# Time, Look, or Shimano pedals



## snakemau (Jan 27, 2015)

So, I'm finally buying my first road bike a 2015 Pinarello Rokh (last time I used a road bike the shifters were on the down tube, circa 1985...). Now I'm trying to decide which pedals to get for my bike. On my MTBs I always use Time Atac carbon pedals, so thats the only one I have ever used. Now I'm trying to decide between the Time Xpresso 10, Look Keo Blade 2 CR or the Shimano Ultegra PD-6800, all with similar prices, carbon body and cromo/steel spindle. So any one has used or tried all 3? Or any recommendations? I'm kinda bias to Time jsut cause is what I'm familiar with and the colors of the Time match the Pinarello paint job, but I want something good and functional. I'm not a racer but more of a century rider...or at least that's my goal...suggestions?


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

Check out the float. If you know what you want that might help you make up your mind.

Anecdotally, Shimanos have the best durability and will simply work for a very very long time and I think their cleats are better for walking than Look. Time are a bit easier to clip into. I can't think of any advantage Look would have over either.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Based on your conditions I would choose the Shimano pedals and cleats.

If you really want the Time ones though, get them. Whatever makes you ride more.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

If your not racing, go shimano MBike pedals, then you can walk around in your shoes without looking like a dork.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

6 of one, half dozen of the other... they all work similar... all are good quality...
I personally like the shimano. I have2 sets of the ultegra and one of the dura ace..
but if one matches the bike better go with that...color co-ordination will make them last longer and work better....and if there is a touch of red on it, go faster too


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## jjaguar (Oct 11, 2011)

I have the same Time ATAC pedals on my MTB, and use Shimano pedals on my road bike. They're a solid choice, though there's nothing really wrong with your other options.

If you need to, you can change the amount of float in the Shimanos by changing cleats, which are color-coded. If you want to match the amount of float in the ATACs, the cleats with the most float, the yellows, are about the same. But first try out the cleats that the pedal come with and see how they feel.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

duriel said:


> If your not racing, go shimano MBike pedals, then you can walk around in your shoes without looking like a dork.


BINGO!

I have Time ATAC pedals on the two road bikes I ride the most. If you're just doing general fitness riding/touring/commuting, you can't beat mtn bike pedals. Easy to get around in and you won't have to buy another pair of shoes.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

duriel said:


> If your not racing, go shimano MBike pedals, then you can walk around in your shoes without looking like a dork.


What does racing have to do with it? Plenty of people ride just as aggressively and don't take long walks on a ride without technically being in a race and by the same token a pedal system that allows for not walking like a dork isn't going to hurt anyone's race results.


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## GRAVELBIKE (Sep 16, 2011)

On my skinny-tire bike, I use Speedplay Light Action pedals. They work well for that application because I find that I need more float/rotation when I'm putting in a lot of miles where I don't move around much (on the bike). My mtb and commuter/gravel rigs are outfitted with MKS US-B pedals, which work better when there's more walking, hike-a-bike, etc.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Jay Strongbow said:


> What does racing have to do with it? Plenty of people ride just as aggressively and don't take long walks on a ride without technically being in a race and by the same token a pedal system that allows for not walking like a dork isn't going to hurt anyone's race results.


Well said. I don't race any more (didn't do it much, or well, anyway), but I like my Looks. I like the stiff-soled road shoes. When I have to walk, I slip on my cleat covers. As for looking like a dork, when you're wearing road-cycling clothes and get off the bike, there's no avoiding that.


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

I did not buy a road bike, pedals and shoes to walk...
I use shimano road bike pedals... ultegra and dura ace because I like the way they feel...I use the blue cleats (2 degrees of float if I remember correctly) I used to use the yellow but as I progressed enough to differentiate the "feel" of float I felt like it was a bit much for my riding style and taste....
to non riders I am not sure how we are not going to look like dorks in our bright, high visibility pocketed jersey and lycra....besides, I have been called worse things than dork, and that was by my friends....in the PO section of this forum as late as today.


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## BoulderGeek (Sep 19, 2005)

On my travel bike, a Rocky Mountain Team Scandium, I use XT mountain SPDs. I like the double-sidedness for in-traffic urban courier duty in Paris or Torino. If I have to park the bike and walk a bit on cobblestones or whatever, it's nice to have more normal shoes.

For just going out road cycling, I have been using Time for the last few years.

I just got a track bike for the newly opened velodrome in my neighborhood, and popped an old set of Times on it. But, I am switching over to SPD-SL Shimano road pedals to be consistent with the local track community and rental fleet. If I need to borrow shoes or a bike, for example, my kit will be compatible with what they have at the track.


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## tka (Jun 11, 2014)

pmf said:


> BINGO!
> 
> I have Time ATAC pedals on the two road bikes I ride the most. If you're just doing general fitness riding/touring/commuting, you can't beat mtn bike pedals. Easy to get around in and you won't have to buy another pair of shoes.


Same thing I do. Both Mtn bikes and all 4 road bikes have Time ATAC pedals of various vintages, and I use the same shoes on all of them.


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## MikeWMass (Oct 15, 2011)

I like Time because:
You can walk in the cleats without covers without scratching floors or wearing out the business end of the cleat.
The cleats last almost forever.
They are very tolerant of dirt (unlike Speedplays, which were not on OP's list but were mentioned above)
Also require no maintenance.
Are relatively light, not that that really matters.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

OK, maybe you won't look like a dork, but....

If riders see you at the coffee or bike shop, and your lean and mean rac'in machine, checking out the latest KOI's... that's cool.

If riders see you at the coffee or bike shop, stumbling around knocking over the displays, tripping on the curbs, and you are a little too much on the scale and look like you may be able to put in a hard 6.5 hour century.... just say'in you might as well get the mtb pedals, at least you will not be stumbling around.


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## snakemau (Jan 27, 2015)

So anyone has used the time Xpresso 10? seems most share the shimanos are the way to go. I do love my time atacs but I'm not going to get MTB pedals on my road bike, I'm not planning on walking much at all with my bike, I'm going to ride the hell out of it so I want the full road pedals and road shoes (sidi or gaerne). Seems the look Keo could have issues with float, so anyone used the xpresso 10?


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## Sanders (May 13, 2013)

Why would Look have issues with float?
They offer three different cleats with settings just the same as Shimano.
Adviced by others I starded out with the most float, red cleats.
Wasn't long before i switched to the middle one, and now I ride with no float at all. As long as the cleats are adjusted perfectly it all the same.


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## snakemau (Jan 27, 2015)

Ah ok I understood it was a bit complicated to select the proper pedal since there are 3 different spring tensions and if you new like me to road pedals I might buy the wrong one (specially if getting them online without trying them first), which I know I wont do that mistake if I choose the Look.


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## Sanders (May 13, 2013)

the float of the cleat is different to the torque you need to unclick your shoe from the pedal.
I only know how Look pedals work as I've always had Look so far,
and they have an adjustable allen key index screw up until the Keo 2 Max pedal.
Up from there you end up with the (Keo) Blade wich has the carbon tension spring underneath wich comes in 12, 16 or 20 nm.

Starting out with a cheaper pedal with more adjustability isn't a bad thing. The entry level pedals offer more than enough performance for a starter.
If you like it after 6 months and you've decided on your preferences you could opt for the lighter, more expensive one. 
Keeping the old ones as back up


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Sanders said:


> Why would Look have issues with float?
> They offer three different cleats with settings just the same as Shimano.
> Adviced by others I starded out with the most float, red cleats.
> Wasn't long before i switched to the middle one, and now I ride with no float at all. As long as the cleats are adjusted perfectly it all the same.


This is very much incorrect if you follow the likes of Steve Hogg and other top fitters.


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## Sanders (May 13, 2013)

MMsRepBike said:


> This is very much incorrect if you follow the likes of Steve Hogg and other top fitters.


Isn't it about what feels right for yourself?
In the end, isf someone measures a part and it feels wrong or hurts my feet/knee/pelvex then I'm switching to something else.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

Maybe this comparison from Steve Hogg, along with his version of what the "perfect pedal" would be will be helpful. This is written from the perspective of a fitter who deals with a lot of different people with different needs. The trick here is to figure out which features are more important for you. 

For clipless pedals I "grew up" with Shimano, going back ~25 years, before there was any float. I've never had anything by Shimano, so I can't really offer any insights. I have new Shimano Ultegra now, and love 'em, except the 6° float seems a tad sloppy to me. I plan to try the 2° cleats in the very near future.


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## Jackhammer (Sep 23, 2014)

Are there any bad pedals these days?

I have tens of thousands of miles on 2 sets of Campy Chorus btw. Black, no float.

Oh, and Steve Hogg is a pretty bright guy.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

If you're use to way a certain pedal engages and disengages I say stick with Time, why learn a new system? otherwise I would go with Speedplay their lighter and easy to maintain with very little to go bad.


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## Terrasmak (Jan 8, 2015)

I've been searching for used Time , Shimano or Speedplay pedals locally. Hopefully find a set soon, still riding Shimano MTB pedals for now.


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

I found I would wear out the composite pedal body of either Look Keo Classics or Carbons. I switched metal bodied Shimanos and now have no issues with pedal wear.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Blue CheeseHead said:


> I found I would wear out the composite pedal body of either Look Keo Classics or Carbons. I switched metal bodied Shimanos and now have no issues with pedal wear.


I agree that metal will last longer, so if durability and long life is what you're looking for then get the metal stuff, but a lot of people are weight weenies so they want the composite stuff. My Speedplays are some sort of composite body but stainless steel shaft, but SpeedPlay has enough spare parts that you could assemble an entire pedal from their parts! I haven't heard of anyone on any forum that I've read that have worn out the composite body of a Speedplay pedal, bearings yes, composite body no. Most of the people who wore out their bearings was because they didn't maintain them with a semi annual grease injection.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

have had 4 sets of Shimanos (all Ultegra or DA) and one Look (KEO carbon 2).

the only difference I can feel is that the max-allowable release pressure on the Looks is much less than the Shimanos. cranked to the stiffest setting, the Looks disengage with virtually no effort. my DA 7900s take significant torque at max.

but, I've never had the Looks release inadvertently. so, it's not an issue. the Looks did have some creaking /squeaking issues when brand new tho.

and I don't get the whole 'walking' factor for pedal/cleat selection. in over 6K miles last year, I walked a total of about 50 feet.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Oxtox said:


> I don't get the whole 'walking' factor for pedal/cleat selection. in over 6K miles last year, I walked a total of about 50 feet.


There are clubs for people who love to eat with other club members in fine restaurants, but for some reason prefer to get to and come back from those eateries by "racing-type" bicycle. These folks appreciate cleats / shoes that can be walked in.

What I find impressive is how they have the courage to eat in sweaty and revealing lycra among people dressed for an evening of fine dining. Something wrong with me, I'm sure.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

wim said:


> There are clubs for people who love to eat with other club members in fine restaurants, but for some reason prefer to get to and come back from those eateries by "racing-type" bicycle. These folks appreciate cleats / shoes that can be walked in.
> 
> What I find impressive is how they have the courage to eat in sweaty and revealing lycra among people dressed for an evening of fine dining. Something wrong with me, I'm sure.


Nothing wrong with you, I agree, people should be dressed a bit less revealing when in public. When I ride I wear mtb shorts so I can walk into a store or restaurant, or down the sidewalk, without getting strange looks. But that's just me, no everyone thinks this way. 

But when I ride on my longer rides during the weekends a lot of times I visit other towns, restaurants, parks, lakes, etc and do quite a bit of walking around. It's just what I do, I like to get off the bike and see a town for example up close. It takes away from some of the boredom for me of just riding.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

wim said:


> There are clubs for people who love to eat with other club members in fine restaurants, but for some reason prefer to get to and come back from those eateries by "racing-type" bicycle. These folks appreciate cleats / shoes that can be walked in.
> 
> What I find impressive is how they have the courage to eat in sweaty and revealing lycra among people dressed for an evening of fine dining. Something wrong with me, I'm sure.


"Courage" is one word for it, I guess . . . 

I'm glad I haven't encountered one of these "clubs."


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

I use Shimano, yellow cleats. 

Clipping in is not difficult once you understand the specific motion and just do it. This applies to "starting from a standing stop" in general. 

They are much more walkable than speedplays, so I have no worries about walking across gravel or dirt, even a bit of mud is no big deal, they still clip in and work. 

I've also heard from speedplay riders that they tend to wear out and have more play, which might cause injury problems. 

The Shimano's do wear out also but it's usually the walking pontoons that go first, not the cleat integrity.


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## jkc (Jun 23, 2014)

froze said:


> Most of the people who wore out their bearings was because they didn't maintain them with a semi annual grease injection.


My Time pedals, Magnesium and Sport, were purchased in 1991/2 and has several thousand miles and I never grease it; it still work like new. Are the new stuff crap compared to when they were first marketed or just bad luck? The only problem I have is the springs are too stiff for my tired legs now (just getting back into it after 23 years) and the cleats are wear out (local shops don't carry them and I have tried to hard to find replacements). I recently switched to SPDs to keep it consistent with my MT and the only thing is having to relearn how to engage gracefully after the initial engagement with my old shoe. Funny how my muscle have different memory depending on the shoes I using.

I had Look initially than Shimano before switching to Time. My knees were taking a beating from them.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

jkc said:


> My Time pedals, Magnesium and Sport, were purchased in 1991/2 and has several thousand miles and I never grease it; it still work like new. Are the new stuff crap compared to when they were first marketed or just bad luck? The only problem I have is the springs are too stiff for my tired legs now (just getting back into it after 23 years) and the cleats are wear out (local shops don't carry them and I have tried to hard to find replacements). I recently switched to SPDs to keep it consistent with my MT and the only thing is having to relearn how to engage gracefully after the initial engagement with my old shoe. Funny how my muscle have different memory depending on the shoes I using.
> 
> I had Look initially than Shimano before switching to Time. My knees were taking a beating from them.


Ah, talk about the good old days --- Time Equipe Pro Titan pedals. Complete with Miguel Indurain on the box. I still have a couple pairs laying around, plus some new spare cleats if you want them. The rear brass one never wears out, but the front one does -- especially when they switched it from aluminum to plastic. 

Those pedals were built like tanks. Newer pedals aren't quite as hardy, but they are a lot lighter. The stiffer carbon soled shoes these days negate the need for the big platform (that's what I liked about those pedals). I tried the Time RSX some time ago and wasn't that thrilled with them. These days, I've been using Time ATAC mountain bike pedals on my road bikes. They work great. They have decent float and you can walk around in them a lot easier.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

jkc said:


> My Time pedals, Magnesium and Sport, were purchased in 1991/2 and has several thousand miles and I never grease it; it still work like new. Are the new stuff crap compared to when they were first marketed or just bad luck? The only problem I have is the springs are too stiff for my tired legs now (just getting back into it after 23 years) and the cleats are wear out (local shops don't carry them and I have tried to hard to find replacements). I recently switched to SPDs to keep it consistent with my MT and the only thing is having to relearn how to engage gracefully after the initial engagement with my old shoe. Funny how my muscle have different memory depending on the shoes I using.
> 
> I had Look initially than Shimano before switching to Time. My knees were taking a beating from them.


As time (not as in Time) has gone marching by things like bike related stuff are not as well made today as they were 20 or even 30 years ago. I have over 160,000 miles on Suntour Superbe components and never had a problem with bearings, granted I did keep them will greased, but regardless that's a lot of miles without ever replacing a bearing. Today the bike industry has learned a lot for the automotive industry, make stuff look impressive and feel impressive, but make it break so you can go and buy another and another and another, the idea is to keep your money flowing out of your wallet. I don't know how good these newer SpeedPlay pedals will be, but one of the reasons I got them and not a different brand was the ability to regrease without taking them apart, I have Superbe hubs with that feature and greased them at least every 6 months (more if exposed to water, or in my racing days I greased them once every 3 months due to the higher mileages) when Suntour only recommended once a year. So I'm thinking, maybe my thinking is naive, but regardless if my Superbe hub bearings have lasted that long and are still smooth as silk with that kind of attention then maybe the Speedplay pedals will be that way too...time will tell.


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## jkc (Jun 23, 2014)

pmf said:


> Those pedals were built like tanks..


Thanks for the offer but I'm getting used to the SPDs; came with new bike I got at year's end. I seem to recall they were not supposed to be serviced at all. One of my race buddy try it and didn't work well afterwards. We both work in a shop and he was the better mechanic. Our chief mechanic also give it a try but same results. I think I'm still using the original cleats and the front has a nice edge to it. My right plastic flap finally broke last year, after sitting in a west facing garage for many years; it took some effort to rip the left off so they are matching.



froze said:


> my Superbe hub bearings have lasted that long and are still smooth as silk...


My Record hubs/DA 7400 BB/Stronglight headset are still humming like day one (actually the hubs was better than factory since I was the last person that service them 23 years ago and I also install the other two). (That Pill Wood stuff is amazing.) Lucky they were not touched during the last tune-up; got lazy and took it to a local pro shop (glad I was too cheap for a full). Only the bar tape and cable housing was put on correctly. The bike came back with loose locking nut on the headset and the cups was loosen, spokes on my wheel was detension (hand built by yours truly), brake pads not toed, etc. I can see why after assembling my new bike (but not the spoke tension or brake pads). The new stuff takes the artistry and shove it where the light don't shine.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

snakemau said:


> So, I'm finally buying my first road bike a 2015 Pinarello Rokh (last time I used a road bike the shifters were on the down tube, circa 1985...). *Now I'm trying to decide which pedals to get for my bike. On my MTBs I always use Time Atac carbon pedals,* so thats the only one I have ever used. Now I'm trying to decide between the Time Xpresso 10, Look Keo Blade 2 CR or the Shimano Ultegra PD-6800, all with similar prices, carbon body and cromo/steel spindle. So any one has used or tried all 3? Or any recommendations? I'm kinda bias to Time jsut cause is what I'm familiar with and the colors of the Time match the Pinarello paint job, but I want something good and functional. I'm not a racer but more of a century rider...or at least that's my goal...suggestions?


I thought going to road pedals would help or make things better when I got my road rig. I was wrong. I use Time ATAC carbons also on mtb. 

I use them on the road rig now too. I can walk without issue and I only have to buy one good pair of shoes.

Sure they are a little heavier, but the ease of use makes up for that. Plus, they have saved me 2 times from going down as I was able to unclip fast and dab down in some sand and wet leaves on the road.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

wim said:


> There are clubs for people who love to eat with other club members in fine restaurants, but for some reason prefer to get to and come back from those eateries by "racing-type" bicycle. These folks appreciate cleats / shoes that can be walked in.
> 
> What I find impressive is how they have the courage to eat in sweaty and revealing lycra among people dressed for an evening of fine dining. Something wrong with me, I'm sure.





JCavilia said:


> "Courage" is one word for it, I guess . . .
> 
> I'm glad I haven't encountered one of these "clubs."


Haven't these clubs heard of "Suit in a Pouch". It fits in a jersey pocket. You then can dine and not look too weird. 

I wonder how well the valet parks their bikes???


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