Look Keo Blade versus Time Xpresso pedals | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

You can of course adjust the grip levels by mixing and matching the short and long pins, but I just went full-length all round for maximum grip. And boy are these pedals grippy! Combined with the large platform and the concave shape, the steel pins hold onto your shoes with vicious traction, providing plenty of small edges to bite into soft shoe soles. The DMR Vaults are known for being one of the grippiest out there, but I’d say these XT pedals are at least on par with the Vaults.

One of the other advantages of clipless pedals is that you can get more power out of your legs by being able to pull up on the pedal stroke in addition to pushing down 

The newer Speedplay Aero Walkable cleat has taken the pedal system from being horrible to walk with, to one that’s pretty decent.

It is an uneccessary luxury, but I can atest to the ease of use with cold tired hands, and the hydraulic disc brakes are one finger operation from the hoods. The only changes I have made to the standard setup was to put a closer ratio cassette on so I have more choice of gears in my preferred cadence range.

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.

With a closed toe, the perforated synthetic leather upper is breathable, but not at all breezy. Arguably this is nice to keep your toes dry through stream crossings and puddles, but you’ll quickly get clammy socks on a hot summer’s day.

Any recommendations for a flat pedal winter show. I’ve heard that the Five Ten Freerider High Top is a good show for winter riding but it’s out of stock everywhere in most sizes and Adidas told me they won’t have more until Fall 2019. Wow, they are obviously a customer-centric business… NOT!

I’ve been testing them for many months, through the winter and into the summer, with riding that has included cyclocross, mountain bike and gravel riding. They’ve stood up to everything I’ve thrown at them exceedingly well. The upper material cleans up after muddy rides really well and they dry out quickly too. They’re not the airiest of XC shoes for the higher temps we’re dealing with at the time of writing though.

Ostensibly, this allows riders to engage more naturally, pushing the foot forward with the pedal stroke and engaging at the same time.

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.

Look clearly you’re ranting and couldn’t get to grips with them, which is fair enough. But what’s problematic is that if someone else has a positive experience with them, you try to contort their experience into a negative. That’s a bit childish. 

The inevitable 30-something MAMIL transition saw him shift to skinny tyres and these days he lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.