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Yeah, I’m not sure why FiveTen chose to make this style of shoe. I re-read Chris Daniels’ review of the Hellcats from last year, and while he wasn’t quite so harsh in his assessment, his review was pretty lukewarm.

For the industry and retailers, it means that the niche market for kid-sized clipless shoes may all but disappear. On the other hand, it may lead to some new sales of platform pedals and flat shoes to the 12-and-under set.

My understanding of current thinking is that you should not be trying to pull up (damaging to knees being the reason) only "getting your feet out of the way" during the up stroke. You should still be actively kicking forward at the top of the stroke and pulling your foot back at the bottom – these would be sensible reasons why a cleat would seem to be an advantage over flat pedals. Having said that good flat pedals with decent raised grips (the little bolt style ones especially) used with flat rubber-soled shoes are nearly as good for kicking  forward and pulling back.

“If you ask a gaggle of bike journalists to recommend some flat pedals, chances are they’ll say DMR Vaults. That’s because their grip is unparalleled. DMR pioneered high-quality concave pedals around 20 years ago with the V8, originally based around an open mould design, with improved bearings. It has been making refinements ever since; the Vault is DMR’s current flagship pedal…” Read the full review here.

Took to them right out of the box mate: had a decent LBS on standby back then, but never needed them – set cleats’ tension and position on the sole to ‘middling’ and was happy straight off.

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The Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedals are designed for downhill racing or riding with a wider q-factor and a larger platform than the similarly priced Mallet E’s. These aren’t to be limited to DH use though, the supportive pedal is equally at home on regular trails too. The only downsides are the expense (£150), the cleat mechanism is not adjustable and the pins are hard to adjust once clogged with mud. If you like the Crank Brothers cleat mechanism though, are happy to spend some time learning the knack of getting in and out of these pedals and enjoy the benefits of the flat and large platform, you’ll get on like a house on fire with the Mallet DH’s. 

Flat pedals have not yet evolved into the One True flat pedal design, but things have never been better for those of us who ride them. The best pedals in the world turn out to have a zone of fuzzy personal preference around them and, once you find yours, they won’t make you into a riding god by themselves, but they’ll certainly help.

tried every type of clip-in and went flat – never looked back and will never go back. ride fivetens and vaudes with hope f20’s and my favourite crank bros stamps small size. the crank bros never score well in magazine tests (tho usually its the large that get tested) but i’ve found them to be better than the rest. f20’s also robust tho not so grippy but they’re way too expensive to put in the spares bucket. However if flats lose the vote and the pedal police come to confiscate them, i’ll give up the hopes and hide the crank bros in the attic.

Also, at 470 grams they were the heaviest pedals. In use, neither the weight nor thickness affected my ride at all. I was mainly impressed with the smooth bearings, wide platform, and solid ride.

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Unlike more aggressive shoes from FiveTen, the Hellcats don’t feature ankle protection. The upshot is the shoes don’t have all that added weight, and they don’t feel especially hot during summer rides.