| Re: Dakota Ridge black diamond rated trail - Clips or no Clips?
>
> Oh. Well I don't think they improve anything, cuz I keep up with guys
> that use clips just fine. Aint no difference in our performance eh...
I was scared to ride with clips for a long time, just like you are. My
wife bought me a set for my birthday a year ago, and I have never
looked back. I was able to "keep up" with flats, but now I ride away
from the pack. It took a bit a of time riding in the grass on my back
yard where falling wasn't as painful, but my feet come out every single
time nowadays. The biggest improvement for me was that I raised my seat
a bit, and rarely stand up in the saddle anymore. I only have spring
fork shocks, which used to bob real bad when I climbed. Now my weight
is centered farther back, which increases my power, and decreases the
fatigue. Not to mention everything that you said about the upstroke...
I also like them for crossing logs. You just wheelie the front end
over, let the sprocket catch, put your front pedal on the log, and
power through with your back leg. The result is the whole bike lifts
up off the ground and over the log. This just can't be done on flats.
Clips keep you in the pedals for larger jumps as well. Before I had
them, I would often find myself flying at a diffent rate than the bike
beneath me, Either it would drop out under me, or I would fly past the
bike, making a rude landing on the crossbar rather than the seat.
I would agree what some of you had to say about toe clips, at least for
urban riding, but on the trail, they don't release when you are
falling, which is what LIBBY is so scared of...
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