I need new pedals for mtb stage racing as my M540s are tired and had too many pedal strikes on my Carbon Tallboy. (so it’s a v nice bike and needs nice bits on it 🙂 I’m a big fan of XT but always dreamed of buying one XTR thing… No logic to it but there it is.

So, the new XTR are ever so slightly thinner and ever so slightly lighter than XT and of course double the price.

XT or XTR race pedals? what say you?

If you need to ask then the answers always XT.

Great price to performance to weight ratios. Especially pedals and brakes.

XTR pedals have had reliability problems since they came out – dunno if the 9000s have resolved that. Every pair of XTRs I’ve seen have broken.

ditto here with the XTRs, axle failures galore. XTs perform every bit as well, and most importantly, they keep working. thats far more important than a few grams and 2mm

I’ve had XTR’s on the race bike and Pugsley, bought 2nd hand been on for years, no problems………..

The reliability long term of XTR’s is crap, I’m on my third pair, one pedals sheared of the shaft, replaced, the bearings failed pronto in that set, replaced under warranty, again bearing failure & were talking a lot of play.
Though Shimano do replace them the XT’s IMO are a better bet long term for a few grams extra.
The failures have all been new style XTR with platform round them.

Cheers
Mark

XTR pedals have had reliability problems since they came out – dunno if the 9000s have resolved that. Every pair of XTRs I’ve seen have broken.

Bit unfair, M970s were great pedals, as were M959s before (not branded XTR admittedly). M980s had issues. M9000s are an unknown, but one would assume Shimano will have sorted the problems

However… OP – get XT. Pedals are not the part of XTR to have.

Pedals are not the part of XTR to have.

I’d say shifters, chainset, and cassette are the must have XTR items, all the other bits I’d take XT.

Wouldn’t argue with that. Quite happy with XT cassettes though, I’d maybe go XTR on mech, shifter and chainset.

Thanks everyone, big help and noted the right parts to get.