Riding back and forth to work each day has given me a new appreciation for my technical gear. It's all about "maximizing your comfort in your discomfort", and when I'm pounding out mile after mile, the last thing I want to do is skimp on footwear and pedals.

I chose a pair of hand-made Italian Sidi road shoes because I wanted top of the line comfort - and well... because they look damn good. All of the guys in my cycling group wear Sidis too, so I splurged a little and spent a little extra on my footwear so I could be part of "the club".

One thing that's unique about a pair of Sidi road shoes is that the heel rubber unit is replaceable, so I won't have to buy a whole new set of shoes after I wear out the heel - I'll just buy a cheap pair of rubber heel units and I'll be good to go. They also have a rachetting mechanism that makes tightening them up very easy to do.

Keeping with the theme of comfort and style, I chose a pair of LOOK PP357 Road Pedals, which are shaped a little differently than most pedals - and look really cool too.

I also like the longer footprint, which spreads out the pressure point to a larger section of my foot - again... maximizing comfort as much as possible. They're still made of extremely lightweight aluminum, and they have an adjustable spring tensioner that lets you customize how tight they are for clipping in or releasing.

The Sidi shoes run about $230, and the LOOK pedals are normally $139.99. However, the LOOK road pedals are currently on sale at Performance for only $74.99, which is a huge $65 savings. I think that's worth mentioning because it's a great time to gear up and get ready for some serious Spring cycling!