Hey everyone!
Every time Shimano introduces new drivetrains,
they seem to refresh their SPD pedals
and today I'm gonna take a closer look
at the latest generation XT
introduced with their 12 speed drivetrains,
and compare that with the same version
introduced with the 11 speed,
and, why not, take a look at the M520s as a comparison.
Both the 11 speed and the 12 speed pedals
are made in Malaysia, probably the same factory.
And here on this set of barcodes you're gonna get the product part numbers.
At the other end of the box,
Shimano presents the features of the two sets, and if you look carefully
you're gonna see that they are almost identical.
On the 11 speed, they had Cyclo-cross mentioned here as one of the disciplines,
and also they had the weight of the pedals, 343 grams.
They dropped that from the new 12 speed or PD-M8100,
so here's your part number, SPD pedals,
they offer adjustable tension, you can clip on both sides.
They come with SH-51 single release cleats,
you need an 8 mm hex wrench to tighten them up,
and finally, they should offer pretty good clearance for riding in muddy condition.
And here they are inside the box,
this right pedal having the warning message on it,
only to use it with the Shimano SH-51 or SH-56 cleats.
SH-51 or single release cleats being these black ones included in the box.
The multi release cleats are these ones,
you can buy them separately, and if you are a newbie,
just starting out with SPDs,
I would highly recommend to get these ones.
Also in the box is this user manual that is pretty well done,
and if you're new to clipless you might want to take a look at it.
You can see the race pedals we're looking at here on the left.
On the right, this is the trail version or PD-M8120.
Also inside of this booklet, you're gonna have this pictogram
showing you how the single release versus multi release cleats function.
And also here on the right,
you're gonna see how to install the cleats properly,
with or without the 1 mm spacer.
The new XT on the scale it's exactly 170 grams.
The old XT M8000, is another 170 grams,
so you can see 340 grams for the set.
Maybe that's why Shimano didn't include that value on the box anymore
because it's exactly the same.
And that's probably because the changes are mostly cosmetic
between this generation and the previous one.
You can see how on the M8100 they used a little bit more black.
This nut is black compared to the old one.
Also, you have the stripes here on the contact patch
but if you look side-by-side, you don't have to be an expert
to realize that there's no real differences between the two.
The same chrome-moly axle here used on both,
both of them use the 8 millimeter hex key just to install.
And yes, they changed the graphics a little bit here at the edge of the pedal.
Pedal thickness is the same at 18 mm, that is 9 mm stack height.
And here on the back, you're gonna see again the part number,
and the fact that this is the left side pedal.
This is special because it has a reversed thread
that's also signified by this cut or groove at the end of the spindle.
The bearings are sealed and they lasted pretty well for me in the past.
They seemed to be, again, identical.
An easier way to remember which one is left which one is right.
If you look at the pedal here,
you're going to have the adjustment screw
towards the back of your bike.
So this will always be left and you can see it here on the right.
Obviously, if you have them backwards
that's not going to match anymore.
And talking about customizing tension,
you can see the adjustment bolt right here
"-" obviously means less tension, "+" means more tension.
Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty.
You're going to use a 3 mm hex key to adjust it.
You have clicks that you hear,
and by default this comes adjusted to 8 out of 22 clicks.
8 is quite high if you're new to clipless,
so I would start with something like 2 or 3 just to get used to the idea.
Always adjust both sides of the pedals when you're making changes to it.
Compared to the XTs, the budget-friendly PD-M520s
that I've been using for a while.
They are a bit thicker at 20 mm.
The pair is about 35 grams heavier than the XT
but the price is like one third of the one of the XT.
So, I've been using both and I bet you, if you do a blind test,
you'll be hard-pressed to tell which pedals you're on.
Installation is very simple if you remember this:
put a bit of grease on the threads,
and regardless of which side of the bike you're on
remember to just spin that spindle towards the front of the bike.
You're gonna use an 8 mm hex key to tighten this up,
and Shimano recommends 35 to 55 Nm of torque.
I usually use about 40 which is plenty.
If you found this information useful
don't forget to Like and Subscribe!
Also let me know what you're going to go with,
the good old M8000, the budget-friendly M520,
or you're gonna pay more for the new XT PD-M8100.
Love to hear from you in the comments below.
If you have any questions for me don't hesitate to ask,
and, as usual, hope to see you folks on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!