Conor McGregor training on a road bike for UFC 229 with Attaquer and FiftyOne Bikes | Spd Pedals

In 1990, Shimano introduced its SPD (Shimano Pedalling Dynamics) design. A smaller metal cleat is mounted to the shoe with two bolts, and fits in a recess in the sole. The recessed cleat makes it easier to walk in SPD shoes, and helps guide the cleat into the mechanism, making it easier to clip in.

15 of the best 2018 & 2019 road bikes under £1,000 — top choices at Cycle To Work scheme prices

Some in the BMX world say the ruling may reduce the cost for new entrants to the sport. Although clipless pedals have never been required, their widespread use may create the impression that they are necessary to be competitive.

“Through our work, we’ve seen e-bikes break down barriers for cycling,” MacArthur said. “Particularly people of working age … people (interviewed in the survey) who commuted by e-bike were commuting up to an average of 9 miles. Before e-bikes, 5 miles had been arbitrary wall to cycling for commuters.”

Beginner riders and those looking to hone their MTB skills are returning to old-school flat pedals with lots of new options on the market.

Sixpack Racing is known for its high-quality flat pedals, but earlier this year it released the affordably-priced Vertic Trail pedal to cater for clip-in riders too. We got a set out to Julia Hobson – an experienced mountain bike guide who churns out the miles riding technical, high alpine singletrack – to see how the Vertic pedals fared. Over to Julia!

But I admit to liking the casual style and all-day comfort they offer, and they’re nice for sightseeing, gravel riding, commuting and the occasional play on the mountain bike, too. The XC5’s long laces (on the smaller sizes) are my biggest complaint of these shoes and, frankly, a simple oversight on Shimano’s part. Assuming the XC5s tick the boxes of what you’re after, they’re cheap enough to allow room in the budget for new laces.

None of this is to say that I’m above putting on unsophisticated music in order to psyche myself up for a ride; in fact, I was listening to Carcass while wrangling myself into a pair of bib shorts as recently as two weeks ago. And while you may now not be able to unsee that horrendous image, at least I had the decency to do it in the privacy of my own home.

Tubeless provides perhaps the best of all choices in every regard. They have lower rolling resistance than even great clinchers (thanks to the lack of hysteresis between the tube and tyre found in clinchers). With sealant inside, they can repair small- to medium-sized punctures as you ride (sometimes you won’t even know you got a puncture).

Sounds like a bit of creative accounting occurred before the sale, with a load of “assets” now written off

flats all the way for me. I’ve tried clipped in and just cannot get used to it, I like the freedom of being able to move around that flats give.

That’s not my experience: when clean and in decent condition,  I find they’re solid even with quick or sturdy upstrokes on hills, and that they need a bit of a ‘flick’ to disengage, which suits me fine.