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feet slip on wet flat platforms; will concave help?

Old 08-24-20, 08:22 AM
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epnnf
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feet slip on wet flat platforms; will concave help?

I have flat platform pedals on both my bikes. They work great except when my shoes are wet- they may slip. Pedals are about 4 yrs old/7K+ miles; pins are not worn very much. Would concave pedals make much difference? I know my folks love clipless, but I am not interested. ty
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Old 08-24-20, 08:27 AM
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Current pedal and shoe setup? Go with pedals that have steel pins and some grippy shoes. Low hikers, chrome, 661, vans etc. I like race face chesters, steel pins and a nylon body. Work well.
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Old 08-24-20, 10:33 AM
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Pedals with toe clips and leave the straps loose.
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Old 08-24-20, 10:44 AM
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what kind of pedals are they? what shoes?

they are a bit pricey, but some sneakers made specifically for cycling like Ride Concepts or Five Tens have surprisingly sticky, durable soles and are worth the money IMO. I just got some RC ones and they were well worth the $100 I paid.

pedals with longer pins will stick into your soles better regardless of water. they'll also stick in your legs if you're not careful.
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Old 08-24-20, 11:10 AM
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Originally Posted by mack_turtle
what kind of pedals are they? what shoes?

they are a bit pricey, but some sneakers made specifically for cycling like Ride Concepts or Five Tens have surprisingly sticky, durable soles and are worth the money IMO. I just got some RC ones and they were well worth the $100 I paid.

pedals with longer pins will stick into your soles better regardless of water. they'll also stick in your legs if you're not careful.
I just switched to pinned flatpedals this year and love them. I bought Five Tens and great grip but the squeaking drives me nuts till find right foot position to stop. So bad been wearing my Keen sandals instead. Have that with RCs?
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Old 08-24-20, 11:22 AM
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I'm using a couple of old pairs of New Balance and Sketchers "trail running" shoes with my pinned pedals. No problems slipping off. I have some "regular" tennis shoes on which the soles do not have an aggressive tread and they do not hold near as good.
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Old 08-24-20, 11:24 AM
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the flat pedals are on my mountain bike, so I don't have experience riding flats in the wet. where I live, riding trails is 100% unacceptable when it's wet—very sticky mud leaves nasty ruts and cakes onto your bike like concrete. if the trails are wet, I ride my CX bike on roads and gravel paths to avoid the mud and I use SPD pedals and shoes for that.

IME, trail running shoes with large lugs SUCK for flat pedals because the pins don't consistently bite the sole. I much prefer something with a relatively flat, even sole similar to a skate shoe. however, most skate shoes get shredded to ribbons very quickly on pedals with protruding pins, so I don't waste money on shoes like that.
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Old 08-24-20, 11:30 AM
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I have been riding on Ergon pedals for several years of wet winters by now.

they use a sandpaper like grip tape patch rather than pins more commonly used..

Oregon Coast , plenty damp. so not on fire ..
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Old 08-24-20, 01:19 PM
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ergon as well
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Old 08-24-20, 09:07 PM
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Back when I rode BMX bicycles, Shimano DX (the quintessential platform pedal) and classic/traditional Vans (Era, Off the Wall, Old Skool, etc) were my preferred combination. Shimano DX is a concave pedal with pins. The classic/traditional Vans all use the original Vans gum-rubber sole with a "Waffle" tread pattern that works great with the DX pedal. Makes me want to get some again, except I'm all-minimalist footwear, now.
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Old 08-25-20, 04:04 PM
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Cool! ty for all the replies.
Nobody said anything about concave pedals. hmm
According to https://www.ergonbike.com/en/index.html ergon doesnt make pedals anymore?
To answer some ?s, I use typical mtn cycling shoes- they have what I would call mild cleat pattern on them. I have two pair- one pair the cleats are worn down pretty much.
I am confused about something. Some of you suggested trekking shoes? Would this be soft sole- not hard sole, not specifically cycling shoes? Do I understand the intent is waffle/tennis sole pattern on a flat pedal w/sand surface? That sounds cool- I never would have guessed that.
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Old 08-25-20, 04:22 PM
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Just make sure the shoes match the pedals.

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Old 08-25-20, 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by epnnf
Cool! ty for all the replies.
Nobody said anything about concave pedals. hmm
According to https://www.ergonbike.com/en/index.html ergon doesnt make pedals anymore?
To answer some ?s, I use typical mtn cycling shoes- they have what I would call mild cleat pattern on them. I have two pair- one pair the cleats are worn down pretty much.
I am confused about something. Some of you suggested trekking shoes? Would this be soft sole- not hard sole, not specifically cycling shoes? Do I understand the intent is waffle/tennis sole pattern on a flat pedal w/sand surface? That sounds cool- I never would have guessed that.
I mentioned concave pedal. But maybe you want some elaboration on that. The pedaling surface of your foot fits into the concavity, especially when the shoe has some flex to it (which classic Vans do). In contrast, a relatively stiff sole such as a Nike Dunk or original Air Jordan probably wouldn't do this as well as the Vans do.

I also mentioned the "waffle sole", which is the name of the tread pattern that Vans has been using on all their gum-sole shoes since their original model. The pins on the platform pedal fit into this tread pattern, rather than needing to bite into the rubber. Classic Vans are pretty ubiquitous, now. If you've never owned a pair, you can probably check them out at most athletic shoe retailers.
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Old 08-26-20, 12:26 AM
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Check out iSSi Thumps too. I've been riding 'em for a year on one hybrid (I prefer platforms on hybrids, but clipless on my road bikes). I got the version with molded in pins, since I'm not a hardcore dirt rider and switch between various shoes and boots. They grip well enough even with wet and somewhat muddy soles. The slightly concave shape suits my feet just fine. I'm prone to arch cramps but have had no problems with these pedals.

Only gripe is one pedal has developed a slight, well... thump... after a year. I don't feel any looseness when I shake and twist the pedal by hand, but can feel a slight thunk on every pedal stroke while riding. It can probably be adjusted or rebuilt, I just haven't bothered yet. That's after about 2,000-3,000 miles of mostly casual riding, about 25% of that on some easy "gravel" on the MUP's crushed limestone/pea gravel chat trails.
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Old 08-26-20, 06:08 AM
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Concavity if somewhat a preference issue and depending on the shoes can make a little bit of difference in terms of grip. But it is really more of a comfort, feel and control thing.

Some of the most highly rated MTB pedals are concave, some are not. Some are even slightly convex.

If you are slipping off the pedals, then the issue is not concavity (or lack thereof) it is that your pedals and/or shoes suck.

Without knowing what you are currently using, it is impossibly to know what to recommend to change that.

What I can say is the you want a pedal with replaceable steel pins.

There are dozens of flat pedal options that will stick to a proper shoe like glue: In addition to options mentioned so far, I’ve got sets of Kona Wha Wha 2, and Chromag Synth, Both are composite (as opposed to metal), around $50, and I love how they handle rock strikes.

In terms of shoes... main thing is to have a shallow tread (or smooth) made of a softer rubber. The problem with deep treads is that you can lose the benefits of the pins when they end up between tread lugs.

Best option is one of the dozens of shoes designed for flat pedal use. The tread pattern might not be all that different from some skate shoes or tennis shoes, but the the midsole is a lot stiffer, and the rubber stickier.

Last edited by Kapusta; 08-26-20 at 06:14 AM.
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