How to Choose Bicycle Pedals

Video Transcript

PANCHO HERRERA: This is Pancho Herrera with a brief discussion of pedal choice. Bicycle pedals are typically referred to as clipless, meaning they have no toe clip or platform. Clipless pedals come in two formats, mountain and road. Here's a road bike pedal and heres a mountain bike pedal. A road bike pedal typically has a fairly large contact area, so you really distribute that pedalling force. They tend to be a little bit lighter and are typically single sided. You snap in only on one side. If you're looking at the mountain bike pedal, notice how the design is meant to clear mud, be accessible from any direction and typically a little bit more rugged. They take a lot of abuse out on the trail. Finally, if you're just running to the coffee shop in the morning or perhaps commuting to school or work, a platform pedal like this is appropriate. No clip in provision, ride it in sneakers or flip flops and a little bit more basic, a little bit less expensive. When selecting pedals, don't forget to consider what kind of shoe you're going to use. Shoes for clipless pedals are designed with a cleat interface, a bolt system to hold the pedal cleat in place. This particular format is called Shimano SPD; it's a two bolt slotted arrangement. If you're riding on the road, typically you'll see a three-bolt arrangement like that. That's referred to broadly as the look system, the three-bolt system. Remember that your choice of shoe has to match your choice of pedal cleats.