Beginner cyclist: tips and advice to get you off to the best start | Bike Self Locking Pedals

No doubt, these are more like a cross-country mountain bike shoe than a road shoe. The 2-bolt SPD compatibility and generous Michelin tread is all the evidence you need there. However, the laced retention, synthetic upper and reflective details are not features you’d typically seek (or find) in a mountain bike shoe.

Similarly, when the holidays roll around, you don’t need to spend a fortune to delight the cyclist in your life with a gift. Forget the $2,000 carbon wheelset. Here are a few gifts you can buy with the tiny balance sitting in that Paypal account you forgot you had.

Thinner bodies reduce weight, place the soles of your shoes closer to the axle, and lower your centre of gravity just a little bit too. A thinner body is also inevitably flatter, which can reduce concavity and grip.

There isn’t a triple option for EPS. In fact I don’t think there’s a triple option for any e-shifting system.

SH-56 – multi-release cleats that allow your shoe to be disengaged by rolling or twisting the foot in any direction and even release with sufficiently hard (and considerable) upward force. Good for beginners and supplied with some pedals.

The video above should help demystify clipless pedals for a beginner like me, or help you clip in faster and more smoothly if you already kind of know how to do it. Here are the key tips to take away:

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Now I couldn’t use anything else. They are just pheneomenal compared to the various Looks I usually use. They need broken in first of all as the spring is super stiff, but once done then it only takes a little force to clip in. Actually finding the insert point is a few weeks of muscle memory (I stuck them on the indoor trainer first which sped this process up).

Two-bolt pedals are usually double-sided. This makes entry very easy; after a very small amount of practice you learn to just stomp on the pedal and away you go.

So they take a long time before you can use them with confidence, they are mechnically delicate (even before you factor in mechanism wear from putting your foot down at lights/walking in them, vs replacing a plastic cleat) and the real advantage – is this a real advantage* – comes when you are pulling away from the lights. [If I am riding my road bike the number of times I stop is pretty small, so marginal benefit of marginally faster engagement - I think I'm pretty good with my Keos - probably not so important for me. YMMV.] This is before you get to the fact that they are quite expensive (because they aren’t very popular so unit volumes not high) and (again because unit volumes not high) finding spares is a pain in the arse. I tried them and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

Underfoot, the broad platform provides a decent amount of lateral support, though it’s not so wide that it’s overly susceptible to rock strikes. The large body also gives you a big target to aim for when you’re scrabbling to get clipped back in.

There’s more to buy if you go for Shimano Di2 or Campagnolo EPS. On top of the shifters, derailleurs and charger, you’ll need a battery and wiring.