Shimano

XT PD-M8020 Trail Pedal

Shimano's venerable XT group got hit so thoroughly with the redesign hammer for 2016 that the effects are apparent even outside of the usual tweaks to derailleurs and shifters. XT options like the wheels, crank, and cassette have gotten wider across the rims, Q-factor, and gear range, respectively, and the XT PD-M8020 Trail Pedals followed suit. Shimano's revised trail racing pedals are perhaps less changed than the rest of the XT kit but for two key dimensions: their platform is 3.3mm wider for an 11.7% increase in pedal platform size as compared to their predecessors, the M785s.

Other than that increase in the platform and the obligatory aesthetic redesign, the pedals remain largely unchanged. Four degrees of float, two-sided entry, bombproof durability of the body and sealed cartridge bearings, and simple, muck-clearing cleat-to-pedal interface — all the features that recommend Shimano's SPDs as the default do-it-all pedals are still present.

As with the previous model, the 2016 Trail is slightly heavier and more substantial than the XC race version, but the trade-off is a wider, more stable platform for confident responsiveness whether you're dropping your own hammer or clearing techy rock shelves on a climb with jerks and hops. They've also got a bit more survivability in the event of a pedal strike.