Exustar E-PR100PP Pedal Review

[Hacienda71]

I am a bit of a bargain hunter and hate to pay over the odds for things, so when I needed a new set of pedals as I had, had an N+1 moment I was loathe to get a new set of pedals at full price. So after a bit of a browse online I decided that a pair of Exustar pedals would be worth a try. I had tried Outland/Raleigh look compatibles in the past but they were a tad heavy and not as tight as proper Looks although ok on a budget. I have done 10000 miles on my current Keo classics in all weathers with no issues other than they are starting to get a little creaky and need some periodic greasing and lubrication, so the new pedals will need to impress

The Pros
Lighter than Look Classics at 128g per pedal. Thermo plastic bodies
£20 plus delivery (At least half the price of Look Classics and not much more than a new set of cleats)
Made under licence from Look so fully compatible.
Tension Adjustment.

So here is what you get in the box. First impressions good, couple of obvious differences from the Looks are, the tension adjustment screw is more exposed in the pedal body and the Exustars use an 8mm allen key or a spanner on the axle to tighten, iirc the Looks take a 10mm allen key and they dont have a spanner option.

So I fitted them to the bike. The only gripe I noticed after they were fitted was that if the back of the pedal was at 12:00 the pedal did not spin round so the front was at 1:00. I put this down to the bearings being new and a little tight over greased.
So I went on a ride using the Look cleats that I have on my shoes rather than fitting the new supplied red ones. First impressions good firm solid and easy clip in when riding no issues. Unclipping is fine. So far I have put about 50 miles on them and can't fault them although they are still a tad sluggish to self right. I will post up again when I have put a couple of thosund miles in them to give an idea of how they are holding up through a British winter.

 

[derrick]

Fitted them to the other halfs bike, the bearings are just not the same as the Look bearings, still did not loosen up after a couple of hundred miles, but apart from that they worked fine, although she does not use them anymore, she changed to Shimano. don't ask me why.

 

[the_mikey]

I am using these pedals on two of my bikes and prefer them over Look KeO classic pedals, so far they've provided excellent service and transformed my ability to ride out of the saddle, they feel solid and inspire confidence. Plus they're easier to clip into when setting off. The only thing I will add, is I do not use the supplied cleats and opted for BBB KeO compatible cleats, they seem to last a bit longer than look cleats and they have some grip that doesn't fall off after a few rides.

 

[fossyant]

128g and £20 a pair. Blimey.

 

[Hacienda71]

Update: 300 to 400 miles in and the bearings have freed up and the pedals are now self righting as required.

 

[amaris79]

Update: 300 to 400 miles in and the bearings have freed up and the pedals are now self righting as required.

Thanks for the helpful update. Just installed the same pedals and I'm happy with them except for the self righting issue which I found slightly disconcerting.
Any advice on what the black plastic plug in the middle can do?

 

[Hacienda71]

I probably have done 2500 miles on them now and although the self righting thing is better they still sometimes stick with the heavy part (backof the pedal) at 12:00 i.e. top dead centre, which is annoying rather than a major issue. As Derrick said the bearings are not quite as good as Looks. For the money though at the weight they are I can't fault them and would seriously consider them again as an alternative to Looks.
Re the black plug, is that the one in the cleats? I haven't used them as my old cleats were still ok.

 

[mark william]

love mine been using them all winter and have fitted to 2 of my bikes. i have got 1 pair in black and 1 in white which looks pretty cool and they look like a expensive pair of pedals. bought mine for £22.50

 

[jasonmccullum]

i bought some on ebay new for £15. they dont have the same issues with the self righting.

overall. very good pedals on par with my shimano ones but lighter

 

[MrGrumpy]

Chaps looking to replace my spd sl shim R450 . Look original are bloody expensive and thinking about these ? Are we still all in favour. ? The fact the are pretty lightweight floats my boat and I got on quite well with my original looks .

 

[the_mikey]

Still using mine, they're as good /bad as look pedals, no real advantage /disadvantage other than the price.

 

[Hacienda71]

Still got mine. Have put about 9000 miles on them in the last year. For the price they are great vfm. However with my pair the self righting element has been variable, I suspect the bearings and other bits simply aren't subject to the same quality controls as Looks. Would I buy another pair yes without hesitation.

 

[MrGrumpy]

cheers chaps think for the money and weight factor I will try a set for the good bike. See how they fair. Had looks pedals before and thought they were great till the bearings collapsed. At approx £20 they seem VFM? Oh and the cleats are cheaper compared to shimano albeit you can get the chinese copies .