taz777

Do you ride with flats or clipless pedals on your gravel/adventure bike?

I'm planning to use flats for the sheer convenience.

Having said that, I've thought about trying SPDs at some point.

motorthings

Have you used clipless pedals before?
I use SPDs, and have never even considered going back to platform.

fietsbob

get flip double sided pedals spud on one side, flat on the other..?

My adventures were touring , there I used Toe Clip Pedals ,
so my shoes* could be loose fitting, and have comfortable insoles..

JRA Around here, Platforms ..

* cyclocross from the pre Clipless era, quite modified..




...

taz777

I did for a while when I had a road bike - SPD-SLs. However, I really didn't get on with them as much of the riding I tend to do doesn't have long runs where you don't need to stop.

I was also a little nervous and had one big fall that made me ditch them for flats.

However, it's something I'm willing to try again in the future. I guess it was just a lack of confidence and the thought of not being unable to get my foot out when coming to a stop.

MPE

I use SPDs with clip in on one side and flat on the other. I have both of these:
FUNN
https://rideissi.com/pedals/issi-flip
The Funn Mambas are better on the flat side and the Issi Flip are better on the clip side. I like them both. Once you clip in, you probably won't go back to flats on your gravel bike!

Take car,
Mike
<><

motorthings

Many people fall once using clipless, rarely more often than that. My dad fell over 5 or 6 times before giving up, so maybe that helps the average curve for you?
I have always had the the luxury to stop very infrequently on my road and gravel rides, and value the connection and power transfer improvement of clipless.

RJM

Cross bike is clipless but set up with pretty light disengagement when actually using it for cyclocross. I got platforms on the mtb. I don't have a dedicated adventure/gravel bike so I just pick between the mtb and cross bike depending on how I feel.

HTupolev

I've got clipless on everything.

Why wouldn't you be able to get your foot out? If the pedal tension is set appropriately, it's just a light outward kick of the heel.

When approaching a stop, anticipate the clip-out, don't wait until the moment of stopping to unclip. Prepare to put your foot down while you're still moving, so that you can simply put it down when you're stopped.

If you don't want to commit, you can have both by using a dual-sided pedal like a Shimano M324. Some people worry that pedals like this are harder to clip into because the SPD is single-side, but this isn't actually a problem; if your foot happens to land on the platform side when you start moving, just pedal normally until you're ready to flip the pedal and clip in.

rangie

I've got flats on everything. Not all stops are anticipated. My feet don't come off unexpectedly unless Im already going to crash and any tiny performance gain isn't worth the trouble. Five tens are super comfortable, better for walking in and only half as dorkey looking as bike shoes.

winston63 

I'm another with clipless on all my bikes. My gravel bike has a set of Shimano SPD XT's and I think they're great.

Facanh

Five Ten makes SPD shoes too. I just got some Hellcats. They're also super comfortable, I can walk in them pretty good, and they have the same skate shoe look.

Riveting

SPD clipless on everything: road, mtb, hybrid, & gravel.

Flats won't feel "convenient" when your foot slips off the pedal in the rain while you're crossing a busy road from a stop.

sjfoote081

Mountain bike style flats on all my bikes. With the traction pins installed, I do not have issues with slipping, even when shoes are wet. Have used several different styles of SPD pedals in the past but just do not find them necessary for my riding, so all shoes and pedals were eventually sold on craigslist. Maybe not ideal for racing but it works for me.

TimothyH

To each his won but I use clipless.

With the right shoes there is no loss of convenience over flat pedals and the extra control make it worth it.

Gconan

Spd for gravel for sure. Set it to easy release. Use more muscles. Spin instead of just mash.

pbass

Flats w/pins and 5.10 Aescent shoes for me.

bcpriess

studded/pinned vp-01 flat pedals, and saucony tr_ trail shoes. Feet stay nicely planted even at high speeds. Can bail without thought or hesitation. Works in start/stop conditions.

taz777

Thanks for all the replies. I'll look into clipless in a couple of months time as I would need to get a pair of shoes with the pedals. I sold my old SLD-SL pedals and shoes a while back.

For the first few weeks I'm going to use the flat pedals from my MTB just to get used to the bike, and then think about switching to clipless.

Tom L

me too, my mountain bike and gravel bike both have spd's on them, I can wear my sidi dominators with those pedals and they are easy to walk in
if I have to get off the gravel bike to get over extra rough terrain. Wouldn't want to try transversing any type of terrain in my flat soled shoes with
bigger clips

IvyGodivy

Flat spiked pedals only for me. Why? Because I don't want to be restrictive to a type of shoe and I heard all the arguments about why you should go clips and that's fine if you are a street rider but with gravel you can go past that I say flat spiked. Main reason at times a path will lead me to water which is why during the warm months I am riding in Keen toe-covered sandals. During the colder months I used to wear Vans but wasn't crazy about the support so for now I use my sneakers or hiking boots or whatever. The point is I want to be able to wear what I want when I want.

I can also go into where I stand with bike clothing but that doesn't fit your question.

ksryder

Ah man this thread is entirely too civil!

Bingod

Both - Shimano PD-A530

Seattle Forrest

Clipess, of course.

I still have a pair of Keen SPD sandals. Used to wear them to bike to the beach and swim in, there are a lot of rocks in the water and they protect my feet while I wade out until it's deep enough to swim.

Facanh

You can get clipless sandals, skate style shoes, hiking boots, or even winter boots.

DRSADV13

I have been really happy with the Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 SPD/Flats combo I have on mine. Much better for the off-road stuff than the Shimano PD-A530 (which I have on my road touring bike). Little pricey but I got mine on sale...