P1Fanatic

Ive had a hard tail (Specialised Rockhopper) for about 3 yrs now but rarely used it in anger. Recently Ive started doing a bit more cross-country. I find myself losing grip on the pedals on the bumpy downhill sections. Probably a mixture of poor pedal grips and incorrect footwear.

Dont want to spend loads but would something like this give me a decent improvement:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=5199

And what type of footwear would you recommend as I normally just wear some astro-turf trainers as they are fairly light but have the rubber dimples on them that I thought would offer good resistance on the pedal edges. However a friend says they find flat soles a lot grippier on flat pedals?

Cheers
Simon (MTB Noob)

Coffin Dodger

Got to be SPDs / clipless pedals all the way surely.

Once you get used to them you won't want to go back. That said I do occasionally fit flat pedals to mine mainly when I haven't ridden for ages and want to get my confidence back.

Maybe these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=3759

and these

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=3759

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

I use Combo pedals. (SPD and Normal) Bough from Decathlon for £25 Very good and you never have to change them if you want to clip in

mike74

Odyssey Shark Bites are grippy as hell if you want 'normal' pedals instead of spd's.
You will soon find out why they're called shark bites the first time you accidentally catch your legs on them!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My lad uses these for trials and loves them: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...px?ModelID=547

spanner monkey

iTrader: (3)

DMR V12's & a pair of vans for me, good pedal grip but can still ride loose when you need to.

beef-on-the-bone

iTrader: (5)

^^^^^^^

can't go wrong

stevie boy

^^^^^^^^^

what they said

andys

510 shoes go well on flats. I would also looked at caged SPDs you can use them not cliped in as you build up your confidence.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=7808

Clarebabes

Took me ages to get used to SPDs on the road bike and I even fell off the first day I got them and buggered my wrist up. However, they are second nature now. MTB ones may be a little bit of a stretch too far for me though...

BlkKnight

Combi pedals on my MTB.

I'd recommend doing a few stop & go's before going on a live road.

I've done the emergency stop & topple over a couple of times. . .

IWatkins

V12s here too and a good pair of trainers/trail shoes.

SPDs on road bikes, flatties on MTBs in my book

P1Fanatic

Cheers guys. Im no expert and have never tried SPD's but I dont think they lend themself well to XC with steep climbs and downhill sections with jumps etc. I certainly dont recall any of the decent riders Ive seen out using SPDs which tells me something.

I did think about the combo pedals to cover both aspects but I think Ill go with some better flats and see how I get on. I did a bit of googling and the V12's do seem to get decent praise and not too steep if you buy the Wellgo's which as far as I can tell are the same thing as the DMR's which cost twice the price.

Simon

BOB.T

I use SPDs off road with no real probs

legacy_gtb

iTrader: (3)

I race downhill and ride xc a fair bit as training and never use spd's! Yes, if your well into xc and ride long distances fair play, but if your out for a giggle then the ability to dab a foot in the corners and the security of not being attatched to the bike when you come off is definately an advantage!

5'10s are ace as the rubbers sticky as, but they cost a fair bit!

Find a vans outlet shop and get something with a waffle soul for not much more than 25quid!

DMR V8's and V12's arent a great pattern and the pins round off instantly, so i wouldnt reconmend them ..... and thats before even mentioning the axles made of cheese!

My reconmendation is either superstar nanotechs with longer pins (very grippy), or atomlab GI's which are absolutely massive so even if your foot does stutter a bit its unlikely to come off! Neither of these are overly expensive!

Worth mentioning pedal thickness is very important! The thinner it is, the less likely it is to roll under your foot on the rough stuff.

birchy2010

iTrader: (12)

Yep V12's for me too

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=1074

P1Fanatic

Thats the reason why I would be comfortable using them and also why Ive seen no one else use them on that kind of terrain.

I will probably try the Wellgo V12's as a step up from the standard pedels. They are £20+ cheaper than the DMR's so not a huge outlay.

StickyMicky

My bike came with the Wellgos fitted, only put around 50 mile on it so far and no real rough stuff, but they seam grippy as hell with the little knobbly bits sticking out.

Mine also came with some kind of toe strap things, but i couldnt work out how to fit them, nor do i usually like them anyway, so i left them in the garage

2000 sport

iTrader: (1)

If you want to stick with the flats, then you can't go wrong with these...

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/produ...roducts_id=194

Personally I prefer to be clipped in, I use Crank Bros mallets on my DH bike and Crank Bros Candy's on my XC bike, both with Shimano MP66 shoes. I find them easier on my knees than Shimano SPD's.

P1Fanatic

Cheers for all the input. I ended up splashing a bit more than Id originally wanted and ordering some Superstar Nano techs after the recommendations on here and some very good reviews all over the net. I also liked the low profile / clearance of these. Will post a reply once Ive had a chance to use them - hopefully tonight if they arrive at work today.

Just need to sort the footwear now.

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

Why, it's recreation not sport

Shaun

P1Fanatic

Someone got out the wrong side of bed today

2000 sport

iTrader: (1)

Get some 5/10's mate !!