Time Xpresso or RXS pedals?

Quizmate

Hi

I've been using 2 bolt SPD pedals on my alu winter trainer, but since ordering my first carbon road bike for summer from Planet X the advice has been to consider proper road pedals, especially as I'm going to take advantage of their bike fitting service. Considering my ageing knees and the need for float I thought these Time pedals would be good and a less expensive option to Speedplay which I'm still not sure about. Does anyone have any advice or experience of them? I've read some complaints (especially re the Xpresso) about parts / cleats breaking, unserviceable bearings and sharp edges cutting legs (and perhaps expensive tights by implication). Also the RXS it seems don't allow any tension adjustment like some pedals do. Any thoughts much appreciated in helping to make a decision.

Thanks

johngti

I had my first ride on xpresso 4s this morning and first impressions were very positive. I found them very easy to clip in to (I'd tried an old pair of iclic 2 sport pedals before and they, too, were easy to use but the xpressos seem even better on first impressions) and they're very comfortable in use. I've used spds and spd-sls before. Much more comfy for me than spd (and as easy to use - so far) and miles easier than I found spd-sl pedals.

Obviously I can't comment on longevity yet but, like I say, first impressions were good!

g00se

I was looking at the Time systems but decided not to due to the cleat wear and their lightness meaning they can be hard to align when riding.

It's between Look and Speedplay for me - I'll probably go with Exustar copies of Look - as they're heavily discounted at the moment and if I don't like them, it's not too much of a loss.

rc856

I've used RXS for a few years now.
You'll get used to clipping in with practice. I'm the only one using Time at my club but don't get left behind when clipping in again at lights etc so don't see them being any better or worse.

Recently put Xpresso 12 on my good bike and they seem easier to clip in because of the wider platform but haven't used them enough yet.

As for cleat wear, I haven't thought they've been bad but maybe I'm not doing enough miles.

the_jackalcp

I have the Xpresso currently and had some RXS before. The spring in the RXS broke seemingly from fatique (it was the Ti version). It couldn't have been repaired hence the new pedals. I used the RXS for 3 + years and always found them to be problem free, on a par with Shimano really.

I now have the Xpresso 8. From the perspective of clipping in they are amazing. It's almost like the pedal and cleat are magnetic they clip in so easily. The float is nice and since being on Time pedals I have not had any knee issues which I did have with Shimano although I can't say that is soley down to the pedal change. I have not had any problems with the sharp edges causing any injury. I would agree the cleats aren't the most robust. The leading edge wears quickly if you walk a lot and I have had occasional squeaking issues due to bits of the cleat beginning to detach. Easily sorted by cutting the loose bit off but it shouldn't happen. One bit about the cleat I do like is that the cleats are offset so that you can change how close your foot is to the crank depending on which cleat you put on the right or left.

Personally I think that if you are willing to put up with some minor cleat squeaks then get them. If you want fit and forget these may not be for you however I don't think any pedal system is free from annoying noises.

alan_sherman

I've been riding RXS for about 6 years I think, so a good few thousand miles across the bikes. Good float for my knees that pivots on the ball of the foot rather than teh toes (so same as SPD, different to look style). No pedal issues.

Cleats wear much better than look. The cafe pads on the back of the cleat mean they are not as slippery to walk in and you are not walking on the actual functional part of the cleat.


Downsides? They are not quite as easy to clip into as look style pedals. Sometimes I don't quite get full engagement and have to unclip and start again.


I haven't tried the new xpresso style to comment on them, but if they are easier to clip into they would be a great upgrade.

defride

I've Expresso 6, very light and as a result don't appear the most robust but 500 miles in they're going strong. I doubt that bearing quality is great and as result don't expect them to last forever.

The good news is that they're easy to clip into and the wear issues are overstated IMO. Sure they'll wear, particularly if you roll your foot and use the front engaging part of the cleat to launch off or kneel down with all your weight on. They're designed so that it's possible to walk using the outer side pieces (outriggers for want of a better description) to take the weight, in which case there'll be some though minimal wear to the part of the cleat you use to clip in.

I like mine and have had no problem thus far with sharp edges.

Grill

Over 10k miles on iCLic 2 basics, 6k+ on Xpresso 6 and almost 5k on iClic2 Ti. I go through cleats every 3-4k miles but they're cheap enough that it's no biggie.

xixang

i have rxs on my bikes since they first came out years ago and have had zero issues with clipping/unclipping. cleats last 10 times longer the look IMO. I change cleats around once every 2years off ~100 miles per week. Probably should change more often but don't feel a need as they engage/disengage without issues and feel secure even when sprinting full gas

galatzo

xixang wrote:

i have rxs on my bikes since they first came out years ago and have had zero issues with clipping/unclipping. cleats last 10 times longer the look IMO. I change cleats around once every 2years off ~100 miles per week. Probably should change more often but don't feel a need as they engage/disengage without issues and feel secure even when sprinting full gas

Yeah RXS cleats last ages, look clip in easily but wear out mighty quick. On my 2nd pair of RXS Carbon with a quick try of the original iClic in between. Clipping in isn't that difficult once your used to them and the benefits to the dodgy knee brigade will far out weigh this.

Miles253

Owner of both iclic 2 and iclic racers. Love the float and the engagement, though not engaging correctly was an issue with these pedals so you had to sometimes clip in again. But I hear this was fixed for the xpresso pedals. Cleats do wear quickly but they tend to last me 6 months of commuting everyday and they would still work engagement wise just not for walking. But easily worth it as the cleats work great and are easy to walk on, and not too expensive, £15 ish. Xpresso seems in an improvement in all respects, go for it

fleshtuxedo

I rode RXS for about 3 years but suffered 2 breakages (the plastic body snapped lengthways each time). One of them caused me to crash (in a TT!). There was a recall on them. They may have remedied the problem, but I lost trust in their products and switched to Look.

Never tried the Xpressos