Review: Spank Spoon Flat Pedals | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

I know what you are thinking, Shimano makes bags? But the Tokyo bag has been my go-to for the past two years, everything from daily commutes, carry-on when I fly, even the odd race day when I toe the line. Chances are if I left the house that day, the Tokyo bag came with me. It’s got just enough compartments to keep me organized and my laptop separate from smelly workout gear. The roll top closure expands for grocery runs and a hidden rain cover keeps everything dry in a downpour. With its muted colours, it even looks classy enough for business (casual) meetings. I especially like the external access zipper of the padded laptop compartment, which helps speed me through security. Most remarkably It still looks brand new after two years of near daily use, and probably will last another 20. Read the full review.

One of the other advantages of clipless pedals is that you can get more power out of your legs by being able to pull up on the pedal stroke in addition to pushing down however, this highlights the disadvantage of multi-release cleats since if you pulled up on these your foot would come out of the pedal. 

SPD-SL pedals are much like Shimano’s groupsets: reliable, functional, easy to use, readily available, and without significant cost. As I’ve covered in my review of Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 pedals, Shimano is simply the best once you factor in all-out durability and dependability. They’re not the lightest or most adjustable, but they just work. Adding to their popularity is the fact that they’ve often been included as standard equipment on many entry-level road bikes.

Last year, David Hayward put together a brilliant introductory piece to flat pedals for those interested in those benefits. He also tested no fewer than 17 flat pedals to find out which were the grippiest, the toughest and the best value.

I know I can’t be the only rider who’s struggled to extricate themselves from beneath their bicycle like an upside-down beetle trying to right itself.

Time pedals have historically had issues with bearing durability, though, and while that aspect seems to have improved, it’s still a big unknown. And even more troubling is the fact that they’re technically not user serviceable. While the retaining collar for the axle assembly can be removed at home, the official tools aren’t made available to consumers.

The Hellcats work fine, even with Eggbeater pedals. However, they feel even better with a clipless pedal with a bit more platform. photo: Leah Barber

Many riders swear by flat pedals for mountain biking, and the flat-pedal shoes from FiveTen are both legendary and widely popular among riders. Not to leave clipless riders out in the cold, FiveTen offers the Hellcat, a flat-style shoe that’s designed to work with clipless pedals. Does this shoe offer the best of both worlds? Read on to find out.

I have been a fan of mountain tubeless tyres for years. But after only one ride on road tubeless, I was sold. I had a real sense of smoothness. The Yksion UST tyres (at 90psi) rode over rough roads very well. Despite being soft enough to absorb bumps they were supportive enough to make high speed corners feel good. The more I ride these tyres and wheels, the more I like them!

On some shoes you’ll find a ratchet buckle replacing the top strap. The advantage of a ratchet is that it’s very easy to adjust the tension as you ride, either to tighten it for a big effort or loosen it off if your feet are getting tired.

Road pedal performance is often heavily influenced by the the shape and amount of contact between the cleat and pedal. The cleat on the Shimano PD-A600 pedals is miniscule, but the wide pedal helps make up for that by supporting the lugs of properly chosen shoes.

Reporter Paulina Pineda said it took her about an hour using a Grid bike, in part because it took her a while to figure out how to undock and dock the bike and adjust it. And she said she rode it pretty slowly.