Should I go clipless? My bike is a Giant Reign, and I ride in the UK. I like going to local gravity parks and trail centres and my local tracks are mainly downhill orientated but I also like to get out on longer rides. I'm currently running some cheap pedals off an old XC bike and am using skate shoes. When the terrain gets even remotely rough, my feet are all over the place and it's doing my head in. Obviously I need to invest in some better pedals and shoes, however I'm not sure whether to take the hit and go clipless straight away or to get some decent flats n proper shoes then revisit the clipless question further down the line. Any recommendations?

Being clipped in makes it slower to get your feet off the pedals, in situations where you might want to dab on the ground. Its still possible, but you have to anticipate the need more.

On the other hand, being attached to the bike lets you move it around when in the air, so preparing for a landing.

Toe clips on the pedals are stupid and you should avoid them - they have a bad habit of catching things if your foot is not in them properly.

The other option is pedals with little grip teeth and shoes that have a suitable tread pattern. Personally I've never ridden with these.

Sadly noone can tell you what will work best for you. If you have a friend with pedals you'd like to try, ask to borrow their bike for a ride. Or swapping pedals is relatively easy and only requires one tool. Most bikes have a 9/16" thread and a pedal swap takes ~5 minutes. Or buy some cheap ones on ebay for a test. You can always sell them onwards if you don't like them.