Team Tested – Time ATAC MX8 Clipless pedals
These Time ATAC MX8 clipless pedal from France have been on test on the Carbine for a while now. Over the year I have tested many pedals, including the Shimano DX, X-Pedo Baldwin and the Crank Brothers Mallets. The Time ATAC pedals seem to capture the best properties of all pedals and have ditched the unwanted ones too. Compared to the DX it has better float, with a choice (dependent on which way round you fix the cleats) 13 or 17 degrees. The build quality matches that of the Baldwin, but it has a bigger step platform for when you need emergency un-clipped foot grip.
Like the Crank Bothers it has a simple two-bar cleat holding design, but the bars are much wider and stronger and the bearings are renowned for lasting a long time. Time pedals have been about for years now, with a great reputation for their high-end roady and MTB versions. These are no exception, with the use of Carbon for the main body and a hollow oversized steel chrome axle. The ATACV system is designed to self clean as you clip in and out and have a much wider, easier to find step-in zone. They don’t have that distinct loud click of the Shimano SPD, more of a softer reassuring clunk as you just seem to feel your shoe connect to the pedal.
Out on the trail these feel fantastic, you really do just forget you are using them. After that emergency dab I have never found myself riding a section of a trail having to concentrate more on clipping in than what lies ahead, they just seem to work. I have friends who have run these for years now and describe them as the ‘forget about’ pedals, as in you put them on and just forget about them. They seem to need minimal maintenance, definitely unlike that of the Crank Brothers! They are by far the best pedal I have used to date, and shall definitely be a regular fixture to all my test bikes from now on.
Weight – 364g per pair
Cost – £129.99
To find out more check out Times website
Words – Jim Buchanan
Pics – Jim Buchanan, Doc Ward
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