Review: Bontrager Flatline Flat Pedal Shoes | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

I run Clips on the road, and have both options for the MTB, recently gone back to flats as my shoes set up for my candy’s gave up the ghost and my only other option for now are a pair of old squash shoes!

On some shoes you’ll find a ratchet buckle replacing the top strap. The advantage of a ratchet is that it’s very easy to adjust the tension as you ride, either to tighten it for a big effort or loosen it off if your feet are getting tired.

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Speedplay pedals are always touted as being super light, but the cleat on the shoe looks like it weighs a lot more than a simple plastic look type cleat. Out of interest what is the total system weight including cleats for the lightest from each brand?

I’ve been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

DMT E1 The E1 is one of the few flat pedal shoes we have found that uses a BOA closure system, making it quick to tighten while riding. Claimed weight 465g in size 41. €120. Also check out the Specialized 2FO ClipLite.

Specialized 2F0 “Developed and tested by gravity and all-mountain athletes worldwide, 2FO uses our SlipNot™ rubber tread compound for ultimate platform pedal hook-up. Foot out, flat out.” Claimed weight 360g in size 39. $130 USD.

Time pedals have historically had issues with bearing durability, though, and while that aspect seems to have improved, it’s still a big unknown. And even more troubling is the fact that they’re technically not user serviceable. While the retaining collar for the axle assembly can be removed at home, the official tools aren’t made available to consumers.

I can use SPDs comfortably, did for the first time on a road bike for a week on holiday, took to them quickly and didn’t fall off sideways once when stopping.

“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.”

One company, Speedplay, has bucked the consensus. Its pedals are double-sided, the mechanism is part of the cleat and that cleat has a four-bolt mounting. A three-bolt adapter is included with them, as few shoemakers have a suitable shoe in their line. More about Speedplay below.

There are four grub-screw-style traction pins per side, which sit around 4mm off the platform. Once clipped in, I found that the height of the mechanism made the front pins somewhat redundant.