Any technique tips/ things to know about switching to flat pedals?

[abc]

I was on flats. Sometimes sh*t happens.

I too, had my first serious ankle sprain riding flats 2 years ago (my first year riding flats)

I put my foot down. Only the spot where my foot landed had some fluffy leaves that makes it LOOK quite a bit higher than reality, plus some rocks under the leaves that started to move as soon as my foot landed on them...

The benefit of flats is you can put your foot down when in doubt. But the danger of putting a foot down is added risk of sprain ankle.

 

[altagirl]

Yeah, you can be screwed either way in freak accidents. DH had a tibial plateau fracture from a serious crash where he was clipped in and it torqued his leg around before releasing. But dabbing isn't always safe either.

And I've had some solid bumps and gashes from those uphill flops. Moab is scary for that where you have rocky exposure on the side of a climb.

 

[contesstant]

I'll take an ankle sprain over a TPF anyday!
And now I'm going to wrap myself in bubble wrap...

 

[geargrrl]

Let's face it, mountain biking can be dangerous. There's always risk, just like skiing. We do our best to mitigate it, but there are no guarantees.

 

[NZfarmgirl]

Let's face it, mountain biking can be dangerous. There's always risk, just like skiing. We do our best to mitigate it, but there are no guarantees.

I was at the phsio for my neck yesterday from whiplash I got in the fall, and she was asking me about my sports. She said the 2 things she doesn't do on purpose are MTbiking and skiing.
She is really missing out.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I have to be honest - I gravitate toward dangerous sports. My mom once lamented, "Why can't you just go to the gym?"

 

[abc]

She said the 2 things she doesn't do on purpose are MTbiking and skiing.

I do BOTH and had a few (knock on wood) minor injuries to show for it.

But the much "safer" sport of road cycling? I had only came off my bike 4 times in my entire LIFE. That resulted in 3 ER visit, one dislocation, one broken bone, 3 surgeries so far! BTW, none of them involve cars!!!

What people perceive as dangerous isn't always aligned with reality. Skiing and mtn biking CAN BE dangerous depending on what exactly one does on the bike/skis. But that doesn't always apply to every skier or mtn biker.

I mtn bike, I ski, I fly here and there, I white water kayak in rocky rivers. I never worry about any of them. What I have the biggest fear is driving 30 miles each way to work EVERYDAY. And I do have a healthy respect for cars while I'm out on a bike. Statistically, the most dangerous place in the winter is the parking lot and the front porch!

 

[abc]

My mom once lamented, "Why can't you just go to the gym?"

My Mom, who incidentally only goes to the gym for exercise, has a perfect answer to that, which she heard from her best friend and repeats whenever she has the chance:

"You can walk down the street and a neon sign may fall on your head. Better don't go out"

(yes, one of her co-worker was killed when a neon sign fell on his head)

 

[contesstant]

And I throw riding horses into the mix!

Rode dirt trails today--liking the flats so far!

 

[contesstant]

OK, I finally was able to track down some women's Five Ten Freeriders and I LOVE them! First ride out on serious mountain bike terrain, and the trail had gotten so washed out it was impossible to ride due to gullies, so we had to do a lot of hike a bike. They were great for that! I have finally ridden two rides with some pretty good climbing (although nothing super rocky/rough/bouncy) and they are great. It took me about 3 hills to adapt to them. I am getting braver about hitting my nemesis, which are switchbacks, but it's still going to take some time. It's so ingrained in my head that I need to bail early in order to get out of my clips, that I need to get out of that habit.

Knee is also feeling remarkably good. In fact, both knees feel better than they did last year and I feel like I am going to have more power! I've had PT on both knees since my injury and it's worked wonders. So excited!

 

[geargrrl]

flats fixed my knee problems, too.

 

[contesstant]

Update and a question for @geargrrl ! OK, first of all, now that I have ridden countless times over as tough of terrain as I'm willing to tackle at the moment, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Five Tens with the flat pedals. I've only been "bucked off" the pedal once, and quickly learned to adjust my heel position down when going over lots of big rocks/roots, etc. I feel no difference when climbing and my knees feel great. I am much less "nervous" riding over rough stuff because I am not worried that I'm going to get stuck in my clips if I start to tip over. I still SUCK at downhill switchbacks. All the ones I ride are really rutted out this year, and with loose dirt and rocks mixed in since it has not rained since May. So, still need to slay that dragon and am taking a clinic this Tuesday, so hopefully will get some help there.

So anyway, @geargrrl , we are heading to Spokane later this month for a couple days, then over to Priest Lake, ID for camping. Bringing the bikes because I have signed up for a race at Snowbasin at the end of the month so need to keep riding! Have found some trails near where we are camping at Priest Lake to ride, but would love some suggestions for good rides near Spokane that involve some climbing but aren't so technical that I have to hike-a-bike a ton. Would Mt. Spokane fit the bill there?

 

[altagirl]

A couple tips for downhill switchbacks:

Set up wide, starting on the outside edge of the trail.

If you're going slow, keep your pedals level, ideally with the inside foot forward. This way, if you wobble, you can push down and pedal with that inside foot. (Ratcheting the pedals comes in handy if you need to do this repeatedly.) It also shifts your weight toward the inside of the trail, and away from potential exposure on the outside of the trail, but mostly, the added momentum brings you upright and adds stability.

Look all the way around the corner. Turn your head and look where you want to go. This is probably more important than anything.

Hope that helps!

 

[contesstant]

A couple tips for downhill switchbacks:

Set up wide, starting on the outside edge of the trail.

If you're going slow, keep your pedals level, ideally with the inside foot forward. This way, if you wobble, you can push down and pedal with that inside foot. (Ratcheting the pedals comes in handy if you need to do this repeatedly.) It also shifts your weight toward the inside of the trail, and away from potential exposure on the outside of the trail, but mostly, the added momentum brings you upright and adds stability.

Look all the way around the corner. Turn your head and look where you want to go. This is probably more important than anything.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, Altagirl! I do all that, I am even learning to drop the outside pedal down which only feels natural when turning left. BUT with the steeper downhill switchbacks or the ones that have a gully for an entrance, (which they all seem to have especially this year) I won't even attempt them because I chicken out! It's like there are just too many weird variables to deal with all at once, and I just can't handle it. It's hard to swing wide when the trail has a gully in it that pushes you to the middle. Add the loose dirt and big loose rocks and I'm a mess. I can ride several of them going UP just fine. It just turns into sensory overload when going down them. I need to find a course with perfect downhill switchbacks all lined up so I can practice getting the balance part down so the added variables aren't so scary. But that's not easy to find ;) (Imagine that!)

 

[santacruz skier]

A couple tips for downhill switchbacks:

Set up wide, starting on the outside edge of the trail.

If you're going slow, keep your pedals level, ideally with the inside foot forward. This way, if you wobble, you can push down and pedal with that inside foot. (Ratcheting the pedals comes in handy if you need to do this repeatedly.) It also shifts your weight toward the inside of the trail, and away from potential exposure on the outside of the trail, but mostly, the added momentum brings you upright and adds stability.

Look all the way around the corner. Turn your head and look where you want to go. This is probably more important than anything.

Hope that helps!

Hmm. Learned that one the hard way… on RR tracks and looking at the drop off. Guess what ? Front tire headed that way and bike dropped 100 ft or so and I hung on to side… Scared the sh!* out of me...

 

[altagirl]

Thanks, Altagirl! I do all that, I am even learning to drop the outside pedal down which only feels natural when turning left. BUT with the steeper downhill switchbacks or the ones that have a gully for an entrance, (which they all seem to have especially this year) I won't even attempt them because I chicken out! It's like there are just too many weird variables to deal with all at once, and I just can't handle it. It's hard to swing wide when the trail has a gully in it that pushes you to the middle. Add the loose dirt and big loose rocks and I'm a mess. I can ride several of them going UP just fine. It just turns into sensory overload when going down them. I need to find a course with perfect downhill switchbacks all lined up so I can practice getting the balance part down so the added variables aren't so scary. But that's not easy to find ;) (Imagine that!)

Gotcha!
I'd say outside foot down benefits kick in when you have some momentum. If you're inching your way around, you're better off with level pedals so you can ratchet as needed. Once you have the pedals vertical, you can't instantaneously apply pedaling power to get any forward momentum to right yourself or of a wobble. Not an issue if you're cruising around a corner, but often an issue if you're going super slow.

Depending on how tight the switchback is and how deep the gully in the middle, it might make sense to stay in the gully all the way around. Honestly, sometimes it's a matter of trial and error, or stopping to watch what works for other riders.

 

[altagirl]

Hmm. Learned that one the hard way… on RR tracks and looking at the drop off. Guess what ? Front tire headed that way and bike dropped 100 ft or so and I hung on to side… Scared the sh!* out of me...

Yikes!
I did that on my motorcycle once, a long time ago. Stared right at a rock, hit it, flipped the bike and grabbed on to the rock to hang on to the trailas my bike cartwheeled downhill.

 

[contesstant]

Gotcha!
I'd say outside foot down benefits kick in when you have some momentum. If you're inching your way around, you're better off with level pedals so you can ratchet as needed. Once you have the pedals vertical, you can't instantaneously apply pedaling power to get any forward momentum to right yourself or of a wobble. Not an issue if you're cruising around a corner, but often an issue if you're going super slow.

Depending on how tight the switchback is and how deep the gully in the middle, it might make sense to stay in the gully all the way around. Honestly, sometimes it's a matter of trial and error, or stopping to watch what works for other riders.

Ooh thank you thank you thank you! This makes more sense to me. I just rode this afternoon and that crazy switchback--as soon as I started to creep into it, my back tire slid out (trail was wet today) and I panicked and bailed. I was riding alone so really should have gone back and tried again. The gully is only on the uphill side of it. As soon as you hit the actual turn, it flattens. It is not banked at all.

It's a pretty tight switchback that I can barely track around going up (I'm on a 29er which doesn't help.) I have a feeling once I get the nerve to do it, I'll be able to do it most of the time! Even my husband misses it going down still on occasion. Hopefully I'll get some help with it on Tuesday...

 

[geargrrl]

Contessandt, just a note about "pedal down" when cornering. It's more appropriate for high speed, non-technical corners (think berms) than it is for any type of turn on a technical trail. Now, if you are turning your hips properly, the outside pedal may drop some, which ok , but pedal down isn't something to strive for when learning.

 

[contesstant]

Hmm. Learned that one the hard way… on RR tracks and looking at the drop off. Guess what ? Front tire headed that way and bike dropped 100 ft or so and I hung on to side… Scared the sh!* out of me...

Yeah, that'd freak me out a fair amount!