Moots Routt RSL long-term review: The titanium gravel forever bike, perfected | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

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.

I did experience a hiccup with unclipping the Hellcats. Essentially, the wide toe, combined with the cleat placement, causes the crankarm to block the twisting motion required for me to unclip. This turned out to be a problem from the beginning, and it didn’t matter if the cleat was slammed all the way forward or back.

Can you handle that? No-one here is saying Surly sucks and didn’t know how to use Speedplays. So don’t take offence. We’re not saying we’re more skilled than you, or more technical than you, or better riders than you. We just got on with them, you didn’t.

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.

went to flats about 5-6 years ago after 20+ years in clips. mtb’ing for me changed from serious to fun and switching to flats followed suit.

As well as looking at these high scoring pedals we have also written a buyer’s guide to mountain bike pedals so you can make sure you are getting the right ones for you. Read on for our top-rated pedals, just click on the picture of the pedal to go straight to the full review. 

It’s not entirely our fault that we are so car-reliant. As Lars Jacoby, a Phoenix Public Transit spokesman, says, the car culture is ingrained in us, especially those of us who grew up here.

Sounds like a bit of creative accounting occurred before the sale, with a load of “assets” now written off

Having tested the Speciales all summer and early autumn, I haven’t encountered enough mud to comment on how well they cope with dirt. That said, Time pedals usually perform well in grotty conditions, which bodes well for these.

Price: $130 Weight: 495gStyle: MountainSizes: 6.5–12 (w/half sizes)The right shoe for: Mountain bikers who love the look and feel of a flat shoe but want the efficiency that comes with being clipped in.

There are two types of cleat spacers/shims that come in the box with the HT X2 pedals. There are thin metal shims, and slightly thicker plastic shims. I can’t quite remember exactly what configuration I setup the AM9 shoes with, but I definitely had the thin metal shim, and possibly the plastic shim too.

We’ve been testing the Deore XT flat pedals with several different shoe types, including Shimano GR7s, Bontrager Flatlines, and Five Ten Freerider Pros. All shoes have been size EU 43-45.