I have been thinking about this stuff a lot because I have been switching from clips to flats and not being particularly comfortable on either. I alternate between Saint spds to dmr vaults to oneup composites, and haven’t found comfort on flats till recently. I use 510 freerider pro with flats and 510 pro boa with clips. I always used concave pedals on my bmx, but with very flexible soled shoes, in a more ball over axle position, and always felt perfect.
Since riding mtb i have preferred clips, but wanted to try flats after going on some burlier rides with friends that ride on flats and are far better riders than I. I couldn’t figure out why the dmr vault, which looked like a perfect pedal for me, never felt right. I eventually concluded my stiff soled shoe couldn’t conform to the pedals concavity.
I was having trouble riding flats because my foot never felt like it was in the right place, and I had a breakthrough when trying the oneup composite in an arch over axle configuration. Suddenly I felt locked in rather than perched on, like I have always felt on flats on a mountain bike. I think if I wore a soft soled shoe with dmr vault, I could lock in, but I’m firmly of the opinion that stiffer soled, more protective riding specific shoes are a necessity after bruising the bottom of my foot on hard landings and tagging things with my toes at high speeds.
The stiff sole arches over the convex pedal perfectly in the arch over spindle position.
I never thought about the effect pedals have on reach, but it definitely sounds right to me, and I like it because my current bike has always felt a little too big for me. So any way to make my bike feel smaller is appealing. Thanks for the food for thought
Sept. 2, 2022, 8:57 a.m. - NewMexicoNick
I have been thinking about this stuff a lot because I have been switching from clips to flats and not being particularly comfortable on either. I alternate between Saint spds to dmr vaults to oneup composites, and haven’t found comfort on flats till recently. I use 510 freerider pro with flats and 510 pro boa with clips. I always used concave pedals on my bmx, but with very flexible soled shoes, in a more ball over axle position, and always felt perfect. Since riding mtb i have preferred clips, but wanted to try flats after going on some burlier rides with friends that ride on flats and are far better riders than I. I couldn’t figure out why the dmr vault, which looked like a perfect pedal for me, never felt right. I eventually concluded my stiff soled shoe couldn’t conform to the pedals concavity. I was having trouble riding flats because my foot never felt like it was in the right place, and I had a breakthrough when trying the oneup composite in an arch over axle configuration. Suddenly I felt locked in rather than perched on, like I have always felt on flats on a mountain bike. I think if I wore a soft soled shoe with dmr vault, I could lock in, but I’m firmly of the opinion that stiffer soled, more protective riding specific shoes are a necessity after bruising the bottom of my foot on hard landings and tagging things with my toes at high speeds. The stiff sole arches over the convex pedal perfectly in the arch over spindle position. I never thought about the effect pedals have on reach, but it definitely sounds right to me, and I like it because my current bike has always felt a little too big for me. So any way to make my bike feel smaller is appealing. Thanks for the food for thought