Retro ‘Steel Bar’ Pedals Revived: Prototype Testing Looks Promising | Bike Flat Pedals

A surprisingly good all around tire. Looking at the tread pattern I had these initially pegged for mud duty, but they’ve performed surprisingly well on mixed surfaces. A closer inspection shows a consistent line of center knobs that roll surprisingly well on hard ground, making this a great choice for gravel racing and cyclocross where you’re hopping between different surfaces.

Cycling shoes usually have quite a stiff sole but this varies greatly depending on their intended use. Clip-in shoes tend to have stiffer plastic soles with rubber lugs for good grip. Soles can have carbon fibre inserts through their length or alternatively just in just the midsole to boost stiffness. A cross-country shoe like this pair of Shimano XC7 SPD shoes has a stiff sole for good power transfer on cross-county, cyclocross and gravel bikes. It has a carbon fibre reinforced midsole but it’s shoe brother, the XC9 has a rigid carbon forefoot for an even stiffer sole.

In general, women have narrower ankles than men and smaller feet. Women’s shoes are therefore a slightly different shape, and some models are available in smaller sizes than the 36 that’s usually the lower limit of men’s ranges. Women’s shoes are not always different in design to the men’s version though, sometimes it is just the colourway that changes so check before you buy. As with all shoes, it’s personal preference with regards to fit and just because you are female doesn’t necessarily mean you will be better off in a female style shoe. Try before you buy.

Without question, the laces are the defining feature and are a contrast from what’s expected of the Japanese manufacturer. These laces flow in a traditional orientation from the knuckle of your toes through to the top of the shoe’s tongue. At the forefoot, the laces deviate through short loops connected directly to the shoe’s upper, the goal being to help tension and wrap the upper more snugly around the curviest part of your foot.

Bournemouth University student becomes fourth fastest woman – and the youngest – to cycle round the world

So they take a long time before you can use them with confidence, they are mechnically delicate (even before you factor in mechanism wear from putting your foot down at lights/walking in them, vs replacing a plastic cleat) and the real advantage – is this a real advantage* – comes when you are pulling away from the lights. [If I am riding my road bike the number of times I stop is pretty small, so marginal benefit of marginally faster engagement - I think I'm pretty good with my Keos - probably not so important for me. YMMV.] This is before you get to the fact that they are quite expensive (because they aren’t very popular so unit volumes not high) and (again because unit volumes not high) finding spares is a pain in the arse. I tried them and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

Jeff, you’d think that FiveTen would have spent a bit more time on the design before releasing something like this. Heavy, can’t easily unclip, and can’t take cleats off – all for $150. What a (BAD) deal!

I know I’m not the only one with this problem. The first time I tried a cycling class, the instructor helped me get my feet, clad in borrowed cycling shoes, attached to the pedals. The second time, I was on my own, and spent two full songs smushing my feet against the pedals in the dark and praying for some kind of miracle.

Rode it from Innertkirchen in June, having first done the Grimsel pass in freezing rain & fog. It’s a long old climb, but never feels overly…

For a mere 20 quid, these double-sided mountain bike pedals are a brilliant entry into clipless pedals. The low price is not reflected in the build quality, which is excellent, or the performance, which is also excellent.

There are complications. Sales of e-bikes for Clark County-based retailers are just as challenging as they are for conventional bikes because of competition from no-sales-tax Oregon. Web competitors bedevil local dealers as well. Safety is perhaps an even bigger concern than with conventional bikes, partly because e-bikes are attracting an older rider whose skills may be rusty and unprepared for the speeds an e-bike can easily attain.

& my fashion tips: Shoes are best closed-toe and flat –