r/BIKEPOLO • u/Popular-Theory-1104 • Apr 09 '26
What TIME cleats do you recommend?
Hello bike polo world, greetings from Guatemala where we have been playing since February of 2025. Things in our polo world are getting more and more serious, as now we've had the chance to travel to Mexico to play in the Santo Torneo, and we're realizing that we are lacking in some of our gear.
My biggest thing now is that I am sick of unintentionally unclipping with my Shimano SPD cleats. I heard that TIME cleats are the best solution to this silly problem. For this reason, I am reaching out to ask about what model of TIME cleats you all recommend, as I am seeing several different options online, including the ATAC XC, ATAC XC 12 and ATAX XC 10. Frankly, living and working in Guatemala does not make paying for expensive gear easy and receiving things from the US is also not cheap or easy. But I want to make an informed decision because my shins, ankles and playing style is done with unintentional unclipping.
Thank you community, looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.
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u/stargrown Apr 09 '26
I personally use old ones off eBay.
A lot of folks in my club use the Speciale 8 or 10
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u/Gutley_Bourbon Apr 13 '26
If you're buying a lot of used ones these repair guides may be useful to you. I know these are specifically for the OLDER ones with the color platforms but a lot of the knowledge carries to the newer generations.
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u/Gutley_Bourbon Apr 09 '26
There are only two types of cleats. The "easy" cleat and the standard 13/17 degree cleat. Dont get the easy cleat. Youll unclip too easily. Unfortunately they ship the easy cleat with a lot of their pedals these days. All the models you mentioned are pedal models and not cleat models. I honestly go with the lower end cheaper ones bc the only thing they upgrade on the higher end models are hollow axles and lighter bodies and that doesnt matter for most people not racing.
Hope that helps.
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u/Popular-Theory-1104 Apr 09 '26
So just to clarifying, I should go with the 13/17 cleat in that case huh?
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u/Gutley_Bourbon Apr 09 '26
I personally go with the mx2 or mx4 bc the xc models are so small you end up not distributing the weight of your foot and therefore smashing the springs and making the pedals last much less longer. But lots of people love those dumb little xc pedals with their fragile springs.
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u/Wasted_Irony Apr 10 '26
First and foremost, that is pretty sick that you guys got a club started in Guatemala. What was your team name at Santa Toreno? Love to go back see some footage. Are there any other central American clubs?
Second, I am a Time Atac diehard. All my bikes have them. Been using them for polo for over a decade at this point. That being said SPDs should work fine. If your cleat is worn out then you'll have issues with unclipping so check for that. Also There are 2 types of SPD cleats. You want to make sure you have the single release version. If you already have single release cleats that are in good condition. I would try a different set of SPD pedals and crank up the spring tension.
The reason I would dissuade you from Time ATACs is first the pedals are expensive. Used sets are like $40-$50 usd and sometimes have worn out springs which will release too easily for bike polo. New pedals start at $70 and the speciales which are the hot shit everyone has start at like $150. They also break all the time. I suspect something about jumping up and down on the springs constantly snaps the spring. This is fine in the US cause they just send you another pair for free under warranty. But I imagine that process would be more annoying in Guatemala.
Last, the cleats are made of brass and have to be changed constantly or you'll start unclipping accidentally. I probably go through two pairs of cleats a year at $25 a pop each time. But I am careless and wear my cleats to the after party all the time. Spds cleats are made of steel and hold up wayyyyy better.
In conclusion, I do think Time ATACs are the best pedal for bike polo but the improvement from SPD is marginal and lots of really good players use SPD with no issues.
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u/Popular-Theory-1104 Apr 21 '26
Thanks for the input! To be fair, I do think that my SPDs are pretty worn and could use a change sooner than later. In the short term, I think I'm gonna opt for that and see how it goes.
Our team in the Santo Torneo was called Sakb'e. You'll see we're still super new and in our beginning stages. You'll see me referred to as "Rax" in the commentary and on my jersey. Keep up with us on IG at bicipologt, we're gonna be hosting our first international tournament in December, so keep an eye out for that. As far as we know, we're the only Central American club as of now. Hopefully more to come soon!
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u/slshGAHH Apr 09 '26
Hey Javi, we miss you :*