Beginner’s guide to cycling shoes — the secrets of comfy feet | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

“Taiwanese company Wellgo tend not to be the first name off someone’s lips when you ask a mountain biker about pedals, but they are in fact the worlds largest manufacturer of them. Of course, much of that is through OEM sales, but they also have a large array of budget, after market components. The rather unromantically named B144 flat pedals…” Read the full review here.

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As CXR94Di2 has demonstrated and I can confirm that road shifters do work with the XT mechs, but as I said you must use front and rear. I took my advice from CXR94Di2

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.

Yeah I guess within the garment industry it is an extreme guarantee but it’s one that a lot, if not most, cycling companies offer. It’s actually a…

No. I was confident with them on the first time I took them onto the road. When I said I hated them for a few weeks I simply meant that the first few times I stuck them on the trainer to play around with them the spring was stiff. Nothing more, nothing less. I was exaggerating anyway, I didn’t actually hate them. Confidence however will vary with any pedal system depending on the person, so it’s irrational to try and argue that ‘it takes a long time before you can use them with confidence’. My confidence on the road has increased since I bought them – my final bugbear on the bike was being able to clip in and out without thought, as hard or as fast as I wanted. And I’ve solved that, for 80 quid. 

Five Ten Freerider Pro “Freerider Pro touts superior toe protection and is quicker drying than its predecessor and utilizes a fully dotty Stealth® S1™outsole for proven grip and durability.” Claimed weight 289g. $150 USD.

You’re held firmly in place against an upwards exit, but only very slight pressure down and sideways is necessary to get you out, and the pivoting pedal body inside the plastic surround makes it very easy to get in too. They come with Shimano Multi-release cleats, which make things even easier.

It’s not often I get a product that’s so laissez-faire in its ways that I struggle to find a specific purpose for it. And this isn’t a bad thing — the XC5 proved to be a reliable (and comfortable) choice for just about any bike-related adventure.

So the dealer didn’t tell you cost of replacement parts was high? That info is at the consumer’s fingertips. If it is a deal breaker then perhaps the consumer really can’t afford electronic shifting and should avoid it. There is a hierarchy amongst groupsets – the top end ones cost more to buy and thus more to get replacement parts for. Shock horror.

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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).