Nukeproof Horizon CL Clipless Pedal – Review | Bike Self Locking Pedals

And “it’s easy to become complacent”? What, due to excellent reliability? So now excellent reliability is being used as an argument against electronic shifting? Good grief I’ve heard it all now… I don’t need to constantly fettle and tinker with mechanical shifting because I fear becoming complacent… what I do like is having to spend less time fettling and tinkering with my electronic groupset and having absolutely nailed, spot on, trouble free shifting so I can fettle and tinker on new builds, oh and just ride my bikes.

Inside sits an oversized hollow steel axle, which turns on steel bearings. The platform is both wider and longer (70x90mm) than that of Shimano’s benchmark ‘Trail’ SPDs, though not as broad as CrankBrothers’ Mallet E pedals.

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

Along with pins, the pedal surface is key to the amount of grip. A concave surface lets your shoes settle in more under your weight, better resisting any forces that try to push them off the pedal.

Now I couldn’t use anything else. They are just pheneomenal compared to the various Looks I usually use. They need broken in first of all as the spring is super stiff, but once done then it only takes a little force to clip in. Actually finding the insert point is a few weeks of muscle memory (I stuck them on the indoor trainer first which sped this process up).

In case you’re wondering why they’re called clipless pedals, it’s because pedals used to have metal cages, called toe clips, and leather straps to hold the show in place. Racing shoes had cleats that were slotted to fit the cage of the pedal. To get out, you had to loosen the strap. Falling over at traffic lights behind a busload of schoolkids was not unknown.

Some folks find pedals like the M520s a bit small. The PD-M424 pedals are an excellent alternative. Intended for mountain biking, they have a tough plastic platform around the pedal mechanism that supports more of the shoe. This works really well with shoes that have more flexible soles and are therefore easier to walk in.

“I used to use Speedplay and still think they are the best pedals in the business, but they failed me so many times (three catastrophic failures in big races/events), admittedly because of my lack of maintenance. I switched to Shimano, which have been flawless ever since.”

You still need to keep an eye on the various components of an electronic system, check the indexing and make any adjustments necessary, especially if your bike takes a knock or you break it down and reassemble it for travel.

Granted, there are caveats. That stability and rotation performance are heavily dependent on how well the shoes interface with the pedal, and perhaps not surprisingly, shoes designed for cross-country MTB racing work best in that situation given they’re usually made with fairly hard tread blocks and stiff carbon fiber soles that provide added support.

They are the easiest pedal to get in and out of, but the three-hole bolt system cleat is noticeably larger. A quality pedal, offering value for money that’s ideal for anyone who wants reliability without breaking the bank.

The Ksyrium wheelsThe wheels by themselves are good wheels (remember, I ran them with at least 10 different tubed tyres before trying tubeless). They feel light and fast. They look pretty bling with one yellow spoke and some matching yellow stickers on the rim. I normally run carbon rims in my race bike, so I had to go out and purchase some alloy-friendly brake pads for these rims.