Upgrades

The only upgrades for this year are pedals and shoes. I was always thought about getting the specialized shoes and now that they changed to a decent color (last year was red and that doesn't match anything) that actually does match my bike and kit quite well. I used the shoes yesterday when I went on a ride with Sam and Johny T. I didn't have the pedals yet though. I took the dualie out for the first time because it has been very lonely in the basement. The soles of the shoes are supper hard. I had to file down the back of the cleat that would usually press into the sole so the cleat doesn't move, but they wouldn't press into the specialized carbon. I really like the Boa system. There are no pressure points at all around the foot. Another feature I like about these shoes is the heel cup is narrow. I have a small Achilles tendon so it conforms nicely and prevents heel lift. Specialized shoes are narrower than the Nike shoes I had and a little taller in the toe area. Nike seems to have a big toe box with a low profile. The Specialized shoes are incredibly stiff. They feel more like road shoes than anything. They also weigh as much as my road shoes (720g a pair w/cleats). The only issue I have with them is getting my foot in the shoe. They have a small entry opening with a grabby material lining the heel so it takes a little more effort and wiggling to get in them.
Look Pedals- I just put the pedals on today and have only ridden them around in the yard so far. It's always risky trying a first generation pedal design out before any reviews come out but look has had a lot of pedal experience and there are some pros using them in the world cup circuit. Whats interesting about the design is there is no tension spring which is why they are so light. I don't know how they get the tension to be honest, I'll have to look at it a little more. What sold me was the weight of the Crank Bros.egg beaters with the platform of the Time Atac (we'll see about mud shedding ability later) all under $100. I have the Atacs now and I have always had a problem with the axles developing some play. Oh, and they weigh a ton for what you pay for them. Atacs are renown for their mud shedding abilities and their butter like entry and exit in all conditions. The entry on the Atacs are nice too, you could just slam down on the pedal from almost any angle and clip in fast. From what I've experienced so far just riding around the yard the looks are more precise and solid feeling. The Atacs I notice do have some slop to them and there is some lateral movement while being clipped in.With the Looks there is only 3 degrees of float with a 15 degree release angle. The Atacs have 5 degrees of float and I don't know what there release angle is. The entry I don't think is as forgiving as the Atacs but I'm sure its something I just need to get used to. You do need to shim the cleats with certain shoes. I had to use the 1mm shim on the specialized shoes. I'm thinking of adding the .5mm shim to see if that will make the entry a little easier but it will loosen up the shoe on the platform. I'll have to experiment a little bit with that. One last thing, the cleats need to be deburred in the back. The burrs were beginning to hack up the cage when clipping in. I took a file to them and now its fine.
In the end I'll have shaved 230g (.5lb) off my feet, and have made things a lot more solid meaning more efficiency.



Photos from Specialized.com and MTBR.com