Review: Funn Ripper Pedals – does a huge platform deliver big smiles? | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

The Downs are essentially hewn from a large lump of limestone which stretches from Surrey to Kent, south of London. The stretch west of Dorking, where I’m busy parking the car and trying to find the least puddled bit of gravel to do so, is comprised of a startlingly profuse pile of woodland (I understand the technical term is forest but that’s much too dull) which is, in turn, rammed to the gunwhales with trails. It’s a little slice of heaven that people from the Big Smoke retreat to in times of stress (that’s all the time then) to relax, recuperate, and – naturally – ride mountain bikes.

These could potentially be salvaged by using a helicoil kit, but it’s still a bummer given that this is a product that is basically going to spend its life getting intimate with rocks and roots on the trail. With a platform that’s as large and as thick as these, those encounters are going to happen more frequently than they would with thinner-bodied pedals.

You can buy shoes such as these Japanthers from 45NRTH which are specially designed to keep the wet and cold out so best for winter only.

Cambridgeshire cyclist films driver threatening him – but police say they can’t do anything

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And so we set off. It’s very, very (very) moist, but thankfully not actually raining. Breath condenses in curlicues of cloud as we head up the drive that I sloshed my way down in the rain last night; we cross the main road, and then head over a field. It’s at this point, as the terrain dips downwards and speed picks up, that I realise two things – one, that it’s really rather bloody cold, and two, wet chalk is famously less grippy than Yorkshire grit. It’s actually rather greasier than an oiled ferret selling used cars. I make it down to the gate with my front wheel ahead of my back one more by luck than judgement, and giving silent thanks that I removed a couple of psi from the Maxxis Forekaster tyres.

Of course, I understand that not all cyclists are enchanted by nature, and that for some, the infinite verdant delights of the forest are merely incidental. You can see such riders making videos of one another “sessioning” the same obstacle over and over again whilst bellowing déclassé exclamations of delight such as “Woo-hoo!”

nxgater: Yes, it’s important to look after one’s knees. Perfect set up with clipless pedals seems crucial for avoiding problems in such an important part of the body, presumably lots of people manage that though.

While it may not seem like it at first glance, the platform width of the Shimano PD-A600 is actually better than many dedicated road systems out there. There isn’t much support lengthwise, though, so it’s still important to pair these pedals with stiff carbon-soled shoes.

The guts of the pedal is a well-finished Aluminium body that houses serviceable cup and cone bearings. A metal cage is bolted on for riding in flats, and on the other side you get an adjustable tension SPD binding for when you’ve got your cleats on. The pedals are very well finished and run smoothly from the off, and the fact that they’re easy to strip down is a bonus.

With Di2, the upshift and the downshift buttons sit just behind the brake lever, one beside the other. It’s possible to hit the wrong one in big gloves, or to hit both together.

I hope there is a solution. I don’t have a problem with the expense but I have not found the info. on the Shimano web site that says it will work. I have seen the XTR Di2 derailleurs but I couldn’t find the information that said Di2 road shifters would work a triple and the info seems to restrict the front derailleur to 40T. What size is your largest chainring?