Gnar Gnot Gnecessary: Great rides don’t need bluebird skies | Bike Self Locking Pedals

Campagnolo EPS has a similar colour-coded system and the indicator lamp will light up red every five minutes when the battery charge falls below 6%.

Road touring was followed by mountain biking and a career racing in the mud that was as brief as it was unsuccessful.

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.

Watch the video below to learn our mechanic Al’s top tips on clipless pedal installation and removal.

These offer the same knee-friendly rotation that the Xpresso 6 pedals do but with a lighter body they become perfect for any competitive racers for whom every gram counts.

At 333g, these are some of the lightest — and priciest — pedals on the market. A titanium axle helps save 50g (but adds £140/$150) over the less fancy Stamp 7s. Otherwise, they’re more or less the same. 

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.

Also into my third year but with EPS. Haven’t regretted it for a second. Effortless and trouble free gear changing especially when braking. I’m thinking of replacing my touring bike and I hope I can get it fitted with triple electronic shifting.

Angel Mendoza, a Republic social media and breaking-news producer, had by far the most entertaining experience, for everyone but him.

Similarly, when the holidays roll around, you don’t need to spend a fortune to delight the cyclist in your life with a gift. Forget the $2,000 carbon wheelset. Here are a few gifts you can buy with the tiny balance sitting in that Paypal account you forgot you had.

Ride Concepts Traverse The Traverse takes all the goods from the Skyline and adds an ankle strap for on-the-go adjustment. $160

Also into my third year but with EPS. Haven’t regretted it for a second. Effortless and trouble free gear changing especially when braking. I’m thinking of replacing my touring bike and I hope I can get it fitted with triple electronic shifting.