The Essential Enduro Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide | Bike Self Locking Pedals

“We need safer places to ride,” said Lommele, whose organization is based in Boulder, Colo. “We need protected bike infrastructure, more protected bike lanes — comfortable convenient places to ride.”

Providing a platform this wide in a dual-sided pedal would not only make for a lot of aluminum (which would make the pedals heavy), but also adversely affect pedal clearance through corners. Getting a set of dual-sided SPD-type pedals this light would also mean spending a lot more money. Whereas retail price for a pair of A600s is just US$110 (and the street price is much lower), only Shimano’s XTR Race pedals are similarly svelte, and those retail for US$180. Sure, lighter dual-sided MTB pedals exist outside of the Shimano catalog, but few offer the same combination of pedal body and proven durability. Replacement cleats are dirt cheap, too, and they’re infrequently needed, anyway.

I currently use some carbon soled MTB shoes with M520s.  Would I honestly notice any difference if I switched to a road shoe/pedal system?

Wil and the clip-in crew have spent the last few months trying to work out which are the best platform clip-in pedals. For this group test, they took eight of the latest platform clip-in pedals to see what each brand has to offer. Each pedal has been tested under various riders with a variety of shoes and in a range of conditions, to determine four category winners: Best Feel, Most Durable, Best In Mud, and Best All Round.

The Fizik Infinito X1 shoes are incredibly stiff for maximum power transfer, ideal for racers and pedal thrashers that don’t want to give away precious power to a flexy sole, and the highly adjustable Boa dial arrangement and fit provides great comfort. Not so impressive is the high price, but if you can afford them they are a good choice. 

At first she thought she missed the bus that she was trying to catch to the light rail. Then she realized it was just a bit delayed.

Boa dials are massively popular on high-end road and MTB shoes and Fizik has used a pair of IP1-B dials on each shoe as part of the “Infinito Closure System” that gives the shoes their name. The main point is the lower dial pulls a wire laced in a figure of eight loop that is intended to provide forefoot volume control. The secondary dial pulls over a large flap at the top of the foot. It’s all about distributing pressure evenly and providing maximum fit adjustability.

What is it about the extremities of cyclists that causes such heat?  Helmets, and now, apparently, cleats.

The SPD mechanism is the same as you’ll find on many of Shimano’s other pedals, with a good range of tension adjustment and enough float for most knees. The cage is nice and grippy and performs well in the wet as well as the dry.

Mavic Ksyrium Pro UST WheelsetWeight: F: 590g R: 820gSpokes: F: 18 R: 20Rims: alloy, 17mm internal width$RRP: $1,599 (including tyres)

There are two types of cleat spacers/shims that come in the box with the HT X2 pedals. There are thin metal shims, and slightly thicker plastic shims. I can’t quite remember exactly what configuration I setup the AM9 shoes with, but I definitely had the thin metal shim, and possibly the plastic shim too.

Apparently, not all my fellow cyclists share my affinity for the ambient delights of the great outdoors. In fact, a fair number of them seem to feel that a mountain bike ride is not complete without some sort of musical accompaniment. To that end, they score their outings by means of a playlist and any one of the various Bluetooth handlebar-mounted speakers currently available on the market.