Time Atac Alium - cleat advice

kinda dumb question but I've surfed the search and read the thread and can't find an answer....do I need to change the Shimano cleats on my shoes if I buy Time Atac Alium's?

and to raise an argument that's been had many times before....are these pretty much the best pedals for less than 30 quid?

Yes but they come with the pedals and yes they are totally 531

I find them harder to engage than SPD, but they have never unclipped. I'll take that any day.

If you get a second hand pair of ATAC pedals on t'bay you can get the cleats in Decathlon for £9.95 on their own which is way cheaper than anywhere else

cheers guys...
there 20% off at wiggle at the minute so not bad at £29 for a new pair

Is there anyone here that has a bad experience with Aliums?
I've been using them for several months and my right foot is still pretty hard to engage and doesn't 'click' as the left one does. Basically the left one is everything one can expect and the RIGHT one isn't. The right foot cleat is not as worn in as the left one, but I doubt that's enough to explain why.
Any thoughts?

I love em, but you do need a shoe with plenty of space around the cleat area, a friend has a set, and the shoe he has has too much rubber around the cleat and is a real bugger to engage

Cleats die faster than SPD's. Mine didnt click with as much purpose when they got worn a bit. Still held though, and were actually a bit easier to get in (though this may be due to springs loostening)

Im fairly new to Atacs

i've been using time atacs (not alliums) since dinosaurs ruled the earth & i've unclipped loads of times (including when i've wanted them to like when being hit by cars), currently i've broken the cleat retaining clips/wires on both pedals, of some antiquity so i don't mind that so much, but i can't get them off the cranks to replace them as there are no flats on the axles - when i do i will consider replacing them with the new XS ATACS though i'm tempted to revert to TIME road pedals as my sidis are worn out

sometimes the cleats you get thrown in with a pair of pedals are not as tough as if you buy the cleats on there own..

i've had spd's, eggbeaters, look - atacs beat them all into a cocked hat, just do the job simply and well.

i've been using time atacs (not alliums) since dinosaurs ruled the earth & i've unclipped loads of times (including when i've wanted them to like when being hit by cars), currently i've broken the cleat retaining clips/wires on both pedals, of some antiquity so i don't mind that so much, but i can't get them off the cranks to replace them as there are no flats on the axles - when i do i will consider replacing them with the new XS ATACS though i'm tempted to revert to TIME road pedals as my sidis are worn out

no allen key on the axle?

If you get a second hand pair of ATAC pedals on t'bay you can get the cleats in Decathlon for £9.95 on their own which is way cheaper than anywhere else

Cheers for the tip off, mine are worn down to fuck, but Condor want £14.95

I get to post my before/after ATAC cleat picture again :)

Just prior to removing the cleat on the right, I'd been commuting up Muswell Hill (plus 2 extra ascents for hillclimb training, which means pulling up on the pedalstroke fairly aggressively) in a 69" gear, with 2 panniers loaded with textbooks. Never unclipped once, but when I noticed the wafer thin lip, I thought I'd better change it :O

PS. They were mainly fucked from being walked on in 'hybrid' shoes.

smithchild, the allen key is not enough....they're stuck fast

You can buy/borrow 6mm allen keys with longer handles. Then either position it so that you can grab the allen key and squeeze it towards the crank (remembering reverse threading on LH pedal), or position it so that you can stand/stamp on it. Should do the trick.

thanks, i'll give it a try

I love em, but you do need a shoe with plenty of space around the cleat area, a friend has a set, and the shoe he has has too much rubber around the cleat and is a real bugger to engage

+1... I had a to carve some sole away from around the cleat to get float and be able to unclip without breaking my knees. Took me a couple of weeks of knee-wrenching before sussing that one out - very happy with them now though.

... so what are people's opinions on the best pair of 'casual' shoes for use with Atacs?

I am new to Time pedals - have just bought some 'Atac Roc S' and want some new shoes to go with them rather than swapping the SPD cleats on my old shoes. (For SPD pedals I have used Northwave, Cannondale & Shimano shoes for commuting, Sidi Dominator for touring and Sunday best, Scott ones for my MTB. The Northwave ones have probably been the best casual/commuting shoe.)

I use Specialized BG Comps - if you look at the pic the area around the cleat is clear, making getting in and out a piece of piss

My mate who has problems uses these Specialized BG Tahoe shoes, and they are a real pain in the arse to use, so i would avoid anything with a similar sole pattern

Cheers for that Vinyl!

Check the 2009 Mavic or the 2008 adidas commuter/casual range; same shoes but rebadged with slight redesign.

The old adidas minrett were cheap and just looked like quite slimline trainers, not like clipless shoes at all.

Cheers for that Vinyl!

No probs - you dont have to use Specialized shoes, its just that those pictures illustrate what i meant perfectly

+1 to Adidas Minrett - got mine for cheap when they were discontinued and have no complaints except that they're seemingly capable of attracting water molecules from distant puddles into my socks. I use them with Crank Bros, so can't absolutely attest to their Atac-friendly qualities.

Hello can someone tell me whether I can use Specialized BG with Times?

Vinyl Villan do you use this combo?

I am switching to SPD now my commute is a lot longer than it used to be.

TIme Allium that is

thanks