Beginner’s guide to cycling shoes — the secrets of comfy feet | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

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.

Everything required was in the box: two wheels, two tyres, two valve stems, two tyre levers, one valve-core remover and one bottle of tyre sealant.

The Keo Blade features a solid carbon fibre leaf spring that snaps the rear jaw of the pedal shut on the cleat. In the event of a direct impact, though, this spring (or the surrounding material) can break.

One thing to note is it’s probably easier to have it on a frame without a fixed front mech braze on, the XT mech has a specific band on mount, so would suite you if you went to a titanium frame

Having tested the Speciales all summer and early autumn, I haven’t encountered enough mud to comment on how well they cope with dirt. That said, Time pedals usually perform well in grotty conditions, which bodes well for these.

The key thing to remember about pedals is that the left and right ones are threaded differently. The right pedal has a normal thread, so that you tighten it by turning the pedal spindle clockwise in the crank arm. The left pedal has a reverse thread, so that you tighten it anticlockwise. This is so that it doesn’t tend to unscrew when you’re riding.

You might think flat pedals are a solved problem, but the answer is ‘not quite’. In mountain biking and BMX history, flat pedal design has zeroed in on a couple of distinct pedal shapes, but is still evolving. Let me take you through a few bits of terminology and engineering.

The main difference where flat shoes are concerned is in the grippiness of the sole and the lack of cleat recess of course! This varies from manufacturer to manufacturer with the gold star award usually going to FiveTen. The soles are generally more flexible and allow more ‘feel’ on the pedals but not so much that they offer less support or are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Some riders so say that it is possible to have a shoe that is too grippy, meaning they can’t move about on the pedals if they need to mid trail. We like a pair of FiveTens with these HT PA03 or Bontrager Line Pro pedals best.

Time’s retention system is courtesy of a carbon blade as opposed to a spring as found in most clipless pedals, and this has three adjustment settings to alter the tension. The cleat has a standard three-bolt formation, and Time told me at the launch that it’s been toughened up after some reports of the previous versions wearing out a little too fast. I’d concur with this: after a long test period, they’re still pretty much intact after lots of heavy use and inadvisable, awkward cleat-walking. Speaking of which, they’re not even that awkward to walk in because the surface area of the cleat is pretty large, so they’re quite cafe stop friendly. They’re left/right-specific, but switching them around actually gives you a slightly wider stance, if you prefer some extra Q factor (the width between your pedals).

“Heiruspecs is an unusual name for a flat pedal, as it seems to be entirely derived from a Minnesota hip hop band. What these pedals have to do with hip hop, I don’t know, but 45NRTH do also come from the same US state, and they get plenty of snow there, which these pedals are specifically designed for. Bearing that in mind, I gave the pedals a little…” Read the full review here.

Nobody in their right mind assumes that batteries last forever, so they would assume that the battery(ies) would drain during use and at some point they risk getting a flat battery on a ride. Wouldn’t this be one of the first things you looked into if contemplating getting electronic shifting? How long do batteries last, how do I tell what charge they have remaining, how far can I get if charge is running low and how long do they take to charge up? Oh, and what happens if I have a flat battery (is there a backup/ reserve?)

Specialized 2FO Flat 2.0 At 347g for a size 42, the Flat 2.0 are on the lighter side of the flat pedal party. $150 USD.