Review: Bontrager Flatline Flat Pedal Shoes | Spd Pedals

The hubs roll well and feel incredibly smooth. These have the latest Mavic freehub design too, which promises greater durability than the nylon bushing they used to use and more rapid engagement as well. I thought the freehub mechanism was very quiet (not silent, but unobtrusive). I also like the Mavic skewers very much. They have a predictable, positive action and hold the wheel well.

ION RAID II The RAID II has a “Reinforced toe cap to absorb and [deflect] the forces when hitting a rock or a root.” $113 USD.

Otherwise, I’ve been really impressed with the performance of the Infinito X1 shoes, but the only thing that doesn’t impress is the rather big price tag. £325 is a lot of money to spend on a pair of kicks, though it’s worth shopping around as you can find them cheaper. Not as cheap as the Shimano XC7 shoes that Rachael reviewed recently however. Still, if you want maximum performance and aren’t put off by the price, they’re a good pick.

Vaude Moab AM The toe and heel portions of the sole are cut to provide ample traction for hike-a-bike sections and the midsole is appropriately padded for impact. Claimed weight 360g. €126.

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.

MTB shoes and SPD cleats/pedals FTW. On this one you can ram The Rules – walking like a penguin on ice is ridiculous.

There are also practical issues that come with wearing open-toed footwear on a bike: inclement weather, muddy terrain, and the odd errant bee that may want to lodge itself between your foot and the insole of the sandal are the main concerns for the sandal-toting cyclist.

For me…. The Time Expresso’s have proven themselves to give the most comfortable fit to the pedal in terms of float, release force e.t.c – BUT – after repeated bitter experience I’ll never now buy anything above the Expresso 4s/Mavic’s Zxellium Elites as the bearings, on these models and their more expensive siblings, have too often proven themselves to have a hypochondriacs sensitivity to moisture. I’ll count myself lucky if I get a winters use out of a pair & one cursed set seized after just the one ride in the rain.

 “The stuff they never tell you about electronic shifting”…. Don’t bother attaching the wires to your genitals.

Hope Flats with fiveTen impacts. Made the change after a lifetime of toe clips then spds. It’s dramatically changed the way I ride for the better

With a mechanical system you’ll almost certainly need to adjust the gear cable tension after the first few rides, and probably occasionally after that, but that’s not an issue with electronic shifting.

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.