The best clipless pedals provide a firm, secure connection between bike and rider that's easier to release than the previous system of straps and slotted cleats. But which of the many systems is best for you?
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Your first choice in clipless pedals is between single-sided and double-sided designs. Double-sided are easier to get into and usually allow for shoes you can walk in; single-sided are usually lighter and simpler
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Most pedals provide some way in which your foot can move slightly on the pedal. This rotational movement, called 'float', helps prevent knee problems.
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To save weight pedal makers use exotic materials like carbon fibre, titanium and ceramic bearings on their high-end pedals; heavier riders are best steering clear and such pedals often have a rider weight limit
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Clipless pedals start from about £25 and go up to £300 plus
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Clipless pedals for racing — most single-sided pedals and Speedplay Zeros — are designed with clearance at the edges so you can pedal round corners
The best 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. They're also much easier to get out of than the clip and strap pedals enthusiast riders and racers used before the 1980s
Shoes for clipless pedals have stiff soles, which also improves efficiency and comfort.
Count the bolts
There are two types of clipless pedal. Pedals for road racing follow the original concept introduced by Look in 1984. The cleat stands proud of the sole and is attached by three bolts. This allows an uncomplicated, very rigid sole, but is awkward to walk in.
In 1990, Shimano introduced its SPD (Shimano Pedalling Dynamics) design. A smaller metal cleat is mounted to the shoe with two bolts, and fits in a recess in the sole. The recessed cleat makes it easier to walk in SPD shoes, and helps guide the cleat into the mechanism, making it easier to clip in. Originally intended for mountain biking, it's become very popular with commuting and recreational riders too.
Look's three-bolt standard dominates road pedals and shoes
Many companies now make pedals whose cleats fit three-bolt and two-bolt shoes.
Three-bolt clipless pedals are single-sided, with one exception that we'll get to shortly. To get into them you have to catch the front tip of the pedal with the cleat. This is a bit fiddly at first, but becomes second nature after a bit of practice.
Two-bolt pedals are usually double-sided. This makes entry very easy; after a very small amount of practice you learn to just stomp on the pedal and away you go.
Soles for two-bolt cleats have a recess to allow walking
That difference is a factor in which system's best for you. If you're clipping and unclipping a lot — while commuting, for example — then the easier clip-in action of two-bolt systems means you won't find yourself fumbling with the pedals as you set off from the lights.
If sheer performance is more of a priority, then a three-bolt system is the way to go. The larger cleat spreads the pedalling load over more of the sole, which is more comfortable and efficient, and three-bolt shoes are lighter because there's no extra rubber around the cleat to make them walkable.
For example, a pair of size 40 Shimano XC61 two-bolt shoes weighs a claimed 632g. Shimano's R170 road shoes have the same £150 RRP, but weigh 500g per pair in size 40.
Speedplay pedals work best with shoes that have their special four-hole fitting
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.
The earliest clipless pedals held your feet in a fixed position on the pedals. This soon turned out to be a problem for some riders whose knees got sore, leading to serious problems in some cases. The answer was to slightly modify the design so that the foot could move a little. This rotational float is a feature of the best clipless pedals and you'll find it to a greater or lesser degree in all of the below options. In some it can be adjusted either by choice of cleat or by adjuster screws.
Stack it up
The distance between pedal axle and shoe sole is known as the stack height. A lower stack helps make your foot more stable on the pedal, and by lowering your position on the bike will make it slightly more stable in corners.
What's in a name?
Old school pedals with clips and straps (CC-BY 2.0 by ktk17028:Flickr)
In case you're wondering why they're called clipless pedals, it's because pedals used to have metal cages, called toe clips, and leather straps to hold the shoe in place. Racing shoes had cleats that were slotted to fit the cage of the pedal. To get out, you had to loosen the strap. Falling over at traffic lights behind a busload of schoolkids was not unknown.
Clipless pedals get their contradictory name, then, because they don't have the metal clips of yore. Some favour the term "clip-in pedals" which has the advantage of making more sense, but a couple of quick Google searches shows "clipless pedals" is over four times more common. It looks like we're stuck with it.
The best clipless pedals
We've mentioned a stand-out model or two of every major pedal design here, but you really can't go wrong with any of the current systems. The one you choose will reflect your own personal requirements.
Browse all road.cc pedal reviews
For about 30 quid, these double-sided mountain bike pedals are a brilliant entry into clipless pedals. The low price is not reflected in the build quality, which is excellent, or the performance, which is also excellent.
Entry and exit is positive and easy, tension adjustment is simple and you can use them for everything from commuting to cyclo-cross.
The small cleat means that there's a small contact patch but that's a minor disadvantage unless speed and performance is paramount.
You use to be able to pick these up for around £20, but many Shimano products have increased in price over the last 12 months, and the era of cheap SPDs seems to have ended as a result. If you're strapped for cash check out these £24 SPD-compatible Boardman pedals that are functionally very similar and actually a bit lighter.
Read our review of the Shimano PD-M520
Find a Shimano dealer
Shimano's PD-T400 Click'R pedals have a mechanism that's incredibly light, so it's very easy to release your shoes from the pedals. They're a useful option for cyclists keen to try clipless pedals for the first time.
You're held firmly in place against an upwards exit, but only very slight pressure down and sideways is necessary to get you out, and the pivoting pedal body inside the plastic surround makes it very easy to get in too. They come with Shimano Multi-release cleats, which make things even easier.
While Shimano still lists the PD-T400 pedals, they're very hard to find. If the idea appeals check out the PD-421 version which has a Click'R mechanism combined with a flat platform on the other side.
Read our review of the Shimano Click'R PD-T400
Find a Shimano dealer
The relatively low price of Xpresso 2s makes them a sensible place to start if you're a newcomer to road-specific click-in pedals. They're light, easy to use and very easy to adjust to different foot position and release preferences, though they're not the most durable.
Time Xpresso pedals are popular because they're easy to click into, offer just the right amount of float adjustment for many riders and they're light. At about 220g per pair the entry level Xpresso 2s only weigh 25g more than the carbon Xpresso 8s at £124.99.
Read our review of the Time Xpresso 2
Find a Time dealer
The M324 is a solidly built and dependable commuting pedal for riders who want to switch easily between cleats and flats. If you're a big mile commuter or tourer they won't disappoint.
The guts of the pedal is a well-finished Aluminium body that houses serviceable cup and cone bearings. A metal cage is bolted on for riding in flats, and on the other side you get an adjustable tension SPD binding for when you've got your cleats on. The pedals are very well finished and run smoothly from the off, and the fact that they're easy to strip down is a bonus.
The SPD mechanism is the same as you'll find on many of Shimano's other pedals, with a good range of tension adjustment and enough float for most knees. The cage is nice and grippy and performs well in the wet as well as the dry.
Read our review of the Shimano PD-M324s
Find a Shimano dealer
The Look Keo Classic 3s are good mid-level pedals that offer a decent base for power transfer, have an easy-to-use adjustable mechanism, and are well made and robust.
You can buy cheaper pedals, but the £40 RRP is a really good price, especially bearing in mind that they are genuine Look units. Overall the Classic 3s are really good pedals. They look good on the bike, perform well and have a good contact area for better power transfer.
Read our review of the Look Keo Classic 3
Find a Look dealer
Shimano's cheapest carbon-bodied pedals have an old-school steel spring for the retention plate, but are nevertheless reasonably light. The SPD-SL design provides tension adjustment so you can make it harder or easier to release, and like the Look Keo it has a large, broad contact patch with the cleat for stability.
Read our review of the very similar Shimano PD-5700
Find a Shimano dealer
Look invented the first successful clipless pedal, and has spent 30 years refining it. These pedals use a carbon fibre spring rather than a steel one to save weight. That means you can't adjust the release tension, so for riders who want an easier exit, Look also makes another version with an 8Nm spring. If you get the wrong version you can change the spring.
The Keo Blades are a decent weight for their price, and have a wide platform that gives a stable interface between cleat and pedal.
Read our review of the Look Keo 2 Max Blade 12
Find a Look dealer
These venerable single-sided SPD pedals were billed as touring pedals when Shimano introduced them around a decade ago, but they're worth a look if your riding involves a mix of Tarmac and dirt roads. The platform around the mechanism provides more support for your shoes than a typical compact double-sided SPD pedal so you can use shoes that are easier to walk in.
As these are an Ultegra level pedal you'd expect them to be well made and smooth and you wouldn't be wrong. Being single-sided, clipping in can occasionally be a little sketchy as you flip the pedal over and they do take quite a hammering from the cleats, which rather spoils their good looks, but of course all pedals get scuffed eventually.
Shimano still lists the PD-A600 pedals, but they're currently extremely hard to find. The PD-ES600 pedals are very similar.
Read our review of the Shimano PD-A600 pedals
Find a Shimano dealer
Those who love Speedplays rave about the low weight, adjustability, and shallow stack. A recent redesign of the cleat added a rubber aero cover that makes them far easier to walk in than the previous version, or many other systems.However, it's undeniable they need more looking after than most pedals and they're susceptible to clogging from even the smallest amount of dirt.
But if you have knees that are in any way fragile, or you want pedals that are incredibly easy to enter and release but fit stiff-soled road racing shoes, their free float and double-sided designs make Speedplays well worth considering.
These are the last of the old Zeros, manufactured before the brand was taken over by Wahoo. The latest Wahoo Speedplay Zero pedals have several improvements and cost £169.99.
Read our review of the Speedplay Zero Stainless Steel
Find a Speedplay dealer
Weight: 175g Hairsine ratio: 0.60
The XPRO 15 pedals are the successor to Time's Xpresso 15 pedals and are your lightest option if you prefer the entry and release action of Time pedals.
At just 175g for the pair, they're very light thanks to carbon bodies, titanium axles, aluminium top plates and ceramic bearings. Clipping in is very easy thanks to a spring mechanism that stays open after you click out. If you have less to spend and can just about live with sacrificing ceramic bearings for steel, there's also the Time Xpro 10 that we reviewed back in 2018 (currently £129.99 at Tredz) and Time Xpro 12 (£255.99 at Tredz).
Note: the price and link for the Xpro 15 above is for an EU-based retailer that appears to be still taking UK orders despite the current border and customs issues. They're £373.79 from Swinnerton Cycles.
Read our review of the Time Xpro 10 pedals
Find a Time dealer
Explore the complete archive of reviews of pedals on road.cc
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56 comments
As a newbie to clipless pedals, would the Look Keo Classic 3 pedals be suitable for a beginner? I initially looked at these, but from what I've read elsewhere it seems like a pedal such as the Shimano RS5000 SPD-SL may be more suited to my needs.
When I started riding road I went straight to Keo its not that hard to learn the key is don't stop before unclipping! I think I've fallen once or twice total in 8 years. shimanos arent much different. lots of generic Keo compatible peddles and cleats available as well and most power meter pedals if you went that route later are currently generic Keo
Speedplay Zero: Great pedal, love the free float, but I’ve broken five c-clip springs over the past 5 years. Always on the left shoe, the one I unclip when coming to a stop. I use a Speedplay torque wrench, keep the cleats clean, and use Speedplay SP-lube. I contacted customer service. They do not offer replacement c-clips. Must purchase complete (and expensive) cleat replacement kit.
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My overshoes have reflective trim all over them. I’m complying with the spirit of the law, if not the letter of it.
I've just bought my second pair of Shimano A520's and see that they now supply a screw on reflector unit so you can now be stylish, safe and legal.
Reflector can also be purchased seperately:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/pedals-cleats/shimano-pda520-smpd59-reflecto...
I've yet to fit mine to my pedals though, maybe I'll do it at the weekend
I do wonder whether I ought to get some pedal reflectors, lest I get hit by a car from the front in broad daylight and they let the driver off because I didn’t have any.
I'm surprised that more clipless pedals don't come with reflectors seeing as it's a requirement on UK roads between sunset and sunrise.
According to https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations , you need reflectors on both the front and rear of pedals - good luck doing that with SPDs.
I've just got a set of these for my best bike
https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/deorext-t8000/PD-T8000....
For an SPD pedal with reflectors they still manage to look the part and are very, very comfortable. Wide platform on the SPD side, and a nice concave pedal on the flat side with adjustable pins.
Good alternative to the A600/A520, rebuildable, lightweight, and you've got reflectors. Good strong action compared to other SPDs I've
triedkilled over the years.Bought a set of Xpresso 6’s.
I love how you get larger surface area road cleats reducing pressure and hot spots.
Some spd trail and touring pedals have a large surface for reduced pressure.
Still use my XTR 970 spds on my CX.
Keo Max 2 Blade are NOT that great!!
Just a tiny piece of grit can jam under the blade meaning you can't clip in until you perform roadside surgery on the pedal.
And you need a completely different blade to get a higher clip-in tension.
Also, even with ZERO degree float cleats, there's still about as much float as on the Shimano 6 degree cleats, give or take a fraction.
I initially used Look Keo pedals but switched to Speedplay Zeros on advice of my brother (who rides a lot more than I do) and much prefer them. The new walkable covers are a big improvement for café stops, better cleat wear rate and walking safety, and although there is some maintainance required I just fit it in with regular bike care.
Also have a set of mtb shoes with 2 bolt spd's for the winter hack and find them pretty good too, so basically have a punt and see what works.
I second the post way up recommending the Shimano A600's - two bolt (SPD), single-sided, slightly bigger platform than MTB pedals, quite light, somewhere vaguely around Ultegra level I suppose. Main advantage - look good on a road bike, let's you use SPDs if that's what you prefer The single-sidedness rapidly became a non-issue, very easy to clip in and out of whilst commuting, it became second nature.
Of course I had to fiddle with things, and eventually (after years) I bought a three bolt set of Ultegra SPD-SL's. It took me ages to get used to clicking in and out of these after the A600's, and for them to loosen up a bit (I'm very light, so I've set them to the lowest tension). Still not 100% as instinctive and easy as the A600's, but getting quite close now.
I like both alternatives.
Those Marcel Berthet pedals under the heading What's in a name? are considered by many to be the best ever made. I have a pair, and they're excellent, although in need of a service.
MKS make a modern version called Urban Platform, which are also very good.
Wear with flat touring shoes, toe clips and straps. No chance of toppling over in view of a bus full of school kids.
confession: I've never used clipless.
Speedplay are easily superior to every other design. All the others were adapted from ski binding designs while the Zero was designed as a bike pedal. You can't accidentally pull out of the pedal with too much upward force, adjustable float, two sided entry, complete serviceability by the end user, lowest stack height, lowest weight, greater cleat adjustability... there's literally nothing you can ask for in a pedal that they don't do better than Look, Time, or Shimano
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I use entry-level Shimano SPDs for commuting - those pedals have clocked up 48000km. I bought new shoes about a year after the pedals, so I got new cleats as I was keeping the old shoes. The cleats have thus done nearly 35000km and are still fine.
The pedals have not ever got any maintenance, apart from spraying the springs with WD-40 to wipe the muck off. The bearings have never been lubed.
I recently rebuilt my wheels with new rims, so I hope to do at least another 30000km with the bike, so I am looking forward to doing those kilometres with the same pedals.
One thing slightly left out of this discussion is the availability of different shoe widths for the different systems. I stick to SPD and Time Atac just because the shoes are not made solely for narrow-flippered Eloi.
As the pedal war has begun I'll stick my boot in too. I love my speed plays too and over the years I've used look, time spd-sl, time atacs and MTB SPD's.
I've had no problems clipping in and I love that I can set float independently for each foot (without having to buy special cleats). Agreed that I shim my cleats to get a comfy foot position, which is easy with the speedplays, but they are the best for getting a totally dialled fit. If you have perfectly linear functioning legs then you're probably fine with any pedal system. As for the cleats; yes they are expensive but as they have a metal plate on the bottom and you don't wear any of the mating parts when you walk on them you don't need to replace them as often as look or time cleats.
One pedal that I think should be here and is under rated is the shimano A520. It uses a 2 bolt cleat so can be used with shoes you can walk (or even run in) but is single sided with a larger platform like a road pedal.
Love my 105s! They seem to be the reasanably priced workhorse of the lot; sort of like a trusworthy tool that takes forever to wear out. There are few sounds more satisfying than hearing cyclists click into them (except maybe a steam train). I still have toe clips on my "slow" city bike for short (5-10 mi) runs around the 'hood or to the store. Ditto my combo 1987/1999 Cannondale road beater/trainer bike.
I *heart* Speedplay. I'm not so keen on the new MRRP of the cleats - £49.99. Yikes!
Online prices are cheaper - get 'em while you can.
Couldn't find any mention in the comments section about SPD-R pedals and cleats. I converted to these when a Look red snapped under sprinting pressure and I threw myself over the handlebars. I moved over to SPD-R and still have multiple sets and cleats. Pros: metal cleats that appear not to wear, outriggers that stabalise your shoe for walking, range of rotation available in the choice of cleats. Cons: pedals and cleats generally only available on fleabay, almost impossible to buy shoes that are drilled for SPD-R (had to drill my most recent pair to accept cleats).
One Speedplay model not mentioned in the article is the 'Frog'. This is a mtb/touring pedal with no springs and lots of float. The pedal is small and light, easy to get in and out of, but secure when riding. The cleat is not obtrusive and there is little to go wrong - as long as you give the pedals a dose of grease every few weeks, particularly in bad weather.
For me, they are an ideal commuting / touring pedal and I have them on several bikes.
I used frogs on my touring bike, and now I've moved them over to my adventure bike (or whatever you want to call it). They are a fantastic pedal. I have zero's on my road bike which are also fantastic and have solved knee pain that I had before. However if I break my zero's I'd be very tempted to replace them with frogs.
I've gone back to frogs after a few years on SPDs on my commuter/CX, due to a slight hint of inner knee dodginess (I think caused by running, not riding, but feeling it on my commutes). Cracking pedals, knee fine now.
+1 for Speedplay. But if you're not using Keepon Kovers with them then you probably have a death wish; the naked metal plates are like walking on ice.
What is it about the extremities of cyclists that causes such heat? Helmets, and now, apparently, cleats.
Surly, you need to relax. This is a thread about pedals.
Clearly you're triggered by my positive reaction and descended into some maddened state ranting about damascene, puns and post-purchase-rationalisations.
Seriously Surly, time to get a grip. I bought something, and I love it. I buy other things, and I slate them, as evidenced by multiple threads on this site. Vision wheels and those shitty mugduards as two recent examples.
So again, calm down and accept that I, and several others on this thread now, bought Speedplay pedals and love them.
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.
It's all going to be okay.
I thought so as well. Where did I not say that its OK for you to like them, continue to use them or advocate their use? I've tried them over a relatively extended period and I think they are shit in comparison to other options. I've tried other pedals that I think are better to way better than the speedplay. I expressed that view on the forum, which is how this all began. You use them and you think they are great for reasons that you explained. So do others, and that's OK as well.
I'm quite relaxed - and calm, its a long weekend after all - and I promise I have a very firm grip. Although I am confused why you get to slate things but I don't, and by the way your responses drift into ad hominem attacks. I don't care that you think I suck (you'll be unsurprised to learn that you aren't alone). I'm relaxed that you don't think I know how to use speedplays. You are probably more skilled/more technical/a better rider than me (you certainly aren't unique in that regard). I still think speedplays are shit (and you still think they are great) and because it's the internet I get to say so (and so do you) and neither of us are forced to change our views.
I love speedplay - would never even contemplate another pedal/cleat system. They're are great for commuting as they are so easy to clip in/out of and with keep on kovers they will last for ages.
Only problems I've had are with springs breaking - probably due to me not lubing the cleats enough. As for clipping in - my first couple were a nightmare, since then I've never had a problem with a fresh set and I weigh around 63kg
When I started doing longer distances in clipless pedals it really messed with my knee. Using just 2mm of shim fixed that instantly and stopped my knee veering towards the crossbar at the top of the pedal stroke.
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