Flats or clipless pedals—which really help your MTB skills, confidence, and progression? We break down the real benefits of flat pedals vs clip-in pedals, plus introduce the MTB Yearbook of Stoke—a simple way to zoom out, track your wins, and remember just how capable you really are.

This episode of the Ride and Laugh MTB Podcast dives into traction techniques for snow, rain, and bad conditions, confidence after mistakes, pedal panic on downhills, enduro shoes, knee & elbow pads, and how Pro Downhill Racers choose flats or clips for speed and control. We also talk mindset, releasing expectations, writing down ride wins, MTB as therapy, and why flow on the bike leads to flow in life.

We wanna know! Flats or clipless—and why? Also, do you track your ride wins, or should you start your own MTB Yearbook of Stoke? Join the conversation and leave your comments below or email us at rideandlaugh1@gmail.com. 

MTB Gratitude of the Week:

Sage: Keswick Cycles & Mark - Sage is grateful for the awesome crew at Keswick Cycles Paoli. While struggling to mount a notoriously difficult fat bike tire, Mark from VeloFix just happened to stop by (he used to work at Keswick). Seeing Sage and Mike battling the tire, Mark jumped in and had it mounted in no time. A perfect reminder of how great bike shops—and great bike mechanics—really are.
Keswick Cycles Paoli - https://www.instagram.com/keswickcycle.paoli
Velofix - https://www.instagram.com/velofix

Dan: Family - Dan’s mom recently visited from Pennsylvania, and he’s incredibly grateful for the support she—and his entire family—give him in mountain biking and in life. Having family behind what you love makes everything better.

MTB Tip of the Week:

Sage swears by chemical toe warmers—not just in his shoes, but in his gloves too. Even though they’re called toe warmers, he prefers them over hand warmers because they’re thinner and have a mild adhesive, making them easy to stick to the top of your glove. Simple, warm, and effective.
Hot Hands Toe Warmers https://amzn.to/4ajD8py (Affiliate Link)

Featured Riders:

AJ - https://www.instagram.com/aj_mtbrealtor
Jeremy Sheehan - https://www.instagram.com/jeremysheehan
Dangerous Dave - https://www.instagram.com/ddangerousddave
VanCan - https://www.instagram.com/vancanmtb 

Additional Links:

Ride Concepts - https://www.instagram.com/ridecncpts
"Cased" MTB Pads - https://www.instagram.com/ridecased 
G-Form Pads - https://www.instagram.com/gformofficial 
Troy Lee Designs - https://www.instagram.com/tld_bike
Fox Union https://amzn.to/3NJgnmf (Affiliate Link)
Shimano Pedals https://amzn.to/4bofaui (Affiliate Link)

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/AwCIS86k21k

The Ride and Laugh MTB podcast is hosted by Dan @the_ride_abides and Sage @TrailSage.  Join us as we discuss all things mountain biking!  Riding technique, MTB gear, bikes, nutrition, fitness, mindset and more! Feel the gratitude. Flow on the trails, Flow in life!  Please enjoy the content then like and subscribe.  Join the Ride & Laugh community in the comments and/or rideandlaugh1@gmail.com.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through the above links. Commissions earned through the Amazon Affiliate links help support this channel's content creation. Thank you!

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