Time Speciale 8 trail tested

When it comes to brand loyalty, few parts inspire as much devotion as drivetrains and pedals. Bikes models and brands change, tires change seasonally and wheels more or less often, depending how smooth of a rider you are.

Pedals, though, can travel with you from bike to bike for years. So, while it may be a quieter loyalty than the SRAM/Shimano drivetrain wars, riders are often unwaveringly faithful to their preferred pedal system. While I’ve tested and experimented with several different systems in the past, I’ve always returned to Shimano’s SPD system.

After testing Time’s new Speciale 8 trail and enduro pedal, that might finally change.

Time Speciale 8

Time brought its ATAC cleat system to the enduro crowd last year with the high-end Speciale 12. While that pedal carried the price tag of a top level, made in France component, the Speciale 8 brings Time’s enduro line down to a more approachable price point.

The Speciale 8 uses an aluminum body mounted on a hollow steel axle and steel bearings. With a slightly shorter cage than it’s pricier sibling, at 198 grams (396 g / pair) the 8 is actually a hair lighter as well. The Speciale 8 can run two adjustable pins per side (four per pedal) to tailor grip to your preferences.

Time uses its longstanding ATAC engagement system on the Speciale. There’s three benefits to the ATAC system. First, there’s plenty of room in the engagement system and pedal body to clear even the thickest mud. Second, Time’s reversible cleats allow you to adjust the release angle, giving you 13 or 17 degrees of float before the cleat releases from the pedal. There’s even the ATAC Easy cleat, with a 10 degree release angle, giving you a third option. Third, Time has added tension adjustment to the Speciale 8, so you can adjust release angle and release tension independently.

Like the top end model, Time’s Speciale 8 is made in house at its Nevers, France factory.

On the trail: Speciale sauce

The first hurdle with any new pedal system is always getting clipped in. With the Speciale 8, the clip in movement is a forward-then-down motion that was intuitive to pick up. A really positive and audible “Click” on entry and release makes it easy to tell when you’ve clipped in or released. Neither engagement sound or feel have faded with time, making it easy to ride with confidence knowing you’re fully engaged. I like my pedals to feel really secure. A couple of turns tigher on the tension dial made them feel nice and snug, with some space left to go.

While clipped in, the float isn’t the same free float as a Shimano pedal. Instead, Time’s gently encourage your foot back towards the centre of the pedal. This feedback was great as it lets you know when you’re getting close to clipping out, before the pedal releases. It also gives you some feedback about how you’re moving around on the bike, without offering so much resistance that it inhibits you from moving where you need to on the pedals.

While the Speciale 8 pedal body itself is shorter than the higher-end Speciale option, it still provides solid lateral support and some fore-aft support. If you want more grip, two adjustable pins will help keep you locked in place. I ran the pins as tall as possible for extra grip while clipped in and a bit of assurance in sketchy moments where you’re can’t quite clip in. The pedals are slightly taller than the narrowest stack height options, but without feeling like you’re too far above the hollow steel pedal axle.

As for toughness, Time’s Speciale 8 have proven bombproof so far. The shiny orange anodizing does show the evidence of the many pedal strikes they’ve endured, but the pedals remain rock solid and problem free. The Time’s spent a good period on a test bike with a particularly low bottom bracket. This resulted in many unfortunate meetings with rocks and, in one particularly ungraceful moment, a concrete stair. Through all of this, the axle, body and engagement mechanism remain unaffected, other than the cosmetic damage to the body.

Is it time for Time?

After spending months on Time’s Speciale 8s, going back and forth between them and several other pedals, I find myself reaching for the bright orange pedals more and more often. I like the solid engagement and predictable release point and they’ve proven quite tough through substantial abuse. Time has clearly created an impressive alternative for riders who want a reliable trail pedal with a different feel to Shimano or other trail pedals, without giving up anything in performance.

If you’re looking for more support in a trail pedal or for a great enduro race pedal, Time Speciale 8’s are worth a look. They’re a European-made option at a more approachable price than the top-end Speciale 12.

Time Speciale 8: stats and pricing

Cleats: ATAC cleats (13 or 17-degree release angle) or ATAC Easy (10-degree release angle)
Weight: 196 g per pedal, 392g per pair
Body: Aluminum, two adjustable pins per side
Body dimensions: 90 mm x 64 mm
Axle: Hollow steel axle, steel bearings
Tension: Micro-adjust
Colours: Orange, Black
MSRP: $165