Review: Burgtec Penthouse MK4 Flat Pedals | Spd Pedals

Mat has worked for loads of bike magazines over 20+ years, and been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. He’s been road.cc technical editor for eight years, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a past winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer.

The sky was grey, thick with low hanging clouds, rain was a virtual certainty. Normally I am one to beg off at the slightest hint of rain, find something else to do, preferably indoors. But it was the last day of a brief visit in the Italian Dolomites and no one wanted to waste it hanging around the hotel, not even me. So I stuffed the Idro jacket in my jersey, clipped in and set off. Sure enough, fat droplets started falling not 10mins into the ride, and stayed that way for the next three hours, as did the Idro on my back. Having owned plenty of rain jackets, all of which promise to be waterproof and breathable, but none of which quite delivered, I girded mentally to being soaked and chilled. But as we rode, a surprising thing happened, I stayed dry and comfortable. I didn’t need to take the Idro off on climbs and put it back on for the descents. It kept the rain from coming in and let my sweat out. I actually enjoyed myself, rather than suffering through what would have been misery. To me that’s the magic of the Idro and its Gore Shake Dry fabric, letting me ride when I otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t. Sure, it’s eye wateringly expensive, but how much would you pay for extra ride days? Read the full review.

You can buy cheaper pedals, but the £40 RRP is a really good price, especially bearing in mind that they are genuine Look units. Overall the Classic 3s are really good pedals. They look good on the bike, perform well and have a good contact area for better power transfer. 

thanks for the info. I don’t think I will be going far up 25% and/or pedalling 90rpm for hours but, when I have eventually ground my way to the top, I want to be able to go hell for leather back down hence my "need" for the wide range that a triple setup provides. My current tourer has xtr 3×9 – 44/32/22 and 11-32 in an aluminium frame. I have a carbon frame road bike and had a steel one years ago. I have got it into my head that I should try a titanium frame before it is too late (bucket list) but, as discussed, I need the triple set up and J.Laverack, for example, don’t have a triple solution in their offering.

The main factor on grip for mountain biking is technique though. Pushing heels down resists most of the forces trying to unstick you – try riding in a standing position, weaving from side to side with your toes pointing down, then again with your heels down instead and you’ll immediately feel the difference in bike handling.

And unless you do a lot of sprinting in rainstorms, you’ll sacrifice little to nothing in terms of performance with flat pedals. In fact they’ll probably improve your performance in the long run, given the fit and positioning issues so many riders seem to have with clipless. (If you need a pedal system with lots of float, ask yourself why you’re bothering with it in the first place.)

The flipside of this wider Q-factor is that the XT flats do add noticeable stability by placing your feet further apart – kind of like using a wider handlebar. This is ideal for gravity-type riding, and those newer to the sport will also benefit from the improved stability. Riders with bigger and/or wider feet will also appreciate the big platform.

That said, many bike fitters have also long loved the Speedplay system for its adjustability. Four different spindle lengths are available, along with different base plates that afford a huge range of fore-aft adjustability. Speedplay cleats are also the easiest of the four major systems when it comes to compensating for different leg lengths. Only recently has Shimano added a choice in pedal axle lengths (standard or +4mm), and it’s likely Speedplay’s success encouraged such an option.

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.

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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…

A slightly more affordable version of the TIME Xpresso 15 pedals (which retail at a jaw dropping £400), the Xpresso 6’s are a little heavier (213g) but considerably more affordable.