Review: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Flat Pedals | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

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Issi is a relatively new house brand of pedals from Quality Bicycle Products (QBP.) The Stomp is the brand’s first foray into flat pedals, and they clearly did their research.

Time is known primarily for its road pedals but its new, seriously pricey Speciale clips are designed to meet the high demands of trail riding and enduro racing.

Also into my third year but with EPS. Haven’t regretted it for a second. Effortless and trouble free gear changing especially when braking. I’m thinking of replacing my touring bike and I hope I can get it fitted with triple electronic shifting.

Shimano GR5 Shimano’s most affordable flat pedal offering. Claimed weight 386g in size 40. $103 USD.

“At some point a couple years ago, Look sent over a bunch of pairs and now I have so many it’s easy to keep them on whatever test bikes I have in. Previously my pick was Shimano because they’re bombproof. I have broken a couple of Keos, but I usually break them by groading too hard and smashing the blades on rocks. Basically, I killed them because I’m dumb.”

Granted, that doesn’t take into account the fact that treaded shoes are also heavier than road-specific ones, so the effective difference is larger. Taking the Specialized S-Works 6 road shoes vs. the S-Works 6 XC MTB shoes, for example, you’re looking at another 126g, for a more significant total gain of 164g. But if you were to instead compare the A600s to more budget-minded road pedals, it’s almost a wash.

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.

In the box you get 4° and 8° float cleat options. Release angle is 13° and they’re supplied with plastic shims, and metal shims for use with carbon soles. A nice touch is that HT includes an 8mm socket in the box so you can pull them apart for routine servicing. After a wet winter of abuse, I did just that. Five minutes and some fresh grease later, they were feeling nice and smooth again.

Mountain bike shoes do the job, but you can be sure a cycling discipline has reached mass appeal when big brands, such as Shimano, start offering product specific to the space. Joining the likes of Giro and Specialized, Shimano’s relatively new XC5 laced SPD shoe is just this, a mid-range shoe tailored to the gravel crowd, but one that can comfortably handle duty in touring, commuting, cyclocross and even mountain biking, too.

Add in the relatively low price, widespread availability, and decent durability of the large plastic cleat, and Shimano also set the benchmark for running costs. The cleat’s generously wide platform and softer co-molded contact points even make it far better to walk in than you’d expect, even decent to walk in, even on those dreaded tiled cafe floors. Other makes have sought to catch up in this regard, but SPD-SL still remains the best option in that respect.

We’ve been testing the Deore XT flat pedals with several different shoe types, including Shimano GR7s, Bontrager Flatlines, and Five Ten Freerider Pros. All shoes have been size EU 43-45.