Another year, another place in the RCUK 100 for Time’s Xpresso pedals. In fact, it’s the mid-range Xpresso 6 which once again take their position in the 100 after debuting in 2016, as they hit the all-importance value-performance sweetspot.
Time’s pedals may not be the most popular in the pro peloton, where Shimano, LOOK and Speedplay dominate, nor are they most common on the club run, but we’ve got a soft spot for the ease of engagement and smooth float offered by the venerable French brand.
Time launched in 1987 as a clipless pedal manufacturer but diversified with the arrival of their first carbon bike in 1993. Time’s bikes enjoyed plenty of success on the road in the early 2000s, with Tom Boonen claiming the 2005 Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix double aboard a Time machine, while Paolo Bettini piloted one of the Isère-based company’s frames to victory in the 2004 Olympic Games and 2006 World Championships.
Since then, however, things have gone full circle. Time bikes disappeared from the pro peloton in 2006 and they are once again best known for their pedals, which are still made in France.
The Xpresso 6 remains unchanged from the pedals which featured in the 2016 RCUK 100 but that’s no bad thing. The iClic system remains at the heart of the pedal and uses a carbon blade, rather than a spring like most pedals, to control engagement. Unlike a spring system, which remains closed until the rider forces it open by pushing the cleat into the pedal, the iClic’s blade is ‘pre-opened’, keeping the rear gate partially open after release for easier entry.
It makes clipping in a breeze – but, crucially, once engaged, the pedal grips the cleat tightly, so no matter how hard you’re sprinting you are unlikely to accidentally clip out until you hit the pre-set 15 degree release angle. The oversized 700mm-squared pedal body also helps keeps things secure and provides a super-stable platform to put the power down, while also reducing the chance of pedal hot spots.
The Xpresso pedals also score highly when it comes to float and will find favour with riders who suffer from knee pain or other biomechanical issues. The pedal gently holds the foot in position while also offering five degrees of smooth, lateral float to let your foot move naturally through the pedal stroke.
For us, it sits somewhere between the more restrictive designs offered by Shimano and LOOK, and the free float served up by Speedplay pedals. On top of that, you can adjust the resistance of the float, while the Q-Factor (the distance between the pedals) can also be tweaked by 2.5mm.
Still the Xpressos aren’t perfect; the sharp edges are visually divisive and the pedals aren’t weighted at the rear, so they will naturally tip nose up when you’re not clipped in. That means you often have to flick them into position with your shoe but, to be honest, it’s something we became accustomed to very quickly.
As we mentioned at the top, the Xpresso 6 pedals are the pick of the six-strong range thanks to impressively low weight (102g) and fair price (£99.99) – and they’re pedals we use regularly as a result – but Time offer options from £49.99 for the entry-level Xpresso 2s to an eye-watering £399.99 for the flagship Xpresso 15s.
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