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Long Term Review: Shimano Saint Platform Pedal

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Shimano Saint Platform Pedal (2)

Amongst horse enthusiasts, a breeds inclusion into the sport or working categories may be a subject of heated debate, but there is no question to which group the Shimano Saint Pedal belongs.

Built with long term reliability in mind, and priced reasonably, the Shimano Saint pedals are a serious work horse.

Saint Pedal WeightYou can view all our scale shots of the Saint group here.

Weighing in at just a few paperclips less than the claimed 500 g, the Shimano pedals are in a weight class that is nearly a quarter pound heavier than similarly priced competitors.

That will undoubtedly scare away the weight weenies, but is sure to attract another type predator – the kind who hungers for reliability.

Shimano Saint Rebuild ProcessFull rebuild instructions can be found on the Shimano Dealer’s Manual Website

Unlike today’s crop of thoroughbred models, you won’t find an igus bushing inside, or anything that will need a rebuilt after a season or two. Instead, the Saints rotates on a cromoly axle, that spins on ultra reliable cup and cone bearings.

It’s the same axle system used on all of their pedals, which makes replacement parts cheap. The rebuild process is also fairly simple and be done with just a few basic tools.

Shimano Saint Platform Pedal (3)The platform face has little concavity and relies on 9 pins per side for traction. All the pins are installed from the back of the pedal, and utilize torx heads to reduce the chance of stripping.

Shimano Saint Pin Profile With Spacers

Shimano Saint Platform Pedal (4)

Top to bottom: Stock pedal with washers installed under pin heads, stock pin height after the washers have been removed

The pedals come stock with the pins installed, but by default are shipped with spacers under the pin heads. This unique twist gives end user the ability to tweak overall grip.

Shimano also includes an extra set of spacers, and an extra set of longer pins, so you can further dial in traction.

Shimano Saint Platform Pedal (5)The pedals shed mud well, but these small gaps on the outside edges of the pedal tend to stay filled.

As a pair, the black and silver color scheme (with the light gold accents) shared by the Saint crank and pedal look fantastic. Shimano Saint Platform Pedal (1)

Out of the packaging and onto the bike, it quickly became apparent that the Saint Pedals lacked the tenacious grip we were accustomed to from other high end pedals. So after spending one ride too many without being able to keep our feet in place, we set about removing the washers that come preinstalled under each of the pin heads. This brought the traction levels up to a respectable levels, and made a tremendous difference through rough terrain.

While most competitors are fighting an arms race to produce the thinnest pedals possible, the Saints are only 8.5mm thinner than the venerable (but chunky) DX pedals, but we suffered no ill side effects as a result. We did endure our fair share of pedal strikes, but that’s inevitable when riding rocky or technical trails.

The two tone color scheme has also held up well to the abuse, with the silver surfaces being less susceptible to wear than other anodized platforms. In addition to holding up well visually, we can’t really remember the last time we had to rebuild a pair of Shimano pedals. In more than a year of shuttles and park laps, the Saint pedals have not developed any slop, and are still spinning smoothly.

If you’re looking for the most reliable flats pedal on the market, the Shimano Saints might just earn that title. They’re not the lightest, or the thinnest, but they are extremely low maintenance, and offer decent grip. You could certainly do a lot worse for $100.

Ride Saint

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iperov
iperov
9 years ago

perfect, but heavy 🙁

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
9 years ago

iperov,
Did you not see this statement: …will undoubtedly scare away the weight weenies, but is sure to attract another type predator – the kind who hungers for reliability.

Shimano has never been a weight weenie company. It must work well first…

AbelF
AbelF
9 years ago

I love my saint pedals. They seem to take everything that comes at them like nothing. The looks of these seem improve the more beat up they get.

slippyfish
slippyfish
9 years ago

I second Abel – been super happy with mine – not the lightest or thinnest and I did the washer removal too, but now they are suitably grippy. I use them both in the park and riding xc. And D*MN they look good – typical 5-step Shimano finishing processes that don’t wear off quickly.

GearCrusher
GearCrusher
9 years ago

Ball bearings??? In a cage? Seriously? A fiber reinforced dry bearing would make these last forever. NOT impressed at the cost vs. tech ratio.

Stamps
Stamps
9 years ago

Paired with a five ten ive found the grip fine for trail and all mtn riding…love em

Trotter
Trotter
9 years ago

I’m waiting for a Saint SPD pedal to come out, same cage as this pedal with an SPD clip in the center.

Eirik
Eirik
9 years ago

Have had these for a season now. They’ve survived 2 bent crankarm sets and 2 smashed chainguards + multiple really hard direct rock hits. Still spinning as new and no more than 3 pins needed to be replaced.

ginsu
ginsu
9 years ago

Cup and cone FTW! What would Shimano do without their beloved C&C bearings?

Skidmark
Skidmark
9 years ago

I love my Saints, I’ve had them for about 6 months now, and they are great. Did the washer removal when I got them. No complaints.

CheeBurger
CheeBurger
9 years ago

Mine lasted 4 rides and the left pedal started clicking and has a lot of play in it. many many people have had this happen to them on Saint pedals. Unacceptable.

Nolan
Nolan
9 years ago

CheeBurger, Same issue here on the right, at first I thought I have toasted a bottom bracket, never had a pedal develop play before and I’m speaking from Walmart experience! Is there any solution? I’d hate to have to buy new pedals again.

Ron
Ron
8 years ago

Bought these solely from reviews and I have the clicking going on, both pedals. It drives me crazy so much that I put my stockers back on!

justin
justin
8 years ago

I have 2 pairs, and the “lockbush” has blown out of all 4 pedals. They now have a ton of play and one of them has a cooked bearing because of it. You can’t find the rebuild kits anywhere, at least in the USA. I liked the pedals but this is BS, I won’t buy them again.

KBarryng Kok Khuin
8 years ago

very unacceptable mind have already start clicking on both side by just around 23 ride only on xc, i owned 3 pairs of DX b4 and they last forever but this is just like sh*t…

psycholist
psycholist
7 years ago

Bearings need to be further apart to support the loading they take. Short spacing works pretty well on SPDs, but when the rider’s foot position isn’t fixed relative to the bearings they start to suffer. The gold anodised bushing part was oozing aluminium dust and the pedals made various clicks and squeaks within 1.5 years of XC/trail/street use on my hardtail. Will not buy again unless Shimano improve the durability of the design. All ball bearinged DMR V8 grease port pedals give me 5-10 years with no servicing bar a bit of grease every 6 months for comparison – platform is too small for all day pedalling though :-(.

Igor
Igor
7 years ago

Another rider with clicking in right Shimano Saint pedal (in about 150km), I wish I checked people”s feedback before buying 🙁

GEE
GEE
7 years ago

Pedals are useless got the clicking in the right pedal too, unacceptable shimano

biker
biker
7 years ago

great looking pedals, excellent grip design. broke after two months. bearings shot in non-drive side. old technology. hard to service and fix bc of their choice in bearings. will not buy again.

Dawie Venter
Dawie Venter
6 years ago

I’ve a fat-Bike and a MTB, each fitted with a pair of Saints. Both pairs lasted about a year before the bearings started to feel rough and make creaky noses. Re-greasing the pedals help, but doesn’t restore the as-new smoothness. Disappointed with the durability. Won’t buy again.

Didzis
Didzis
3 months ago

I have these pedals for around like 4 or 5 years. Still living. Still riding. Still spinnin. I am switching these pedals on any new bike I have. Currently they are on SCOTT Speedster Gravel 30. Damn how I like these pedals.

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