Shimano

In the past I sometimes bought aftermarket cassettes, and when I'd bring the bike in to get help smoothing out some janky shifting, the first thing that I would hear from the mechanic is do you have a Shimano cassette you can install? The advantage of shedding a few grams for a uniblock cassette don't seem so great when you can't get a clean, reliable gear change.

When I was racing, I would spring for the DA cassette for my race wheels, and if money were no object, I'd probably spring for that, but nowadays. Ultegra is the go-to.

I ride a lot. 70+ yrs old and raced for 50 of them. Only 200 miles, but plan on follow-up after 6 months. Had a lot of shoes and these are very well thought out. I have a C width foot but was glad for wide option as normal width would cause problem with foot surgery site. Like the large strap over instep and deep scalloped heel cup. Don't like the blinding white color but riding time will fix that. Black is too boring.

I tried Sidi S2 and DMT Krono. Disliked the Sidi ratchets, DMT was too narrow. BOA closure on 903 works great because of wide instep strap. I rotate between three pairs. The 903's replaced some Giro's. The other two pair are a little known brand.

I would consider buying these again. BTD was very easy to deal with as I tried different shoes. Return was about as easy as you will get for web purchase. I don't give 5's very often.

I've been riding another pedal brand for years and I recently made a switch to the PD-R8000 SPD-SL (Long Spindle +4mm), based on a call i had with a BikeTires Direct helpline person. He explained the reasoning behind the extra width for the spindle and how it can help riders who are wide in the hip (me) so i gave them a shot. They were a game changer. Changing to a new set of cleats was no issue as they came with the pedals. Bought a second pair for my gravel bike. Great price on both sets and a great decision, I'm not looking back.

I run the pd-m9100 on all my gravel bikes but I wanted to see how the platform felt on a mountain bike. Very solid feel but the outer cage deflects the rock garden type stuff from hitting your shoe and knocking it off the pedal. So while they are a bit heavier than some other spd pedals they have the benefit of some minor protections. Few hundred miles on them already and don't think I'll be swapping to the m9100s any time soon. At this price these are a steal.