Clipless pedals are a misnomer because these are the ones you clip into – but are called clipless because these lack the cages for the shoes. With that in mind clipless pedals can be a problem because if you don’t have cleats for the shoes it can be hard to ride on the pedals.
Kurtis Meyer of Ohio had another idea and he created the Bike Dabs, which turn a Shimano SPD-SL clipless pedal into a flat platform pedal. Next up will be KEO, Speedplay and even Crankbrothers. These can come in handy for those times when riding the bike is necessary – such as to the store – but wearing cycling shoes isn’t a possibility.
Earlier this week we noted that Sidi has a new pair of street shoes that resemble cycling shoes, and now we’ve heard about Retrofitz, which offers a new system that can transform any street shoe into an SPD cleat-compatible shoe. The patented Retrofitz system consists of an impact modified nylon cleat plate that can attach to the soles.
Downhill riding is a very different sport than cross country mountain biking, and for those who look to post serious times need a serious pedal. Fortunately Crankbrothers has a pedal that let riders chop down while descending. The Mallet DH/Race pedals were used by the pros last year and is making its way to the general market.
CrankBrothers Egg Beaters are great off-road pedals, offering a minimal base and low weight. But without cycling shoes these are a nightmare to use. Not exactly friendly for shoes without the proper cleats. But now Pub Pedals is developing cleat covers that can transform the Egg Beaters into flat pedals – ideal for commuting or just heading to the store.
The old “cranks” at Crankbrothers know a thing or two about adjustable seat posts, and according to the company they have “learned that the main source of failure is an overcomplicated design.” They further noted that “Hydraulic posts are heavy and problematic, so we took a different route.”