When you are just starting out with gentle rides for 30 minutes to an hour, you are asking a lot less of all your equipment and that includes your shoes. The Ride Concepts Tallac BOA is the flagship model, and while it’s a chunk of cash you do get the high-tech BOA fit system which is simple, lightweight and allows you to make tension adjustments to your footwear with one hand while on the bike. The Tecno-3 Push Flex system is also incredibly comfortable but there's no pop open function and no micro-adjustment for loosening. While some bolder more open-minded riders may switch brands, most will probably stick with what they know (Five Ten) but we definitely think a lot of folk should try Specialized sneaks at some point.

You also have the option to purchase double-sided 2-bolt pedals which makes clipping in even easier. lockless cycling shoes feature an innovative design that takes your cycling journey to the next level.Pearl Izumi put a premium on hiking comfort, which translates to less rigidity and outright power when really torquing on the pedals (XC cyclists should steer clear). He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. Our tester found the Shimano GR5s to have the best balance of pedalling stability and walkability of any flat shoes he’s ever ridden in. More pedalling, and more time pedalling means that concentrating the pressure of the pedal in a smaller spot can lead to discomfort in that spot. There are less expensive options as well though and Lake is offering a shoe unlike anything else on the market.

But for areas like Pearl Izumi’s home state of Colorado or those that like to hit the backcountry in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a whole lot to like about the X-Alp’s versatile design. I already have a set of Look pedals on my trainer bike and I frequently use Garmin RK200 power meter pedals when I don't have another power meter option. It’s important to make sure all your parts have the same pattern – 2-bolt or 3-bolt – or they won’t be able to work together.

The naming scheme is easy to follow if you’re familiar with the brand’s pedal line: The Mallet is a clipless shoe that’s designed to work with the corresponding clipless pedal, and the same goes for the flat-pedal Stamp.

Pedal grip is a huge consideration for those who ride flats, and Crankbrothers have optimized the outsole to pair with the Stamp pedal (although it will work with others reasonably well too). This is not to say the Tallac BOA is a bad shoe, it just isn’t the best, nor in this configuration the cheapest.The upper is a woven fabric made from yarn containing at least half Parley Ocean Plastic content and the rest recycled polyester; it's padded and comfortable just like the tongue. This recess on the bottom of the sole needs to be deep enough that you don’t feel the cleat when you walk, but shallow enough that the cleat engages easily with the mechanism.