Time ATAC XS Carbon are ideal for Mountain as well as Road riding. Built with a Carbon Fibre Reinforced body. Steel spindle. The Self-Cleaning design elimates mud buildup assuring easy entry and exit.
Submitted by
Johnny K.
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2011
Strengths: Durable, consistent, high-quality.
Weaknesses: Price
Bottom Line:
I have these pedals on both of my bikes, so they're used for technical singletrack, as well as road duty. The first pair is now over five years old, and are still performing flawlessly. They have been through everything: MANY miles, mud, rain, lack of maintenance, rocks... I can't tell the difference between my original set and the newer ones.
They clip in with a very positive engagement, and are easy to find, even in tricky situations. They have taken direct impacts from rocks, hard enough to make me cringe, and still they display no perceivable damage, visibly or functionally. I did notice some play in the spring of one of them a while back, but one turn of the tension set screw tightened it up perfectly, and there it remains.
I considered trying something new, since these are the only clipless pedals I've ever had, but seeing as how they have never been the cause of a single problem over so much time, I will use only these as long as they make them. Expensive, yes, but their longevity certainly pays off. I highly, highly recommend them.
Submitted by
jrahm
a Cross Country Rider
from Sisters OR
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2011
Strengths: secure retention, easy in and out
Weaknesses: a little heavy
Bottom Line:
Went from Times to Eggbeaters a few years back, put shoe protection plates on after some damage and ended up with way too much float and way too slippery release. Always found them hard to clip into.
First ride back on the Times today, SO HAPPY, very secure feel and easy to find when clipping in. Put the Eggs up on Craigslist.
Submitted by
smokey422
a Weekend Warrior
from gilliam, MO USA
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2011
Strengths: Mud shedding, clips in very securely, float.
Weaknesses: Can't clip out in a sketchy situation. Caused numerous falls.
Bottom Line:
I really wanted to like these pedals but, just as with my previous ATACs, they trapped my feet way too often. With the old ATACs, it cost me a broken ankle. I tried filing the cleats, which helped a little, but for me these are not suitable for technical trails.
Similar Products Used: Older Time ATACs, Eggbeaters (worthless), Shimano SPDs (the best), Rockwerkes SPD clones (also good).
Bike Setup: Lemond Poprad Cyclocross bike, Fisher Marlin MTB wit numerous mods.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol,CT
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2011
Strengths: Easy in and out, less floaty feeling than the lower model ATAC's. ATAC's withstand rock strikes like no other pedal except maybe giant platforms.
Weaknesses: They are slightly heavier than other models/brands out there. But I'm talking grams so no big deal breaker.
Bottom Line:
TIME ATAC's are a great product and I'm glad that they are still a great pedaleven though they have changed over the years. Plain wore out the 4 year old ATAC composite pedals on my old bike. So I decided to try Crank Brothers Candy 1. I had previously tried the classic EggBeaters when they first came out, but the cleats butterfly snapped in half after a couple rides!! EggBeaters release if you even make casual contact with a root or rock. That sucks. And the newer platform Candy pedal is no different, if you touch a rock or root, they release.
So I got these TIME ATAC XS Carbon on sale at PricePoint ($165) and LOVE the way they feel. They feel slightly tighter than the Composites because the spring bar has a square profile, slightly less float. I like it. So after about 3 weeks I bought 2 more spare pairs on Chainlove @ $109 each pair...I'm good for at least 8 years now.
Similar Products Used: Shimano POS , um SPD (long time ago.....), Crank Brothers EggBreakers (tried twice, years apart, but they are crap in tech terrain)
Weaknesses: times customer service sucks,this is the 4th pair of these pedals the the drive side body cracked in the middle.I asked for just the body and they want to see them and see if it falls under warranty blah blah blah.This part probably cost them a few pennies and would have made for a satisfied customer but they went about it wrong.There is definatly something wrong and these pedlas for the price should last longer.well i bought xtrs yest for same price and I know theyll last forever.screw time they have a good design buy shkity product
Bottom Line:
do not buy these pedals they will fail way to early way to much upkeep.time customer service should have just sent out a new body for the pedal i sent them pics,bottom line my bike was down and im not playing tag with them for months only in the end to have them say i neglected them or something
Submitted by
BikeSwan
a Racer
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: - Great mud clearing ability (Canadian mud is sticky.
- Very positive entry and exit feel, with a reassuring click.
- Nice looks (Atac=Gray, Atac Carbon=Red, or Atac Titanium= Black)
- Bearings last for ever (i've been running one pair for over 6 years without a single service and still running smoothly).
- Easily serviceable (I have serviced my Titaniums once in fear of breaking them).
- A lot easier on the knees than Shimano SPD's.
Weaknesses: - Somewhat expensive for the more advanced options but the bog standard Atacs are as good as any.
- Sometimes hard to find them in a local bike shop.
Bottom Line:
These are an absoloutly supurb pedal without any mechanical faults that I can find. They are relatively cheap if you buy them from an online store (Chain Reaction OR Wiggle). I couldnt reccomend these pedals more. Been using 2 pairs for over 6 years and without a single service and daily use they are still running smoothly.
Similar Products Used: - Shimano M520 (Lasted 6 months before the bearings where shot).
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Blur TRc / DT Swiss Forks / XTR-XT Drivetrain / Hope Brakes / Race Face and Fizik finishing kit.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ozzybmx
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2011
Strengths: Positive engagement, solid feel, no play when pulling on the upstroke (very noticable when standing on my SS), suprising easy clip out when needed, awesome float,
Weaknesses: Cost to weight ratio, i got a price match for both sets but here in Australia they are $300+ a set.
Bottom Line:
Complete changover to TIME, i have another set of carbon XS on the way, apart from interchangability as most people i know ride SPD, these are better pedals in everyway.
5 chilis for both but if i had to pay Oz prices i would have marked down the value to 4 as it ridiculous to pay over $300 for a set of 338g pedals.
Similar Products Used: Numerous XTR, XT, M540, M520, DX694, M424
Bike Setup: AM/XC/SS
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Colddiver98
a Weekend Warrior
from PNW, Oregon
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2009
Strengths: Reasonable weight, ease of use and durable. Excellent retention system that is easy to clip out of quickly, but holds firmly.
Weaknesses: Price? A little steep for a clipless pedal, especially when they take such a beating.
Bottom Line:
I moved from SPD to this cleat set-up and have been very impressed for the application. I have moved back and forth between flats and SPD over the years and have finally found a good compromise for most AM riding. There's enough of a platform to be able to start pedaling prior to clipping in. I've found these are much more comfortable over technical terrain as they are secure, but easily popped when needing to plant a foot. Excellent Pedal and I will purchase again.
Bike Setup: AM Jamis Dakar XAM 2.0- Too much to mention
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
antidote3
a Weekend Warrior
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2008
Strengths: Very easy to clip in and clip out.
Allows a few degrees of non-centering free float.
Foot retention independent of spring tension.
Excellent mud shedding.
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
This pedal has been very reliable so far.
I switched from the Speedplay frogs because I had trouble clipping into the frogs if I stepped on moist ground. So much for the frog's mud shedding abilities (maybe it's just the SoCal ground?) I also had a hard time starting on steep slopes because the frogs do not have a decently flat platform to get in a couple unclipped in revolutions. However, the Frogs were by far the easiest to clip OUT of (as long as you keep them lubed...).
So far I have been very impressed with the Time ATACs. I bought them because the reviews for the older Time products said they were indestructible. Multiple reports of people riding them for 5 or even 10 years without absolutely zero maintenance. After about a week of getting used to them I now have absolutely no problems clipping out at any time. They give me lots of confidence to push things past the point of no return, because they have never let me down in bailing-out-while-falling-over :)
Also, I'm now able to restart on much steeper hills than I could with the frogs. A lot of the time I now clip in right after putting my foot down, but even when I can't clip in right away the platform is big enough to get a couple revolutions in and then clip in.
For reference I'm 6' and 230 lbs. I ride in South Orange County (Whiting Ranch, Aliso Woods)
Submitted by
mrchris42
a Cross Country Rider
from Carnation, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2008
Bottom Line:
Time Rock! Had an old pair of the Alums for 6 years before wearing out the bars (foot moved laterally on the pedal, but still held). These new ones work great and I haven't seen any of the scaring that others complain of in the last 3 months (400+ miles of trail), although I don;t bash them against rocks (finesse people!). Mud clearing of Time are so much better that SPD.
Submitted by
Scott Prichard
a Weekend Warrior
from The Woodlands, TX USA
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2008
Strengths: Easy to clip in and seem fairly easy to unclip in all conditions. Seems to be well made and looks cool.
Weaknesses: None so far but practically brand new.
Bottom Line:
So far I like these pedals better than the previous two sets I have tried. The bike came with the Wellgo Clipless and I actually liked them pretty well and the only reason I tried something else was I wanted something with a little more of a platform. My feet seemed to hurt a little from the Wellgos and seemed to put all of the force from one spot on my feet. I tried the Crank Brother Candy SL but could not unclip as easily as I had hoped for but otherwise liked them. The Time ATAC XS Carbon pedals seem to feel just about right, easy to clip in to in a variety of conditions and seem pretty easy to unclip. They seem to be very well made and overall I am very happy with them as seems to be the case from other reviews as this was the reason I chose to try them.
Similar Products Used: Wellgo Clipless, Crank Brothers Candy SL
Bike Setup: 2008 Cannondale Rush 5Z
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from indianapolis, in
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2008
Strengths: ease of use, adjustability, works exceptionally well in all conditions
Weaknesses: slightly on the heavy-side in comparison to eggbeaters or frogs.
Bottom Line:
If you're looking for a well-performing pedal that's consistent in all conditions, this is the one. The eggbeaters might perform slightly better in muddy conditions, but the level of difference is minimal. Considering that the ATACs are far more adjustable and therefore more comfortable, I'd take these over the eggbeaters any day.
Similar Products Used: Eggbeaters, Frogs, various Shimano pedals
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Joe Swanson
a Cross Country Rider
from Memphis, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2007
Strengths: Easy to engage/disengage. Extremely durable! Very comfortable with just the right amount of float. I have ridden them in very muddy conditions on two occasions. Both times I had little or no difficulty clipping in. If my cleats had too much mud on them, I just tapped them on the pedal and clipped right in. My friend had SPD pedals and he either couldn't get clipped in or his foot kept coming unclipped when riding. He had a terrible ride while mine was completely enjoyable. These are excellent pedals. I have had them for just over 3 years and they have required no maintenance.
Weaknesses: The Time ATAC XS pedals seem just as good as the Carbons, and they are cheaper.
Bottom Line:
If you want a great pair of pedals, buy these pedals OR buy the ATAC XS.
Submitted by
KiterTodd
a Weekend Warrior
from Montgomery County, MD, US
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2007
Strengths: Reliability. No maintenance required. Very easy to learn to use. Requires no thought to step out of...just step down with your foot and it comes off, but NEVER comes off when riding.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
I bought my first set of TIME pedals when the first came out (5+ years?). There was zero learning curve. You hear people talk about other pedals and you have to remember to twist your foot 45degrees to pop out. Not with the TIMEs. You don't do anything different. Any time I am in a panic stop or fall and need to put down my foot, it comes right out. I didn't have to learn anything. I can't speak of how the mud shedding compares to other pedals because these pedals have never clogged up on me. I have well over the 200 hours listed in another review on my old set of TIMEs and they still work flawlessly. I bought the newer ATAC Carbons to go on a new bike. Transition was seamless. The new pair feels the same as my 5+ year old pair. (spring tension and feel).
Submitted by
Light Chain
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder County, USA
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2007
Strengths: Consistent, reliable release, yet have not yet popped out inadvertently.
Weaknesses: Weight? Not used to them enough for it to feel completely natural clipping back in on an uphill start. Figuring time and practice will cure that.
Bottom Line:
Ridden with them 4 times and would already commit to buying another pair. They've been remarkably consistent thus far, both releasing and staying clipped in, which I would argue is one of, if not THE most important features of a pedal. Could be lighter, but I'll sacrifice that for the above, plus a much larger platform than the original Eggbeaters.
