Pedal choice is one of those dividing lines in mountain biking. You’re either a flat pedal rider or clipless devotee. But there is a lot to be learned by going back and forth between the two.
While I wouldn’t quite call myself bi-pedal, I do like to switch back and forth between flats and clips. It’s irregular, and rarely more a matter of when I remember to than with much intention. There are a few reasons for making the switch, when I do. Most recently, it was just to knock me out of some habits and spice up a riding routine that was feeling a bit too routine. When the motivation to ride waned at the end of summer, a time I’m usually revved to ride, I decided it was time for “Flat Pedal Fall.”
Flat pedal fall shook me out of my routine, as hoped. It also served as a reminder on a few technique tips that I’d, to my own embarrassment, nearly forgotten.
Four lessons learned from “flat pedal fall”
I nearly forgot how to jump
To be blunt, clips allow you to cheat your bunny hops. As long as the log or root your trying to get over is small enough, you can kinda just pull up on the pedals and the bike will make it over. But, anything larger can cause problems. Since you can’t cheat that way at all on flats, you have to learn how to actually jump. The good old compress-pull-scoop technique.
My brain knows this but un-clipping, or un-clilplessing, was a harsh reminder that my body wasn’t actually doing this as much anymore. Switching to flats coincided roughly with one of the fall’s first windstorms. When approaching even small downed trees was giving my pause, I realized I had a problem on my hands. I’ll give part of the blame to a particularly hefty test bike and part to a lingering knee issue that’s left me a little shakier on the bike. But it’s 80-20-20 technique, bike and knee.
Why does this matter? Proper technique, bunny hopping as if you’re on flats even when you’re riding clips, is much more reliable. You’re not going to accidentally unclip doing it. It also isn’t limited: learning proper form will get you over much taller or longer obstacles.
Tech climbing sucks (sometimes)
More humbling than not feeling confident hopping downed logs was being forced off the bike on technical climbs. Usually, I’m relatively confident on weird, techy climbs. Years of dues paid at Victoria’s no-flow Hartland trails translated to some sense of comfort when winching my way up wet roots and rocks, or so I thought. Finding…
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