As previously mentioned managed to somehow tear off one of my venerable XTR SPDs hacking through brambles on Sunday. Looking at CRC XTR are currently £72 but the M540 are less than half that price and appear pretty similar to the ones I broke. They are only 40g heavier than the XTR.

They would appear to represent the best value price point. Do they have ball bearings on both sides? Cartridge? Or are they those crappy sleeves that always wear out?

There’s also the M8000/XT ones at £52. I’m more concerned about bearing quality and life than anything else.

I only use M540s, no need for anything posher. Ball bearings both sides, just fill the pedals with grease. They open with a 17mm spanner and then I think you use a 7 and a 10mm to adjust the preload. The cleat mechanism fails before the bearings, but only after at least 2 or 3 years of tough riding!