Over the last few months I have been rocking a few different sets of flat pedals on my mountain bike but here’s one that sets itself apart: the Xpedo XMX12AC Hurtle (for simplicity I’ll call it the Hurtle 12). This Hurtle 12 is similar in construction to the Face Off 17 pedal that I reviewed a few months back and shares the same chromoly axle with a single DU bushing and bearing. Constructed out of 6061 AL, the Hurtle 12 weighs in at 370 grams, 10 grams less than the Face Off 17. Unlike other pedals, the Hurtle 12 has its spindle completely protected in the middle which helps with sealing and durability.
The Hurtle is pretty thin at 13mm (not including the pin height) which is just enough spindle diameter to keep the grease inside. The actual body is an extrusion which is then machined to its final shape. Look carefully and you will see the slight concave shape which is designed to match the shape of a typical flat shoe.
Out of the box you also get replacement pins and a wrench that allows you to easily replace broken pins. The Hurtle pedals comes in black, grey, red, pink, green, and gold – pretty much all the colors you’d need to match any bike.
On the trail the Hurtle 12s offer the largest and most solid platform of all the Xpedo pedals I’ve tried. Placing my foot down on the pedal feels about as secure as locking in with a pair of SPD clips. Yep, that secure. The square platform has 8 pins placed strategically so that my forefoot gripped extremely well with just enough grip at the back of the pedal to allow a bit of foot roll for times when I pitched the bike sideways.
Having these on my FR bike for the test and riding through all kinds of terrain I had no issues with rocks or contamination. The pedals still spin great with zero signs of grittiness or play. I did manage to scrape them up a bit, but other than that, they stayed straight. I would even recommend the Hurtle 12 pedals for AM / DH use; I found they boosted my confidence level a bit, knowing that if a foot came off I would find that pedal quickly enough.
The MXS is the only flat sole mountain bike shoe that Xpedo sells and I’m happy to report they work well enough and felt fairly comfortable. I have a wide foot so the roomy toe box on the MXS was a welcome feature. The MXS shoes grip will on most pedals, offer decent heel and ankle support, and feature a foot bed with a bit of flex.
Overall the MXS shoes tend to work better as a dirt jump (DJ) shoe than a more aggressive DH shoe. I noticed the low rise cut on the outside of the shoe allowed my ankles to roll at times which isn’t ideal for DH riding. On the other hand, the ability to roll to the outside of the shoe worked well for the bike park. The inside ankle cut is best described as a mid-rise and it covers the ankle for both protection and support.
The uppers on the MXS shoe are synthetic leather and mesh for a good balance between durability and breathe-ability.
Taking the shoes out on my FR rig at the slopes I didn’t feel as confident as I would have liked. I found when the shoes got a little dirty on the soles they started to slip a bit too much. The lack of outer ankle support also contributed to some issues when sailing through rock gardens.
For DJ riding I can definitely recommend the MXS shoe – it’s stiffer and more durable than your Nikes. However, for DH mountain biking I would say go for something else – though let’s see what the future brings for this shoe.
In case you’re wondering, the Xpedo Hurtle 12 pedals retail for $75 and the MXS shoes will set you back around $55. Check out the Xpedo website for these and other great products.
I would like to thank Xpedo for providing the Hurtle XMX12AC pedals and the MXS shoe for review.
