Clips or Flats?

Specialized 2FO

In the good old days when I first started mountain biking, there was no need to choose between riding clips or flats.

Flat pedals were only for BMX riders and while some people rode their mountain bike with flat pedals and toe clips (a little cage which holds your foot on the pedal - not the best when razzing off road) most people just swapped the cheap plastic pedals for some shiny new SPD clipless pedals.

To really give you an idea of how different things were back in the day, we also rode without any suspension (not even on the front). We headed out to the local trails (no trail centres either) and accepted the knocks and trail buzz (that red itching in your forearms from a fast downhill) as a matter of course.

I digress! Back to the pedals.

At the time, I subscribed to the theory that riding with SPD pedals would make me more efficient on the bike and mean a better transfer of power in my cycling. Sure it could be a little disconcerting having my foot clipped in on technical terrain at times, but there was no doubt in my mind - flat pedals would have been worse and the possibility of my foot sliding off would have made me feel really insecure.

I had several years away from mountain biking in favour of hanging off a rock face and when I returned to the sport, things had changed significantly. Front suspension was now standard and a growing number of people rode full suspension bikes. Flat pedals were also becoming increasingly popular and no longer just for the Downhill riders or BMX tricksters.

I upgraded to a bike with front suspension but still thought that all my reasons for riding with SPD clipless pedals were still valid.  However, I struggled almost immediately with my new bike (in hindsight, the geometry was all wrong) and I felt pretty sketchy whenever I was on technical trails. This led to me riding most of the time with my left foot unclipped from the SPD pedal - and if you really want to know what an insecure foot on the pedal feels like, give that a go!

Ironically, I still believed that riding with flat pedals would feel even more insecure - until I went on a mountain bike skills course.  My confidence in riding technical trails had unsurprisingly diminished, so I’d signed up up for 2 days of skills training at the Dales Bike Centre to learn how to ride my bike again.

That first morning, our instructor suggested I give flat pedals a try. She put some demo pedals on my bike and, despite having to wear my trail approach shoes (with a raised tread pattern), I loved the flat pedals so much that they stayed on my bike when the weekend was over.

The ability to put my feet down whenever I wanted gave me back some confidence when things got technical and more than made up for any potential loss of power from giving up my clipless pedals.

However, for years afterwards, I struggled to find a pair of female specific flat mountain bike shoes, so I resorted to wearing old trail approach shoes which had a worn down sole. It wasn’t ideal as they were flexible and had a sole which curved up slightly (for trail running) so my feet would ache after a long day on the bike.

I looked in every bike shop I visited, in every part of the country I visited, to find a pair of suitable shoes. There was a fairly decent range for men, but they weren’t manufactured in a small enough size for me (and I’ve not exactly got tiny feet: UK 5.5, EU 39 in case you wondered).

Eventually, I came across a female specific pair, the Five Ten Karver, and despite them being a half size too big, I bought them due to the lack of options. Fully expecting them to make a massive difference (in a good way), I was disappointed when I realised that I was struggling every time I wore them. They were simply too chunky, heavy and clumsy, so became relegated to their box pretty quickly and sold a year later.

I reverted back to my old trainers and continued the search for a better solution, becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of choice for female mountain bikers. 

Then suddenly, the manufacturers responded to our cry for shoes and we ended up with two pairs coming onto the market around the same time (and a third gender neutral option which went down to a lower shoe size).

The Five Ten Freerider
Specialised 2FO
Shimano AM7

Singletrack did a really great review between the Five Ten and Specialized shoes on their website and I also bumped into (not literally) a female mountain bike guide who had both pairs and asked what she thought - the 2FO were her favourite.

The only thing left was to try them on which was easier said than done! 

Most bike shops only stock full sizes of the Five Ten shoes, which I kind of get - it’s expensive to stock every option. Everywhere said that they could order in a half size for me, but in the end I was so unsure about the fit of the shoe that I didn't want to put them to that trouble and then not buy. So I ended up making a special journey to the Specialized shop in Harrogate to try on the 2FO's.

To cut a very long story short, I bought the Specialized 2FO.

Specialized recommended going up a half size with the 2FO's which was great advice. It also means that I can wear my slightly thicker waterproof socks with them in winter.

The sole is nice and stiff (ask the shop if you can stand on a pedal while wearing them, just to see the difference with a normal trail shoe/trainer), but the weight of the shoe is nice and light which makes it easy to wear.

The upper is a plastic material with some air mesh for ventilation and the sole is "SlipNot" rubber tread which stuck really nicely to my flat pedals, making me feel much more secure when bouncing off the rocks on technical downhills.

My main concerns about the 2FO's had been whether the mesh would let in water during winter and whether the upper would mean overheating in the summer. I can't comment on summer yet, but I've tested them a few times now out on trails with mud, deep puddles, rocks, fast descents and technical uphills - all in freezing cold winter conditions and can safely say that I absolutely love the 2FO's. 

My foot stayed dry and warm, I felt secure on the pedals, and the stiffness in the soles meant more comfort than usual.

If you're in the market for a pair of shoes for your flat pedals, my recommendation is to know exactly what you want from your shoe and then check out the different options. However, at the end of the day, you can have a list of all the technical features and benefits from each shoe, but if the fit is wrong then it will never be the right shoe for you.

So, the age old question? Clipless or Flats?

Well, the answer to that depends on your riding style, but for me it's Flats all the way.