~Seriously?!~

I've been cycling for quite a few years now (nearly 10, with pauses in between). Such is the case that you'd expect me to at least have given clipless pedals a go. Sure enough, i attempted to do so on various occasions (3 actually), and each time that i tried, it ended in tears...the horrid crash while stuck to the bike *gulp*.

Anyway, two weeks ago i decided to take the clipless pedal plunge again after some hefty persuasion from two friends, with an added dash of curiosity. Could they really be that much better than my current trusty companion of Shimano DX flatties and Five Ten shoes with their sticky soles?

To start of, i decided to borrow a pair of Shimano SPD's from my friend Ben, but he couldn't find the cleats to go with them, and neither could i. So rather than wait for one to materialize, i just popped over to the bike shop and after much pondering settled for a pair of Time ATAC Alium's over Crank Bro's egg beater pedals. The Time's were definitely heavier (410grams) but they also came with various raving reviews for reliability and extremely low maintenance. The Crank Bro's items were nearly as reliable in rough conditions but needed frequent service to keep their bearings running smoothly.

So to cut a long story short, I got the TIME ATAC Alium's. I've been running them now for more than a month through mud, think mud, and clay. The pedals have been dead reliable and they still spin as smoothly as they did when i first installed them.



I've only got one problem with them however. Why did they even bother painting them? Here's a pic of them after the 3rd ride!


Fear not however...i've discovered the beauts below..all in their polished glory. Next pair of them perhaps :)