TESTED: XPEDO mountain bike pedals

Take a look at some models from the mountain bike line of pedals from Californian brand, Xpedo.

 – Xpedo Faceoff

 – Xpedo M-Force 8

 – Xpedo GFX

XPEDO FACEOFF
 
The Face-off is, at first glance, a standard entry into the flat pedal market from XPEDO. It’s only upon further inspection that a few key features show that they’re serious about climbing the ranks as a key player in the market.
 
The Face-off platform consists of two aluminium plates in an S shape, threaded over the chromoly steel axle, with a Microcellular Ductile Urethrane (MDU) between cages.

Key features of the pedals include replaceable pins (included), the MDU, a hollow chromoly axle, and their feathery weight at 408g/pair (not much heavier than nylon pedals). This makes them a solid entry into the world of platform pedals. The two-tone black/silver also looked the goods and was aesthetically on point on a variety of trail bikes.
 
Riding the Faceoff, it seemed like the MDU definitely added a bit of ‘stick’ between your foot and your pedal: and this was with us using well-worn Vans. With a tacky, bike-specific FiveTen or similar, the pedal would feel as grippy as any high-end pedal.
 
The only downside for some riders is that the pedal itself is on the narrow side compared with other industry heavyweights (99x100mm compared to many others’ sitting around 105x110mm) which is splitting hairs for many trail riders, but for those with larger feet or who tend to hang off the edge of the pedal this may be something to consider.

We also don’t have long term test results of the longevity of the MDU, the axle or the alloy platforms, but with a few weeks use they seemed to hold up well. If you’re an all-day trail rider, or a gravity rider with a bike on a diet, these pedals could be for you. These are light enough to even pop on your XC rig to increase your flat-pedal riding skills!

Hits:
-Lightweight
-Well priced
-Come with replaceable pins and ability to easily take apart to replace MDU

Misses: 
-Slightly narrower platform than many leading brands
-Unsure of the longevity of MDU and S-Shaped platforms, and the ability of the two-piece design to take very heavy hits repeatedly

RRP: $124.95

XPEDO M-Force 8
 
The need for superlight, clipless pedals in mountain biking is shrinking, as most of us move to a trail or all-mountain setup and prioritise contact area and stack height beyond the lowest gram count. Of course, there are still plenty of us who will benefit from a lower bike weight and slimmer pedal, and that’s where the XPEDO M-Force 8 fits in. Weighing 260g for the chromoly axled pair we tested, if you pop for the Ti axles you save a further 45g!

The pedals themselves are dual-sided with adjustable tension, and the mechanism works with a Shimano SPD cleat – and in terms of engagement, float and release it feels just about the same as a SPD. There is 6 degrees of movement available.
 
The Ti body spins on three sealed cartridge bearings that have developed no play during testing, and removing the body to service is a whole lot easier than on an SPD. Easy maintenance is frequent maintenance, so this is a great step.
 
On the trail, the body is noticeably smaller than an XTR Race pedal, and at first this did make for a slightly slower engagement, but only until becoming familiar with what you’ll catch on to engage. It’s just a learnt action like clipping in the first time was.

I had no issues with a full-carbon shoe on 5 hour rides, but I can imagine that anyone prone to hot spots might be cautious about a shoe with less pedal to shoe contact.
 
While obviously these suit the pure XC crowd, they will also be ideal for gravel or cyclocross, and with so little pedal to clog, should be great in the mud as well.
 
Hits:
–      Super light
–      Minimalist design
–      Ease of service

Misses:
–      Less shoe to pedal contact
 
RRP: $249.95

XPEDO GFX

These pedals are reminiscent of the original Shimano DX red and black pedals. The mechanism that you clip into is spring loaded and raised at the front making entry quick and easy and it is surrounded by a large alloy platform with 4 replaceable pins each side for added grip for when you just need to slap your foot back on. We tested the black set but for those that love to be matchy matchy they do Blue, Red, Orange, and a special Oil Slick model.

They use a similar cleat system to that of Shimano too, and in fact worked well with both their own and Shimano cleats with a nice positive snap when clipping in an out of the pedal. They have adjustable spring tension to vary how firmly you’d like to be fixed to the bike, and have 6 degrees of float to help keep your foot and knee aligned nicely. 
 
The large platform has a nice low profile not dissimilar to most platform with plenty of support. These pedals will work best with a flatter soled shoe that are available but regular trail shoes also worked. My Giro Terraduro shoes have a more curved profile and sat off the pins and didn’t really make the most of the traction from them when not clipped in. 

These pedals spin on a chromoly spindle sitting on 3 cartridge bearings and the clip mechanism runs on some bushes. They are a claimed 469g so not light but comparable to others of this style. I did find that the added width compared to my usual pedals meant I was striking the pedal far more frequently than I do with my usual narrower trail pedal but that added size means that if you are running a more flexible trail shoe rather than a stiff shoe, the platform is going to provide plenty of support.

Overall these are a great trail or DH pedal for those that prefer a larger platform to plant their feet on when slaying their next descent.

Hits:
–      Wide and stable platform
–      Easy to hit and engage
–      Colour options
 
Misses:
–      Wide platform might not suit you

RRP: $249.95

Find our more over on the XPEDO website HERE

Get them in Australia from KWT Imports HERE