Ask Pinkbike: Back to Flats, Inches of Squish for Enduro, and Pondering the Next Upgrade | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

Specialized 2FO Flat 2.0 Air mesh on the tongue and uppers provides protection, while most of the stitching on the shoe is hidden beneath a protective layer of rubber. Claimed weight 347g in size 42. $150 USD.

The X2 uses the same clip mechanism that differentiates HT pedals from all others on the market. This hybrid mechanism combines a tension bar on the front, like Time, but uses a cage at the back, like Shimano (though the HT cleats won’t work with either system). The result is a feel that straddles the two – engagement is positive, with an audible ‘click’ as the cage snaps down over the back of the cleat, but the rounded tension bar smoothens both entry and release. It’s a really nice balance – like riding a set of quality carbon wheels that are responsive, yet nicely damped on the trail.

Will see how the missus gets on during the summer. She’s sub 60kg and quite a new cyclist, so her experience will be more telling than mine. She’s fast though at clipping in with her Keos, but occassionally she does miss it on first go and lags behind and has to catch up. That random element is worth eliminating, especially buzzing through town as you can get separated through traffic.  

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When pedaling, both offer a great platform with lots of support. The bearings are smooth, and during our testing we have had zero issues with either. The Look uses a needle bearing under the platform of the pedal, and from our experience this leads to very little service or maintenance.

You might get a little bit of occasional chain rub on the chain set because the chain won’t sit quite straight on the chainwheel sometimes, and…

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The wheels felt quite good in the aero sense. Not as fast as my own wheels with 60mm deep rims, but they held high speeds easily. They were laterally stiff. No rubbing or other issues to report (and at 90kg, I tend to induce such behaviour in susceptible wheels).

After a summer of exclusive testing, GearJunkie got a sneak peek at a wild new clipless pedal design for road bikes.

Just wondering how you set up the cleats with the new am9 because I can’t seem to get them to mesh nicely

Racer’s Motion knee pads stand out for two main reasons. They fit my lanky twig-legs and feature full-zip so you can put them on without having to take your shoes off mid-ride. The pads are a good length, have excellent side of knee protection and quality construction. Through summer heat and soaking wet December mud-fests, the pads have stayed put and stayed comfortable. Read the full review.

For winter riding, 45NRTH makes a handful of warm boots that can be used with clipless or flat pedals.https://45nrth.com/products/wolfgar