We’ve recently been sent a pair of Shimano R098 shoes and some of the new Crank Brothers Quattro pedals to test. We’ll be using them together and will put them through their paces over the next couple of months.
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Shimano are easily the biggest manufacturer of shoes for both road and mtb, and this is their middle of the range performance shoe. It’s aimed at enthusiast and budding racers, and has all the features to make it very good value for money.
Three Velcro straps keep the shoe firmly strapped to your feet. A super stiff fibreglass sole with a carbon plate insert transfers all your power into forward momentum, while plenty of mesh material around the toe area will keep your feet cool. There’s some interesting detailing too, like the hole on the sole underneath the toe box, and a couple of cool looking exhaust ports near the back of the shoe.
For more information visit Ultimate Pursuits and Shimano
Crank Brothers Quattro SL – £100
Crank Brothers released one of the most innovative pedal designs with the launch of the Egg Beater a few years ago. They essentially stripped the pedal down to the bare basics, with just a couple of thick bars and a spring wrapped around the spindle doing the business. This has the added bonus of keeping the weight very low, great for weight weenies. Another interesting difference when compared to other pedal designs is that these are four-sided.
We’re going to be testing the new Quattro, their first road-specific pedal. A fibre composite and stainless steel platform surrounds the stainless steel pedal core, providing extra support and making clipping in easier. You get 6 degrees of float, and the release angle can be either 15 or 20 degrees, depending on how you set-up the cleats.
We’re testing the SL model, weighing in at 312g a pair. For the weight conscious, the ti model weighs 270g while the range topping 4ti just 220g.
For more information visit Raw Experience and Crank Brothers
