Review: Shimano Saint M820 Clipless Pedals | Carbon Fahrrad Umwerfer Installationssatz

“These Funn Black Magic pedals are one of only two plastic pedals in this grouptest. The pedals arrived unpackaged and with pins already in. Apparently, retail ones come with a pin pack and nice little socket key for installing them. If you get some, I’d recommend using that to tighten them all right down, as ours lost most pins on the first ride, which certainly made for…” Read the full review here.

The most basic research would reveal how to wire it all up and thus the need for a couple of junction boxes and the various options available. If they were buying a bike with it fitted they may no nothing of these junction boxes, but that wouldn’t be an issue as they are already fitted.

There’s no denying that Speedplay has some real benefits, but as Matt states, they’re the highest maintenance option suggested here and are therefore not for everyone. The pedals themselves run on tiny needle bearings and need periodic greasing (easily done with a grease gun). Likewise, as Neal noted, you need to be especially careful of what you step in to prevent fouling the cleat mechanism with debris, and on occasion, it’s suggested to lube the cleats with a dry lube. I remember a bike fitter friend used to say “Speedplay are not a pedal for Sydney”, a reference to the reliability issues that would surface through constant clipping in and out at lights.

Herrigstad and Bendiksen pedal the most typical type of e-bike — those with a battery-powered “assist” that comes via pedaling. When you push the pedals on an e-bike, a small motor engages and gives the rider a boost. The more effort applied, the faster the bike will travel — up to a limited speed assist. Most e-bikes, including Herrigstad’s, come with a power to adjust the boost setting from low, such as on flat terrain, to high, such as on a hill.

When I started doing longer distances in clipless pedals it really messed with my knee. Using just 2mm of shim fixed that instantly and stopped my knee veering towards the crossbar at the top of the pedal stroke.

Usually a variant on one of two basic shapes: full-length axle and three-quarter (ish) axle. Full-length axle bodies have an end cap on the outer end, then a hole all the way through it to the crank end (the DMR, Superstar, and Spank pedals in this grouptest are examples of this). It’s a simple and time-tested design that’s typically, but not always, built around bigger and more long-lived moving components than thinner pedals have.

The Fizik Infinito X1 shoes are incredibly stiff for maximum power transfer, ideal for racers and pedal thrashers that don’t want to give away precious power to a flexy sole, and the highly adjustable Boa dial arrangement and fit provides great comfort. Not so impressive is the high price, but if you can afford them they are a good choice. 

As the first clip-in pedal to wear the coveted Saint name, the Saint uses a fixed mechanism that allows it to take a thinner 20.5mm profile, with a robust construction that’s designed to see off plenty of whacks and scrapes. The classic dual-sided SPD mechanism remains, and so do the twin-bolt cleats with their 4° of float. Tension is adjusted via a 3mm hex key, and each side gets removable traction pins.

Speedplay’s ‘lillipops’ are road specific pedals that gain their power-transfer-platform from the cleat, as opposed to the pedal. This means the cleat needs looking after as it’s integral to an efficient pedal stroke.

I’m well aware that this is considered as crash damage, so it’s entirely outside of Shimano’s typical warranty policy. I’m also aware that smacking pedals has a lot to do with technique and the bike you’re riding, and not everyone will put these through the same beating that I subjected them to.

Five Ten Impact Pro The Impact pro is a fast-drying shoe with a synthetic upper and thick, shock-absorbent sole. Claimed weight 439g. $160 USD.

You notice their lack of weight when pedalling, but what really grabs your attention is the impressive power transfer. Stamp hard on the pedals and there’s no hint of flex. The shoes are super stable too when you’re pushing on the pedals. It’s very positive and rewards those cyclists that like to push hard on the pedals all the time.