Review: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Flat Pedals | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

And “it’s easy to become complacent”? What, due to excellent reliability? So now excellent reliability is being used as an argument against electronic shifting? Good grief I’ve heard it all now… I don’t need to constantly fettle and tinker with mechanical shifting because I fear becoming complacent… what I do like is having to spend less time fettling and tinkering with my electronic groupset and having absolutely nailed, spot on, trouble free shifting so I can fettle and tinker on new builds, oh and just ride my bikes.

That meant brand new pads on brand new machined rims. The result was amazing braking from the very beginning. I set a few descending PBs during my tyre testing. I suspect that on the given descents I would have achieved a PB with any of the race tyres installed because it was the braking confidence that created the PB (rather than the specifics of the tyre). Compared to pretty-good carbon braking, I could brake later and harder on these.

It’s too early to comment on long-term durability too, but my samples are still spinning smoothly — as you’d hope, considering the price. At 410g they’re decently light too, though a touch heavier than the (£54 pricier) Mallet E 11s.

 I raced for  some time at Cat 1 level, and for a couple of years did all my riding and racing on spds as I only needed one pair of shoes then. Used to get shit about it in the peloton, but it didn’t seem to affect my results. Only downside is if you have dodgy knees, as spd’s have less lateral support.

The carbon body is tough and durable, engagement system is very well made and easy to get in and out of as Time claims. They’re impressively light considering the surface area.

With the purpose-built tracks of coastal British Columbia at their behest, the team at Chromag Bikes is expected to create some super sweet goods. Currently featuring 8 hardtail bikes in the line, ranging from enduro to DJ, and a massive selection of quality components, Chromag has certainly set out to satisfy dirt riders’ desires.

Eventually, tired, muddy and happy, we roll down to Peaslake Stores – a place famed hereabouts by the  welcome extended to the *ahem* less than spotlessly attired as much for excellent coffee, cake and sausage rolls. The shopkeeper even lets me use the loo. You don’t get that sort of service in Gregg’s. 

Mountain bike shoes need to need a fairly stiff insole, particularly those designed for clipless pedals. The FiveTen Hellcats feature a suitably stiff sole — stiffer than one would think just looking at the shoe — but they’re still quite comfortable for hike-a-bike. Power transfer feels great, and nearly on par with a more traditional clipless pedal shoe.

Looking for more information to help you make your mountain bike shoe buying decision? Check out this article on choosing the right MTB shoes.

Frodo – look after your knees friend cos you’ll miss them when they’re gone. For 360 power stick with flats and focus on lifting your trailing leg on each pedal stroke. I think Ned Overend mtb legend may have come up with that.

If we had to pick one over the other, it would be terribly hard. The Look design has been widely adopted by many other brands and aftermarket companies. This means in a pinch, nearly any shop will have a cleat or pedal that will work with their setup. The retention is secure and always reliable with a distinct in or out. The Time design is unique, and that’s likely thanks to their patented system, but this leads to less widespread availability. The effortless entry into the pedal is very nice and unique to Time, leading to more entry-level riders. This doesn’t mean they are less secure; if anything, the lightest exit setting might be slightly stiffer than the lightest Look. On-the-fly adjustment of the Time is nice, with no extra parts to keep track of if you want to increase the exit tension. All said, though, we would most likely choose the Look for the sole fact that we travel a lot, and finding cleats quickly is priceless.

Similar to Speedplay pedals, Xpresso’s from Time offer a huge amount of adjustability – but they also use a three-bolt system, like Look and Shimano.