Hello, Good People!!!

There are many different opinions about bicycle pedals, between flat pedals and clipless pedals, which type of pedal is better. By knowing the function and how to use it in a suitable situation, that’s where you can find the best pedal that suit for you.

First, let’s dig deeper about flat pedal.

Flat pedal is a type of pedal that has a relatively flat surface, and is the most common type. Simple, without the need for special mechanisms or training, available from cheap to expensive, more flexible with almost any kind of the footwear.

The advantages of the flat pedal:

      

Free/Flexible
Without clip our feet will be free to move as natural. Lifting both feet, stomping on the ground, jumping off a bicycle and others can be easily and quickly done when stopping, stretching muscles, or in an emergency.

Any kind of shoes
No special bicycle cleats or shoes are required. This freedom makes it easy for us to cycle with whatever shoes we want according to our needs, office shoes, sneakers, running shoes, any kind. Although there are also special shoes products for flat pedals, with treads that are harder so they are not slippery and durable.
Modern flat pedals are usually thin. Not only for cutting weight, but also for a lower center of gravity.

Skill
Cyclists with flat pedals usually find it easier to develop their skills. Rear wheel lifting, bunny hops, sideways jumps, J-hops, skid / drifts which require different leg techniques. Having this skill without shoe clips allows us to practice it on any bicycle. This skill also helps to regulate balance, a more natural body position.

Disadvantages of flat pedals:

Slippery
Not all pedals have surface that are rough enough to hold your feet in position. We often see injured cyclists’ calves because when the foot slips off the pedal, it makes the calf or shin finally hit the pedal.

Power efficiency
Without the clip, the power of pedal is only released when pressing the pedal down. There is a position where the thrust is not maximal, namely the upright pedal position (6-12 o’clock), where the foot is not in the optimal position to push. The clipless pedal does not only rely on pushing, but when the foot raises or moves forward, it supports to move the pedal. So that all the power and position of the legs increase the speed of the bike. Although actually with good technique and experience, the power efficiency of a bicycle with a flat pedal may be no different from a clipless.

It’s hard to maintain high cadence.
When the bicycle is too fast, especially at the time of descent, often the pedal rotation does not help pushing the bike anymore. One of them is because the cadence (pedaling or rotating speed of the pedal) is slower than rotating speed of the wheels. On a flat pedal, it will be more difficult to pedal very fast, because lifting the foot in high speed make the foot easy to release from the pedal. And keep the position of the foot stay on pedal when the high speed is more exhausting. Even if you miss your position just slightly you need to pick your foot back up again to readjust with flats.

Next, we talk about clipless pedal in part 2…