BEN’S VITUS ESCARPE 29 CRS
MONTH 9: Foot out, flat out? Not quite! Ben makes the switch to flat pedals in pursuit of clearance
£2,699.99 / 29in / vitusbikes.com
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Last month’s cliffhanger was that I was going to switch to flat pedals for the rest of this longterm test. Basically, I wanted to see if it made any difference to the clearance issues I’ve been having: calves hitting on the shock linkage, heels rubbing on the stays.
Well it seems that the wider stance that flat pedals typically offer has made all the difference as I haven’t noticed any more strange knocks or rubbing. It’s also been great to be on flat pedals again and I wonder why I bothered with clips in the first place. The annoyance of trying to get clipped in before dropping in has gone and the freedom to move my feet around on the pedals really makes sense to me. Yes, my roadie tendencies still suggest that I’m better off clipped in on the climbs but I’m not racing anyone off-road so who cares? Also, I’m sure clipping in makes me ride stiffer, too.
It’s not all plain sailing, though. Blasting into bumpy corners or braking hard into braking bumps, I need to remind myself to really drop my heels and pivot at the hips and let the suspension in my ankles, as well as the bike, do the work. I’ve also noticed that the suspension felt a bit firm. It’s nothing to do with having switched pedals, I’ve just lost a little bit of lockdown weight, so 10 minutes with the shock pump was time well spent.
WHY IT’S HERE Ben tried going big, then going fast, now he just wants a trail bike