Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals

Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals are a durable, lightweight choice, as suitable for gravel riding as they are for cross-country mountain biking.

Mountain bike pedals on road.cc? We asked Shimano's UK distributor which pedals they'd recommend for gravel riding and they suggested these (along with the PD-M540 SPD pedals we reviewed a few weeks ago), although the gravel-specific GRX groupset contains PD-M530 dual-sided pedals (£44.99) and PD-ES600 (£69.99) with a single-sided binding. In truth, all of these do a great job.

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The Deore XT PD-M8100 pedals, which I'm calling M8100 pedals from now on, offer a slightly wider platform than the 540s – we measured them at 59mm x 43mm – for a little extra stability, although in many other ways they're similar.

The axle is made of tough chromoly steel while the pedal body is forged aluminium alloy. I've been using these pedals for two months and there are a couple of faint scratches to the anodised finish, presumably caused by stones that have got stuck in the tread of my shoes, but that's about it.

There's a slight amount of wear to the body cover too. Actually, that's harsh. It's more that you can see that the pedals have been used rather than that there's a significant amount of wear. Even if the body cover does wear excessively, which would be ages down the line, it is replaceable.

> SPD-SL v SPD: how to choose the best clipless pedals

The M8100 pedals have a cleat retention mechanism on both sides. The second binding adds a little weight over a single-sided pedal – our M8100 pedals weighed 340g versus a claimed weight of 279g for the single-sided PD-ES600 pedals mentioned above – but there's no danger of the pedal being the wrong way up because there is no wrong way up. I find a double-sided pedal that little bit easier when you don't want to take your eyes off the track/trail ahead, but that's a matter of choice.

> Buyer’s Guide: 7 of the best high-performance lightweight clipless pedals

Engagement is simple once you get your eye in, and it's easy to adjust the release tension with a 3mm hex key. Little clicks as you do so allow you to equalise the cleat-holding force between the two different sides and left/right. The adjustment bolt that winds in one end of the coil spring has a very deep head so you should never round it out.

One of the best features of the M8100 pedals – and many others in the Shimano line-up – is that you rarely need to worry about the internals. If/when you do need to open them up for re-greasing – which requires just a 17mm wrench – you'll find miles of thread between the bearing and the outside world.

I've been using the M8100 pedals mostly on gravel but also on the occasional stretch of muddy trail, and gloop tends to clear quickly. Any mud that gets onto the cleat retention mechanism usually gets pushed through and out the other side when you stamp your foot in place. I've certainly never got them gummed up in use. It could happen, as it could with any pedals, but it's going to be a rare occurrence here because there's so little for mud to stick on.

You could easily use these pedals for other types of riding too, of course. Many people like SPDs and shoes with recessed cleats for commuting and other urban use, and these would be well up to the job.

> Buyer’s Guide: 11 of the best clipless pedals

The M8100's biggest rival among the pedals that we've reviewed recently on road.cc is Shimano's M540, which is cheaper at £62.99. In truth, there's very little between them in terms of performance, although the M8100 has a slightly wider platform, it's very slightly slimmer, and it's about 12g lighter (according to our scales).

The M8100 pedals are super-durable, lightweight and they shed mud well. They'll likely last an age with minimal maintenance although there are better value SPD pedals in Shimano's range.

Verdict

Lightweight and durable SPD pedals that are as good for gravel as they are for mountain biking