I rarely have trouble with bashing my shins on the pedals because I ride clipped in, and SPD’s don’t havesharp edges. I recently set up a mountain bike for my girlfriend with RaceFace Affect flat pedals since shes not ready to ride clipped in. She’s having fun, but the other day we were practicing riding down stairs in the park, when she tried riding back up the stairs. She stalled and ended up gouging up her shins on the pins of the pedals. A lot of our local trails have very rocky technical climbs similar to stairs, where you can stall out. She likes the grippyness of the pedals, but the fear of adding more and more scars to her legs is holding her her back.
Are there any good flat pedal options out there that offer good grip, without destroying your shins? I tried out some plastic Odyssey pedals with molded-in pins and her feet slip off them too easily.