Types of Bicycle Pedals

Before 1985, even the best riders rode platform pedals (the pedals that still come with most children's and adult recreational bikes today) with toe clips and straps. In 1985 Bernard Hinault won the Tour de France on a prototype of what would later become Look's first "clipless pedal" system: spring-loaded pedals that attached to a cleat on the sole of the shoe. Nowadays clipless (sometimes called "clip-in") pedals are standard for serious mountain and road bikers alike.

  1. Shimano SPD's

    • SPD's (short for Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) retail for $60 to $280. Budget-minded cyclists choose SPD's because the pedals and compatible shoes can be cheaper than other brands. Novice riders often prefer SPD's for both road and mountain bikes because they are easy to engage and disengage (clip in and out), and because the smaller cleat makes walking easier when they step off the bike. Road cyclists should be aware that because SPD's have a small pedal-cleat interface (the surface where the pedal and shoe are in contact), they can cause nerve impingement and vascular restriction, leading to foot discomfort on long rides.

    Time ATAC's

    • Time ATAC's are a higher-end mountain bike pedal that range in price from $140 to $475. They have higher spring tension, so you have to stomp on the pedal harder to engage, and twist your foot harder to disengage than other pedal systems. Time ATAC's are popular among cyclo-cross competitors as well as competitive mountain bikers.

    Crank Brothers

    • Crank Brothers make mountain bike pedals that range from $75 to $450. Their first generation model, called the Egg Beater, is designed to shed mud easily. Crank Brothers' Candy models offer a wider platform for the shoe, leading to greater power transfer (imagine pushing on a walnut versus something the size of an Oreo). Candies also come in a variety of colors for mountain bikers who want their pedals to match their bike (or race kit, or their eyes).

    Shimano Road Pedals

    • Shimano road pedals set you back anywhere from $80 to $300. Shimano designed their SL road cleats to have the widest cleat-to-pedal interface. While Shimano boasts in their marketing literature that a wide cleat-to-pedal interface increases stability and power transfer from your legs to the cranks, these claims have never been scientifically proven.

    Looks

    • Looks cost anywhere from $80 to $500, and have a very similar design to Shimano road pedals with a slightly narrower pedal-to-cleat interface. From low-end to high-end, Looks tend to disengage "smoother" than comparable Shimano models, which may be better for cyclists new to clipless pedal systems. Also, Look's KeO pedals come in a variety of colors, so that fashion-minded cyclists can match their pedals to their frame, bar tape and accessories.

    Speedplays

    • Speedplay pedals, which cost anywhere from $105 to $305, are the only road pedals which you can clip into either side of the pedal. Speedplays are designed to offer 0 to 20 degrees of "float" (internal and external heel rotation) depending on the model (compared to Looks' 4.5 degrees and Shimano's 6 degrees). Some cyclists describe so much float as a slippery "foot on ice" feeling. Speedplays' wide float angles can lead to illiotibial band (ITB) injuries in rare cases, and the smaller pedals can lead to the same foot discomfort as SPD's.

    Platform Pedals

    • There is still a place in cycling for the platform pedals that come free on most bikes. They are cheap and don't require special shoes. Also, many new riders are intimidated by the feeling of being "attached" to their bikes when they come to a stop. All BMX bikes have platform pedals, and many track racers prefer a toe clip and strap system to a clipless pedal that may disengage at high speeds.