First Ride – Time Speciale 12 Enduro Pedals

Time announced their new Speciale 12 Enduro pedal a few days, and while demand is in super short supply, we were able to snag a pair for testing.

Enduro “specific” pedals have become a hot item for avid racers and aggressive trail riders looking for a little extra support. The Speciale 12 has a full aluminum body that has been slimmed down to save weight and give riders more clearance over roots and rocks. The body has eight replaceable pins for some added grip.

Time uses an oversized hollow steel spindle along with their ATAC retention system that has been used on their pedals in the past. The ATAC has a micro spring adjustment for how snug you want your cleat to be when clipped in. The weight comes in at 404 grams for the set (without cleats) and retail price is $350, and they are of course, made in France.

First Ride

Coming off of a set of Shimano XT pedals, we could feel some significant differences between Time’s retention system and Shimano’s. The springs on the Speciale have a very snug feel once clipped in, but don’t require an insane amount of force to get into. This snug fit didn’t translate to needing more force or effort to unclip. Once clipped in, the float took a bit to get used to, but so far it’s comfortable. We didn’t experience any rock strikes, which we will count as a success for Time in terms of nailing down the body shape. For our first ride the pedals spun smoothly and feel good thus far. Our only hangup at this point would be the price, but we know some riders who have been using the same Time pedals for the last decade, so they make a strong argument on quality. Only time will tell if the Speciale 12 is up to par though.