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Likewise, the gentle heel hold and softer sole of the XC5 isn’t going to replace a performance shoe when Strava trophies are on the line.

And if all else fails and the puncture doesn’t seal, it was either because you let the sealant dry out (so it is ineffective) or because the hole is large enough that you ought to replace the tyre anyway. Plus, you can always stick a tube in it. The bead retention ledges in the rim tenaciously hold onto the tyre beads, so riding them flat is also much safer than a clincher.

One divide showed up really clearly among the people riding these pedals, and we’ve tried to reflect it in our category picks: Some riders vastly prefer thinner, flatter platforms such as the Hope F20 and say these feel like they have more grip. Others have a massive preference for the kind of bowl shape and feel you get from something like a DMR Vault. These are quite polarised and well cemented preferences, likely coming from differences in riding style, terrain, anatomy, technique and shoe construction – in other words, a lot of variables that mean you’ll only get so far without some real world experimentation to find which flats are right for you.

Taking that into account, the A600’s support platform is actually fairly wide. The four degrees of free float also feels rather, well, free — not quite as silky-smooth as a set of fresh and clean road pedals and cleats, mind you, but not too far off, either.

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.

The guts of the pedal is a well-finished Aluminium body that houses serviceable cup and cone bearings. A metal cage is bolted on for riding in flats, and on the other side you get an adjustable tension SPD binding for when you’ve got your cleats on. The pedals are very well finished and run smoothly from the off, and the fact that they’re easy to strip down is a bonus.

These pedals excelled in ease of use. As Lohmeyer advertises on his YouTube channel, this system is quick to engage and requires almost no extra attention or effort. From a dead stop, the cleats naturally bite into the pedal virtually every time.

Unclipping “toe in” is not an option when the crankarm is in the 6-o’clock position, even with the cleat slammed all the way forward or back. photo: Leah Barber

The HT X2 pedals fall into the ‘snappy and secure’ category, which won’t work for everyone – especially those new to clip-in pedals. However, it’s their combination of platform shape, cleat options, adjustability, and the robust clip mechanism that saw the X2s take top honours here.

However, go too wide, and you may create issues with knee pain. The idea of two different Q-Factor options on the Vertic pedal is that you can match the right pedal to your own anatomy to prevent any untoward knee pain.

The M324 is a solidly built and dependable commuting pedal for riders who want to switch easily between cleats and flats. If you’re a big mile commuter or tourer they won’t disappoint.

One of the coolest features is the full-length chromoly-steel spindle. This makes the pedals feel incredibly stable, and should prove beneficial for heavier riders. The only downside is this adds weight and thickness to the pedals. At 18mm thick, the Stomps are the thickest pedals I tested by far.