Review: SRM EXAKT power meter pedals

SRM and Look - two pioneers of the cycling industry meet. In 1984 Uli Schoberer, founder of SRM, created the first ever power meter for cyclists and in the same year, the French company Look released the first clipless pedals. It was then only a matter of time before these two got together and combined their specialties, power meters and pedals.

Their collaboration resulted in the SRM EXAKT power meter pedals that I had the chance to test starting this spring.

Picking up the pedals

One of the special things about the SRM power meter that is integrated into the pedals, is that is produced in Germany, roughly 25 kilometers from the bike-components headquarters. So I got on my bike and headed to SRM and had the founder explain everything. Uli Schoberer took quite a bit of time to explain every detail about the power meter hidden in the pedals and how they came to work with Look. While we were talking, it was clear that SRM really put a lot into developing and producing these pedals.

Like all of SRM’s power meters, the EXAKT pedal power meter is produced by hand. Of course, the pedal body and axle are sent to SRM, but the electronics are all built and installed by experts. I was shown dozens of prototypes and told about how test riders like André Greipel, Adam Hansen and Warren Barguil liked the pedals.

Top quality & quick installation

For the review, I received one of the first production ready pairs of pedals and it made a huge impression on me. Not because they were flashy or fancy in some way, but instead because I couldn’t tell the difference between them and normal pedals. The pedal body is made of injection moulded carbon and in case of damage, it can be exchanged for just 100 €. The axle is set up with double bearings and is runs super smooth. External sensors, receivers or batteries are a thing of the past on the EXAKT pedals.

Installing the pedals is simple, but it needs to be done right to make sure SRM’s renowned power meter precision is still there. To do this, when screwing in the pedals, the blue mark needs to be in the required direction. This is quickly figured out, and when installing the second one, it is easy to do by hand. To be 100 % sure that the pedals are properly installed, the EXAKT app check through everything as well. The app also give information on the battery life and it installs the newest firmware to the power meter.

What are they capable of?

Functionally, the SRM EXAKT power meter pedals deliver the same data and values just like their crank based version. Of course, this is with the same quality and validity. During my review, I rode the pedals on a SRM Campagnolo power meter crankset to be able to compare the data. I did not have any inconsistencies and if the values were off, it was by so little that it didn’t even matter. It helps that the pedals, as well as the cranks, automatically calibrate themselves. This goes for temperature compensation and software calibration as well.

The values the pedals measure include, power, cadence, torque and L/R balance. They get sent via Bluetooth or ANT+ to a smartphone or cycling computer, for example the SRM PC8. SRM claims that the battery runs for up to 100 hours, which I was able to confirm during my review. After 6 weeks and 94 hours of training, the pedals sent a signal to the PC8 telling me to charge. Charging is also easy with the magnetic charger. Oh and don’t worry about rain, the EXAKT’s have an IPX7 rating and are very well sealed from the elements.

Straight up EXAKT

SRM have not only just entered the world or pedal based power meters, but in my opinion, they have set the standard.

While I was reviewing the pedals, they really just did their job. With no calibration needed, long battery life, a clean design and always precise, they are hard to beat. Even with cheaper options available, if you are looking for the perfect power meter pedals, then look no further than the SRM EXAKT!