You cannot up your technical game without securing your feet to your bike. There is a reason every accomplished mountain bike XC and Enduro racer is on these. Once transitioned, and you are in that category of riding, you won't feel safe without them. They will also make you 10-20% faster after the transition.
NEW Mountain Clipless Bike Pedals. Except for the slightly heavier (and stronger) spindle, these are identical to XTR. I have bent XTR spindles on pedal strikes. I have never bent these, so these are all I use. In my opinion these have a crispier release than the XT version replacement.
If trying to decide which pedals to go with, nobody makes a more reliable or effective clipless pedal than Shimano, I see plenty of issues on the trail, and usually they are not shimano. This pedal has a better design over the M520 in quality as well as 40g lighter. ASK ME ABOUT MULTI-RELEASE CLEATS. Too many people don't get proper advice and instruction on how to transition to these from flats, resulting in bad experiences. You can avoid all that with my instruction.
PD-M540, MSRP $119 plus tax
NEW Pedals $69
USED Pedals $39, plenty of life (these just last forever)
The real proof is in the reviews
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-PD-M540-SPD-Pedals/dp/B0116M01C2?th=1
TO SEE MORE OF MY TIRES AND BIKE STUFF, click on the "MORE ADS BY THIS USER" box to the right.