5 arch supports and why your cycling feet need them | Bike Flat Pedals

Some of us were pleasantly surprised. So much so that a few said that they may make a carless commute part of their weekly routine. For others, the cost and time time just wasn’t worth it.

“I’ve been toying with the idea of switching to Time, but still currently prefer Shimano. Time offer smoother float and a lower weight. And the cheap Time pedals are pretty damned good. But I’m not switching until I know the bearings are sufficiently durable.”

The biggest difference between the two when it comes to pedaling is the float. The Time has the added float laterally, and your foot feels like it is pivoting from the center of the cleat. The Look’s float is all in the rear as it pivots off the front-cleat contact point. This difference doesn’t seem like much, but they each offer a very different and unique outcome.

But the pedals aren’t entirely different from other road options. Unclipping was the same as any other system I’ve used: A quick flick of the heel released my foot.

Or just buy a shoe from their RT range which are road shoes with smooth ‘touring’ soles. I have RT82s currently. They use the same last as my XC mtb shoes so it’s an easy swap and I know I’m comfortable in either.

A surprisingly good all around tire. Looking at the tread pattern I had these initially pegged for mud duty, but they’ve performed surprisingly well on mixed surfaces. A closer inspection shows a consistent line of center knobs that roll surprisingly well on hard ground, making this a great choice for gravel racing and cyclocross where you’re hopping between different surfaces.

Finally, FiveTen has done a good job with the cleat recess on the Hellcats. Walking across concrete in a pair of clipless mountain bike pedals tends to sound like a tap-dance routine, but I find the Hellcats to be quite stealthy. That’s because the cleats — at least the Crankbrothers ones I run — are at precisely the same level as the sole (or maybe just a hair lower).

One of the other advantages of clipless pedals is that you can get more power out of your legs by being able to pull up on the pedal stroke in addition to pushing down however, this highlights the disadvantage of multi-release cleats since if you pulled up on these your foot would come out of the pedal. 

Agree, I use these for all my riding and find involuntary unclips are exceedingly rare. They really are a cake and eat it solution, you get the advantages of clipless with no risk of getting it wrong and going splat.

Granted, I wear a big shoe with a long toe box, so I suppose not everyone will experience this. Also, not everyone unclips the same way; I tend to rotate my heel out, but I know Leah rotates hers in, so she probably wouldn’t experience this issue. My solution is to unclip in the 12 o’clock position which places the crankarm out of the way. Still, I’ve had many close calls when I found myself unable to quickly unclip in my usual manner.

Going to unbox the missus’ set soon and try lubing the spring and see if it’s easier from the get-go (took me a while to pick up that tip). 

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