| Re: Dakota Ridge black diamond rated trail - Clips or no Clips?
MILO wrote:
>> 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.
>
This is a very non-ideal way of crossing logs, both for your bike and
the log. Either jump it or unweight the front wheel until you clear your
sprocket.
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