Hey everyone, welcome or welcome back!
I am pretty sure the last time you said "Pedal to the metal" you didn't think of this.
These are HT components pedals called Leopard and their tagline is "Pedal to the metal"
These are used by Nino Schirter and quite a few other members of the Swiss XCO team,
so let's take a closer look at them and see if they're worthwhile.
Shimano SPD have been in the market for quite a while and you know what they're bulletproof you
see my XTR used for at least a couple of seasons, I absolutely love these pedals
so what does the HT Components Leopard M1 bring to the table?
And if color was the first thing that came to mind yes, HT come in black just like the Shimano
but they also come in another 13 colors including an oil slick finish! :)
Jokes aside, here on the back of the box you're gonna see that these pedals are made out of cnc'd aluminum body
and you can have either a steel axle or a titanium axle
and that will be signified here in the nomenclature
you're going to have M1 or M1T Leopard pedals.
These are made in Taiwan, you see that tagline over here
and if you scan the QR code you are just going to be directed to their main website.
All that information is here on the sleeve remove it and in the tiny box you're going to find first thing the instructions.
This is actually pretty comprehensive it will tell you how to install the pedals
how to install the cleat, how to adjust the cleat and how to release from the pedals
and finally here is going to talk a little bit about adjustment
One note here, Shimano provides us with SM-SH51 that's in the box of every pedal bought
and you also have this SH56, the multi-release cleats.
What that means here if you look in the Shimano manual,
it just shows you that single release mode is very similar to what these HT components provide
so you have to twist your heel outwards
as opposed to multi-release mode of the Shimano which allows you more opportunities to release your shoe.
And I'm mentioning this because even though the HT pedals come with different types of cleats
and by the way they include adjustment plates and different length screws and things like that,
they all work in the same way like this and that is pretty much the functionality of the single release Shimano cleats Sh51.
Their cleat system actually includes four options you can see them on your screen right now,
this X1E being specific to more cross-country type of riding.
It provides 4 degrees of float, they do have others with 8 degrees of float
and again float is how much wiggle room your shoe is gonna have on the pedal before you actually disconnect.
By the way, these SPD cleats from Shimano, they are not compatible with the cleats from HT
so definitely this will not work on the HT pedal.
The way this goes, very similar to Shimano, so front end first then push down on your heel and you're gonna click it in.
This looks very very similar to a Crankbrothers Eggbeater, if you remember how those look like
And that's quite similar to a Shimano SPD pedal
but many say that because of the shape of this front end on the Shimano
it might make it easier to find it as opposed to the HT pedals when you're looking to clip in.
Very similar to Shimano, you have a cleat adjustment here, use a 3 millimeter Allen key
and you can see this little indicator, + or -
You do have clicks so you get an idea of how many turns you have
from the absolute strongest to the minimal retention.
And apparently these cleats have a much stronger retention compared to the Shimano SPD.
If any of you guys have used them or used them both I would love to hear your opinions in the comments below.
Otherwise the actual platform is very similar to what these XTR pedals are offering,
spindle length to the middle of the cleat is 55 mm on both.
As for stack height seems to be higher on the HT pedals
but we're talking 17.5 millimeters on the HT pedals
versus 15.5 on the XTR, divide that by 2 and you're gonna have a 1 millimeter difference.
If you look at their documentation they're gonna be talking about the new EVO Plus bushing
there's a bushing here, there's a needle bearing in here and that's supposed to last forever
You can use this or remove the end cap and you know either tighten the axle or remove it.
That's not much different than what Shimano and other manufacturers are using
but what I do know is that these Shimanos lasts forever
I'm wondering if the HT design ages as well as that.
One last piece here would be weight
XTR pedal is 153 grams,
these HT M1 with steel axle are 147 grams
so we're talking about
less than 10 grams difference between the HT M1 at 294 and the XTR at 306 grams
However the HT cleats are 58 or 59 grams
and the Shimano saves a few grams over there
so the weight difference between these two petals is pretty much non-existent.
However remember that if you pay an extra 100 bucks you can get these ones with the titanium axle
and that will save you another 45 grams or so so 252 grams for the set.
So there you have it guys!
Light quality pedals that are used by N1NO, what else is out there?
Are you interested in getting a pair?
Let me know in the comments below.
As usual, if you found this content useful
don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment,
and until next time hope to see you on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!