First Look: Ritchey WCS XC Clipless Pedal: Wider & Lower | Bike Self Locking Pedals

Seirus Innovation Heatwave + Ascent Gloves bring some serious heat to your winter outdoor adventures.

Giro Jacket II The Jacket II uses a Vibram Ecostep rubber sole, specifically designed for flat pedals. Claimed weight 415g in size 43. $90 USD.

Despite the general trend for racer types to use clip-in pedals, we’re noticing that more and more everyday trail riders are trying out flat pedals – perhaps after years of using the clip-in variety. Flat pedal users cite the added flexibility as the main advantage of using flats, plus you can easily pop a foot off in the turns if you’ve pushed your talent too far. In theory, flats should also teach better technique – you can’t bunnyhop just by tugging your feet on the pedals to lift the whole bike upwards.

Of course you can’t just get your favorite cyclist a pack of regular old tube socks and call it good; this is cycling, so they have to be special socks—and by special I mean more expensive. Still, even a really sweet pair of cycling socks only costs about as much as two cups of coffee…well, okay, that special coffee that cyclists drink, but even so you’re getting off pretty easy here.

At just 120g/pair these race-day-only pedals are Speedplay’s demonstration that the Zero design can be made extraordinarily light. Speedplay has often displayed superlight bikes at trade shows; these pedals help make bikes like those even lighter.

Mountain bike shoes need to need a fairly stiff insole, particularly those designed for clipless pedals. The FiveTen Hellcats feature a suitably stiff sole — stiffer than one would think just looking at the shoe — but they’re still quite comfortable for hike-a-bike. Power transfer feels great, and nearly on par with a more traditional clipless pedal shoe.

Time says the carbon fairing on the underside toughens the pedal up and also has aero credentials, although I’d suggest any watt savings are likely to be extremely marginal. Time’s patented Iclic engagement system has been improved, and it works by remaining in a looser, more open position when you’ve clipped out, ready for the next time you clip in, making the process seem effortless.

The clipless pedal powerhouse has a challenger, and you can call it a comeback: Flat pedals are back.

The soft padding in the Maltese Falcon makes for a comfortable shoe—more so than a lot of flat-style models—without sacrificing performance. When clipped in to smaller pedals, the sole is stiff enough that it doesn’t flex uncomfortably, and there’s still good power transfer. And on wider, platform pedals, you get the feel of a sticky sole, even in the wet, with the added bonus of being clipped in. Off the bike, the Maltese Falcon has enough flex and grip to walk safely on steep and slippery terrain. In addition to being comfortable, the mesh padding also holds the foot in place to provide a sense of security. The leather upper keeps water and mud out, and the mesh tongue and side panels won’t pinch your foot.

“First introduced in 2012, Hope’s F20 flat pedals have been relatively unchanged in the past five years, with just a tweak to the pin shape changing the tips from slightly rounded, to a much sharper, pointier, hollow design. At 15mm these are among of the thinnest pedals we have on test, but the bodies are good wedges of aluminium with no horizontal cutouts, keeping them suitably tough while the weight sits below 400g…” Read the full review here.

Because they hold your feet in the right place on the pedals and keep them there, clipless pedals are more efficient than regular shoes and flat pedals. They’re also much easier to get out of than the clip and strap pedals enthusiast riders and racers used before the 1980s

Not that I’m in the market for light pedals myself, as I’m quite happy with my SPD’s for commute/CX duties and my Shimano 105 SPD-SL pedals on the road bike. Hard to beat when it comes to performace/durability/cost considerations.