuries.
Spot on. Clipless are much more likely to cause repeated stress injury unless you have them in the exactly perfect spot. Adjusting to your foot position is important to not hurting yourself. Not to speak of the danger of crashes while clipped in.
This is why I'm trying out flats again this summer. Last year I rode a bike tour with clipless pedals. On about day 5 or 6, I started getting knee pain after a 140km day. I'm hoping with flats I can change my foot positions as I need it. I do like the connected feeling of clipless though.
I have clipless with 6 % of float. No knee problems, no pain, and I've been using them for years
@@alexandersnider734get cleats with float and get proper fitted shoes
@@JZTechEngineeringsry, it is garbage.
I have two bikes. One is sort of an all road/gravel bike equipped with flat pedals. My road bike has the old fashioned toe clips and straps. I have been using the latter for about a year after using flat pedals exclusively all my life. I use some low key sneakers (Adidas Sambas) for both and it seems to work. The flat pedals are nice on rides with varied terrain and the others are fine for road rides where spinning is the norm. I’m appalled that some of the commenters have been “shammed” for riding on flat pedals. Roadies can be awful, I am a lone wolf on the bike for this reason.
I've started cycling last summer and I have clipless pedal setup. One thing to think about is the anxiety they bring, espically if you ride in buys areas (London for me). I have already fallen over once because I couldn't get my foot out at a roundabout. Now when I am riding through traffic busy areas which are start/stop there is quite bit of anxiety in the back of my mind thinking "ooo should I unclip here? Or shall I just go? Oh no im going to slow!" etc Flat pedals eleminate all of that. Im going to keep practicing but I may switch back to flats.
you just need to learn how to use them correctly it takes time
Just switch to the flats and dont torture yourself for no reason :-)
I e been cycling for over 50 years and all but a short period I’ve been riding flat pedals on both road and mtb. I recently joined a local cycle club and succumbed to peer pressure and got some clipless pedals. The anxiety I felt every time I went out on the bike got to me that I was riding less and less. Now I’m back to flat pedals I’m enjoying my cycling again.
Two local clubs to me which I am not members of (yet) actually require you to have clipless which I just don't understand?@@dukekaboom4105
Im going to give them a bit more practice as i've invested already but we will see.. if i feel the same i'll switch for sure. @@MichalBrat
I've used flats for decades but I'm an urban cyclist and to me flats are perfect for the type of riding I normally do. However, I think you nailed it on the "niggles." On my longer rides I do find myself doing these micro shifts and adjustments and why I'm moving towards clipless on my touring bike. I will always have flats on my single speed and commuter bike but for those rides that are longer than an hour, I want to have stability in my feet. I really don't care about the data, and I never have, I just love riding bikes, but it does get annoying constantly adjusting my foot position on a flat pedal. Thanks for this video!!
This video matches my experience. I slightly prefer being clipped in but can enjoy a ride on flats. Just like prefering drop handlebars but being able to ride decently and enjoyably on flat handlebars. Same with preferring a double chainring, but a triple is fine. On their own, these things are all marginal, but for the greatest ride possible you want everything just right.
Exactly this. I consider how much unclipping and walking around I do more than any other aspect. I have bikes with all sorts of pedal systems. But when it comes down to performance, dura ace is my go to. Sooooo secure in the sprint
I've been a 100% car-free bike commuter for the past 15 years. Before the shift to working from home over the last few years, I would routinely ride over 10,000km per year. This was pretty much all done on flat pedals. There was a brief stint where I tried to go clipless, but because all of my errands and shopping trips had to be conducted on my bike, it was the constant awkwardness of clip-clopping around stores, coffee shops, libraries, and other businesses that made me give up the idea.
If you want to try again you could look at spd, they work with quite regular shoes.
Outside racing / performance, there are some practical undoubted advantages for normal everyday cycling for flats, like having normal shoes that allow you to walk if needed. Also, clipless don't make much sense when riding in a big city.
Use MTB SPDs in that case, they're as walkable as normal shoes and pretty easy to clip in and out. I use them daily for commuting to work in busy urban Tokyo without issues. I use my SPD SL for the faster and longer group rides since I love the stiffness of the shoe and bigger platform. SPDs gives you the best of both.
"Shoes Ruse" is the title of a short article written by Grant Peterson of Rivendell Bicycle. After reading the article, I tried some rides around town on my touring bike (I don't ride road bikes anymore). I switched to flats and rode toured across the U.S. twice with flats pedals. Off road touring the GDMBR, I also used flat pedals. Main thing is the ability to move your foot around on the pedal to relieve some repetitive stress syndrome. Using pedals like Shimano SPD's off road or touring, your knees and feet are locked into one position for longer hours than fast, quick, shorter road rides on a group ride.
Used to run SPD on my mtb and gravel bike, I've been switching back to flats on all bikes except the hardtail (flat gets sketchy on rough trails).
Have done 200km+ bikepacking days and 60km MTB rides on flats. Good pedals and shoes do help a lot
I'll take the ability to reposition my feet over a tiny amount of efficiency !
I did a century on a gravel bike with flat pedals and did fine. I used to ride clipless many years ago and I think when you get out of the saddle clipless pedals are better but I really like the versatility of flats and the quality of the flats I used are good quality and gave me plenty of surface area for my feet. Especially if you’re not riding club or fast group rides where acceleration and speed are an issue and your just touring or pleasure riding flats are great and a bit more economical. I ride simply for the enjoyment of riding and I’m mostly a runner where cycling gives me some other form of of cardio I really enjoy.
Flats for me any day. Tried clipless once, couldn't unclip, hit the road, broke hip, ended up having a hip replacement.
you just need to learn how to clip out clip in
@@mrmetd7585 I guess he's the kind of guy who only ever tries a new thing once, and if he's not perfected it straight away, gives up.
It will become second nature after some more practice and a few more falls. Clipless are way safer overalll as you are securely locked in and can't slip causing you to potentially lose balance with flat
s.
@@stevemawer848the guy broke his hip. He tried and didn’t like the setup, stop being such a judgemental mouth breather.
@@evanthomas9680 Now who's being judgemental? Got a mirror?
After thirty years using clips I switched to flats on all my bikes, road, gravel, mtb, fatbike. Mainly due to age and sore kness. But the performance blew me away. Paired with flat cycling shoes I love the versatility riding flat pedals. As far as cost, not much difference. I bought three pairs of boa flat shoes and high end flat pedals. The fatigue you noticed is from using non specific shoes. Proper flat shoes are glued to the pedal.
Thanks Connor, great chitchat, very amusing, hehe! I'll never give up my flats though.
I've ridden 100 km on flats and on clip less. In fact the longer the distance the less difference between them. The only thing impossible for me on flats is full power sprinting but I rarely sprint on long rides. On constant, average rpm I get the same speed per effort between the systems. I am back to flat pedals after tearing a muscle in the ankle because I need to change a little the foot position every now and then or my whole sole goes numb. I saw several doctors including a sports one, hardcore MTB rider and they all agreed that flats are healthier for the normal body. It will adjust its position to avoid injury although performance wise it may not be optimal.
I can notice that in the morning the feet are placed slightly different than in the evening, perfectly normal as in the morning Im more tight, it's colder. The body takes care of avoiding injury. When I was wearing clip less I noticed some muscles being pulled or aching until the body was getting used to the position set during the bike fit, usually in a studio at 23 degrees and a nice warmup. Some people can tolerate better these discrepancies, for others it s a higher risk of injury.
I only have flats on my road bike. Not done 100k + yet but close to it and have had no issue. I don’t feel I’d gain much using clips and I wouldn’t want to chance clip ins in a busy city.
it’s because u need to learn how to pull and push correctly it’s a massive gain
@@mrmetd7585 I’m not a pro and I’m happy with the pace I can keep with just flats. Could I gain with clip ins, I think so but would I really be that much faster?
The only thing clipless will offer you is the chance to break your collar bone,
@@redauwg911 I like your honestly 😂
@@redauwg911because you'll actually be able to flat out sprint and be going 5+ mph faster
I’m a hybrid athlete, mixing different disciplines (running, biking, weight lifting, fighting, climbing). To me, special bike shoes just feel weird. I can’t just get off the bike and do something else, because I’m in clunky riding shoes. As I almost exclusively wear barefoot shoes (I have a model I like for running, biking and fitness), I find riding shoes very unnatural for my feet.
I am sure that clip less will be measurably faster and more efficient in extreme situations - and at least marginally so during normal rides. But to me it lacks flexibility and freedom. The “weird niggles” and muscle soreness on the other hand are very likely just due to the rider not being used to this kind of strain. I’m sure this would be different after some weeks of using only flats.
On a related note: The (road) biking community sometimes feels snobbish to me and very specific in which pedals to use, how to dress, and whom to greet (not the MTB people!!! We also don’t really like the gravel folk. And e-bikes are the worst invention ever (oh no, someone is quicker uphill than me!).). As a lifter, I’m about 20kg heavier than most cyclists my size, cycle in my MMA shorts, frequently with backpack, and use barefoot shoes on flat pedals on my gravel bike and eMTB. And I like it that way. I guess I’ll stick to biking alone and with the other weirdos 😅
Nice video Connor! I live in a hilly area of Italy "Colli Tortonesi" good wine and food :) , soon I will be 64 years old. I've always used flat pedals but at Christmas I gave myself a gravel bike with spd pedals and I feel great, on the climbs I seem to push better. Thank you
I have only used flats. 100, 70, 50 mile rides on flats (long rides are BS). I ride single speed so being able to move foot forward and back is key for power and cadence.
Fascinating insight, I've never got on with clip-in pedals and have used flats on most of my bikes. Unlike Connor I get less knee issues using flats but that may be down to the fact I've not been a pro cyclist. Will be doing TTs this year and will try flat over clip-in, will be interested in the results.
You get knee pain because your cleats were in the wrong position or didn't have the correct amount of float. And how do you deploy power on the upstroke with flats?
knee pain is completely due to poor setup or overworking. if it's one side of your knee versus the other side then you're stressing one side of your knee more than the other and you need to rotate your cleat on that foot. if it's both sides then maybe you're going too hard, or possibly your saddle is at the wrong height causing you to bend your knee beyond where it can put down the most power. sure going with flats also solves it but it introduces other things. you definitely use some different muscles on flats than you do with clipless, I remember I had a period of adjustment, and not just with muscles but also with remembering to unclip BEFORE I stopped. in fact that caused me to get into a habit of unclipping my right foot first. every once in a while though, because of circumstances my weight would be over with my left foot and I would fall to the side that wasn't free... I think there's only once where I crashed and was stuck on a downhill with my foot that was trapped under the bike still clipped in. took me a minute to think my way out of that. I think I took my shoe off
@@stevemawer848 knee pain is due to torn meniscus, the restriction of cleats just doesn't offer the freedom flats give me. Also I'm very dubious of the exaggerated power provided by the upstroke.
@@billybigconkers Tests reveal most riders don't exert power on the upstroke, but merely unweight the pedal while the other leg is pushing down on the opposite pedal. Very efficient!
I have ridden over a hundred km many times on flat pedals on a loaded down gravel touring bike and it was fine. I also use clipless when I'm road touring or want to go fast. I like the comfort of being able to change your foot position on flats during a long ride. At the same time I don't like when your foot slips around when you don't want them to. Clipless is definitely more efficient which is why the pros use them. As a casual cyclist though who rides for fitness and fun, if I had to choose only one it would be flats.
Much prefer flats. Foot movement does not worry me and I like to be able to put my feet down at any time instantly. Each to their own! Great video as usual.
flats all the way ,tried clipless not good on all sorts of levels ,knees suffered ,need shoes for them which are too expensive ,cleats wear out far to quick and another expense to factor in ,i like many others have a few bikes flats just make more sense than equipping every bike with spds ,the biggest thing for me is though the comfort on flats is supreme and the freedom of not being stuck on the bike like with spds ,hope that made sense !!!
Proper flat pedals along with proper grippy shoes (e.g. Five-Ten) work really well on the mountain bike. Not sure I'd go for them with road bikes, but if needs required I'd give it a go.
Remarkably fair-minded video. I do think that whatever pains Connor was feeling towards the end were probably due to not being that used to the flats. I personally only use flats now and never have an issue with them. As mentioned in the video, there's not much of a performance difference if you're not sprinting, and for riding in heavy traffic in urban areas, which I do most of the time, it's just easier to ride on flats than having to clip in and out all the time. I even use flats when touring; six hours on flats is actually a lot more comfortable to me than using clipless. The only time I would even consider using clipless again is on a technical mountain bike route.
Ultimately though, pedals are like religion and politics: people have their preferences, and you're probably wasting your time if you try to change their mind.
Whatever pedal your use to is what your going to ride best with. No one at GCN is going to like flat pedals or not complain about them or ride as good with them cause its not what they are used to or what the choose to ride with. Its also the same for flat pedal riders. If you want your feet locked to the pedals then get clipless, if you don't then use flats. Its really that simple. Whatever you choose is what you'll adjust to and ride best with
i was never able to get used to clipless, the fact that your position is locked means you'll always pedal the same way, i believe this will inevitably damage your joints in the long run
on the other hand flat pedals allow you to make adjustments and using your muscles and joints differently
You keep doing "tests" with a bloke who has ridden his whole life on clipless, and about 2hours on flats, and thinking its fair....you are not used to flats.
but its whichever you prefer, performance wise it makes absolutely no difference. for 99.% of riders, 99% of the time, its literally, no difference, not even marginal, this has been tested extensively now.
Do you like clipless? use it, do you want be be able to walk properly off your bike? use flats.
Personally I prefer flats, I can shift my feet as I want, I dont get the whole "clipless locks you in so forget your feet" thing, I dont need to think about my feet, its like walking, its just natural now. and I can wear whatever shoes I want so can walk round comfortably off the bike.
I am a casual rider as I have never been a road racer. I used clipless pedals for a while but then about 7-8 years ago decided to see if there were any peer reviewed research papers out there on the subject. I found one at that time.
The paper basically concluded that there was no significant advantage to clipless pedals except for professional or serious amateur riders who have very high (150-180) cadences. Basically, the paper indicated it helps keep their feet on the pedals.
Since I have never come close to riding like that, nor would I in the future as I was nearing 55-60 years of age, I went to flats. End of discussion for me. Zero difference.
And for touring, which is what we do now, I can tell you that less than 10% of the tourers we come in contact with use clipless pedals. Maybe less than 5%.
The end result for me? If you are into road racing and you are very good - use clipless pedals. If not, go flats.
Either way, JUST RIDE YOUR BIKE!
Being clipped in was more important in the old days when gearing was limited. You needed to be able to pull up in steep sections of a climb, and in sprinting.
Most of my road rides will include at least one sprint start or hill sprint, so I can't use flat pedals on the road.
I was really surprised, the first time I tried to do a standing sprint with flat pedals and I couldn't keep my feet planted on the pedals. That remains true to this day, but they seem to work fine if I stay seated, even at fairly high power levels.
Thanks for the video. I ride flats all the time. No complaints just prefer the feel. Just keeping it fun and relaxed I'm not a pro so just works for me.
Tried the half flat/half clipless SPD pedals for a while, but riding in the city means so much stop-start that I stayed on the flat side most often. I went back to straight flats.
City riding can be where flats come to life, hoping on and off the bike and the stop start nature of traffic means that flats are a great option. How do you find flats when you're trying to put the power down?
@@gcn No problem at all. I have sprinted up to 30 mph on occasion, just to see what I could do (and to avoid cars).
Being able to hike-a-bike, ride in sandals, walk easily at rest breaks, and generally just not giving a lick. Flats have their upsides. I find I shift foot positions based on how hard I’m riding too. In the drops cranking hard I am on the balls of my feet, sitting up going easy it is mid-foot.
I have to use flats as my knees have been known to dislocate. Imagine that being clipped in!
I've been using MTBs for 26 months now (used to be a BMXer), and I've always used flat pedals. The farthest I've been was 192kms. So far I never had sore feet or had pain in my legs from not having my shoes in a fixed position.
But then again, it's a matter of personal choice. Some use clips, some use flats. Whatever makes you comfy.
I have never ridden clipless. I never need to worry about where my feet are, they are always at the end of my legs.
I started riding a pinned flat pedal, stiff cycling shoe, with a Velcro strap on a fixie so I could jump off and run up hills and found I could climb out of saddle, corner, sprint and ride in packs. I’m using this combination for all riding now.
Feedback from the machine to human flows throughout the points of contact between both. With flat pedals, I'm simply missing confidence. It's about feeling the bike, not about just power. Clip-in to me is like a proper bucket seat in a grand tourer car
An intriguing video and test. As a non sporting rider "dipping in" to this I was intrigued that you noted the added security of clipless pedals on bumpy roads. Particularly fast downhills.. Of all things I have clipless pedals on my Brompton for that reason. Paired with "adventure" shoes that are much more walkable than most "road" shoes. Although probably too heavy for a sporting rider, my SPD pedals have a normal pedal platform on one side and a cleat clip on the other. Which might be a middle way allowing "horses for courses" for riders willing to accept the weight penalty.
After falling over four times, while using Wahoo clips (and feeling like an idiot) I just switched to flat pedals and couldn't be happier. I was also in an accident where I could not remove my foot from the pedal and went down really hard and suffered from a concussion. Leave the clips to the pros. What are we trying to prove?
Helmet?
Yup, helmet was on. Always! My head hit hard. Asphalt doesn't give much. It took about a month to not have any head injury effects after the accident. If I had been using flat pedals I could have stopped myself from going over that hard. Never again. Thanks for asking!
I've ridden clipped in for around 10 years, after starting out with flat pedals. I'd always thought that clipped in was more efficient, especially up hill or in sharp acceleration situations. That was the conventional wisdom anyway. It seems that a succession of videos from GCN backed by actual data suggests there is little difference. Maybe I'll return to flats.
The fact Connor is getting different aches actually shows a problem with clipless rather than flats. It shows weakness from only being used to one specific motion rather than the more dynamic movement on flats.
Personally, I alternate between clipless and flats. On long rides, I do prefer clipless. The difference isn't massive but on climbs I can feel it. Where flats shine is city riding so my commuter bike is permanently set up with flats. With constant traffic lights, junctions, unpredictable traffic and pedestrians, I like to know I can get my foot on the floor quickly and easily.
It actually shows the problem with flats - you're wasting energy keeping your feet on the pedals - energy that could be used to propel you. You've demonstrated that clipless are more efficient!
@@stevemawer848 Depends if you want to be efficient on a bike or actually be fit and strong.
@@Richarddraper Why choose one or the other? Clipless allows both!
Your last sentence says it all.
Totally agree. Commuter bike with flats is a winner. And she can do long rides if I want too. I *like* wiggling my feet. I miss that on my road bike with the clipless. Done long rides on flats and had a blast.
His different aches are because a slightly different muscle set is being prioritized. The wiggling can help alleviate pain issues - my toe goes numb on my road bike more often than my commuter due to a minor injury. I can shake it out a bit on flats. However, I have an overuse minor injury that the flats are *not* good for. The flats are more quad dominant (which Conor felt). My knee injury is, in part, due to too much quad strength proportional to hamstring and glute strength..... and I ride my commuter and go ALL QUADS regularly, carrying heavy loads on it. On my road bike, locked to the pedals, my quads don't really have issues, but my hamstrings sure do - I'm still trying to put on hamstring muscle as part of remedying my trouble (but my refuse to put clipless on the commuter, for safety if nothing else). Conor is used to clipless, so he certainly has better balanced quads/hamstrings, and going quad-dominant isn't his normal.
My 1st 100km ride on the new road bike with clipless pedals only had quads fatigued, never sore. My hamstrings though? Very sore, right one nearly cramped up. If that had been my commuter with flats I'd probably just be more fatigued in the quads and slower. For the sake of muscular balance - on long rides, the clipless I do think win, even if my pinky toe goes numb due to lack of wiggle. General fun and commuting? Love flats. If I didn't have a muscle imbalance injury I'd be saying all flats all the time.
After using both clipless and flats I still don't see any big differences between these two. Sometimes it's even faster on flat pedal especially if you stop often on stop signs or traffic lights. Also it's easier to do hill climb on flat pedal on steep gradient like 18% or more to stop (take a quick break) and resume your bike ride.
Flat so comfy for commuting
Would love to see a comparison between Road-Clipless, MTB-Clipless and Flat-Pedals.
I can give you the answer. Mtb clipless will make your feet ultra sour. Their contact point is way smaller increasing a lot pressure on tissues.
Performance is the same but not comfort
Seen this in other channels before
I seem to remember an old episode where they compared road vs mtb clipless pedals
I've done this every year. Have thousands of miles on all three. MTB clipless, very nice, but less stability than road. Flats, good if you have to walk a ton. Performance, road all the way. There's nothing that feels like it when out of the saddle full tilt
In all the years I have been riding bicycles, I've never used clipless. And I have used BMX type flats even on a short wheel based recumbent bike. That's right. It is the kind where your feet are high and in front of you and yet, with these pedals, I never had my feet drop down unexpectedly. The fact that one can move their feet to different positions on the pedals is what makes them so great.
For example, when climbing hills or needing to sprint fast on my recumbent, I would position my feet so that the flat surface of the pedals where closer to my heels. That allowed me to really pour on the power, almost like I was on a leg pressing machine. Many a times, I would zip by my fellow riders on much lighter road bikes using clipless pedals.
I think that if the rider in the video used flats much more often, his performance and comfort would improve over time on them. Like anything that one does that is new, there is a period of acclimatization to go through. And yes, I have done 100 km rides with those flats.
If your not racing then flats and a solid pair of shoes are great