Best known for its vast range of componentry and a growing flat pedal range, Wolf Tooth’s all-new clipless pedal range promises a fresh take on the classic SPD pedals. With three models on offer, each receives a unique Wolf Tooth spin, including a single-sided gravel race pedal. Let’s take a look…
- Clipless pedals: the pros and cons of clipping in
- Are flat pedals worth it?
- Flat or clipless pedals – which is right for you?
CTRL, ALT, DEL
Wolf Tooth has brought three clipless pedals into its range, all of which use the familiar SPD mechanism, which means that they’ll work with perhaps the most readily available cleat design around, and they should work with Shimano’s recently updated cleats.
However, the brand hasn’t released clipless pedals for the sake of it. Rather, Wolf Tooth has aimed to deliver pedals that lead the class for lightweight, thinness, stack height, and platform area. With that, the design of each pedal focuses on maximising shoe contact in a bid to boost power transfer and overall control.
Each pedal uses an aluminium body and stainless steel mechanisms in pursuit of durability, but the three designs are focused towards different riding styles, and they certainly break from the norm. To start, the CTRL is the trail pedal (because you need plenty of CTRL on the trails, right?). It uses a familiar shape that you’ll find on most SPD pedals, but Wolf Tooth has added a wider platform to boost shoe contact. The brand then says that the CTRL is lighter and thinner than all other trail pedals, with a claimed weight of 326g, and a 15mm stack height.
The ALT takes up cross-country duties (because XC is an alternative take on mountain biking… geddit?). This one’s perhaps the most normal-looking pedal in the range, weighing a claimed 294g and 15mm in thickness. However, Wolf Tooth has again prioritised support and shoe contact with a 443mm squared platform area. With that, it’s said that these pedals bring better power transfer.
Then, the aptly-named DEL is the most curious pedal in the range. It’s built for gravel racing and aerodynamics. Set to weigh 216g, measure 14.7mm in thickness, and offering a 559mm squared area, it’s a single-sided pedal – thus explaining the final piece of the naming puzzle.
Wolf Tooth has chosen this direction as gravel racers spend an awful lot of time clipped into pedals, and they’re not hastily dabbing their feet mid-corner, then hunting for engagement again. As such, the brand has instead shed weight.
Although we’re told that there are more colours on the horizon, at the moment all of the pedals are available in black and ultraviolet purple, perhaps an ode to the purple anodising of the ’90s? They also follow Wolf Tooth’s Right to Repair system, meaning that all components are available as replacement parts.
Adjustable ‘Q-Factor’ takes things one step further
On nearly all pedals currently on the market, the distance between them is fixed; however, Wolf Tooth has developed a nifty system that allow this to be easily widened or shortened, which could aid riders in finding their ideal stance over the bike.
Wolf Tooth describes this as “adjustable Q-Factor” – we hate to be pedants, but what Wolf Tooth is actually talking about is stance width. As this feature on our sister title road.cc explains:
Q-factor is the distance between the outside face of each crank arm at the point where the pedal attaches, while stance width is the distance between the centre of one pedal to the centre of the other.
Technically altering Q-factor can only really be achieved by widening or narrowing your bike between the crank arms, which would be a lot more faff than making changes to the pedals.
Now that’s cleared up, let’s get back to how Wolf Tooth allows you to alter your stance width (not Q-Factor, sorry Wolf Tooth) on its new pedals: instead of widening at the spindles, there are various length spacers that sit inside the pedals. As standard, the width is 55mm, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but the user can fettle with the placement of the existing spacers and bearings to achieve widths between 51 and 59mm. Pick up the aftermarket 2mm spacers, and that opens up 53 and 57mm options.
The brand says that the process is easy enough to do at home using simple tools, and there’s an instructional guide on the Wolf Tooth website.
If you’re after some mega adjustable, larger platform or racy gravel-specific pedals, the CTRL, ALT, and DEL pedals will set you back £189 each.
