SHIMANO PD-R8000 E1 // SPD-SL Rennrad-Pedal

I've been using Shimano Ultegra pedals for about 7 years. This generation of pedals delivers -- I have about 5,000 miles on them and zero complaints. They are light, stiff, durable, comfortable, and perform exceptionally well. The clipping mechanism is superb -- you know when you're clipped in and getting out of the pedals is firm, but predictable. I like them so much that I even use them on my gravel (mostly off-road) bike. Be sure your shoes have 3 holes for cleat bolts.

Pedals were exactly as described and so easy to adjust. Full track test coming up I’ll add an update then.

I have SPD pedals on all of my bikes and thought moving to the SL style would be little improvement. I was dead wrong! On a road shoes these feel very stable and connected. The pedals hang well when you unclip making it easy to clip back in. Walking with the SL cleats on hard surfaces is much nicer than the SPD cleats. Very happy with the quality and should have tried them long ago. Other big plusses was the new design with a lower stack height and lighter weight. By far the best pedal for the money on the market.

I previously had some aftermarket metal pedals that worked pretty well. I used those along with some zero shoes (basically sandals with straps) for my 16 mile commute every day (8mi to and from).I knew something was lacking though. I could feel that parts of my bike ride were difficult because I didn’t have clip ins. So I decided on these because they’re pretty well rated, and I never looked back.Sure, I had some difficulty clipping in and out at first, and even a couple nasty falls that left horrible bruises. But now I’m pretty fluid with them. I can’t imagine biking without them. They help me maintain a solid speed to and from work, and they’re not at all heavy. Would buy a thousand times over. Worth it.

This was my first purchase of road specific pedals - and I'm glad I bought these. First, if you are loyal to your local shop, there are limits. This pedal is so easy to install, it would be silly to spend an extra $50 or more and have them install them. Second, there is no comparison of how solid these pedals feel vs. MTB clips. There is definitely better power transfer with these pedals. Third, they are a great value vs. Durace. Druace is for those individuals who have more money than sense - the weight differential is just not worth the expense.

I made the switch to SPD-SL from SPD and couldn’t be happier. The pedals are well made, smooth, light and lock in with ease. The extra surface area is noticeable compared to MTB pedals previously. I’m giving these a 4 star because they’re fake Shimano pedals. I should’ve known considering they’re about $100 cheaper. It’s hard to tell but if you watch comparison videos these are definitely knock offs. Again, nice pedals and have held up to a couple thousand miles so far with no issues. Just warning the purists out there.

Only been on 4 rides so far with these pedals. Maybe I'll come back with another review later.

After a decade of riding with same old pair of Look pedals with the Delta cleat, decided it was time to upgrade my pedals with my new bike. Having already owned Time pedals (unreliable) and Speedplay pedals (too much free float for my taste) in the past, I was deciding between the new Looks with the Keo cleat or Shimano SPD-SL pedals. Weight, durability, and stack height seemed to be about the same. Look offers 9 degrees of float, whereas the Shimano offers 6 degrees of float and is somewhat self-centering. Went with Shimano because I kept reading reviews how the Keo cleat still had the side-to-side wobble that annoyed me with my Delta cleat. Decided on Ultegra as it was only $20 more than 105 pedals and I figured the incremental improvement was worth it over the course of a decade or so. Have put a couple of hundred miles on these and am very satisfied. Losing 3 degrees of float and the self-centering nature of these pedals doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I have had no knee issues whatsoever. And I do like that there is no wobble. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an upper-range pedal that isn't crazy expensive.