A die-cast aluminium alloy body gives a small but effective platform able to support your shoe should you miss clipping in first time.
With smooth-soled road shoes this doesn’t help much, but with a commuter, touring or off-road shoe it prevents the pedals slipping out from under your feet. They weigh 276g per pair.
The front half of the clip-in mechanism is a replaceable steel plate secured by four screws; the rear half is a single-piece hinge operated by a spring that’s adjusted using a 3mm Allen key.
Initially we found that the Exustars gave a notchy and quite abrupt feeling when clipping in, but after a little use this smooths out and remains consistent throughout the life of the cleat. Even when the cleats are well worn, clipping in remains positive.
At first the release of the cleat from the mechanism when unclipping feels a little tight, much like the entry action. Again, once the cleat has worn in a little the action is smooth and has a positive notch that you can feel just before the pedal releases the cleat.
Even with the release tension at maximum, it remains predictable and consistent.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.