anyone ride all flats all the time?

One thing I forgot to add:

Flats = fun
Clips = power

Of course your results may vary but thats my experience when switching back and forth.

One point made that I'm not sure I agree with is the Sam Hill argument. We don't know he (and riders like him) would have done if he chose to be clipped in for most of his career. I would guess he would only get faster. I mean, you are not taking away advantages by riding clipped in, you are mostly always gaining (except really muddy or steep courses). You can pedal really efficiently on flats no doubt, but going to clips doesn't take that away, ya know?

Who knows? I know its a pointless argument to make since it hasn't happened.

One thing I have always stated is that if you take one rider who is proficient at both, the clipped in rider will almost always be faster. You can ride clipped in the exact same way as being on flats. The only difference is you have extra gains in the pedal stroke, plus an easier ability to keep your feet on in the rough.

:)

Im not really throwing whips/flips in my daily rides. I dont put sessioning tricks in the same category as bike riding. Im not talking down dirt jumping so lets not start there. Yes you are on a bike and have mad skills but that is a small percentage of the riding population.
I understand where you are coming from being able to eject but as lowcard stated clipping and unclipping become second nature and you do it without thinking.
I've seen Sam hill OTB several times and the bike has followed him just as it would a clipped in rider
Bmx racers, most are clipped in as well
Again it is a personal preference. I think confidence comes from encountering a situation and overcoming it. Not from the equipment used in the situation

Case in point a certain Sam Hill at last year's Worlds… certainly looks like he is still attached to his bike.

That was one that I was thinking about lol
Ouch!!
Good find
Just as there is a learning curve with spds, people should take the time to learn with 510s and long pins too.
I think because people think that being on flats they can just get off whenever. That is not the case most of the time. Slow tech yea, Fast open rocky, good luck

That was one that I was thinking about lol
Ouch!!
Good find
Just as there is a learning curve with spds, people should take the time to learn with 510s and long pins too.
I think because people think that being on flats they can just get off whenever. That is not the case most of the time. Slow tech yea, Fast open rocky, good luck

I hear that, things happen waaaay too fast when you ride that fast and rough, thankfully that's still out of my league so I'll stick to the easy stuff until I'm ready to get tangled up in a wreck like that haha.

I've never ridden clipped in unless you count straps :lol: no hipster

Flats for life :fruit:

Yes. Find a shoe that works well as not all are equal.

One point made that I'm not sure I agree with is the Sam Hill argument. We don't know he (and riders like him) would have done if he chose to be clipped in for most of his career. I would guess he would only get faster. I mean, you are not taking away advantages by riding clipped in, you are mostly always gaining (except really muddy or steep courses). You can pedal really efficiently on flats no doubt, but going to clips doesn't take that away, ya know?

The Sam Hill point wasn't made to say flats are faster or argue against any of the things you said. The Sam Hill point was made once to answer OP's question of "anyone ride flats all of the time" and a second time to respond to Flattire's:

Only people who aren't confident on their bikes struggle with clips.

Mentioning there's a top-level world cup DH racer who only rides flats seems relevant here. One could still argue that he's not confident on his bike, but we could also argue that he is, and that us flat-pedal riders are also confident on our bikes. If flattire had said something along the lines of "Clips offer performance benefits and only people who aren't confident with clips choose not to ride them" then there would have been no need to have any of this discussion.

Previous to flattire's statment, flat pedal riders weren't arguing performance benefits, we were discussing our experiences with flats. No one told OP he was going to be better on flats, just that he could probably still enjoy riding his bike as he does now.

Flats are letting OP ride slightly sooner:

i've ordered a pair of the Spesh 2FO shoes, will probably stick with my cheap o Nukeproof plastic pedals. think i might even ride around on the road with the aircast… will post up my thoughts on the 2FO shoes once i get trail time on them.

Flats are better for people who like flats better (or have a medical reason to do so). Clips are better for people who like clips better.

Flats all the time. I like to move my feet around on the pedals.

Was out for a ride yesterday and rode across a very green bridge that was on a slight angle. At first it was okay, but as I slowed (no brakes, just loss of momentum), the bike went out from under me like I have never seen. Managed to get a foot out and stopped most of the fall, foot went partially through the middle of two rungs. I ride clipless on my commuter, but not on the shore, I would have hated to think how hard I would have gone down being clipped in.

I guess the other thing that hasn't been mentioned is the comfort of shoes used for flat or clipless. My 5-10 are definitely heavier than most shoes (especially when wet), but are very comfortable and are quite capable for hike a bike sections. Are the shoes for clipless any better than the older ones for walking comfort or their ability to have any grip for hike a bike sections?

Are the shoes for clipless any better than the older ones for walking comfort or their ability to have any grip for hike a bike sections?

Yes. Giro Terraduros.

Yes. Giro Terraduros.

Plus Mavic has a few options as does Five-ten.

My 5-10 are definitely heavier than most shoes (especially when wet), but are very comfortable and are quite capable for hike a bike sections.

I have the new 5.10 Impact VXi, and it's very lightweight. Available for clips or flats.

Been riding 30 years…been back and forth from clips to flats a few times. I rock the flats right now…but who knows where I will be later. I will admit it took a while to keep the bike attached to my feet in the chunder and drops…but once you master that skill you will very rarely separate from your bike.

I liked clips for bunnyhops and a few other little things, but I feel that the benefits of flats far outweigh clips for me….but who knows I may change my mind another day…lol.

If you're just pulling up on your pedals you aren't really bunnyhopping.