Just curious as to your thoughts.
But, can a pedal be too grippy?
This relates to pedals with metal pins.
It’s probably a matter of personal preference. Personally I like having pedals that my feet won’t move on, however it is probably helpful to be able to move your feet on the pedals, just to get your feet in the right place. I just take a moment to get my feet in the right place when mounting. Although even with pinned pedals if you ake a bit of weight of your foot at the top of the rotation it is possible to move your foot a bit, although that might be due to my trainers which really could do with replacing. They have very smooth soles at the moment.
John
I think certain pedal/shoe combinations can be too grippy.
I just got my first pair of Wellgo pedals two weeks ago, I have been riding with my NewBalance running shoes and it is sometimes difficult to re-position my foot once on the pedal. The aggressive tread really grabs on those pins well. When I need to re-position it can take me several rotations to get it right right, I think that is because on trail riding I keep more pressure on the pedals than when street riding.
I like the grippy pedals, but now I am looking for better shoes, possible the Duallys mentioned in the Shoe Wear thread.
I constantly twisted to the right on my uni with Miyata cross pedals (These are plastic, not metal, though). After some time I noticed that the pedals where much more grippy than I was used from my freestyle uni, and that I simply had to move my feet on the pedal if I started to twist.
So, my personal answer is: yes, pedals can be too grippy.
My Dk Iron Crosses Approach this point. They are the quite grippy. So much in fact that I have fallen and 1 foot is still stuck to the pedal. That made for an interesting fall somehow my right arm eneded up hitting my right pedal and I got scratched kinda good. I’m not sure how it ended up all the way down there.
I personally love how grippy my pedals are though as long as they dont lock your foot to the pedal I say thats good. When your doing Muni and Trials there’s nothing worse than not being able to do something because your foot is sliding all over the place. Positioning your foot can be a bit of a pain at first, you have to think about moving it at the top of your pedal stroke with the DK’s But once you find your pedals how you like it they stay put with no questions asked.
The only pedals that are too crippy your clipped into.
For muni riding in general, I don’t think you can have too much grip. However, on a recent ride I took, my pedals and shoes were caked with a very “sticky” sort of mud and I couldn’t get as much traction. Yes, i wasn’t wearing the greatest shoes anyway, but… It’s all about the shoes.
I find that grippy pedals give me more useable torque on hills and in mud. Until I put some decent pedals on my MUni, I didn’t realise how much energy I was wasting just trying to keep my feet on the pedals.
However, on long rides on the road and gentle trails, I find that my knees hurt more if I’m using the pinned pedals. This feels like it’s because my foot stays in exactly the same position, rather than moving about a bit from time to time. So I prefer non-grippy pedals for long trips, and grippy pedals for harder MUni.
In between, there is the problem of moving the feet for different effects - pedalling with the instep is better for certain things, like riding down steep hills. My style involves repositioning my feet quite often, and pinned pedals can present problems.
No.
That is, as long as you can still lift your foot off. As somebody mentioned, a clipped, clipless, or totally glued-to-the pedal situation would be bad.
But I’ve never experienced a pedal that was too grippy. On the other hand, I have had many experiences with pedals that weren’t grippy enough.
But even I will balance grippiness with safety. Those Brooklyn-made tenderizer pedals look real cool, but I don’t want to get whacked by them, even once. Ow!
Get a pedal with a flat surface (not concave) and pins in it, and then concentrate on your shoes. I wear turf shoes, and get a great grip. With this combination I have never been unable to adjust my feet on the pedals either. You simply twist your foot, and if necessary tilt it slightly to lift one edge or the other. No problem to do while riding, though it may take a bit of practice.
Can pedals be too grippy?
Rod,
I am currently conducting top-secret, independent research for the military into the feasibility of velcro-equipped pedals.
This may lead to a revolution in “clipless” pedal technology for the civilian cycling community by as early as the end of the decade.
Initial successes in this research also suggest the possiblity of an entirely unforeseen tangential technological advance: UPD-less saddles!
Hang on for more gripping updates!
I’m inclined to reposition as application dictates- my Welgo B-27’s (?) have those cleates that take a core sample on impact (tubular) and are way gripyer than the Od. Twisted Pro cleats that I’m used to; It’s difficult to scrunge the foot around casually to repostion. They (B-27’s) will not release hold with even the slightes lateral pressure- nifty on climbs, but a bit of a pain when ready to bail and require a concious effort for some actions that otherwise would be reflexive. So for me -yes, there can be too much grip.
-Christopher
Holy smokes Block 8 pedals and airwalks are like wearing SPDs!!! i don’t think a pedal can get too grippy… it may feel really grippy at first but you get used to it, (grippy pedals also like the taste of shoe)
I wonder. There’s That Dude -the Dude with the clips on all his cycles -including giraffe and big-wheel- who swares by them (sorry, Dude- but your name slips my head). May not be for everybody- or most of ‘us’ -but I don’t think clips should be totaly discounted. They would most likely be BAD for me… but perhaps not for some other crazy bloke. 
-Christopher
‘Dude’ is not normal!
That is, he’s definitely not the average unicyclist. It is the rare rider who has continued to use toeclips for any extended period of time. His style of riding apparently works, for him, with the clips.
But nearly everybody I’ve ever known who tried them, stopped using them a relatively short time later. I think ‘Dude’s’ riding style is fairly gentle, without too much of the types of surprises that would lead to sudden needs to dismount.
It seems that where this thread is leading is a general consensus that lots of grip is good, though extreme amounts of grip are too much for some people. Some haven’t yet experienced extreme amounts of grip, perhaps, while others have yet to reach a level of grip that makes them uncomfortable.
But in the vast majority, clipped or clipless systems are not recommended for unicycles.
The Dude’s handle is “entertainer” and the giraffes with toe clips are pictured in this thread. He also has a cool looking Coker with toe clips pictured in this other thread.
I find that you can never have too grippy pedals. I find the grippier, the better.
-Ryan
I’ve never had my riding style described as “gentle”, especially by someone that has never ridden with me (!). My toe clips aren’t tight, to actually allow for some minor foot movement/adjustment while pedaling. When a UPD presents itself, I am able to remove my feet from the pedals without any problem.
Mike
Let’s rectify that- come on down and ride with the MUC in Memphis; better yet, I’d like to convince the MUC to field-trip over to Nashville and ride the steps around the capital- would be a blast. Are you anywhere near the Parthanon?
-Christopher