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The clipless pedal powerhouse has a challenger, and you can call it a comeback: Flat pedals are back.

I really dislike the look of the current crop of flat-pedal-specific footwear. They either resemble ugly bowling/golf shoes, or clown shoes. Give me a sweet pair of Vans any day. Better designs, better feel/comfort, a lot less expensive, and just plain cooler.

Priced at US$150 / AU$199, the XC5 is not the typical performance shoe you commonly see reviewed on CyclingTips. Instead, they represent a mid-level option for those that just ride rather than racing. So, you know, the majority of us.

So the dealer didn’t tell you cost of replacement parts was high? That info is at the consumer’s fingertips. If it is a deal breaker then perhaps the consumer really can’t afford electronic shifting and should avoid it. There is a hierarchy amongst groupsets – the top end ones cost more to buy and thus more to get replacement parts for. Shock horror.

In 1990, Shimano introduced its SPD (Shimano Pedalling Dynamics) design. A smaller metal cleat is mounted to the shoe with two bolts, and fits in a recess in the sole. The recessed cleat makes it easier to walk in SPD shoes, and helps guide the cleat into the mechanism, making it easier to clip in.

Rode it from Innertkirchen in June, having first done the Grimsel pass in freezing rain & fog. It’s a long old climb, but never feels overly…

Flat pedals and cleat-free shoes have been quieting the bike shop floor in recent years and for good reason. Folks are tossing themselves and their uber-capable bikes down steeper shoots and off larger hips, and want to be able to throw a foot out whenever they like. Riders often cite an appreciation for the skills required to ride with flats as a reason to stick with the pins, even if they also use clipless pedals and shoes occasionally.

This has the benefit of being easily transferred between bikes, but often the pedal needs to be tightened to a specific torque value to obtain accurate power output values. This means that you will need a torque wrench – a pricy bit of kit, but fairly insignificant relative to the cost of the power meter itself.

Such is the seeming demand for open-toed cycling footwear that CyclingAbout.com (an excellent resource for budding cycle tourers) has gone as far as writing a buyer’s guide for them.

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.

Tension is adjustable, though accessing the 3mm hex bolt is awkward. The level varies from tight, to really-friggin-tight. I certainly wouldn’t put a new rider on these pedals, because their tenacious hold can be intimidating. As the cleats wore in and I got used to them though, I steadily increased the tension to about halfway. Any more than that and you might dislocate your knee trying to unclip.

Bottom line, says a national e-bike advocate, is that bicycling in general has to become safer and be perceived as being safe for a substantial increase in participation. Meantime, says a Portland State University transportation research expert, e-bikes will become a bigger player in the Portland-metro area multi-modal scene.