Shimano M8000 XT Race vs M8020 XT Trail pedals: comparison and review | Bike Flat Pedals

Look pioneered clipless pedals back in the Eighties, and they’ve maintained a huge presence in the market ever since.

Mavic Ksyrium Pro UST WheelsetWeight: F: 590g R: 820gSpokes: F: 18 R: 20Rims: alloy, 17mm internal width$RRP: $1,599 (including tyres)

The Time Xpresso 15 pedals are extremely light and clipping in/twisting out could hardly be easier. The downside is the price, and the cleats wear noticeably faster than those of other brands.

“With a claimed weight of just 298 grams, Gamut’s Podium flat pedals are the lightest we have on test. They’re also the thinnest, with the slenderest part at just under 9mm, average at the edges around 10mm, and axle housing at the centre of the body still only 13.5mm. That’s not much space to pack moving parts in, but they’ve managed…” Read the full review here.

Long before either Look or Time became well known for their high-end frames, both French brands played pioneering roles in the evolution of clipless pedals. Look and Time have stayed true to their national heritage and still maintain pedal production of their products in France. While both the Look Keo Blade and Time Xpresso share the same goal of quality and performance, the way they function is very different.

As well as the shifters and derailleurs, with SRAM eTap you’ll need only a Charger Power Pack that retails at £63 (and an eTap Firmware Update Dongle, but only if SRAM ever makes firmware updates).

My triple crank is Deore XT 48/36/26 . Works beautifully, I have Synchro-shift enabled which keeps cross chaining to a minimum.  The setup you see, i use for mountains with a 11-40 cass.   

No. I was confident with them on the first time I took them onto the road. When I said I hated them for a few weeks I simply meant that the first few times I stuck them on the trainer to play around with them the spring was stiff. Nothing more, nothing less. I was exaggerating anyway, I didn’t actually hate them. Confidence however will vary with any pedal system depending on the person, so it’s irrational to try and argue that ‘it takes a long time before you can use them with confidence’. My confidence on the road has increased since I bought them – my final bugbear on the bike was being able to clip in and out without thought, as hard or as fast as I wanted. And I’ve solved that, for 80 quid. 

Crank Brothers have long been a popular alternative to Shimano’s dominance in the clipless pedal market, and the latest Mallet E takes the good bits from the Mallet DH pedal and bakes them into a lighter and slimmer down package that is well suited to trail riding and enduro racing. In taking the core ingredients of the successful Mallet DH and dropping a bit of weight and adding robust bearings and the traction pads, the Mallet E suit the demands of trail riding and enduro racing well, with a narrower Q-factor that feels more natural when pedalling over longer distances. 

The low profile body has a metal plate over the centre, helping to reduce premature wear and increase clearance between you and the road. Along with adjustable spring tension, quality sealed bearings, which cut down on maintenance, and hardwearing cleats these are racer-friendly and efficient road pedals.

hands down the most comprehensive list of flat shoes i’ve found on the world wide web, well done Brian, I will be using this list when my current pair wears out. One thing I thought was interesting was that adidas now owns five Ten yet they’re putting out their own shoe…. would like to see some field reports of those Terrex. For now I’ll stick with my Five Ten Contacts

The M324 is a solidly built and dependable commuting pedal for riders who want to switch easily between cleats and flats. If you’re a big mile commuter or tourer they won’t disappoint.