Video: Six of the best cycling shoes | Bike Flat Pedals

Bournemouth University student becomes fourth fastest woman – and the youngest – to cycle round the world

reflectve panels on shoes, or anklebands are the answer if you are really worried. Technically only needed for riding at night, many people only ride in daylight. I would like to see a court case to prove that a reflective anywhere around the foot is sufficient and it does not need to be specifically on the pedal.

Would be great to see size ranges listed too. I wear 14EE so bike shoes are always a pain (literally).

My #CarlessCommute summary: 11 miles biked in 55 min.; 90 min on @valleymetro light rail; 600 cals burned; 1 FUBAR bike wheel; one middle finger salute to a bad driver; one guy crocheting a beanie; one cool sculpture; 10 frozen fingers, and a partridge in a pear tree. @azcentral

Truth be told, I’ll put my hand up as one of those roadie snobs who once wouldn’t be caught dead in treaded shoes on a proper road ride. But in all honesty, the difference in performance between these A600 pedals and good XC race shoes, and dedicated road shoes and pedals, was impressively subtle in my six months comparing the two setups.

If you prefer the Shimano ‘Trail’ design, the M530 pedal is the budget option for you. The cage design provides some impact protection whilst riding, as well as offering a little more support for your shoes when clipped in, or for those loose moments when you have to unclip.

OWN FR-01 The Kevlar upper is bonded to a Vibram sole, reportedly making this a light and super durable high top. €110.

Really I’d only recommend them to riders who will find that learning curve worth the touch of extra speed off the lights or side of the road. To me it was.

 I took my bike to Tenerife recently and there were lots of compliments about how I could hold 90rpm up steep multi hour climbs.  At the end of a long week my legs felt very good and not wrecked like some others 

Shimano’s single-sided PD-A600 SPD road pedal isn’t new; far from it, in fact. First introduced in 2010, it was originally billed as an Ultegra-level alternative for roadies who wanted the stability of a traditional three-bolt system but the walking convenience of a recessed two-bolt cleat.

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.

You don’t see HT pedals around that much, though their popularity is steadily growing. Launched in 2005 by parent company Hsing Ta Industrial, HT Components is still young. With over half a century’s worth of manufacturing experience in bicycle pedals behind it, however, it certainly isn’t lacking in experience. And thanks to high-profile sponsorship of the likes of Aaron Gwin, Jared Graves and Jerome Clementz, the brand is getting plenty of attention.