Tech Tidbits: Polar Vantage Updates, Strava sorta removes ads, PowerTap P2 pedals | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

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Shimano’s SPD-SL system has remained fundamentally unchanged for many years. Each new generation of pedals typically only receives minor improvements, often to slightly reduce weight.

Flat pedals have not yet evolved into the One True flat pedal design, but things have never been better for those of us who ride them. The best pedals in the world turn out to have a zone of fuzzy personal preference around them and, once you find yours, they won’t make you into a riding god by themselves, but they’ll certainly help.

Vaude Moab AM The toe and heel portions of the sole are cut to provide ample traction for hike-a-bike sections and the midsole is appropriately padded for impact. Claimed weight 360g. €126.

Also: Read the manual! Some cleats have easy release/harder release placement options—choose the setup that matches your skill. "It’s worth spending the time to get it right," Compton says.

That said – definitely not a beginnner setup. Tightening the cleat screws even .5nm too much and you can compress part of the housing enough to give you issues with the spring. Breaking in the spring must be a hell of a time for a light rider, and if the missus moves on to them (I have bought her some, but after realising the initial learning curve she lost interest), I’ll have to break the spring in for her. Also actually finding the pedal isn’t just step down and go – you have a few cm wide circle under you foot that you need to mount so like Keo’s etc, you still need to develop muscle memory.

Like many of cycling’s rules both written and unwritten (the Velominati comes to mind), this is mostly a bunch of bullshit.

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.

Nukeproof’s Horizon CS pedal is a solid and reliable clipless pedal providing more support than a lollipop cross-country pedal and is available in a range of fetching colours to complement your bike. It’s compatible with Shimano SPD cleats if you’re already familiar with, or using that system already, so switching is easy. If these are your first clipless pedals, they are easy to use and have a very shallow learning curve. Choosing these over a Shimano alternative won’t leave you wanting, they’re a good choice at a great price. 

For obvious reasons, I’m doing all my riding in winter boots at the moment. I treated myself to a pair of Shimano MW7 boots. Nice and comfy, stiff soled, but not impressed with the new design. I used to be able to get away with the odd ‘dab in a stream’ with my old MW80’s, but the new ones have a lycra tongue hidden under a flap which quickly lets water in when they’re submerged, as opposed to the older design with a waterproof leather tongue. Summer riding is done in a pair of Lake SPD boots.

ONZA HO Titanium clip-less (pukka vintage) with Shimano shoes ((and clip-less because they came after toe-clips!!)) On a Marin hardtail plus.

I’ve only ever used flats so can’t comment on a comparison. I haven’t seen a compelling enough reason to spend more on new shoes and pedals.