Review: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst Pedals | Bike Self Locking Pedals

Not so with the 3-bolt designs, where the cleat is specific to the pedal brand, if not the specific pedal.

At just 120g/pair these race-day-only pedals are Speedplay’s demonstration that the Zero design can be made extraordinarily light. Speedplay has often displayed superlight bikes at trade shows; these pedals help make bikes like those even lighter.

There is a vast choice of mountain bike clipless pedals available to buy, some are good for all-round trail riding, some are more suited to cross-country riding whilst others are aimed squarely at gravity, enduro or downhill riding. Between us at off.road.cc we’ve tested quite a variety and have listed the best in test here. 

Entry and exit is positive and easy, tension adjustment is simple and you can use them for everything from commuting to cyclo-cross.

So, which pedals? Balancing all of these things depends on how you ride, where you ride, and in what weather. This grouptest should help you decide which pair of flatties might be the right ones for you.

Moving away from cross country shoes other mountain bike shoes have more flexible footbeds, making them better all rounder’s for comfortable trail riding, the odd bit of walking or hike-a-biking and also offering more grip on larger platform pedals like these Crankbrothers Mallet E pedals. Something like the Giro Manta is a typical trail shoe design, it has the tidy looks of an XC shoe, it’s pretty light, fends off weather well and is stiff without being impractically so.

There’s no denying that Speedplay has some real benefits, but as Matt states, they’re the highest maintenance option suggested here and are therefore not for everyone. The pedals themselves run on tiny needle bearings and need periodic greasing (easily done with a grease gun). Likewise, as Neal noted, you need to be especially careful of what you step in to prevent fouling the cleat mechanism with debris, and on occasion, it’s suggested to lube the cleats with a dry lube. I remember a bike fitter friend used to say “Speedplay are not a pedal for Sydney”, a reference to the reliability issues that would surface through constant clipping in and out at lights.

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Long before either Look or Time became well known for their high-end frames, both French brands played pioneering roles in the evolution of clipless pedals. Look and Time have stayed true to their national heritage and still maintain pedal production of their products in France. While both the Look Keo Blade and Time Xpresso share the same goal of quality and performance, the way they function is very different.

All of the above. SPD SL pedals on the road bike. XT trail SPDs and Shimano shoes on the short travel FS Bike which tends to get used for mile munching rather than very tech rides. DMR Vault flats for the big bike and DH riding. I like the efficiency of being clipped in but think I descend better on flats which I much prefer for more technical trails. I believe that’s down to foot and heel position which try as I might I can’t seem to quite reproduce on SPDs.

A second option from Look, these are great starter pedals that provide plenty of flat adjustment, and a large contact patch provides power transfer. A suitably priced and easy option for beginners to take their first steps into the world of clipless pedals.

I own four bikes but do not own a car. I ride my commuter bike at least five days a week, my road bike whenever I can, and my mountain bike rarely. Revelations in bicycling seem to be incremental. Riding a 29er — a mountain bike with large wheel diameter — was a nice surprise. Same goes for some suspension systems.