BUSTING MYTHS IN MOUNTAIN BIKING
Flat pedals win medals?
Loiter at any trailhead long enough and you’ll hear the phrase ‘flat pedals win medals.’ It’s a catchy saying, but is there any truth to it?
While the majority of professional Enduro and Downhill riders use clipless pedals, flats have some distinct advantages. They allow you to take a foot off instantly, you can move your feet to weight the bike more precisely, and you can drop your heels further for stability and braking traction.
In the last twenty years, no name has been more synonymous with flats than Sam Hill. World Cup Downhill rounds and series wins, three World Championships, and his recent three-peat of the Enduro World Series (EWS) overall demonstrate that flat pedals definitely win medals. Hill’s success is an anomaly however, particularly in the world of Enduro.
In Downhill the humble flat pedal is slightly more popular. Connor Fearon rides flats to regular top tens, Brendan Fairclough had his best season in years on flats in 2019, and who can forget Gee Atherton borrowing a local’s FiveTens to win
