"Flat pedals" is a very commonly used term among cyclists. They're also referred to as platform pedals.
Clipless pedals are very easy to get into and out of. I've been doing it for about 18 years. That being said, if one is used to straps and cages, one's natural reaction is to pull the foot back to get out of the pedal. After a short while with clipless one reflexively twists sideways. I had a situation similar to your friend when I recently, for the first time in years, rode old style cages on a friend's bike. I came to a stop and twisted sideways to free my foot so I could put it on the ground. Didn't come out! Falling sideways! Luckily I remembered to pull back and out before I tipped too far. Wrt to brakeless fixies, no, they can't stop as quickly as a braked bike. A fixie must be ridden differently and one must change the reflex from "brake!" to "swerve!". However a fixie can be stopped much more efficiently than you'd imagine. I could lock up the back wheel and skid when needed, although I always rode in a way to avoid panic stops as much as possible. Cheers, frank "What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." -- Christopher Hitchens --- Original Message --- From: [email protected] Sent: August 18, 2012 8/18/12 To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: OT - Hipsters and Vintage Cameras I had never heard of them referred to as flat pedals. I had a friend shatter his ankle while using some clip ins. He couldn't get his foot unclipped when he came to a stop. Not sure he had them adjusted correctly, but it sured screwed him up - has a limp to this day. Hard to believe that the 'backward force' on a fixies would provide stronger braking than front & rear braking on a 'normal' bike. Kenneth Waller http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Mann" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: OT - Hipsters and Vintage Cameras > On Aug 18, 2012, at 7:50 AM, [email protected] wrote: > >>> flat pedals ???? > > The flat pedals are what most people are used to, and are good for use > with sneakers. > > Serious bikers use clip-in pedals which use a cleat on a special shoe so > you can also pull upwards on the pedal. The result of this is that you > can apply much more force to the drivetrain as you can pull up on one side > while pushing down on the other. There are a few different types > available (eg mountain and road bikes use different designs). You twist > your foot to one side to release it so you don't fall over when you stop. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_pedal#Clipless_pedals > > When riding fixed-gear you also get the advantage of stronger braking as > you can apply more "backwards" force to the pedals. I sometimes ride my > fixie in sneakers and the difference is massive. Mine has brakes though, > so it doesn't matter too much as a safety issue. I've had enough close > calls as it is though, so I'd never run brakeless with flat pedals. > > There's a halfway option of flat pedals with a cage that fits over your > shoe. They stink IMHO :) > > Cheers, > Dave -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
