Clipless pedals: why you don’t need to be scared of switching | Environment | Bike Flat Pedals

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.

At the 2018 Eurobike expo, Chromag released their new Dagga DH pedals. The Dagga is their largest platform and widest stance offering, giving riders plenty of space to modulate their footing across the 24 height-adjustable traction pins. Pedal thickness is 14.3mm at the center, with sealed bearings (outer) and a bushing (inner) wrapped around a robust Chromoly axle. Designed with the help of Australian DH racer Chris Kovarik, the pedal’s main features will shine bright under the high impact-conditions of true DH.

Can you handle that? No-one here is saying Surly sucks and didn’t know how to use Speedplays. So don’t take offence. We’re not saying we’re more skilled than you, or more technical than you, or better riders than you. We just got on with them, you didn’t.

Even better, the cartridge-style axle assembly is well sealed and very easy to service, with proper steel ball bearings throughout instead of plastic bushings that will wear out over time. The forged aluminum bodies have proven impressively tough, too. Whereas some carbon fiber or plastic pedal bodies would explode on even moderate impacts, these A600s have shrugged off a number of direct rock strikes.

Shimano’s single-sided PD-A600 SPD road pedal isn’t new; far from it, in fact. First introduced in 2010, it was originally billed as an Ultegra-level alternative for roadies who wanted the stability of a traditional three-bolt system but the walking convenience of a recessed two-bolt cleat.

OneUp’s aluminium flat pedal offering delivers super sharp and grippy pins with variable heights for their location on the pedal and a super thin and large platform for maximum clearance and stability, making it a cool contender. It’s not quite up there with some of the best in terms of grip and shape, but then its cheaper than some and despite the minor bearing roughness from the get-go, they’ve been hammered in the muck since with no further deterioration. The pins thread through from the opposite side too meaning they can still be removed and/or replaced when you’ve knackered the sharp end. All in all, a very good flat pedal with well thought out features and a reasonable price tag.

It’s very easy to strip the threads from an aluminium crank arm and expensive to replace it if you do, so if you’re not sure the pedal is going in correctly unscrew it and start again.

And “it’s easy to become complacent”? What, due to excellent reliability? So now excellent reliability is being used as an argument against electronic shifting? Good grief I’ve heard it all now… I don’t need to constantly fettle and tinker with mechanical shifting because I fear becoming complacent… what I do like is having to spend less time fettling and tinkering with my electronic groupset and having absolutely nailed, spot on, trouble free shifting so I can fettle and tinker on new builds, oh and just ride my bikes.

The R550 is a slightly fancier version of the R540 above, featuring a composite rather than alloy body. The larger body provides more support for your shoes at the same time as saving a little bit of weight.

First off, these are not the super-lightweight option core racers seek. But at about 4.5 ounces (127.5 grams) per pedal, they’re not overwhelmingly heavy either. For comparison, these are nearly 100 grams heavier than the lightest AeroLite option. But they’re still about 100 grams lighter than the Shimano Ultegra carbon-steel pedal.

One company, Speedplay, has bucked the consensus. Its pedals are double-sided, the mechanism is part of the cleat and that cleat has a four-bolt mounting. A three-bolt adapter is included with them, as few shoemakers have a suitable shoe in their line. More about Speedplay below.

Even the cheapest pedals have never really been better than now, and prove they don’t have to be generic to come in under a budget.