After experiencing knee problems over the last year with my previous pedals, Shimano M323s, I decided to invest in some Time Atacs after being advised by a friend that they are the ultimate pedals!
After shopping around a bit I found that Chain Reaction seemed to have the cheapest set, priced at a bargain £39.99 compared with the £60 is was quoted by numerous other suppliers, so I ordered there and then and they were delivered to my doorstep 2 days later.
When first testing the pedals in my garden, I soon realised that these were nothing like SPDs in their design or use. The first major difference is that they are very simple, there is a minimum of parts, and basically they consist of a carefully designed piece of metal with 2 very strong springs and a threaded axel to attach them to the pedal arm. The second point to note is that there is no tension adjustment as you would find on the average SPD, this leads me on to my third point, they are very difficult to get into and out of! My first ride around the garden nearly ended up with me lying at the bottom of our pond with my bike still attached to my feet and a later ride in Wales the following week found me sliding head first down a steep grassy bank for about 30 feet, dragging the bike behind. This said, after a bit of practice and wear they are far easier to get in and out of and I haven't had any problems over the past couple of weeks. Also worthy of note is that they are very reliable and easy to maintain because they are virtually maintenance free.
The Atacs come with their own special cleats, which are designed to be interchangeable between feet giving you two setups, either MTB with a lot of float or the road setup with a lot less. I've had it set up for MTB use and as this setup is tough enough to release I haven't used it in road setup.
I've been for a week in Wales and numerous rides since and I have had no knee problems at all, I think that this must be down to the huge amount of float, allowing you to pedal naturally without being attached rigidly to a position as with SPDs.
The main reason I bought these pedals was because I was having knee problems and for the sake of potential injury and damage, £40 is a small price to pay for a pedal which gives you excellent float, ease of maintenance, reliability in most conditions and prevention of pedaling induced injury. I've used them for over a month now and I'm convinced, just as I was after first trying them, that they are the way forward for mountain bike pedals and ideal for those riders having knee problems with the Shimano equivalent.
Last Updated 21-12-2000
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