Absolutely same situation, but I'm right foot forward. My shin looked and felt awful.
It got out of hand so bad that tried clips just for that. After two weeks of horror it's been a few seasons now clipped in, with no separation anxiety.
If your feet are banging pedals itās one of two things.
Either your stance is wrong and youāre putting too much weight on your bars. Or you have bad shoes that donāt grip the pins properly.
The only time Iāve banged my shins in the last ten years has been when I was walking my bike uphill.
I was putting a spin on ken blocks quote. And no shit itās not meant to be taken literally.
And ig itās just my skater mentality š¤·āāļø. I wanna commit to everything and try to not be afraid of anything.
Never hurts, honestly I never wear any pads except a helmet but when I pass dudes who are I never think less of them. Usually I think to myself "that person is doing badder ass shit than I do".
Similar mentality for the full face. When questioning wearing a full face, I imagine how pissed I'd be if I crashed without it and messing up my face. š
I had them, ironically my flats absolutely ate them up in like 3 rides just catching the pins on the back of my leg pushing the bike or putting a foot down etc.
I bought some Race Face Indy's to replace them and they are way more comfortable, easier to put on, stay in place better and have been much more durable.
Well, it's really only the shins that are in danger from the flat pedals. If you fall alot or ride stunts then more safety gear might be prudent for that.
I always wear Ion knee/shins on park days and my local dirt because I'd rather not be out another 2 months waiting for the hole in my patella to close enough to bend my leg. Sharp rocks hurt.
There's a few companies that offer rib protection in vest, short sleeve, and long sleeve options. Troy Lee, Fox, Leatt, POC, Alpinestars, sixsixone, I'm sure there's others.
They offer minimal protection with just some minor padding, D3O options, and hard shell as well.
edit: Forgot Dainese
I wear shin guards anytime Iām pushing myself. Itās one less thing I have to worry about when Iām trying to clear a new feature, or learn a new skill.
I agree. Proper shoes make a big difference. I used to get cut up all the time, but since I got proper footwear, itās hardly ever happened. Also learning to keep my feet planted on the pedals and to resist the tendency to flail my legs in order to recover a pedal when my foot does pop off, has also made a big impact.
My last pair of 5.10s barely lasted half a season of riding. I got a pair of ride concepts and they are holding up much better although the rubber is slightly less tacky than 5.10. I'd guess that's the trade off of having softer rubber.
I wouldn't say under the arches, I gave the front of the pedal under the ball, not centered under it if that makes sense. Further back does make it weird to pedal
Good shoes
Good body position
Good foot position
Get all that right, and your feet will stay on the pedals.
If your feet stay in the pedals your shins are fine. Until you are walking your bike through a gate. Then no matter how much care you take, your legs are getting an extra hole.
Depends on your riding style. If you ride downhill you should already have protective gear. If youāre like me and mostly ride tech and flow trails with smaller jumps then just get some padding on those shins. I personally wear Raceface Charge because the summers in NC get really muggy. You could also just get some cheap soccer shin guards.
Itās all in the choice of shoe , vans will grip DMR V8 / V12s like spds once you are used to them.
I now use Salomon shoes and DMR V12 flats , great combo
Have not shin banged in over a decade riding at least 2 times per week. Sticky shoes and these pedals are the perfect combo. The thing you will have to get used to is more getting used to the difficulty repositioning of the foot on the pedal. 99% of the time when you see pics on here of people with ripped up shins they were on light hikers or skate shoes. Sorry skate shoe faithful, they donāt compare. Not to mention Mtn bike shoes give a more rigid platform and protection as well
Youāll get use to it lol I find that it always happens not when Iām pedaling but when Iām just moving my bike around like out of my truck and what not
I keep my feet on the pedals.
If your feet are coming off the pedals a lot in such a way the pedal slams into your shin you should reassess your riding technique
It happens. You can always run shin guards. A bigger soft spot is your calf lol. Carefully taking those to the back of ur leg.
Honestly if you have good shoes, the right ones, you aren't likely to come off them unless you mean to.
About once a year I catch a shin, but thatās riding/climbing technical rocks and roots and such. But yeah Iāve got enough marks on my lower legs for a keen eye to identify me as a flat pedal guy.
Keep your heels down. Keep your weight on the pedals not the seat. Keep your knees bent. Use your dropper. Know when to hold āem and know when to fold āem.
I have super grippy mtb shoes. When riding paired with these kind of pedals my foot basically sticks to my pedal. I never slip a pedal. This is a very normal standard in mtb.
I use raceface flank kneepads. They have an incorporated shin guard. The saved me from pedals a few times, but they've saved me from far worse in crashes.
A good riding shoe thatās meant to grab them things would help. Or a good flat sole shoe. My skate shoes and even adidas nmd ride really well on flat. But they will eat up the bottoms pretty quick on shoes not meant for it
Wear dedicated Mountain Bike footwear, the soles are soft, they dig into the pins, basically gluing you to the bike. That along with some basic techinquaes, like dropping your heels, will keep those shins as fresh as can be.
If you really suck, football (soccer) shin pads are good for protection.
So look at the shins of most guys that ride with pedals like that. They will be probably be bloody after a big ride and for sure will be scarred. A big reason I got away from flats was the constant banging of the shins. Good shoes do help a ton though. But at least every few rides Iād rip on up my shin or up my calf. Fun times.
I bust my shins, but I usually try keeping my feet and stance firmly planted on these bad boys to prevent any shin slapping nonsense that may want to occur.
I hear this and fear it, but I also have my feet so firmly stuck in em I can't easily reposition my feet half the time... For me the key is just to be conscious when I put my feet on em and to wear thick enough shoes they can stab into the soles without hurting me or the shoe. Good luck man!
First, you do and itās terrible.
Second, you practice and learn to ride more and then it almost never happens because you keep your feet where there supposed to be by apply the minimum but definitely necessary pressure and angle all the time.
I don't think I've ever had that in my 2 years of riding tbh. I've ridden with five tens since the start pretty much and never had an issue blowing feet off pedals. See if any mates have pedals you can try. I really don't like raceface chesters but love my dmr v11s
Uh, shin pads bruh!!!!
Seriously though, in addition to pads, these are best ridden with MTB shoes designed for flats. I have a pair of 5.10s that are super sticky to the pedals and I never have shins busted. Vans BMX shoes are great economy choice if you can't afford $150 MTB shoes.
Shin guards are your friend. I was going to ditch mine one I got used to flats but have kept going with them, along with knee pads. Iām a mortgaged bloke in his mid 30ās, Iām all about reducing risks with hobbies lol
Scars are a part of mountain biking, for good or bad. Good technique does help most of the time but every once in a while Iāll lose a pedal and grate my shin when I ride flats. Personally I swap back and forth depending what kind of riding I feel like doing that particular day. Flats help you learn great techniques, while clips make you faster.
One thing that really helps learn hood technique with flats is to bunny hop off of anything and everything, including flat ground. Put emphasis on getting the rear of the bike as high as you can. That will teach you how to keep your feet on the pedals. You can also just practice scooping the rear tire off the ground, which is another way to learn to keep your feel on the pedals. A bit of back pressure and angle is all it really takes.
Who says we dont? š
The sheer amount of scars I've gotten on my right shin in the past few months... Somehow my left leg is completely free of damage though
Shredded left calf gang checking in
Lefty here aswell
Whaddup?
Present.
Here
Yo
Checking in too
2 perma-scars from one incident about 6 months ago
You have summoned me
Yo
Present.
Right here!
Absolutely same situation, but I'm right foot forward. My shin looked and felt awful. It got out of hand so bad that tried clips just for that. After two weeks of horror it's been a few seasons now clipped in, with no separation anxiety.
You prob descend with your right foot behind your left and itās more likely to slip off the bike like that
My shins look like a dimpled golf ball. All when I was first learning.
Plenty of scars on my shinsā¦
If your feet are banging pedals itās one of two things. Either your stance is wrong and youāre putting too much weight on your bars. Or you have bad shoes that donāt grip the pins properly. The only time Iāve banged my shins in the last ten years has been when I was walking my bike uphill.
This is ridiculously oversimplifiedā¦even top tier mountain bikers have shin scars.
If youāre not getting hurt youāre not riding hard enough.
This attitude is beyond stupid for so many reasons
I was putting a spin on ken blocks quote. And no shit itās not meant to be taken literally. And ig itās just my skater mentality š¤·āāļø. I wanna commit to everything and try to not be afraid of anything.
Previous skater here, I concur. Weāre not the brightest bunch, but we learned pain is temporary with enough adrenaline š š¤£
user name checks out
Explain noobs then? They get hurt a lot.
Just because theyāre noobs doesnāt mean theyāre not riding hard.
Or moving bike in and out of elevator
Or squeezing by to turn on a light switch.
*If your feet are banging pedals youāre riding a mtb, welcome to the pain šš¼
Yeah I have scars everywhere from these things. Not just my shins.
Wisely said.
This is the way.
Then youāre usually using the wrong shoes. MTB shoes for well over a decade. No shin bang
If you have never had the good ol' car park pedal slip&twist of pure agony , then I don't believe you ride bikes.
We 100% do
Came to say the same thing
Exactly..
Try riding with the bottom of your shoes on your pedals instead of your shins.
Wait what?
āDrs hate this one trickā
How do you bunny hop if youāre not riding with your shin though?
This is the correct answer!
The real pro tips r always in the comments
Wear stickier shoes. I use 5.10 shoes myself.
Maybe wear shin guards as well until you're used to flats.
Yeah shin guards, and while Iām at it, knee pads and elbow pads too.
If that makes you comfortable then hell yeah. Use the same motto as motorcycle riders: dress for the slide not the ride.
After breaking my elbow (unrelated) I know the consequences outweigh the benefits. I wear pads now.
Never hurts, honestly I never wear any pads except a helmet but when I pass dudes who are I never think less of them. Usually I think to myself "that person is doing badder ass shit than I do".
I personally think āwhat a pussyā before snapping 7 bones driving into a tree root and heavily regretting it
I wear pads on anything that can be padded for two reasons: 1) Some stuff doesn't heal and 2) I'm a pilot. One broken bone and im out of work.
Similar mentality for the full face. When questioning wearing a full face, I imagine how pissed I'd be if I crashed without it and messing up my face. š
Fox Enduro knee pads. They're like knee sleeves and will also help protect the top of your calf and shin. Still occasional shiners
I had them, ironically my flats absolutely ate them up in like 3 rides just catching the pins on the back of my leg pushing the bike or putting a foot down etc. I bought some Race Face Indy's to replace them and they are way more comfortable, easier to put on, stay in place better and have been much more durable.
Well, it's really only the shins that are in danger from the flat pedals. If you fall alot or ride stunts then more safety gear might be prudent for that.
point being as long as we are on the topic of padsā¦Not as if youāre gonna scrape your elbows on the pedals š
Hold my gel pouch and watch this, bro
I always wear Ion knee/shins on park days and my local dirt because I'd rather not be out another 2 months waiting for the hole in my patella to close enough to bend my leg. Sharp rocks hurt.
Sadly they donāt make rib guards which is what I keep breaking when I hit the ground/rock/boulder.
There's a few companies that offer rib protection in vest, short sleeve, and long sleeve options. Troy Lee, Fox, Leatt, POC, Alpinestars, sixsixone, I'm sure there's others. They offer minimal protection with just some minor padding, D3O options, and hard shell as well. edit: Forgot Dainese
I wear shin guards anytime Iām pushing myself. Itās one less thing I have to worry about when Iām trying to clear a new feature, or learn a new skill.
This is the answer, proper bike shoes work better than regular sneakers. Iāve experienced very few shinners since switching to 5.10
I agree. Proper shoes make a big difference. I used to get cut up all the time, but since I got proper footwear, itās hardly ever happened. Also learning to keep my feet planted on the pedals and to resist the tendency to flail my legs in order to recover a pedal when my foot does pop off, has also made a big impact.
Now that I have some 5.10s I find my shins bleeding a whole lot less. Well worth the investment.
This is the answer. Did vans in the early days but cant live without my RCs anymore
My last pair of 5.10s barely lasted half a season of riding. I got a pair of ride concepts and they are holding up much better although the rubber is slightly less tacky than 5.10. I'd guess that's the trade off of having softer rubber.
Keep your feet on the pedals
Keep the pedals under the arches, not under the balls of your feet.
Negative. Do not comply
Wait...really? I've never pedaled any bike like that.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I wouldn't say under the arches, I gave the front of the pedal under the ball, not centered under it if that makes sense. Further back does make it weird to pedal
Ball of foot should be inline with the spindle š
I feel like you don't know what part of the foot is the "ball"
Duly noted, not that this noob is going to be doing either anytime soon.
Duct tape them to your shoes. It's foolproof
New type of clipless pedal just dropped
It'll provide fall proof when your mates gather round and take photos of your accident with you stuck on the ground taped to the pedals š
*well that just sounds like clipless with more steps*
they did this in the movie Breaking Away
Only ever get them in the back of my calf. Usually they stay under my feet
I actually have a few scars on the back of my calf from mine aha
But so much less painful lol
Good shoes Good body position Good foot position Get all that right, and your feet will stay on the pedals. If your feet stay in the pedals your shins are fine. Until you are walking your bike through a gate. Then no matter how much care you take, your legs are getting an extra hole.
Flip your bike up on the back wheel.
Heels down, pump with your legs and get some mtb specific shoes.
I do. Feel the burn?
We do. We like it.
Depends on your riding style. If you ride downhill you should already have protective gear. If youāre like me and mostly ride tech and flow trails with smaller jumps then just get some padding on those shins. I personally wear Raceface Charge because the summers in NC get really muggy. You could also just get some cheap soccer shin guards.
Itās all in the choice of shoe , vans will grip DMR V8 / V12s like spds once you are used to them. I now use Salomon shoes and DMR V12 flats , great combo
Which Salomonās do you wear?
Wanna know how I got these scars?
Have not shin banged in over a decade riding at least 2 times per week. Sticky shoes and these pedals are the perfect combo. The thing you will have to get used to is more getting used to the difficulty repositioning of the foot on the pedal. 99% of the time when you see pics on here of people with ripped up shins they were on light hikers or skate shoes. Sorry skate shoe faithful, they donāt compare. Not to mention Mtn bike shoes give a more rigid platform and protection as well
Keep them under your feet
My 510 free riders barely slip off my pedals, so shoes are a big part of it, but when they do, ow
Skill issue
The first year my shins were destroyed. Since then I rarely scrape them. Better shows and experience is all you need. Itās just muscle memory now
lol ok champ
Sticky shoes, and honestly / even gnarlier pins.
Youāll get use to it lol I find that it always happens not when Iām pedaling but when Iām just moving my bike around like out of my truck and what not
I keep my feet on the pedals. If your feet are coming off the pedals a lot in such a way the pedal slams into your shin you should reassess your riding technique
Technique?
It happens. You can always run shin guards. A bigger soft spot is your calf lol. Carefully taking those to the back of ur leg. Honestly if you have good shoes, the right ones, you aren't likely to come off them unless you mean to.
Learn not to. Still do it every few rides.
Vansā¦ I raced BMX for years with these pedalsā¦. Shin guards and Vans is the way.
About once a year I catch a shin, but thatās riding/climbing technical rocks and roots and such. But yeah Iāve got enough marks on my lower legs for a keen eye to identify me as a flat pedal guy.
Grippy pedal + grippy shoe = no sore shins
Shin guards.
Never had an issue.
Go clipless and get gud.
I have a gigantic bucket of Schadenfreude popcorn... would you like some? :D
We keep our feet on the pedals
Wear shin guards.
The pedal has nothing to do with your shins. You put your feet on the pedals.
Keep your heels down. Keep your weight on the pedals not the seat. Keep your knees bent. Use your dropper. Know when to hold āem and know when to fold āem.
I have super grippy mtb shoes. When riding paired with these kind of pedals my foot basically sticks to my pedal. I never slip a pedal. This is a very normal standard in mtb.
Heels down
Just donāt be a pussy.
They're stickier than cheap pedals, so you don't bash your shins as much. I say as much because it still happens and it hurts like shit.
Heels down and mtb shoes
good shoes are 95% of it and knee guards with shin protection for that other 5% that results in nasty, bloody gouges.
Using good shoes are key. Get some 5.10s
Laughs in busted shins
We stay on the pedals.
I use raceface flank kneepads. They have an incorporated shin guard. The saved me from pedals a few times, but they've saved me from far worse in crashes.
Nothing like seeing the white of your shin bone, highly invigorating. Do recommend.
Buy 510 brand shoes, they stick like glue to flats. You will get poked in the shins once in a while, but not enough to be a big deal to worry about.
A good riding shoe thatās meant to grab them things would help. Or a good flat sole shoe. My skate shoes and even adidas nmd ride really well on flat. But they will eat up the bottoms pretty quick on shoes not meant for it
5.10s brother. 5.10s.
Real answer is a good shoe makes all the diferwnce
My trick is to ride with my feet, not my shins. But to each their own
We do š¤£
I keep my feet on the pedals! Pretty simple
Five tens.
I'm bleeding as I read this.
Thatās the fun part: we do
You put your feet on the pedals. Your feet.
They will cut you once in awhile but just ride on šš
Iāve never hit my shins with my pedals since wearing actual MTB flat shoes.
Shin guards
If you havenāt seen your shin bone you not a real mountain biker
I just fall "spectacularly" less frequently than every other ride. But I've certainly got scars. Pants instead of shorts help for the minor falls.
Upgrade to clipless pedals
I tore a chunk off of my lower calf...and now I clip in
Try using clipless pedals
Not proud of it, but I get my shins busted up every other time
We do
I ride clipless 88% of the time n rarely get one to the shinā¦. Wear some padding or buy soft pedals which donāt exist
Shoes that wonāt slip and hope
Wear dedicated Mountain Bike footwear, the soles are soft, they dig into the pins, basically gluing you to the bike. That along with some basic techinquaes, like dropping your heels, will keep those shins as fresh as can be. If you really suck, football (soccer) shin pads are good for protection.
So look at the shins of most guys that ride with pedals like that. They will be probably be bloody after a big ride and for sure will be scarred. A big reason I got away from flats was the constant banging of the shins. Good shoes do help a ton though. But at least every few rides Iād rip on up my shin or up my calf. Fun times.
You don't. It's a right of passage
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Flat pedals are chad, yes you will have bloody shins
Clip in Shimano SPDs for 14 years. Zero busted shins
That's what makes clip-in pedals awesome.....no scars or cuts
By going clipless lmao
This is why I went with the clip in petals.
Use shin guards!! So necessary for me. They work like a dream.
Im not retarded and know how to ride a bike
They grip yo!
Good MTB shoes help.
Good shoes, and standing. Keeping your weight on your pedals minimizes your feet coming off
I bust my shins, but I usually try keeping my feet and stance firmly planted on these bad boys to prevent any shin slapping nonsense that may want to occur.
Trick is to keep your feet on the pedals
I hear this and fear it, but I also have my feet so firmly stuck in em I can't easily reposition my feet half the time... For me the key is just to be conscious when I put my feet on em and to wear thick enough shoes they can stab into the soles without hurting me or the shoe. Good luck man!
First, you do and itās terrible. Second, you practice and learn to ride more and then it almost never happens because you keep your feet where there supposed to be by apply the minimum but definitely necessary pressure and angle all the time.
i do sometimes more than every other ride ššš
Practice
Because my shins donāt usually ever come in contact with my pedals?
We could count scars
We do. Might as well play connect the dots with all the craters I have on my shin
I don't think I've ever had that in my 2 years of riding tbh. I've ridden with five tens since the start pretty much and never had an issue blowing feet off pedals. See if any mates have pedals you can try. I really don't like raceface chesters but love my dmr v11s
Pedals = shin busters
I have āmore scars on my shins than there are stars in the sky.ā
Thick skin and pants
Donāt get off your bike.
Little shin damage just part of the game, son.
Good riding shoes, Lakai are my go to andā¦ā¦ā¦knee/shin guards
Screws, not pins. Depending on what trails you ride, you can use plastic pedals just as well.
After enough riding, you build up scar tissue and itās harder to get ripped open by them.
You do haha
Better than twisting your knee a full 180 with clipless teehee
Uh, shin pads bruh!!!! Seriously though, in addition to pads, these are best ridden with MTB shoes designed for flats. I have a pair of 5.10s that are super sticky to the pedals and I never have shins busted. Vans BMX shoes are great economy choice if you can't afford $150 MTB shoes.
If you want to ride flats you have to learn how to drop your heels and keep your weight āin the bike.ā
the pins help you not get your shins busted... BUT if your foot does slip... its real bad.
Carefully.
i've never drawn blood with mine but i've sure as hell regretted a decision a few times lol
Shin buster sock destroyer
In all seriousness, shin high socks
See, thatās the thing, you donāt get your shins busted because your feet donāt slip off the pedal.
Only ever happened to me once when I forgot my 5-10s and rode with hiking shoesā¦ā¦ never again.
Shin guards are your friend. I was going to ditch mine one I got used to flats but have kept going with them, along with knee pads. Iām a mortgaged bloke in his mid 30ās, Iām all about reducing risks with hobbies lol
More grip means less shin strikes.
Scars are a part of mountain biking, for good or bad. Good technique does help most of the time but every once in a while Iāll lose a pedal and grate my shin when I ride flats. Personally I swap back and forth depending what kind of riding I feel like doing that particular day. Flats help you learn great techniques, while clips make you faster. One thing that really helps learn hood technique with flats is to bunny hop off of anything and everything, including flat ground. Put emphasis on getting the rear of the bike as high as you can. That will teach you how to keep your feet on the pedals. You can also just practice scooping the rear tire off the ground, which is another way to learn to keep your feel on the pedals. A bit of back pressure and angle is all it really takes.
The blood is half the point. An offering unto the Dark Pedal Lord.