Video How To: Learn to ride road clipless pedals | Bike Self Locking Pedals

Angel Mendoza, a Republic social media and breaking-news producer, had by far the most entertaining experience, for everyone but him.

Each of the derailleurs of a SRAM Red eTap system has its own rechargeable battery that lasts for over 1,000km (625 miles) of typical riding. A green indicator light on each component turns on after each shift. Once the battery charge is below 25%, that light turns red and below 15% the light starts to flash red. 

Shimano classifies the XC5 as a mixed-terrain shoe, pointing toward gravel, cyclocross, cross country mountain biking and commuting. And while I agree with much of that, I’d add in touring (aka bikepacking, for the new-age crowd) to the mix, too.

Granted, that doesn’t take into account the fact that treaded shoes are also heavier than road-specific ones, so the effective difference is larger. Taking the Specialized S-Works 6 road shoes vs. the S-Works 6 XC MTB shoes, for example, you’re looking at another 126g, for a more significant total gain of 164g. But if you were to instead compare the A600s to more budget-minded road pedals, it’s almost a wash.

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.

Ordinarily, when it comes to uninspired gifts, nothing underwhelms like a pair of socks. It’s the present that says, “You exist, and you have feet.” Cyclists, however, get genuinely excited about socks: they’re our “pieces of flair,” and sock choice is really the only way we get to express ourselves stylistically (unless you count really bad calf tattoos), especially if we’re on a team and all have to dress the same.

Two other reporters who live in central Phoenix challenged each other to see who could get downtown quickest, one on light rail, one on a Grid bike.

Granted, I wear a big shoe with a long toe box, so I suppose not everyone will experience this. Also, not everyone unclips the same way; I tend to rotate my heel out, but I know Leah rotates hers in, so she probably wouldn’t experience this issue. My solution is to unclip in the 12 o’clock position which places the crankarm out of the way. Still, I’ve had many close calls when I found myself unable to quickly unclip in my usual manner.

Underfoot, the broad platform provides a decent amount of lateral support, though it’s not so wide that it’s overly susceptible to rock strikes. The large body also gives you a big target to aim for when you’re scrabbling to get clipped back in.

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

Mountain bike, bikepacking and gravel bikes. Reviews, buying advice and news. off-road.cc is dedicated to bringing you the best coverage of all off-road riding

Five Ten Impact Pro The Impact pro is a fast-drying shoe with a synthetic upper and thick, shock-absorbent sole. Claimed weight 439g. $160 USD.