Shimano PD-6620 pedals £66.95

It’s always hard to improve on a design that works so successfully, and so we find with the PD-6620 (Ultegra) pedals, the latest version of the SPD-SL, that changes are in the minority.

When taking the pedals out of the box, the most noticeable changes are to the shape of the pedal. Shimano has sought to increase the contact area and has widened the forged aluminium body, for a claimed 54% increase. The other change is the replacing of the plastic mid-plate with a metal plate.

Internally there’s no difference, so the same reliable and long-lasting sealed cartridge bearings remain. The pedals also use the same cleats as before.

In use performance is very similar to the previous design, but the extra wide body does provide a little bit of extra support – though not greatly detectable with stiff carbon soled shoes. It’s more noticeable when you’re pushing hard on the pedals, and particularly during out of the saddle periods. The wider contact area does make clipping in marginally quicker, especially handy for commuting purposes.

Shimano has applied this new design to both the 7810 (Dura-Ace) and recently, the 5600 (105) pricepoints.