Platform pedals for Ray's MTB park

[tneker]

Just curious, for those of you XC riders that have ventured to Ray's mountain bike park, anyone make the switch to platform pedals instead of your click in pedals?

While I used to ride platform pedals when I was a kid doing BMX, I now have 2 decades of muscle memory being clicked in. I tried to ride platform pedals at Camrock and found that I couldn't climb because I kept pulling my foot off the platform.

Anyway's it seems like tackling some of the obstacle loops at Ray's may be a little less intimidating not being clipped in.

Thoughts?

[TitanofChaos]

I'd say the same, it may be less intimidating because you can catch yourself if you're making an "unscheduled dismount"

At the same time if you're used to being clipped in, I'd say stick with that, there's certainly a few spots where you will want to be able to pull your crank to the right position

I ride platforms all the time but that's just my personal preference, 510's and spikey pedals

Actually there was a few times when I was there last that the pedals dragged on some logs which actually made platforms worse

[Chronism]

When I visited a couple of months ago I took my XC bike with clipless pedals. It was alright to ride on the XC loop but not so much (for me anyways) on the obstacle sections. Flats were the way to go. I think a lot of it was just the comfort of know I could easily bail. Which I had to a few times. I actually ended up renting a jump bike with flats.

[cjohnson]

For Rays, ride flats. Outside of the jumps, the worst crashes I've seen at rays tend to include clipless pedals, (not blaming the pedals, just an observation).

A trick to help ride flats properly is to lower your seat as far as it will go. This will make it awkward to sit down and make it more difficult take weight off the pedals. tip your toes down while pedaling/climbing. I switched completely to flats 5 years ago, With practice I learned to ride just as slow with flats as I can with clipless.

[inteq9]

I ran clipless when I was at Rays FTW. Why not bring both and try both?

[kimikaw]

Originally Posted by cjohnson

For Rays, ride flats. Outside of the jumps, the worst crashes I've seen at rays tend to include clipless pedals, (not blaming the pedals, just an observation).

I can't imagine using clipless anywhere at Rays outside of the cross country loop. And even for that why bother. Maybe use the time there to also work on your pedal stroke. Getting that nailed down will take you far. Every time I hear someone say they need to go clipless in order to get a powerful stroke or prevent pedal slap, I think, "hmm, someone needs to learn a proper full pedalstroke"

Just my opinion (and really not as preachy as that sounds...ok, maybe as preachy)

[tneker]

Made the trip today to Ray's. Went with flats and despite all my muscle memory with clipless, had no issues. I thought flats were perfect for riding there all things considered. Thanks to everyone that provided insights.

[Stupendous Man]

Just got back from there this weekend. I rode flats when I am very used to riding clipped in. I felt just fine on all the tech obstacles and such, but when I started getting adventurous and trying some jumps, I found it very unnerving that my feet were not securely attached to the pedals. I always had the thought of landing off the pedal and crashing. Id say if you can, just bring both!

[Little Wing]

Originally Posted by kimikaw

I can't imagine using clipless anywhere at Rays outside of the cross country loop. And even for that why bother. Maybe use the time there to also work on your pedal stroke. Getting that nailed down will take you far. Every time I hear someone say they need to go clipless in order to get a powerful stroke or prevent pedal slap, I think, "hmm, someone needs to learn a proper full pedalstroke"

Just my opinion (and really not as preachy as that sounds...ok, maybe as preachy)

:thumbsup

If you "need" clipless pedals in order to perform basic bike maneuvers properly, then you're not doing it right.

A few weeks of riding flatties works wonders to wake up the feet.