Review: The New Shimano AM901 Top Shelf Gravity Shoes Promise… and Deliver | Bike Self Locking Pedals

There haven’t been many changes in road bikes in the last 50 years that actually make a big difference (electronic shifting, disc brakes, tubeless tyres, integrated shift levers and clipless pedals are my top five). I’m calling tubeless the second most important (after clipless pedals) with lower rolling resistance, lower weight, greater puncture resistance and better ride quality.

I also have noted that except for the flat/spd combined pedals there is no provision for reflectors on the pedals as required by law in the UK. Having said that never been pulled over and always a very visible chap don’t expect it will be a problem.

With its large platform and slightly concave shape, the XT flat pedals provide excellent support and traction thanks to a ‘just right’ pin arrangement. They aren’t the most low-profile pedal, and that does mean they will come in the firing line more often – particularly if your bike has a low bottom bracket. I was bummed to have busted two pins and ovalised the thread bores, but this is mountain biking, and stuff breaks – especially when you whack it really hard into unyielding objects like rocks. That said, we’ve tested plenty of flat pedals over the years, and very rarely have we actually busted a pedal in such a way.

When pedaling, both offer a great platform with lots of support. The bearings are smooth, and during our testing we have had zero issues with either. The Look uses a needle bearing under the platform of the pedal, and from our experience this leads to very little service or maintenance.

So again, calm down and accept that I, and several others on this thread now, bought Speedplay pedals and love them. 

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?

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

Crank Brothers have long been a popular alternative to Shimano’s dominance in the clipless pedal market, and the latest Mallet E takes the good bits from the Mallet DH pedal and bakes them into a lighter and slimmer down package that is well suited to trail riding and enduro racing. In taking the core ingredients of the successful Mallet DH and dropping a bit of weight and adding robust bearings and the traction pads, the Mallet E suit the demands of trail riding and enduro racing well, with a narrower Q-factor that feels more natural when pedalling over longer distances. 

So, just in case you didn’t get the message, it’s definitely a small number of us who are experiencing the squeakiness! I tried them on multiple pairs of shoes to no avail, and the Teflon spray seemed to stop it for a while only for the noise to return a few days later. So my own anecdotal theory is that it’s something to do with excess friction exacerbated by my grinding pedalling action and low cadence putting extra pressure through them (and my super-huge power output, of course).

There are two types of clipless pedal. Pedals for road racing follow the original concept introduced by Look in 1984. The cleat stands proud of the sole and is attached by three bolts. This allows an uncomplicated, very rigid sole, but is awkward to walk in. The pedals only have a mechanism on one side, so to clip in you have to catch the nose of the pedal just right, which takes a while to learn.

Still, there’s a small learning curve — especially for those used to orienting road pedals before snapping in. But once you’ve mastered pushing forward into the pedal, it’s easy. And because the pedals are round, riders can virtually always engage the pedals without looking down.

But the music thing is different. You may want to pretend your ride is that sick-ass YouTube edit you’ve been watching in your cubicle all week, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone else within earshot. And while you’re certainly under no obligation to appreciate the blissful sounds of nature, that doesn’t mean you get to fuck it up for everyone else. Hey, I’m not religious, but I can assure you I at least have the decency to refrain from audibly farting in your house of worship.