Shimano have been in the flat pedal market for a while but haven’t had it all their own way. Can the Shimano XT M8040 flat pedal change that?
Ben put the Shimano XT M8040 flat pedal through the testing mill that is a British winter to see if flat pedals still win medals, and whether Shimano’s latest trail flat offering can cut the mustard in a very competitive market.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- Forged alloy 110 x 115mm body
- Cro-Mo axle with 8mm hex mount
- 10 pins per side
- 514g (Large platform)
- £89.99 RRP
- Bike.Shimano.com
Designed for trail and enduro riding, these Shimano XT flat pedals promise high levels of grip in a strong and durable package.
When you first get the pedals out the box, they do feel sturdy and well made. They come with two sets of pins, but annoyingly they arrive with the shorter pins fitted which are so short and stubby that I think they are pretty much useless for proper off road riding.
Switching all 40 pins over to the long pins takes ages and then you are stuck with a load of short pins that you don’t need. It would be better if they just came with one set of decent length pins in the middle of the two and pass that saving onto the customer.
For a premium priced modern pedal they are quite thick and pretty much flat. There is only the slightest concave shape to them, meaning that you don’t feel as secure or connected to them as other top pedals on the market.
Being Shimano they are well made and have easily lasted all winter and multiple jet washes and are running super smooth. They have shrugged off a load of rock strikes and still look pretty much brand new.
What do we think?
In general the only way to describe the XT pedals is perfectly average. They are good pedals with pretty good grip, but for £90 you should be getting even more grip and a thinner pedal body to reduce rock strikes on low-slung modern trail and enduro bikes.
We love:
- Shimano build quality
- Shimano reliability
Could do better:
- One set of longer pins fitted
- A more concave platform would offer more grip and support
