Your road bike's pedals may be one of the smallest components on your bike, but they play one of the biggest roles in your road cycling performance. It's here that your leg energy gets directly transferred into your bike, and everything from pedal weight to the smoothness of its bearings can enhance or reduce your cycling activity. If you're having a hard time choosing what pedal to add to your road bike, third-party critics have highlighted some of the market's best options.
Look Keo Easy Pedals
These entry-level road bike cycling pedals from Look earned both a "Thumb's Up" recommendation from "Bicycling" magazine in the publication's 2010 buyer's guide, as well as five out of five stars from the editors. The editors highlight is as the best choice for riders who want clipless pedals that are extremely easy to slide into and out of -- hence the "easy" in the product's name. And just because it's rated as an entry-level device doesn't mean it's unwieldy or clunky. Even with all the attached hardware, it only weighs 313 g.
Speedplay Zero Stainless Steel Pedal
For racers that want the ultimate in terms of ultralight, high-performance riding, these road pedals are ideal, according to Roadcycling UK. It all comes down to the very technical aspect of the pedal's manufacturing design, from its extremely low weight that hovers just around 200 g -- it all depends on what kind of cleats and screws you use -- plus its flush pedal shims and reduced stack height. And because the pedals are completely rebuildable and involve only seven screws and one moving part, you can expect little maintenance.
Shimano XTR Pedals
No road bike pedal was ranked higher on BikeRadar.com than Shimano's XTR model. Giving it five out of five stars, the site heaps praise onto it, calling it the "best feeling" and "most reliable" pedal on the market. Features include a grooved design to help shed mud and water, adjustable cleat retention with cleat surfaces on both sides of the pedal, and a light metal construction that hovers at just above 300 g -- not the lightest available, but sturdy and easy to service, states BikeRadar.com.
Outland Keo Compatible Pedals
Outland's pedals are relatively budget-friendly, but that doesn't mean your performance is scarified. This model received one of the highest ratings on BikeRadar.com, getting 4.5 stars out of five. The site notes that the manufacturer improved upon the previous design with better seals, smoother bearings -- a flaw in its previous iteration -- and lots of spring tension that offers that same performance as other brands that run at twice the cost.
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