A cycling jacket that turns into a sleeping bag? Whatever next? | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

Manufactured from big hunks of forged alloy, the XT flats get a very robust platform for stomping your foot down onto. The body is hollowed out through the middle for mud-shedding, and chiselled around its perimeter to reduce weight. Chamfered edges aim to help the pedal slide off of rocks rather than jam onto them, though the angle of these chamfers isn’t as obvious as what you’d find on say, a DMR Vault.

Another special feature of the Vertic Trail pedal is the selectable Q-Factor (distance from the centre of the pedal to the outer face of the crank arm) of 52.5mm or 58.5mm. A larger Q-Factor provides a wider stance over the bike, with more free space so you don’t, for example, rub the beautiful paint on the chainstays. To an extent, a wider Q-Factor can also give you more stability on the bike too – kind of like running wider handlebars.

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Herrigstad has joined what he and others perceive is a trend of increased e-bikes usage, for commuting as well as recreational use.

A sleeve bushing and cartridge bearing keep the chromoly axles running smoothly. Funn claims this configuration allows easy servicing, but my set still feel as good as they did the day I fitted them, despite two months’ use in atrocious conditions.

As the first clip-in pedal to wear the coveted Saint name, the Saint uses a fixed mechanism that allows it to take a thinner 20.5mm profile, with a robust construction that’s designed to see off plenty of whacks and scrapes. The classic dual-sided SPD mechanism remains, and so do the twin-bolt cleats with their 4° of float. Tension is adjusted via a 3mm hex key, and each side gets removable traction pins.

Roadies are a finicky bunch, however, and so the A600 has only been modestly successful from a commercial standpoint. Shimano hasn’t even bothered to update it since it debuted eight years ago. However, the rise of gravel riding has brought the idea back to the forefront since two-bolt pedals and walkable shoes are much friendlier in that environment than any of the usual road options.

Beloved by Carradice-toting touring types and seemingly every other Northern European cycle tourist, lovers of the SPD sandal delight in telling you how they are the pinnacle of cycling footwear design — unlimited airflow, unrivalled comfort and dodgy tan lines are among the many supposed virtues of the open-toed life.

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Like you say, can take a little bit of wearing in to get rid of the stiffness, but get her on the turbo and at some point this will sound less like euphemism and more like shared experience

However, this can’t be achieved with a simple adjustment — it requires different cleats altogether. Lohmeyer said once scaled to production, riders will choose either adjustable-float cleats or no-float cleats.

We tried a similar update to the “bar pedal” design years ago. While that proved extremely light, we had trouble clipping reliably. The Pitbull update, however, excelled in ease of use thanks to its large clip-in surface. This comes with a few extra ounces, but Lohmeyer isn’t aiming at a Tour-ready pedal with this system.