Flats or clipless on an e-bike ? Is it a good idea to ride clipped in ?

[OldGoatMTB]

Undecided ........ I used to use Crank Brothers DH Mallet clipless pedals on my acoustic enduro bikes , had a few very slow speed mishaps but other wise preferred them for keeping me attached to the bike when things got rough.

Since owning e-bikes I have stuck with Hope F20 flat pedals on the premise clipless wouldn't be ideal on an e-bike . However, the more I grow into how an e-bike performs the more my confidence grows and have found my self riding trails harder and faster than I ever have, sometimes though such is the velocity and speed over rough terrain I have found myself occasionally bouncing off the pedals which leads to a mad struggle to relocate my Five tens back into position !

I am going to give my old DH Mallets a go this week but would like to gauge opinion on the pro's and con's on an e-bike too .

Clipped in since day one! I've ridden with Time ATAC pedals on my last 3-4 bikes and wouldn't dream of not using them. There are times when I can see how it would be nice to have platform pedals but I'm a dedicated clipless guy.

 

[daviddelven]

I ran a hybrid pedal on my Stumpy... the Funn Mamba.
Large flat pedal with spikes on 1 side, and SPD on the other.
Good for being unclipped on runs you’re not sure about. Down side was, you end up trying to figure out which side of the pedal you’re on.
I’m now back on flats, and glad of it... especially in the wet boggy conditions where it’s easy to slip and need a foot down!

I'm considering unscrewing the clip to convert the hybrid pedal into a 100% platform if the conditions for medium-term outings don't require being clipped in.

I don't know if anyone here has already tried this. The holes for screwing in the clip seem to have the same diameter as the grip screws so that it would add four new central fastenings on that side of the pedal."

 

[slickrock]

I used clipless on my road then my gravel. I went to flats on my emtb earlier this year.
Then I tried the magnets. I find it the best of both worlds. My shoes don’t fly off the peddles. I can dab without thinking about it. On an upstroke I still get the power. If I have an accidental release I can quickly return to the position I’m comfortable in. I will never do clipless or flats again. Magnets on the peddles and an plate on spd flats.

Agreed. MagPeds (or others of their ilk) with the strongest magnets and flat cleats are the best of both worlds. Can't really bunnyhop with them unless you have a light emtb, but everything else is good.

 

[Stihldog]

Agreed. MagPeds (or others of their ilk) with the strongest magnets and flat cleats are the best of both worlds. Can't really bunnyhop with them unless you have a light emtb, but everything else is good.

I’ve eventually switched over to Avery Hustle for both my bikes. You’re right about the bunny hop thing. Even though the force is great there is a chance of release.

I will be installing a set of Avery Hustle on a new Fuel EXE so I should be able to get 1” of air time

 

[p3eps]

I'm considering unscrewing the clip to convert the hybrid pedal into a 100% platform if the conditions for medium-term outings don't require being clipped in.

I don't know if anyone here has already tried this. The holes for screwing in the clip seem to have the same diameter as the grip screws so that it would add four new central fastenings on that side of the pedal."

Would you not just be as well swapping the entire pedal to a pair of flats on those days?

 

[Plummet]

Would you not just be as well swapping the entire pedal to a pair of flats on those days?

+1 for that advice. It takes a full 45 seconds to one minute to remove and install pedals.

 

[wenna]

Only times I´m on flats is during freezing cold winters so I can use winter boots (I´m talking -5c and below). Never found good clipless shoes for winter and it´s a hassle to be dealing with shoe covers.
I think a big part of clipless being cold is the fact that you have metal cleats transferring the cold into the shoe (or stealing the heat if you will).

 

[p3eps]

Only times I´m on flats is during freezing cold winters so I can use winter boots (I´m talking -5c and below). Never found good clipless shoes for winter and it´s a hassle to be dealing with shoe covers.
I think a big part of clipless being cold is the fact that you have metal cleats transferring the cold into the shoe (or stealing the heat if you will).

Northwave do a good selection of winter boots for clipless pedals. They all look horrible, but the ones I used to have when clipless were great. Boa’s to close them up, and furry inside!

 

[wenna]

Northwave do a good selection of winter boots for clipless pedals. They all look horrible, but the ones I used to have when clipless were great. Boa’s to close them up, and furry inside!

I have s pair of Northwave Extreme Winter GTX but they're not warm enough for me during winter. But they are good for spring/autumn.