Xpedo Speedy road pedals review

Shimano, LOOK and Time still dominate the road pedal market, but these very positive-feeling, low-profile pedals from Xpedo are definitely worth a look. The Speedy uses a unique alloy body design that actually drops the metal and plastic cleat down into the pedal like a 3D jigsaw piece. This gives a very low height above the pedal spindle and loads of contact area between pedal body and plastic cleat platform.

Add a mountain bike style sprung metal latch on the pedal and a metal lip on the back of the cleat and you’ve got an extremely positive, rock solid attachment between you and the bike. Fixed or nice-degree float cleats are available and spring tension is adjustable for a softer feel and faster release, but it’s still a more locked-in, less mobile feel overall than the mainstream competition.

This makes it great for powerful riders plagued by accidental pedal release at max power, but it’s not ideal for first-time clipless pedal riders. The triple cartridge bearing giblets have coped with a full winter of abuse without any sign of wobble or grind, and there’s a 205g titanium axled set (£129.99) as well as the 248g steel axle examples we tested.