Shimano
Ultegra PD-R8000 SPD-SL Pedals

I have an older pair of these Ultegra and the Dura Ace version on another bike. The Dura Ace of course is a bit better build and a tiny bit lighter but unless you are racing or have the extra money to spend the Ultegra is perfect. Like the newer pedals better than my old ones but the 5 year old version is still in great shape after thousands of miles. Put the new ones on a new bike build. No complaints and recommended.

I have three sets of these pedals on my three bikes. They are light and technically as good as the best, Dura Ace. It isn't a secret that Shimano uses the same technology in Ultegra as they do in Dura Ace. The major difference is the materials used, Ultegra being just a tiny bit heavier. It is the simple reason than most professional teams that use Shimano components use Ultegra on their bikes. The oldest set of my Ultegra pedals is on my BMC SLR O1 Team Machine. They have been on the bike for the last four years, and have accumulated somewhere north of 23,000 miles. I have never experienced a problem with them in all that time. They are a great pedal that holds the cleat well, but releases easily when they need to. I bought the third set a couple of months ago when I added a new bike to my stable. I have used a lot of different pedals over the years, but once I got the Ultegra pedal I decided that I had found something to stick with. I like the solidity of the platform and ease of entering and leaving the pedal. Cleats are reasonably priced and generally last a full season of hard cycling. What's not to like?

Fantastic value, excellent performance. These Ultegra pedals just keep getting better. The R8000 version has shorter distance by several millimeters between the spindle and top of the pedal.

If replacing older Ultegra pedals, you may need to adjust the seat height slightly lower to account for that, expecially if also putting on a bike with 172.5 mm cranks vs. prior bike of 170mm and older Ultegra pedals. The combon difference in height adjustment is 5-6 mm, which is noticeable. Ask me how I know this... lived it.

I�m really impressed with the precision of these petals and the quality of material they�re made of. I�m also super stoked to deal with Western Bike works. I bought these petals at an incredibly low price. They are very often offering really good deals. I�m also really impressed with the smoothness of the return process and clear communications in their emails. Thanks

This is my 2nd pair of pedals (I have a set on another bike). They are high quality and easy to use.

Switched from two-bolt cleat. Foot pain gone.

Power transfer is great. Easy clip in and out. Sturdy and efficient. Cant go wrong for the price.

I have Shimano for years and the Ultegra pedals are equal or better than the Dura Ace pedals Ive used for years.

Pro-level pedals, work great, just what I had expected

These pedals are solidly made, have a very positive engagement mechanism, and are easy to flip with your toe before re-engaging. I have thousands of trouble free miles on previous generation Ultegra pedals, and I see no reason why these should be anything less than super reliable. I have no issue with weight as I don't think pedals are where you want a superlight component. You want a rock solid pedal that you never worry about. Other nice things - they look great and you can ride your bike in tennis shoes for short distances without discomfort or fear of slipping off. Just remember not to bunny hop.

Would buy again

I love it. Thanks to the reviews. It helped me to pick the R8000 SL Pedals.

I have used Shimano Ultegra pedals for many years. These are a great replacement pedal.

What else can you say! Shimano has a great pedal at a very good price!

I really like the simplicity and so far the reliability of these pedals and cleats. After nearly 4,000 miles, and many rides through rain, these have held up extremely well. Once the cleat position is dialed in, they just work, and I don't have to think about them. I do regrease bearings every 700-1k miles or so because of the rain, but even that might be overkill. Simple to do. I'm also still on the first set of cleats - maybe because I try to avoid walking in them. At the current rate, I expect these pedals to last for many thousands of miles to come.

I'll note that coming from (now ancient) Speedplay X2s with huge, non-adjustable float, the first rides on the SPD-SLs felt very restrictive even with the yellow cleats. In fact, I hated them at first, but it honestly didn't take long to adjust and realize that I didn't need all of that float the Speedplays had. Afterwards even new Speedplays just felt sloppy. If I could change one thing on the shimanos, it might be just 1-2 more degrees of float and was one reason I considered Look Keos. But I'm happy with my choice and see no reason to switch. Also if the cleats get a little dirty, no big deal. I once stepped on a single raisin with my speedplays and had to dig a sandy mess out before I could even clip in.

I do recommend taking an allen wrench on the first couple rides to adjust the cleats on the fly. And once you get them dialed in, mark or spray paint the cleat position to make it easier when you replace them.

I have been a Shimano SPD user for around 20 years, starting with an old Ultegra pair, and then in a "what the heck" moment buying a DuraAce pair for a second bike. Those DuraAce, after around 15 years, started getting dangerously difficult to clip out of, and so after a little fiddling cleaning and lubing failed, I just went and bought these. I was going to spend the extra for DuraAce again, but between the Ultra being on sale, and admitting to myself that after multiple experiences with Ultegra and DuraAce in brakes, gears, and pedals, I honestly could not find any difference in performance between the two, I bought these.

Shimano has improved their design over the years, with these Ultegra pedals being about 25 g lighter per my scale than the 15 year old DuraAce. The platform is both a little wider and has a slightly larger surface area, both making for a reduction in the pressure on the ball of one's foot, which is the main reason one goes to these pedals in the first place. After riding Look and Keo in the past, as well as a miserable pair of Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals, I can attest that more contact area is a good thing, and less is a pain to the point of injury.

I heartily recommend theses pedals. They are light, smooth, easy to clip in and out of, include a pair of yellow (+/-3 degrees) cleats, allow you to adjust the clip-in tension, are long lasting, and have that large contact area you'll want on a road bike. Excellent product.

I had the +4 Dura-Ace for 22,000 miles until they fell apart. I must have not put them back together correctly when I lubed them and that's a problem. There are two places to tighten and I must have loosened one while tightening the other. Anyway, a pedal came apart when I pushed off and bearings were everywhere. Time for a new pedal. Fortunately, there is now an Ultegra +4, so I can save some $$, and the design is much simpler. There's only one thing to tighten when servicing and I like simple. I try to do as much of my own servicing as possible and since I'm not the greatest mechanic in the world, I need all the help I can get.

Just took delivery of a TREK 7.7FX this summer to keep riding a great all-carbon road bike with fitness bike handlebars and controls. Wanted the efficiency of road bike pedals to work with my Sidi Genius 7 road bike shoes. These Shimano pedals fit the bill perfectly. The pedal cleats give me the right amount of float and the manufacturing quality is top notch. Very easy to snap into and out of pedals with adjustable spring loading on pedals. Id suggest this set-up to anyone in their mid to late 60s who still loves the long rides on flats and hills.

I got these pedals to replace Look Keos that I had used for a few years (the Keos were loosing a metal plate on the top of one pedal). These pedals seem solid. Getting the cleats into the pedals is fine, about the same as the Keos. Getting the cleat out takes a bit more effort at the factory setting, which I have not yet changed. I like the availability of a near-zero float cleat (the blue-cushioned ones). However, these cleats have worn quickly - on both shoes, the outside blue pad was gone after a week of riding, and now after a couple of months, the plastic has worn enough to make walking tilted. But the attachment to the pedals is still secure. Not sure I would buy these again because of the fast cleat wear.

Tired of rubbing your shoes on the inner heel? Tired of scuffing your cranks? Wanting the same incredible clipless system you've always loved from Shimano? If you, like me, are less narrow footed than most than these are the pedals for you! Not any those things? Then still get these in shorter spindle option. A little lighter than the 105, still cheaper than Dura Ace. Get 'em and don't regret 'em.