Best Overall: NS Radiance Flat Pedal Review | Road Bike Clipless Pedals

Because they hold your feet in the right place on the pedals and keep them there, clipless pedals are more efficient than regular shoes and flat pedals. Shoes for clipless pedals have stiff soles, which also improves efficiency and comfort.

These shoes are a specific shoe to be used with flat mountain bike pedals. They have a flat sole with no opportunity to bolt on a cleat. The soles of these shoes are usually very tacky to grip the pins of the pedals. The design usually errs more towards the skate style of shoes as these are most often worn by trail riders and downhillers.

That said – definitely not a beginnner setup. Tightening the cleat screws even .5nm too much and you can compress part of the housing enough to give you issues with the spring. Breaking in the spring must be a hell of a time for a light rider, and if the missus moves on to them (I have bought her some, but after realising the initial learning curve she lost interest), I’ll have to break the spring in for her. Also actually finding the pedal isn’t just step down and go – you have a few cm wide circle under you foot that you need to mount so like Keo’s etc, you still need to develop muscle memory.

Shimano GR9 The GR9 has an armored lace shield that provides protection from debris, and the synthetic upper dries super fast after wet rides. Claimed weight 365g in size 42. €149.

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Online giant Wiggle busted telling Aussie customers it wouldn’t honour warranties because it’s based in the UK

Flats. When I became a mid life crisis mountain biker I read that clips were far superior and it was worth the few comedy moments when you bounced off the tarmac because you couldn’t get your feet out of the clips sin time. I decided my bones were too old for that kind of comedy and so went flats, mostly wellgo or superstar, and inov8 roclite boots whcih are excellent both riding and pushing.

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Shimano’s SPD-SL system is the clear favourite amongst our team, with US tech editor James Huang, CyclingTips founder Wade Wallace, roving reporter Dave Everett, Australia senior editor Matt de Neef, US editor-in-chief Neal Rogers, and myself all going this route.

It’s impossible to comment on long-term durability without further testing, but given Shimano’s reputation for building pedals that last years and not just seasons, we expect nothing less here. The Saints roll on a heavy-duty cromoly axle that’s built for proper abuse, while the dual-row cup and cone bearing system offers serviceability if you ever need it. To ward off contamination in the first place, the internals are protected by a high-quality labyrinth seal system borrowed from XTR hub tech. Like all Saint products, they’re backed with a three-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

The Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedals are designed for downhill racing or riding with a wider q-factor and a larger platform than the similarly priced Mallet E’s. These aren’t to be limited to DH use though, the supportive pedal is equally at home on regular trails too. The only downsides are the expense (£150), the cleat mechanism is not adjustable and the pins are hard to adjust once clogged with mud. If you like the Crank Brothers cleat mechanism though, are happy to spend some time learning the knack of getting in and out of these pedals and enjoy the benefits of the flat and large platform, you’ll get on like a house on fire with the Mallet DH’s. 

Speedplay’s ‘lillipops’ are road specific pedals that gain their power-transfer-platform from the cleat, as opposed to the pedal. This means the cleat needs looking after as it’s integral to an efficient pedal stroke.