Shimano Dura-Ace PD-9300 Pedals

The Shimano Dura-Ace PD-9300 Pedals are Shimano's top road clipless pedals, built on the SPD-SLR platform. Compared with SPD-SL pedals, SPD-SLR sits lower: the stack height is 12.5mm, which brings your foot closer to the axle. Shimano designed this for more stable pedaling and more direct power transfer. The platform is single-sided with an engagement angle of 10.5 degrees, and Shimano describes a larger engagement zone that should make clipping in faster and more intuitive.

The body is carbon composite, and the pair weighs about 227 grams. Larger-diameter bearings make the pedals up to 11 percent more torsionally rigid than the previous-generation Ultegra PD-R8200, according to Shimano. A heat-treated axle and special bearing seats are meant to cut rotational resistance by up to 53 percent compared with the Ultegra version. Entry and release tension are both adjustable, so you can set the retention to suit how you ride. These are road pedals that require SPD-SLR cleats and are not compatible with SPD-SL cleats, so check your shoes and any spare cleats before switching from an older system. They come in a standard axle length and a 4mm-longer axle option.