PLATFORM PEDALS!! - Top 5 Reasons You Should Use Flats for Cycle Touring

Yes! If anything, accessibility should be number 1 on that list. Imagine if normal folks weren't so intimidated by cycle racing culture. How many more people would get the cycling bug if they didn't have to worry about clipless pedals and shoes, or looking fat wearing super tight lycra, or finding the most aero components for their bikes. The world desperately needs more everyday cyclists, and marketing it solely as a competitive sport just turns people away.

Thanks you for this video!

Excellent video. I fully agree. Using flats is so much better for me for all the reasons you mentioned. There is at least one more advantage that I do not think you mentioned -- money savings.

U guys are incredible! Flat pedals are savvy, smart, and state-of-the-art! I ride with flats too!!!

I'm slowly converting all my bikes to BMX/FLATS.

I personally use SPD, flat combo for my touring, commute and road biking. Same pedals for everything.
Mostly I use flat for short trips, sometimes commuting, otherwise I use clips.

It works for me, but honestly I see where you are coming from. When touring I sometimes use sandals for a session. But usually I just use casual touring/MTB shoes for everything. Touring and some casual road biking too.

Love it . Especially it's not a race .. me and 9 of my old high-school friends .. we're all retired . ride once a week to the local Brewery .. and it's definitely not a race . It's about the friendship we have had for more than 50 years ..

A very good day to you both. Great video and perfectly expressed! I love being clipped in most of the time on my xc bike, but am planning a touring in Scotland next month and will most definitely be riding flats on the tour for exactly the reason you stated. One thing, I am looking at all sorts of pedals at the moment and wanted to ask if you found the RaceFace Chester pedals reliable. did they stand up to the test being a nylon composite pedal? They are very well priced too as some pedal cost a fortune. Many thanks

I took a really bad fall using clip ins. I fell few times with them but one day I really messed myself up with a fall. No more and never again. My shoulder has never been the same again after fall caused by clip ins. They are very dangerous

Falling to the side like Biden.

I have used clipless for my last tour and ended up with a broken femur. I managed 360 miles but had an accident partly because of clipless pedals. I wish I had used flats. It was very stupid of me

Interesting for starting people

for the most part I do not want to be a real cyclist lol

You can push/pull on flats too. I do it on climbs quite often.

Clipless is the wrong choice on any serious bike tour. (I would say the same for most conventional "bike clothes."

They don't make a difference for racing either

I love this video as I was one of those casual riders who spent years on hybrid/fitness bikes like the Giant Escape/Specialized Sirrus and was put off moving onto an endurance road bike by the perceived need to only ride road bikes with clipless pedals. It is great to see such views as it gives me more confidence to choose what is comfortable to me as someone only riding for fitness and relaxation. I am now looking forward to riding my Giant Defy with my flat pedals!

I ride road bike Trek Domane SL with flats :) I know I don’t look pro with regular shoes and flat pedals but I could not care less :)

Great video 🎉

I ride both clipless and flats. Depends on the bike ride I'm doing. Flats definitely for bikepacking, bikerafting for the simplicity and versatile of not having to carry/ pack multiple shoes. Clipless all the way for longer bike ride only days. I would raise an eyebrow over the comment that riding long distances is more uncomfortable clipless. If you find that to be the case it very well could be that your bike fit isn't dialed in which I find is crucial when you're running clipless because of the fact that your positioning is more limited. But I find for myself it's not how many positions available to me equals comfort it's the correct position. Once you find that sweet spot clipless helps you duplicate that position every time. But like you said do whatever is most comfortable for you.

So glad to see some folk all for a flat pedal tour. Thanks! I’ve felt some pressure to do clipless but I’m reluctant because I love my flat pedals so much.

This is still great advice two years on. I was known amongst my roadie friends as the SPD guy, cos all of my bikes that had clipless pedals were of the mtb SPD variety. Which still works for me, I like being clipped in for riding my road bike, and for singletrack riding on my trail mtb. But all other types of riding, commuting & touring & what I would call ‘utility’ cycling, flat pedals make so much more sense. One tiny downside of only taking one pair of shoes on a tour is what happens when you have a wet day in the saddle, and you have to deal with wet shoes in the evening. I did a six-day mini-tour staying in pubs, and one evening had the uncomfortable experience of eating my evening meal with soggy feet cos my shoes were still soaked from the day’s ride. On that tour I did not even have ‘camp sandals’ cos not camping.

They’re shite

What happen to you ladies??

So clipless are what you are referring to as clipped in, clips are the toe clips or cages, clipless are the pedals with the stupid shoes and cleats and turn left

Clipless since about '83, not gonna change my full connection to my bike. I just like efficiency, but it you don't, go flats.

Did a Paris Bordeaux (el camino) on clips, hated it! remember taking only bulky cycle-cross kinda shoes (gravel did not exist then) and it was so heavy, now I've been 'flat' for ten years, I'm slowly riding thousands of km per year (also on a Kona), well, you girls rock. Please contact & come for a free Louvre comedy show if you're in Paris.

Do whatever the hell you want but flat pedals are way less efficient. Can't imagine going on a ride > 30 miles without clips and some sort of butt protection.

This is so awesome to hear. I started out with toe-clip and strap shoe, way back in the age of dinosaurs, then rode clipless for 40 freaking years, sometimes riding for a living. But a few weeks ago I set off with just my regular shoes and was astounded at how much better my feet felt. Also it was just a more natural process, and allowed me to get off the bike and go into a cafe without the usual clop, clop, clop of bike shoes. My love for this wonderful sport has been renewed!

look stoned af!

Clip in pedals have proven to be medically essential for me because they keep my ankles from flexing.

I find being clipped in to to save my heel. A cycling shoe properly distributes the pressure and the heel does not flex which can be painful.

When I started long distance cycling I used regular tennis shoes 👟. I paid big because my heel hurt big time. Ever since I switched to cycling specific shoes, my heel quite hurting.

I ride flats sometimes, but always migrate back to clipless on both road and mountain. But, if I ever went touring, flats seem like the natural choice. Anything but toe clips and straps which I suffered through in the beginning because back then we didn’t know any better.

Funny to see this video just now, while I decided to get away from clipped in pedals. I honestly love the freedom (comfort #1) more. Just 2 weeks ago, I bought myself Crankbrothers flats, just need to put them on my MTB for bikepacking adventures. Thank you guys! Liked it 😅

Flats from Pedaling Innovations….The science behind their oversized flats has been right on for me. They have allowed me to ride in wide toe box flexible shoes. More than tripled my yearly mileage to 7000+ miles.

Extreme calf close up and excellent touring advice made me hit the subscribe button! Thanks ladies! 🇬🇧🇺🇸👍

you are correct

I couldn’t agree more with you both. Great video and I hope your channel grows and grows. Keep it up.

Always flats for me, even for day trips on my road bike. I don't race, generally cycle alone, so speed is not an issue. Flats are essential for serious touring.

I use both. I use clipless setup on my faster routes with less stops(except for coffee and desserts:)). But I am now loving the practicality and comfort of flat pedals. It seems like my feet is on its natural position all the time.

Amen!

I’m too lazy to buy shoes, I have a set of clipless pedals, but I never got around to buying shoes. That’s alright, my road bike is for more commuting and leisure rides anyway, so marginal efficiency isn’t my concern

I'd pick the girl on the right side in blue, she is a bit sexier.

Van you recommend a good flat for a Madone 4.5?

Hey gyes from Kazakhstan🇰🇿

I cycle instead of running to save on my joints. I don’t want to damage my knees with clipless pedals so I stick with flats.

I'm old school. I use standard pedals with toe clips. I can wear any shoe I want, I can adjust the straps to whatever tension suits me and I don't sacrifice the efficiency and inconvenience of having my foot moving all over a flat, uncliped pedal. I was taught to pedal on the ball of my foot, to use ankling techniques (similar to how you use your wrist when cranking a lever) and to maintain a cadence of at least 70 rpm. I've been riding now for over 50 years, have done racing, triathlons, touring and even done century rides on a tandem. I'm now 74 years old, have yet to sustain a major injury, my knees are in great shape and that pulling stroke when climbing a steep grade makes hills so much easier. I still ride regularly (between swim days) and I may be old school but I'm proof that sometimes sticking with the basics has long-term benefits.

I for sure needed to watch this video after multiple falls on my road bike clipped-in. I love my bike, I love riding, but not loving the injuries. THANK YOU for breaking this down and clarifying how stupid it is for me to continue riding clipped-in despite my disdain for it and my only injuries while cycling being caused by my being unable to get unclipped quickly. I appreciate you! furiously googles flat pedals for road bikes

Finally an honest review on flat pedals! I'm so tired of searching for the difference between clipless pedals and platforms and can't find any difference... All the claims of the clipless pedals seems to be false and they try to sell you this dream that if you buy one of these clipless pedals you will be faster in some way. And even all the scientific articles that I read were published on journals that the impact factor most of the times is less then 3 (which means that the journal itself is not that good).
I'm just so tired of all this weekend riders with a sh*t tone of money that miss all the joy of riding a bike and spend all their attention on buying the latest clipless pedals or the latest licra... I bet I would win against them in a sprint with platform pedals and normal clothes... (And I'm saying this because when I'm going to work I actually pass by them a lot of times and I make them eat my dust XD)

Oh well all this just to say that I just loved your review on platform pedals and I feel the same as you, and I have the perspective of an every day rider that rides his bicycle all year to work always at maximum speed! AND FCKING LOVES IT!