BTwin Automatic Touring Pedals - Shimano compatible

BTwin Automatic Touring pedals are ideal for clipless virgins, or indeed seasoned types who want to saunter through stately homes, cafés and negotiate other social settings with decorum. However, those yet to perfect the graceful art of track-standing might find their double sided mountain bike cousins a better choice in stop-start traffic.

Dead ringers for now-discontinued single-sided Shimano pedals and bearing an uncanny similarity to Wellgo RC713s, these are a low profile, single sided design blessed with fit 'n' forget sealed bearings and similarly reliable chromoly axles. Both should resist harsh winters and powerfully built riders and unobtrusively run into the ground whereupon they can become bin fodder or cheaply rebuilt depending on your persuasion.

Painted bodies are often employed to fend off salty, slushy roads and hide poor casting, so I was pleased to discover these were neatly executed, highly polished affairs that will retain their lustre with periodic licks of hard paste car wax, furniture polish or indeed, Autosol for those who can't be bothered.

However, being a softer grade, their undersides showed obvious signs of cleat abrasion within three thirty-mile outings. Cleats are supplied but two-bolt cleats from Shimano and VP behaved impeccably too. Release tension adjusts counter/clockwise via those familiar 3mm Allen screws which; given their proximity to filth, benefit from fortnightly squirts of heavy duty PTFE spray.

Some clipless pedals grab the cleats more firmly than others so I habitually slacken one 80% and tweak mid ride. Run at their slackest and with part worn cleats, the BTwin's grasp of my shoes felt decidedly remote, though the supplied cleats behaved better, especially performing split-second dab-downs.

Touring wasn't something that immediately sprung to mind given their small surface area but a succession of seventy mile runs wearing stiff soled sport-touring shoes has proved them remarkably supportive and devoid of painful hotspots.

These characteristics were similarly welcomed on my cross inspired fixer. Even with sensibly lofty bottom bracket, things can turn a little tricky with 175mm cranks when cornering hard but grounding's been a moot point and those sturdy internals took everything I could muster when powering along the climbs.

Unfortunately, given the bargain price, Decathlon have discontinued these pedals. You might still find them in individual stores, but if the design takes your fancy, you should check out the aforementioned Wellgo equivalent.

Verdict

Good single-sided SPD-style pedals that promise durability