I’ve had a pair of Shimano pd-a530 flat/spd clip pedals for several years, using them in all conditions. Still turn smoothly with zero noise. Love the flexibility.

Great video and nice to see more from you lately! I agree. Tried other manufacturers, Ritchey for example, but the feel and function of my XT pedals wasnt to match. They deserve a big shout out. On my gravel bike its the only Shimano part. So perfect. 👍

I've used my m520 in my fixed gear, 29er, and folding bike (same pedals) way back 2015 its 2020 and it's still working. The shimano PD-M520 is the best budget friendly clipless pedals.

I still ride my Shimano pd m747 pedals. I have two sets - both from the late 90s. They seem smooth and have been bulletproof. Best ever I reckon. Cheers

You’re confirming what I already believed. I’ll stick with Shimano now, my only decision to make is which pedal. Now I’m shopping for a gravel pedal. It’s the 9100’s for me, at about £120 a pair in the U.K. I’m a fan of both the Dura ace and Ultegra pedals and I’ve found they benefit ‘greatly’ from a good service. Strip and clean and re grease. They run smooth and quiet and work well. Well worth the initial cost, in my opinion. The SPD 9100 mtb pedals will serve me well this summer on my gravel bike and my bike packing adventures. Thanks for the vid.

Great content man. Totally agree about Shimano SPD being the best and most durable (in general). I haven't yet tried the PD-8100 or PD-9100 but I can tell you from experience that the Deore XT PD-780 is superior to the XTR PD-980 in terms of long term durability. I went through several sets of XTR 980's on my bike before finally downgrading to Deore XT 780's. The XTR 980's had crap bearings and outer cones that would wear (and eventually pit) prematurely. This would cause the pedal body to get loose on the spindle and after many adjustment cycles the races on the outer cones would just wear and pit and basically go to crap within less than a year of riding (I was doing about 5-7k miles a year on them). Luckily Shimano has a great warranty so they replaced them with new pedals - this happened several times. Finally I got tired of this and got rid of the last pair of XTR 980's I had while they were brand new and downgraded to Deore XT 780's. Problem solved. The XT's were only about 28-30 grams heavier as you stated but the long term reliability and durability was 1000 times better. I put about 4 years of riding on them and they worked like new the entire time. The XTR PD-980 has a different bearing assembly from the XT PD-780. The overall diameter of the assembly is slightly smaller and contains 1 less ball per row of bearings. I assume this is to shed grams, but the durability was definitely lacking with these. I hope Shimano has fixed this issue with their newer XTR 9000 and 9100 pedals. Cheers

I have mine xtr-959 since around 2007 and still going strong

This was very helpful. Thanks.

I have used same SPD Clip for nearly 12 years now. No issues.

Great comparison. I've come to similar conclusions with Shimano pedals. I'm not an ultra-endurance rider nor bikepacker, but have put thousands of miles in some Shimano PD-M520, PD-ES600 and more recently the PD-T8000. No issues, ever. Came to this video to help decide which (Shimano) pedals to get to replace my Ritchey Comp XCs, which unfortunately have had poor bearing life and issues with one of the cleat interfaces, dispite being used mostly indoors and on road.

i run Shimano XT (PD-M8100) on my gravel bike and they have been absolutely indestructible.

My Shimano M525 pedals from 1991 are still working great.

Last week i forgot my spd xt 8100 pedal on the trunk of my car. My girlfriend drove the car to the store and pedal fell off on the highway around 55mph. It got ranover by another car and I found it in the ditch about an hour later. The body got chewed up a bit but mechanically completely fine. I tightened the springs and installed it back on the bike. Still works just like the other one that wasn't ranover.

The shimano xtr pd-m970 ate the best ever! 13 years and still going strong. Just the tension screw is a little tight but other than that I’ve never had a problem with them.

Absolutely! The 780s are bomber and just work.

Love my Shimano pedals!

This video encouraged me to subscribe.

The other reason Shimano is king is the bearing setup - being 100% serviceable. Many of the other ones I have used often have sealed bearings one side with a bushing. Found the bushing will wear causing play - and often a non replaceable part... Shimano pedals I've had have all worked flawlessly and at most just needed a clean or tightening.

good info. Do you know if the bindings on the XTR's are still positioned 1.4 mm further back compared to the 8100? it was the case for the 980's but I can't find any info on this anywhere. Thanks!

Great shout out to the cleat quality, the Shimano cleat design is way more durable than the Crank Brothers system. My speculation is this is because the part that slots into the pedal is protected by a lot more material on the Shimano system so when you walk over rocks and such nothing is contacting the important part of the cleat. Unlike the crank Brothers cleats where the Tongue that clips into the pedal sticks out and isn't flush, causing it to wear out faster.

Great video! Have you had any issues on the spring tension adjustment bolts? I have a pair of Shimano XT (M8000) that started to feel lose while I clipped in and out. I know that the spring tension may wear out over time so that is not a problem (I had them for 1.5 years). After tightening the bolts for the spring tension, I noticed that they did not seem to do much... it was like if the were not tightening the tension anymore. I am not sure if the threads got damaged, the plate got damaged or something. Have you had anything like this? I was looking for replacements but did not find any. What would you recommend me to do? Thanks!

Hello, how long do clipless pedals last? I have M520 is my first time wear it.

I have an old Shimano pdf bear-trap style of pedal which needs attention. They may be one of the first pedals they made and I love them. Since they are old, the closest thing out there are the Shimano Saints. My guess is you gave not tried them and they are probably heavier that the pedals you showed us. Still, have you heard anthing about the Saints?

Hello, any issues with the rubber seal popping out? Many people seem to say flaw design. I just got the 9100 but first ride the left side seal is moving out. Any tips on this? Thank you

Nice video, I use the m520 spd which are great value although probably less durable. what are the most comfortable bib shorts you have ever used? I use rapha core and the chamois feels worn out after only 5000km :/

I have these on my cross bike they are bombproof.

Does the slightly wider platform make any noticeable difference in comfort or performance compared to the m520/540 or even the m780?

I have some 30 year old PD-M737’s that are still in use today (albeit, I “retired” them to my indoor spin bike about 2 years ago). These were the first SPD model Shimano put out. Heavy little buggers, but pretty much bomb-proof - I’ve rebuilt them once in 30 years. Although, as Dr. Jones put it so aptly, “it’s not the years, honey, it’s the miles...”

Does the bigger platform on other variations mean more power transmission like the Road bike pedals?

The only trap I fell in to was the cleats, I didn't realise they had two types that release in different directions.....OUCH. ;-)

I've had a pair of 959's for about the past 17 years. I've never serviced them.

I agree!

This video completely omits the critical issue of pedal float.

Have they fixed the seals popping on the new XTR pedals?

should I buy pd-m8100(deore xt) pedals for my sh-xc701(xc7) shoes? My English is poor. I do not understand all review. Shimano web site saying "best match pedal" is pd-m8100 for xc7 shoes.

Is it safe to say these are good for bikepacking and ultra distant rides?

shimano pedals are really tough, been using one for about 4 years and no maintenance at all... i just simply replace it when its worn out, Its cheap to replace as compare to other brands of pedals.

I have mine 6 years and going >>>>

Pizza and bike rides FTW!

I have a pair o PD-540 that I bought in 2009, I think. They went through everything with my hardtail, they are still running flawlessly. I eventually replaced them for a pair of PD-780, but didn't need to.

You got that right.. Shimano SPD pedals and also shoes are freaking bulletproof.. go ahead, try to break them!

I'll get XT or M540 but not XTR XTR lasted only 2 years ~5k miles now wobbly and noisy M540 (same as XT) lasted 10+ years until a rock strike broke a clip on one

shimano has ISO standards in the manufacturing prosses.

Shimano is the Toyota of cycling.. designed for durability.

The weak point of the xtr pedals is the nut that tightens the balls

Shimano is like Toyota... they spend the engineering dollars to make a good design and then refine it over decades to make it even better. Both company cultures are ingrained with a maniacal mindset of the Japanese... building poor quality or poor performance brings great shame.

Agree. Xt pedals are indestructible. Xtr are prone to failure and have catastrophically broken two pairs.

I agree on the XT780's however I have had three sets of XTR 9000's and they are rubbish. No 1 broken cleat spindle. No 2 Broken axle and the third set, the seals are popping out. There has always been an issue with the seals even before they broke; they are too flimsy and are not held in place sufficiently because the slightest wear in the bearing is amplified at the seal location. I will not buy XTR again.

Stack i basically something different its a distance from center of the axle to the place where cleat is positioned