Love Mud Distortion pedals – a mid-price pedal that’s not too budget, not too bling | Bike Self Locking Pedals

I’ve ridden clipless for so long, I can unclip fairly naturally now, so unexpected dismounts are a non-issue. I seem to be able to bail just as fast as with flats while DH riding.

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“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.

The only issues I’ve witnessed is with two owners of SRAM etape systems who didn’t charge their batteries, so were stuck with limited years in the Pyrenees, but they could swap the front and rear mech batteries round, so low gears for the climbs and then big gears for the descents. Didn’t seem ideal.

Crankbrothers takes a very unique approach toward their flat pedals. Rather than making a single pedal for everyone, they make them available in different sizes based on foot size. The large Stamp pedals that I tested are designed for US shoe sizes 10-15.

Guinness World Records have a very detailed definition, minimum of 18,000 miles, 2 antipodal points, and no significant East/West backtracking …

Frodo – look after your knees friend cos you’ll miss them when they’re gone. For 360 power stick with flats and focus on lifting your trailing leg on each pedal stroke. I think Ned Overend mtb legend may have come up with that.

Ride Concepts Wildcat “Featuring cranked-up stability and ankle protection, it’s a mid-height, sticky-soled, flat pedal brawler.” The Wildcat are somewhere between a mid-height and high-top shoe, with a small ankle strap for adjustments on the go. Claimed weight 482g. $120 USD.

But for those who followed the AeroLites and maintain interest in the concept, here’s what we found in our preliminary tests.

Or, if you simply must hear music while riding on trails, perhaps someone will invent some sort of high-fidelity apparatus that allows you to play your favorite band as loud as you’d like without anybody else around you being able to hear it.

In years gone by the way of doing this was with laces, but most cycling shoes now use Velcro straps, buckles, dials or some combination of these.

Love your clipless pedals? Then by all means keep using them. After all, there’s no denying the thrill of that first "click" as you roll out on a cycling adventure. At the same time, don’t lose sight of what they can and can’t do. Clipless pedals won’t eliminate the dead spot from your pedal stroke, but flat pedals will eliminate the dead spot from your cycling enjoyment.