Winner Of ‘Best All Round’ – Shimano Saint M820 SPD Pedals | Bike Flat Pedals

Flats. When I became a mid life crisis mountain biker I read that clips were far superior and it was worth the few comedy moments when you bounced off the tarmac because you couldn’t get your feet out of the clips sin time. I decided my bones were too old for that kind of comedy and so went flats, mostly wellgo or superstar, and inov8 roclite boots whcih are excellent both riding and pushing.

While the shoes and cleats were new, I also removed the pins to begin with to limit interference. As everything settled in though, I added the pins to increase traction.

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.

Should you be excited about the Pitbull system? That depends on what you’re after — and your budget. According to Pitbull’s creators, they expect the system “would be marketed alongside the medium- to high-end pedals currently on the market.” That likely puts it over $100 per pair.

Mavic, Specialized and I’m sure others do similar ‘touring’ shoes that look like road shoes, have a decently stiff sole but take MTB style SPD cleats.

Off road though I just want to throw a foot out or down every so often, so flats all the way for MTB.

 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 

The trails here are quite different to where I usually ride, though. Leafy, wooded undulating chalk land is pretty scarce in the corner of the Pennines I call home. I’m more used to wide open moorland, liberally strewn with rocks. Calderdale in Yorkshire has woods, sure, but mostly precipitously steep ones, with weirdly grippy Millstone Grit under tyre and sardonic Yorkshiremen in flat caps eating chips cooked in dripping commenting impenetrably as I inevitably hurtle over something foolish. There are steps. There is weather. All of the weather. Frequently, all of the weather at once. My local riding has incrementally become something of a gnar-fest. Granted, my enthusiasm usually outweighs my competence, but riding for any length of time in Calderdale gently massages you down a greasy chute of tech. Of course, there’s plenty of non-technical riding too, but a ride’s not a *proper* ride unless there are liberal helpings of thrutch, a couple of ‘oof’s and (usually) more than one whimper.

It’s impossible to comment on long-term durability without further testing, but given Shimano’s reputation for building pedals that last years and not just seasons, we expect nothing less here. The Saints roll on a heavy-duty cromoly axle that’s built for proper abuse, while the dual-row cup and cone bearing system offers serviceability if you ever need it. To ward off contamination in the first place, the internals are protected by a high-quality labyrinth seal system borrowed from XTR hub tech. Like all Saint products, they’re backed with a three-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

Can you handle that? No-one here is saying Surly sucks and didn’t know how to use Speedplays. So don’t take offence. We’re not saying we’re more skilled than you, or more technical than you, or better riders than you. We just got on with them, you didn’t.

The majority of first time buyers will end up with Look style pedals – these are widely stocked and can be purchased for a reasonable fee. However, there’s a variety of different styles of clipless pedals – each version comes with pros and cons.

Shimano GR7 This shoe has a cool stretch-mesh ankle collar that keeps debris out of the shoe. Claimed weight 366g in size 42. $130 USD.