EXUSTAR E-PM825 PEDALS

An affordable set of pedals

Exustar is one of the largest pedal companies on the planet, with offerings for everyone from dedicated riders to weekend spinners. We have tested a few of Exustar’s clipless pedals over the years with good results. The E-PM825 is Exustar’s newest pedal aimed at enduro and all-mountain riding. We put these pedals to the test on some of our burliest trails to see if they could hold up.

Tech info: The E-PM825 checks a lot of boxes for a modern heavy-duty trail pedal with an extruded aluminum body and thermoplastic platform surrounding the body. The platform pivots fore and aft to give riders more support when mashing down or descending. The die-cast aluminum body is double-sided and uses chromoly spring-loaded plates to attach to the cleat. This tension can be adjusted to suit the rider’s preference. Exustar uses a heat-treated, CNC-machined chromoly axle with sealed bearings and bushings. These pedals are SPD compatible and have a retail price of $109 that includes a set of cleats.

 On the trail: Out of the box, the PM825 looked burly, especially with its plastic platform around the body. On the scale, the PM825 came in at 443 grams for the pair, including cleats. We installed the pedals on one of our go-to trailbikes. Unlike other pedals, Exustar spindles require a smaller 6-millimeter Allen. The elevated pedal body was easy for us to find when clipping in and didn’t pose any issues on the trail. After a couple of rides, we did have to tighten down the engagement to keep from unclipping involuntarily. The chromoly plates aren’t as thick as those of other pedals we have tested in this category and did flex at times when we were unclipping.

On our first couple of rides, the E-PM825 pedals performed well, giving us a comfortable platform for climbing and descending. After our first few rides, however, the pedals started to develop a creak between the thermoplastic platform and pedal body. We put in a couple drops of lube, but that only helped for a short time and didn’t cure the issue. The plastic platform did give our test riders some good protection from rocks and roots but showed wear and tear fairly quickly.

After our extended testing period, we were pleased to see that the bearings
were still in good shape and hadn’t developed any unwanted play or grinding. Even though Exustar boasts that these are “all-mountain” pedals, our test riders didn’t think they could stand up to the rigors of rowdier riding. Riders looking for a slightly more affordable pedal for lightweight trail riding, however, will be pleased with the E-PM825.

HITS

• Quick engagement with the cleats

• Good platform support

• Affordable price

MISSES

• Thermoplastic platform creaks a lot

• Engagement plates on the cleats flex when unclipping