Time XC8 Carbon Pedals

French brand Time’s ATAC (Auto Tension Adjustment Concept) pedals would have to be one of the most enduring products in the entire mountain biking world. They’ve been kicking around on the dirt since the 1990s, and in all that time they’ve gone through remarkably few changes, instead undergoing a steady process of evolution. After a number of years without change, 2013 sees the latest iteration of these pedals released. Three new models have replaced the ATAC XS series; the XC12 Ti, XC8 Carbon and XC6. The lower-spec Alium and ROC pedals remain unchanged.

We’ve been testing the mid-range XC8 Carbon for the last few months. With an actual weight of 288g per pair (plus 45g for the cleats and screws) they won’t put the weight weenies off-side, but you don’t have to be an XC racing snake to get the benefits of Time’s ingenious design. The retail price of $229 isn’t cheap but they are made in France and the durability of Time pedals has always been pretty good.

Before going into specifics of the new XC8, it’s worth recapping why ATAC users generally swear by (and not at) their pedals. Firstly, the open arch design works extremely well in mud, both engaging and disengaging reliably even if you’ve been using your bike shoes for a spot of bog snorkelling. Secondly, the designs allows for a high degree of lateral and angular ‘float’, as your feet have some freedom to move around on the pedal even when engaged. Many riders with knee problems have found them to provide a comfortable and pain-free engagement that more restrictive pedals can’t match. Thirdly, and uniquely, the spring tension (three settings) and release angle (two settings) are completely independent. You can set them up with a low spring tension with a wide 17-degree release angle, or a high spring tension with a faster 13-degree release angle. This ability to customise the retention feel of ATAC pedals is a real drawcard for many users and makes the pedals quite versatile—the same pedals can afford race-day security as well as easy release for all-mountain confidence.

The ATAC XC8 has shed around 50g per pair over their predecessor, and no one’s going to complain about that. Some of the reduction has come from using an 8mm allen-key socket instead of the previous 6mm, removing a small amount of metal from the axle in the process. Most of the weight loss, however, has come from redesigning the retention bars and the pedal body itself. Although the functional size of the retention bars remains unchanged, they’re now shorter and more angular on either side of the engagement window, which has been made possible by changing from two outboard tension springs to a single central one.

The pedal body is still the same overall width, but it has been trimmed at the corners so that there’s less material likely to tag the ground in rocky and technical terrain. Because the metal bars are now narrower, the platform appears to extend slightly further across but it won’t provide any more stability if you have to pedal un-clipped at any point. The cleats themselves haven’t changed from earlier Time pedals, so there’s no issues with cross compatibility if you happen to own previous versions.

If it Ain’t Broke...

Once on the bike and under foot, the new XC8’s feel exactly the same as the earlier generation ATAC XS pedals and this is a good thing, because they were virtually impossible to fault. Clipping in is easy and consistent, and the engagement window feels a bit wider than on some other types of clipless pedals. Unclipping is also utterly reliable; your feet come out exactly when you want them to and stay securely in place when you don’t.

Unlike some other similar-looking pedals there’s no connection between the top and bottom bars, so bashing a rock with the bottom of your pedal won’t see your foot ejected unexpectedly. We didn’t have any issues with ground strikes whilst using them, and ground clearance is as good as you’ll likely get on a pedal that has any sort of body around the retaining springs.

Build quality? Every bit as good as we’ve come to expect from Time. Although we can’t make any direct comment on the long-term durability of the new version, we do know people with more than a decade on a single set of Time pedals; so these pedals may outlive your current bike, and probably the one after it too. The seal quality of time pedals is also excellent, so apart from putting a bit of lube on the edge of the wiper a few times a year you can expect them to be maintenance free. Our one nit-pick is that they are massively (albeit beautifully) over-packaged in a metal box that could probably fit four sets of pedals—that’s it.

They’re not cheap but given their likely durability, the value for money is actually pretty good. Light, knee-friendly, highly adjustable and versatile, the latest generation of Time’s ATAC pedals builds on an already impressive reputation—you’ll be hard-pressed to get a better clipless pedal.

Velo Vita (02) 9700 7977 / www.velovita.net.au