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At some point in your bike-riding life, you’ll be climbing a steep hill, or hopping over a pothole, or hitting the road with a faster crew, thinking to yourself, “What is it I’m doing wrong? Why can’t I keep up?”

85% of it is your legs. Ride more, push harder, challenge yourself. You’ll get faster, more skillful.  For that last 15% though, your equipment has to be up to snuff. And 10% of that equipment is going to be your pedals. Are they clipless?  If not, that right there is going to be the extra ‘umph’ you need to beast over that hill, hop over that obstacle, and keep up with your friends and rivals.  If you don’t believe me, try it! My hand to god, if you get back and tell me I’m wrong, I’ll eat my shoes.

“But Maaarrrk, I want to just ride my bike around and not have to wear those silly shoes that I see all the srs bikers clicking and clacking around in all damn day!”  Well, duh, you’re on the DZR blog! That’s what these shoes do best! I work on my feet in these sumbitches all day long, and forget I’m even wearing bike shoes until I hop on and ride.

When it comes to clipless pedals, there are a slew of choices; enough to make your head spin if you don’t know exactly what you want.  That’s why DZR has tasked me with breaking down the three most common pedals you’ll encounter:...

Amplified Efficiency and Power Transfer - Flat pedals are far and away the least efficient method of commuter cycling. With flat pedals, there is only one section of the pedal rotation in which you are able to apply pressure to the drivetrain: the down stroke. This uses the same leg muscle over and over causing the muscle, and you as the rider to fatigue more quickly. I know this may come across as some fixie nonsense, but the best part of clipless riding is the firm connection that the rider gains with their bicycle’s drive train.

This past year our friend Reid Hemsing ofTwo Wheel Gear, invited Momentum Mag to come and share an office with him. What began as two bike industry related companies sharing office space became an awesome cross pollination of ideas, contacts, friendship and an expanded perspective of what bike gear our readers might be interested in.  You have probably never read an article about clipless pedals before on momentummag.com.  And after rolling our eyes a few times and being skeptical, Reid convinced us that it’s time to at least talk about whether or not we need them. We hope you enjoy Reid’s guest blog post.

I remember a time when shoes didn’t stink. It was pretty much before mass production of athletic shoes back in the early ’80s; before factories had to find a way to make every shoe consistently perfect. Did you know that shoes are all hand sewn? Some people seem to think that shoes are made by machine and some brands try to tout that “special” fact that Their shoes are hand-made, but pretty much all shoes (except ones like Crocs) are sewn by hand. 

So you’ve done it, committed to becoming a serious cyclist. You’re ready to clip into your bike and enjoy all the extra power transfer and efficiency of  riding clipless. If you’re new to clipless, setting up your pedals and your shoes can seem a little bit intimidating. And the thought of having your feet attached to your bike seems downright dangerous. But remember riding clipless is like the difference between skateboarding and snowboarding. In snowboarding, you’re attached to your board versus in skateboarding you’re not and you come flying off your board it in a moments bump.

The bike share programs can be considered a stable and integrated phenomenon of mobility in the cities. The idea of bike sharing was born in Amsterdam, in 1965 and it evolved until 1998 when the first city-scale bike share program was launched in Rennes, France.

Since then, the system spread throughout the world and today, almost all major cities propose a similar solution. Wondering which are the best bike share programs in the world? Find it out in our top 25.​

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Most cycling shoes are pretty sharp, but they’re also decidedly sporty. As cycling becomes an increasingly popular mode of transportation, shoe manufacturers are offering up more products that pedal well, walk comfortably, and look great.

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Outdoor and athletic brands have it out for transition. Right now, the bulk of the innovation happening in the space is aimed at eliminating those times between activities and the rest of life, and despite expansive product lines, companies big and small are producing ultra-versatile jackets and t-shirts that can be worn forever (or so we’re meant to think). By now, you’ve heard all the tag lines: city-to-mountain, backcountry-to-bar — the list goes on. Most of these items are the result of improvements in garment technology and are more like iterations on products seen before. Others are the result of true innovations in design and thinking. 

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When people think of Minneapolis it's usually about our weather. Not about how perfect we have it in the spring, summer and fall, but about the brutal cold we endure anywhere from 4-6 months of the year. Even with that we still manage to get on with our normal lives. We're constantly in a battle for Best Cycling City in the country with Portland and Austin, and with all that cycling comes drinking. When the weather is nice we like to grab a 6-pack and go down to the nearest lake or park and enjoy the warmth, but when the cold comes back we head indoors for some brews. Here are some of the places we like to ride to the most.

I was a tad late after realizing, once in my garage, I had to switch pedals out from my polo bike to my Trek since it was dry and most of the salt was gone to rock the DZR Marcos (with custom green board paint splatter). I was gonna need all the gears I could get fighting this Nor’easter. I met Christian for the first time, the photographer for this, outside Blackbird for the (mis)adventure we were embarking on. We had a goal of reaching 10 bars. I’ll be honest we only made it to 8. I could have added a few more bars to this report that people who ride bikes frequent and that incentivize showing up by bike. Don’t get me wrong, more bars could be more bike friendly, as the city itself could. Overall though each year I see more riders I don’t know in the streets and more support from bar owners to cater to those who choose to ride there. These are my personal highly rated ones. Have one to suggest or disagree with me? Go to your favorite bike friendly bar, buy a drink and let them know you rode and appreciate their support. Or politely suggest to them how to improve. From out of town? This is a good guide to get you started.

Winter riding in the Pacific Northwest can be a uniquely challenging affair. Whether exploring deep National Forest gravel roads, churning out paved base mileage, pounding grimy singletrack, or simply commuting — there are a few universal truths that will hopefully take a bit of the adversity out of the season. Initially compiled by Ryan Francesconi, the following list reflects the cumulative wisdom of the Unpaved community.

Oh, you was all reading up on this site and thought our expertise only went as far as dope shoes? Wrong. We also know a lot about drinking. There's a slew of rad spots all over the Bay and we've been to every single one (that we can remember!). Still, our favorite spots are the ones we hit up over and over after a gravy shift, an alleycat, or a night of hard-fought polo matches. Most of all, these are the places where we know we're going to run into friends both old and new. Here are a few of our all-time favorite watering holes to hitch our horses up at. Next time you find yourself in town, refer to this if you're looking to link up with our kind.