Time Speciale 8 vs 12 - first clipless pedal

Been riding flat pedals since I got back into mountain biking in 2014 but am thinking of trying clipless. Been using SPD-SL on the road over the last year so that helps with the mental block of unclipping to bail. Two of my good riding buddies swear by Time and after some reading/video research (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRirFQ80z4w that vid in particular) I think Time sounds like the best tradeoff of ease of clip in/out, retention and float for me. I do move my feet around on my flats a bit so I don't think I want a totally locked in feeling. I like that Time has a decent reputation for reliability vs Crank Brothers.

Anyone have thoughts on the Speciale 8 vs 12? The 12 is about $240CAD on sale, the 8 about $140 online. The 12 is marketed as beefier and it is a bit bigger, has more traction pins but not sure that's worth $100. This is for trail riding North Shore/Sea to Sky, maybe one or two bike park days a summer. On the other hand I'm not that hard on pedals, been using the same pair of Race Face Atlas flats since 2017 without even servicing them, so I don't mind paying $100 more on an item I'll use for years.

Shoes, Five Ten has always fit me well for flats so I will try to track down some Kestrel's to check the fit.

I've been running Time ATAC's for about 10 yrs and the extra float is a big reason I went with them. They also clip in fairly easily, even with mud. From my POV, if you're running clips then there's zero point in having a platform design
unless they're half and half's on a commuter bike. That said I picked up two pairs of new pedals last year and got the Time ATAC MX6's for $50USD per pair. Prices are up noticeably now, but the MX6 is still about 1/2 the price of what
you're looking at. The MX4 is similar but not quite as robust, they're a trail pedal whereas the MX6 is an enduro pedal.

Hmm guess I want the security of a platform if not clipped in until I am comfortable on mtb. Have also been reading that reliability hasn't been as bombproof on the newer Time pedals to the old ones, and that CB has come a long way.

I have some Time MX6's that were ridden for about 1kilometer that you can have for like 40 bucks if you want them.

I have been an SPD guy my whole life and just can't deal with the amount of float, and I like my pedals to be very tight and these are more medium engagement and non adjustable.

Posted by: thaaad

I have some Time MX6's that were ridden for about 1kilometer that you can have for like 40 bucks if you want them.

I have been an SPD guy my whole life and just can't deal with the amount of float, and I like my pedals to be very tight and these are more medium engagement and non adjustable.

If he doesn't take them I will

I've had the Speciale 12 for two months, and have been riding time pedals (and Mavic/time pedals) for 20 years. The Speciale 12s are great. My buddy Mike has both the 8s and the 12s and he can't tell the difference most of the time and thinks that he should have saved some money and bought two sets of 8s.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: thaaad

I have some Time MX6's that were ridden for about 1kilometer that you can have for like 40 bucks if you want them.

I have been an SPD guy my whole life and just can't deal with the amount of float, and I like my pedals to be very tight and these are more medium engagement and non adjustable.

If he doesn't take them I will

If you change your mind, I'll get in line behind you.

Posted by: grambo

The 12 is about $240CAD on sale, the 8 about $140 online.

Where might I find the 12s at that price?

Thanks guys, and appreciate the offer thaaad, I'm gonna go with the 8 or 12 so feel free to pass those MX6 onto the lads. Leaning toward 8 after rnayel's comment above... my thought with the 12 was as a newbie to mtb clipless the (slightly) bigger platform and more pins would help but it's really not that much bigger a cage. I have heard of people running only the rear pins on the 12 and backing out the front ones so that you don't have interference clipping in ever but do have grip just putting your foot on the pedal.

Bushpilot - www.bike-components.de 20EUR flat shipping. Maxxis 3C tires are ~$70CAD can throw in a bunch of stuff to make the shipping worth it. Can't get Shimano stuff to Canada as with all the German/EU sites.

For Bushpilot again, bike24.de has the 8 and 12 for a bit cheaper than bike-components, same for Maxxis tires. Ended up getting the 12 because why not. 

Couldn't find Five Ten Kestrel Lace anywhere local or online in 44, ended up grabbing a pair of Shimano AM7's at Caps South Shore this afternoon, happy to pay retail at an LBS where I can try stuff on.

r2 has them even cheaper, awesome store if you are into weights, they weigh most parts themselves. 

https://r2-bike.com/TIME-Pedale-MTB-ATAC-Speciale-8

shipping is 25 though...

I got 12s locally for an "acceptable" price. I now have 12s on one bike and 8s on another. The platform on the 12 is a bit bigger so there's a tiny bit more to "aim" for when clipping back in if it is rowdy. But that difference seems pretty negligible to me. I found the feel of the pedals when clipping in and unclipping to be exactly the same (when the pedals have no pins). The only real difference, other than the colour and the price, that I can tell between them having ridden both now is that the 12s allow 4 pins per side whereas the 8s only allow 2 pins per side. Because of the pin placement on the 8s (in front of the cleat) there's zero pin engagement on the 8s when clipped in. With the 12s you can set up the pins (behind the cleat) to contact the sole of your shoe when you're clipped in if you want to increase the "grip" / "secure" feeling without adding additional tension to the pedals. I paid double for the 12s what I paid for the 8s. I like the feeling of those pins behind my cleat contacting the sole of my shoes but that feeling doesn't magically double the value of the pedal to me. I need another set for another bike. I'll buy 8s again.

Other thing to note: I've noticed more pedal strikes with Time's design than I have with HT, Shimano or even Crankbros. I suspect these pedals are just that little but much thicker that I'm accidentally contacting stuff I used to clear.

Last thing: I love the "feel" of these pedals. The engagement is super positive and damp. It feels really solid and quiet. We'll see how they hold up.

Those ISSI Trail 3 pedals are garbage. I had three pairs in a row on warranty and they all failed. Even the slightest strike on them will jam the rear part of the sprung retention mechanism forward rendering that side of the pedal useless. They aren't user serviceable. I thought it was just a random hit but it happened on the replacement pair and then on the next replacement pair. 0/10. The Look X-Track Enrage pedals I got next have been awesome. Lots of spring power. Totally durable. Survived lots of abuse. I bought a second pair for my hardtail. 10/10.

The Times look so good but the price is nuts.

These...

 .....24/7/365.