If you are a bike nerd like me, you have probably already seen the variety of pedals that are available. There are a number of brands that make pedals for all sorts of biking: road, triathlon, mountain, downhill and xc. So I’ve compiled a list of the more popular clipless pedals that exist. There were a couple of brands I didn’t include because they were not producing new models this year, they only offered one model of pedal or they didn’t have much information nor wide-spread distribution.
I've added some downhiller, bmx and freestyler options even though they aren't clipless to show the range of each company. Plus some of these look pretty badass.
One of the major considerations you will come across when you buy pedals is choosing between fixed and float. What does this mean? Fixed pedals assure that your heel does not move while you pedal. Float refers to a little bit of play in your heel before you actual disengage from your pedal. A fixed pedal is recommendable for those who have been professionally fitted to their bikes and therefore will risk little to no knee injury. Float in cleats and pedals usually offer play in degrees of movement. As with all aspects of purchasing a new bike, trying it out is the best method to seeing if that system is for you.
With that in consideration, here’s the list in alphabetical order.
This is a Dutch company of long standing and among the many items that roll off their shelves, they’ve also got pedals. Offering both road and off-roading options, the road pedals are made of a chrome-molybdenum alloy. The mtb option offers a combination of steel body casings and titanium spindles as well as some CrMo (chrome-molybdenum) alloy pieces. An interesting pedal that they produce is the Dual Ride which is SPD-compatible on one side and on the other, shoe spikes for normal street shoes. Pedals of both types have mud-release functions so that the pedals stay cleaner.
Out of the entire list, this brand has probably the most aesthetic pedal on the market. Depending on its color, you can tell which end of the price spectrum it’s on. Monochrome black and grey are usually the lower end of the price range while the yellow and blue are on the higher end. The unique spring design in the Eggbeater, Candy and Mallet models makes it unmistakable in a world of similar looking items.
This British company makes a series of components, such as chains, cranksets and handlebars. They also have a road pedal option (which is SPD-compatible) as well as a number of mountain biking options that can be used for street shoes as well as an option that is dual-sided. The mtb options are made of polished aluminum with a Cr-Mo axle, while the road option comes in a magnesium body. Both options come with cleats with a small degree of float.
This is strictly a pedal company and is an option with completely tunable float resistance. You can change it from float to fixed and not have to change out your cleats. Its higher end Carbon Ti boasts the lowest pedal height (14 mm stack height) for more effective power distribution as well as a larger platform for better power transfer in your pedaling. The pedal itself looks strangely like those old electronic typewriter cartridges.
Look is one of the most popular brands in terms of pedals. Their road, triathlon and track line are are named Keo while the mtb option are S-Track. If you are looking for more surface area, there is also S-Track Cage, which you can put on your S-Tracks. They’ve also got the Keo Power, which teams up with Polar to offer pedals and a cadence monitor system to measure wattage output as well as real time measurements so that you can train better. Their cleats are color-coded depending on how fixed or floating you want your pedal to fit.
This company makes virtually everything under the sun for a bike, even frames. The only thing they don’t do are helmets but other than that, it’s all free game. Their pedals come in a variety of different forms: caged, mountain, road, downhill and freestyle. You’ve got brightly colored ones in the downhiller and freestyler versions. Two of the mtb options are double-sided and everything else is single-sided. Cro-Mo spindles, the off-roading options are SPD compatible and there are fixed, 0 degree options.
Ritchey offers a road, a mtb and an xc pedal option. The road pedal is straightforward in its design, similar to the Look Keos, with a front loop and a weighted back. You get an option of seven degrees of float. The mtb and the xc options have a CroMo axles and allows for five degrees of float (mtb) and four degrees (xc).
This is one of the brands where there are more pedals of other companies making their cleats compatible to Shimano’s SPD pedals. As with most anything that this brand makes, there is variety and a lot of it. The cleats that come with any of the SPD pedals have a degree of float and the fixed cleats are an optional. The road pedals are made of a combination of carbon and stainless steel and have a wider base for more leverage and power transfer. The mtb option is a recessed cleat that offers more pedal-to-shoe contact (in comparison to the M970), as a result of a lower pedal. There are also multi-purpose as well as bmx pedals, without a cleat system.
Unique in design, the Speedplay road options are colorful circle-shaped pedals that considered the cyclist who wishes for a dual-sided option. Regardless of what side is up, you can clip into your pedals, unlike other makes where you have to find the right side up in order to clip in. Cornering is something of an advantage, given that because of its low profile, you can speed through a corner without having to worry of touching down on the ground. Their mtb option is the Frog, a bit more elongated than the Zero and the Light Action, and the name refers to the fact that a frog is comfortable on land and in the mud. This is a recessed option that you can walk about in, making it pretty convenient. They also have the Drillium, which is a waffled bmx pedal with shoe spikes.
This is a French company that does frames, pedals, accessories and pedals. Their pedal design has a futuristic touch which makes it aesthetically very attractive. Road, mtb, downhill and xc options with a splash of the red of the Time logo. The Xpresso road pedals are touted as being the fastest pedals on the market, due to a pre-open clipless system, which is basically like a ski binding that once you slide your foot onto the pedal, it snaps your cleat into place, kind of like a mousetrap. The carbon blade has replaced the metal spring system, making the pedal lighter and you are down low on the pedal axle. The road options offer a 15 degree release angle. They also have a lateral float of 6 degrees, which means that your foot can move 3 degrees laterally to the left or right, great for female riders who need a little more play due to wider hips.