Time Xpresso 15 pedals

The Time Xpresso 15 pedals are extremely lightweight and clipping in/twisting out could hardly be easier, but they're expensive and the cleats wear noticeably faster than those of other brands.

Weight weenies will be delighted when they remove the top-of-the-range Xpresso 15s from their natty metal box. With their carbon bodies, hollow titanium axles, and Ceramic Speed bearings, ours hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at just 140g for the pair (Time claim 66.5g each, or 133g the pair). That's very light when you consider that Look claim 180g for their Kéo Blade 2 Ti pedals (£224.99). There's a maximum rider weight of 90kg (14st 2lb) for the titanium axles.

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Clipping into the pedals is ridiculously easy because the engagement mechanism sits partially open when there's no cleat inside. You just put your foot in place and the engagement mechanism snaps shuts with very little pressure. Clipping into other pedals is hardly difficult but the action is certainly lighter than normal here.

That doesn't mean to say that the pedals lack holding power, though. Rather than a metal spring to provide the tension, Time use a carbon strip and it works very well. I've never had a cleat release accidentally. I ran a little experiment to see if I could pull the cleat out of the pedal by a combination of force and clumsiness and found it impossible, yet it's really simple to flick your heel to the side and release the cleat in the proper way when you want to.

The pedal platform is large (700mm2, according to Time) and you get plenty of stability even when standing up and throwing the bike around in a sprint. While we're doing the stats, the distance from the top of the pedal body to the centre of the axle is just 13.5mm (very similar to that of Look's Kéo Blade 2 Ti).

The carbon pedal body is tougher than you might think. After 12 weeks of heavy use the pedals are looking in very good shape with just some cosmetic scratches across the central aluminium plate. That plate can be changed if/when it wears out. The Xpresso 8s that I've been using on and off over the past couple of years have proved equally durable. The only real damage you could do to the pedal body is if you come off and it hits the ground. No pedal is going to like that very much.

You get a generous amount of float with the Xpresso system. If you want to put figures on it, you can move your heel in and out by up to 5° from the centreline and you also get a small amount of lateral movement across the pedal. That's only 1.5mm in each direction from the centreline though and, in truth, you'd do well to notice it. While we're talking about lateral positioning, it's worth noting that Xpresso cleats aren't quite symmetrical, giving you the opportunity to adjust the distance between the crank and the middle of the engaged cleat by up to 2.5mm on each side by selecting which cleat you put on each shoe.

As I said, the hollow titanium axles spin on Ceramic Speed bearings. What's the benefit over standard bearings? The manufacturers reckon these give you the lowest possible friction and longevity that's 3-5 times higher than normal steel bearings. Have I noticed the difference in use? Nah, I can't say that I have. The pedals do spin beautifully, but so do many others I have with cheaper bearings.

In the past, both Jo and Dave have had issues with the Xpresso 8s, specifically with water getting inside causing them eventually to seize. I've not had any issues with the bearings here, and nor have I had any trouble with the bearings in the Xpresso 8s that I mentioned.

If you do have any bearing issues, these pedals aren't user serviceable – not officially, anyway. If you open them up you'll void the 24 month warranty.

My only real complaint isn't with the Xpresso 15 pedals themselves but with the cleats. They wear out too fast. Look Kéo and Shimano SPD-SL cleats wear quite quickly but the nose of the Time cleat starts to get scuffed up really fast despite the fact that I do just the minimum amount of walking in my cycling shoes – to and from the bike and into the occasional mid-ride shop or café. It's the weak point of the system for me. Time cleats aren't especially expensive – the RRP is £17.99 but you can buy them cheaper – it's just a pain to have to change them so often.

Verdict

Extremely lightweight pedals with a light action but they're expensive – very expensive – and the cleats wear quickly