Watch: How to service your Shimano SPD SL pedals | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

Somewhere along the line came the discovery that he could string a few words together, followed by the even more remarkable discovery that people were mug enough to pay for this rather than expecting him to do an honest day’s work. He’s pretty certain he’s worked for even more bike publications than Mat Brett.

For years I struggled with the internal conflict of having a saddle bag strapped to my bike. Most of them are an eyesore and not nearly compact enough for my liking. VéloColour may be better known for their stunning paint jobs but their hand sewn in Toronto soft goods are well thought out and beautiful pieces. The Dynamite Roll has room for a tube, patches, a $20 bill in case of emergencies, a multitool and my favourite tire levers. There’s room for more but those are the essentials and I favour a mini-pump or my frame pump over CO2 every day of the week. Best of all, it looks great on my bike. I barely notice it and never wish it wasn’t there. Read the full review.

As a city dweller, escaping the city limits for a mountain bike ride in the woods is one of my greatest pleasures. There’s nothing quite as soothing as leaves rustling, birds singing, and brooks babbling, all against the backdrop of voluminous knobby tires rolling over singletrack. Granted, most of my off-road exploits still take place within commuting distance of Manhattan, but were it not for the faint thrumming of automobile traffic on some distant expressway, it would be easy to convince myself I was 100 miles away from civilization.

While it may not be my style, I can certainly understand this impulse—after all, you never outgrow wanting to go outside and play with your toys with your friends, and trying to clean that trickly line is no different than shooting hoops or pitching horseshoes or working on any other methodical physical pursuit.

I’ve got the M324 pedals mentioned above on my pub bike. They are great for what they are, but you do have to watch it if you’re clipped in, as it’s very easy to catch the cage on the floor when cornering.

Guinness World Records have a very detailed definition, minimum of 18,000 miles, 2 antipodal points, and no significant East/West backtracking …

Beloved by Carradice-toting touring types and seemingly every other Northern European cycle tourist, lovers of the SPD sandal delight in telling you how they are the pinnacle of cycling footwear design — unlimited airflow, unrivalled comfort and dodgy tan lines are among the many supposed virtues of the open-toed life.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

No doubt, these are more like a cross-country mountain bike shoe than a road shoe. The 2-bolt SPD compatibility and generous Michelin tread is all the evidence you need there. However, the laced retention, synthetic upper and reflective details are not features you’d typically seek (or find) in a mountain bike shoe.

• The number of bike commuters seen during my one-way, 35-minute commute is up, from low single digits to not-as-low single digits.

The guts of the pedal is a well-finished Aluminium body that houses serviceable cup and cone bearings. A metal cage is bolted on for riding in flats, and on the other side you get an adjustable tension SPD binding for when you’ve got your cleats on. The pedals are very well finished and run smoothly from the off, and the fact that they’re easy to strip down is a bonus.

As CXR94Di2 has demonstrated and I can confirm that road shifters do work with the XT mechs, but as I said you must use front and rear. I took my advice from CXR94Di2