so do the new style of spd pedals with the cage ie XT Trail really give better platform or is the clip to proud of rest of pedal for shoe to touch?

Depends on your shoes. They have to work with all SPD shoes & I can feel the cage through my old MP66s but not enough to make any difference. Can’t feel it through some newer M162s.

The cage makes it easier to flick them round and clip in and it can be a psychological prop when not clipped in but for me they feel like any other SPD pedal

I have both and really can’t tell the difference once clipped in tbh

I have both and prefer the caged. So much so I have two sets of XT.

I have both and prefer the ones without the cage. Using both with race style shoes and am45. In my opinion the cage doesn’t really do anything more than the body of the un-caged pedal if you’re stabbing at it and miss the cleat. You can sort of perch on both but with negligible grip. In fact i tend to find it harder to hit the cleat first time with the caged version as opposed to the uncaged version. With both shoes the cage gives no support when clipped in. You would need really flexy shoes to get that. Perhaps the crank brothers mallets would provide extra support but not the shimano spds.

Great i have 2 pairs of XT and one M540s.

I don’t think you get any extra support once clipped in but they do seem easier to locate and clip into and I’m less scared of riding unclipped for a few seconds. That’s with 661 Filter SPDs by the way.

Had ‘trail’ pedals for a while now – I wouldn’t go back to conventional spds again.

I have a set of the XT 785 Trail pedals for sale at £35 if anyone is interested. Used once so in great condition.

cheers guys

pretty much as i thought so not convinced they would be any better for me.

What Grum said, I cant really tell much difference when clipped in, but i can clip in much faster with the caged pedals.

I am a recent convert (from plain spds) but not convinced.

Main plus – much easier to locate and clip in (snow and ice excepted)
Marginal plus – feeling of bigger platform (not sure how real this is)
Major minus – (mine) need more precision clipping out especially at low speed. Need to be exited more precisely and this has led to many falls on short steep bits when going really slowly and suddenly need to be dabbed down. They only release at very specific angles even on loosest settings and I find this very disconcerting!

Much prefer the trail ones as I can clip in much quicker and easier. I also like the fact that the cage takes the rock strikes and not the rest of the pedal.

Much better than the old ones imho, got them on both my bikes now.

Chris

M540s.

These aren’t trail pedals though.

“i tend to find it harder to hit the cleat first time with the caged version as opposed to the uncaged version. With both shoes the cage gives no support when clipped in. You would need really flexy shoes to get that”

+1
With ‘race’/xc stylee SPD shoes I find caged M530’s harder to locate/clip into than ‘cageless’ M520 or M540
With ‘hike-a-bike’ shoes (Spesh Tahoe’s) that do have a flexyish sole, to the point that using with M520 orM540 over alpine/big lakes descents they make for ‘hot spots’ on your feet around the cleat.
Using Tahoe’s with M530’s they don’t do this. There is a small amount more of ‘platform’ just around the cleat inself. The ‘bars/bumper’s out front/back are too low to do anything bar smash into things, thouhg ime M520’s/M540’s will take loads of rock smashes and things no problem at all

Are these any better than the older style.

Something like the Shimano M545 with the aluminum platform.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=771

Have had them on bikes for years. Do give something to put your foot on if not clipped in.

Mister P

Can’t find an email address for you… Still got the M785 Trails? And do they come with any cleats?

Cheers

YGM

The XT trail pedal has a bigger support area than the xt race pedal.
The front and back bit of the cage make no difference to the support though.

That’s why some people have been buying the trail pedal and sawing the cage off.

These are XTR’s but it shows the difference between trail and race.

Another point you may like to consider is, if your SPD shoes have toe studs, the cage on the 985s can make clipping in/out trickier.

I have the xt trail caged spd’s they work for me because when I’m not on the trail I cycle to work on them just in boots. Saves changing pedals mid week.

I have M540s and M530 trail spds. Much prefer the trail ones. Want to get some more.

Sorry meant M530s have to many pedals 😀

Swapped to M530s from Eggbeaters. I prefer the feel of the SPDs to the CBs. Don’t really know how much of a difference the cage makes, but for a mincer like me it’s a psychological boost to know I won’t slip right off the pedal and thump my head on my stem if I miss the engagement.

I bought the M530 as a cheap interim pedal. 2 years later, still using them, great pedal, dirt cheap, a few grams heavier and look like they have more of a platform than the proper XT trail pedals.

i bought a pair of m530’s for a try, having used conventional spds for ages… i’m pretty indifferent about them… i’ll keep trying them for a bit longer, but if i still draw a blank, i’ll swap back to conventional spds to save a bit of weight.

my next project however is to convert two pairs of a530 touring pedals by fitting proper pedal pins to the non-spd side.