Time RSX Ti Carbon

Price Paid:  $0.00 at QBP

Bike Setup:
2006 Felt F1C. Full Dura-Ace 10 speed. Reynolds Ouzo Pro w/ carbon steerer. Mavic Ksyrium ES, extra sexy with this frames color scheme. Continental GP Attack & Force. Specialized BG Toupe saddle. Time RXS Carbon Ti Pedals. 26g carbon cages. FSA K-Wing bar! Ritchey WCS seatpost. Ritchey WCS 4-axis stem. Stiff and light! Mid 15s...

Summary:
These pedals sure look great. They are also a rarity compared to the Look Keos. One of the few reasons I went for the Times. Both pedals weigh essentially the same.

Coming from Looks, it took my a couple of rides to get used to clipping in. I'm happy to report that clipping out is a lot for comfortable ( haha, not because I don't enjoy riding them...) compared to my Looks. They sound nice too. Btw, retail 100 less than Look Keo Carbon Ti.

I recently noticed that the left pedal is a little loose inside the axle. I don't think it's a case of the pedal coming off the axle, as I've heard other reviewers say. I hope this isn't the culprit of the mysterious 'tick from my drivetrain (Full DA 10 spd).

A feature that really impressed me is the option of two cleat installations. A certain cleat on your left shoe will cause your foot to be closer/further away as opposed to ebing installed on the right shoe. I hope that made sense...

Strengths:
Weight. Appearance. Unique...

Weaknesses:
Bearings -> possibly.

Similar Products Used:
Look.

Price Paid:  $375.00 at Summit Bicycles, Bur

Favorite Ride:
Long ride with a few long climbs

Bike Setup:
Trek Project One Madone 5.9SL, with Dura-Ace groupo, Thomson post and stem, Daeda Newton bars, Fizik Arianne seat, Bontrager Race X-Lite wheels and Michelin Pro 2 Race tires.

Klein Custom Q Pro Carbon, same set-up as the Trek except with Bontrager Aero-Lite wheels and Continental 3000 tires.

Summary:
DO NOT buy this product. It is defective and will fail on you, probably sooner than you expect.

I actually own two pairs of these pedals. One is mounted on a Trek Madone 5.9SL, and the other on a Klein Q Pro Carbon. On the Trek, the right-side pedal unscrewed itself from the spindle and came off during a ride. This pedal was only SIX MONTHS out of the box, on a bike which was only six months old. I now understand, after some post-incident inquiries, that this is a known defect in this product.

I then took the right-side pedal off my Klein and put it on the Trek. This pedal had been in service for about 18 months, though I had not been riding the bike much for the past 6 months, since getting the Trek. Just today, my shoe started uncleating itself from the pedal while I was climbing. When I stopped to see what the problem was, I discovered a major crack in the carbon pedal body, which ran nearly all the way around the curve of the axle. The crack was so big it was allowing the shoe to uncleat when I put pressure on the outside of the pedal during seated climbing. Had I stood up to climb, the pedal would have come apart completely.

These pedals failed under normal operating conditions - no trauma, no abuse, just plain riding, both level riding (in the case of the 6-month old pedal) and climbing. Such failures should not occur on any pedal, much less a pedal which costs more than US$300 retail and which is less than six months out of the box. I am riding Keos now.

Strengths:
Before they failed, these pedals provided effective sprung float and a nice wide platform for out-of-the-saddle climbing. They were also quite lightweight, which was felt on longer rides.

Weaknesses:
They failed after normal use in as little as six months. What more can I say? They are defective and potentially dangerous.

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
My current favorite pedals (Coombe Millenniums) are no longer produced. I have one remaining pair of cleats, but I decided I'd try the Time RSX's as curiosity got the best of me, and I know my current pedals/cleats will eventually wear out.

So I ordered a pair of RSX carbon pedals, and, well, the RSX Carbon Ti pedals showed up instead, in what was likely a shipping mistake. I guess I'm owed bad karma for not reporting it, but I didn't feel like waiting an extra couple weeks to correct a shipping mistake ;-)

So I will admit, out front, that I read the notes here about the pedal coming unscrewed, and it worried me a bit. So after one ride, I checked the right pedal. I was able to loosen it by hand -- so it's definitely a possibility. Well they are large threads, and there is no lube on them whatsoever, hmmm. Anyway, I applied blue loctite and I expect that will be the end of that problem. I might suggest that everyone out there do the same -- if it is loose. I would consider this a defect in assembly, not in product design. This is a simple problem to solve.

On to the pedals themselves... they feel nice, but I'm coming from 12 years on Speedplay and Coombe pedals... the resistance to float against the spring takes a while to get used to. I'm a sprinter so I don't want accidental release... I started at the highest tension level, though I may back it off a bit as it takes me a little fiddling to get my feet exactly aligned.

I've had a tough time knowing when the pedal engaged when I stepped in -- it's often silent. Also, the stack height on the cleat is extremely tall compared to the Coombes... the pontoons are about 1/2" taller than the coombe millennium cleat -- though compared to Look or Dura-Ace it may not be much.

I've only tried the narrow spacing so far... I may also try the 2.5 mm wider stance by swapping the cleats.

Anyway... it's only been a week so I can't tell if I like it yet or if I'd rather go back to the Coombes for another year before I burn up those pedals. Whichever way I go, the Times are pretty nice so when the Coombes do die, it won't be terrible.

Strengths:
Float is nice, pedal/shoe interface does have a lot of surface area so it's a strong platform.

Weaknesses:
Right pedal body can (and probably will) unscrew itself. Pay attention, and use blue Loctite to address this. I'd suggest blue and not green or red -- that way you will still be able to disassemble should you ever need to do maintenance.

Similar Products Used:
Coombe Millennium (about 7 months)
Coombe Pro (2 years)
Speedplay X/2 (10 years)
Time Equipe Mag (2 years, back in early 90s)

Price Paid:  $269.00 at Competitive cyclist

Favorite Ride:
Any long climb

Bike Setup:
Colnago C50, Mavic Helium wheels ,Campy record,Campy carbon cranks, zero gravity brakes,FSA bar and stem

Summary:
Great pedals , easy in and out , easy maintenance great platform

Strengths:
Light , durable friendly to use

Similar Products Used:
speeedplay Ti

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
After a full season with these, I have to adjust my rating. The mounts for both cleats have broken on the inside corner, and twice I've had the pedal body unscrew and come off of the spindle, both times during a race.

Strengths:
Light weight, easy engagement, great float.

Weaknesses:
These just don't seem very well made.

Similar Products Used:
Time Equipe, Speedplay, Shimano 7800.