How to choose pedals for your mountain bike: Guide to MTB pedal types 

A good pedal should be forgettable. Once you have found one that is comfortable and works well for you, you should not need to think about it again. Yet if you are new to the sport and unsure what you need, or if your riding style changes, then finding the right mountain bike pedal can be complicated and confusing. This short guide breaks down the different types of pedals, what kind of rider each one might suit and how to make a decision about which style of pedal is right for you.

You only have three contact points with your bike - the grips, the saddle and the pedals. If one of them is not well set up, you are going to have trouble being comfortable and in full control of your bike. Making sure your foot is in the correct position is the key to efficient and discomfort-free pedaling. This is common amongst all kinds of riders, from city and road cyclists to World Cup downhill racers. For mountain bikers, there is another element to this too, the position of your feet is crucial for tackling technical trails. If you are struggling to keep your foot in the right position or maintain a solid contact with your pedal, then you will find it hard to ride safely on challenging terrain.

There are three main types of mountain bike pedal: 

Flat or platform pedals are the simplest form of mountain bike pedal: a flat surface to place your foot on. These days, the best pedals are more complex than that and use a concave profile and pins to help keep your foot in place as you ride. They are preferred by riders who do not want to be attached to their bike, often this means they are gravity-focused riders who want to be able to get their feet off their pedals as easily as possible in an emergency. If you are new to mountain biking they are probably the best choice because they are the easiest to use.

Clipless pedals use a spring-loaded mechanism to attach your foot to the pedal. They are the most efficient way to pedal a bike because they make sure your foot is always in the right position, and it will not be shaken off in rough terrain. Almost every kind of bike racer, from World Tour road cyclists to World Cup downhillers uses this kind of pedal. There is a learning curve though, you need to learn out how clip and unclip yourself from the pedals safely and quickly. It may sound daunting, but the fact that they are so common in the high-risk sport of downhill shows that once you know how to use them, they are suitable for all types of riding. Riders often refer to them as SPDs, this actually stands for Shimano Pedalling Dynamics, a brand name, but has been adopted by many riders as a generic term for clipless pedals.

If you cannot decide between flat and clipless pedals, you can try hybrid pedals that have both systems. Usually, they have one side with a clipless mechanism and the other with a platform, although there are some variations on this. For the most part, experienced mountain bikers avoid them because it can be harder to get your foot back in place on the trail because you have to make sure the pedal is on the correct side. They are best for riders who want to use their bike in multiple situations - maybe you need a flat pedal to commute on in the week, but want a clipless system for your weekend trail rides.

Clipless pedals’ name goes back to when riders used to use toe clips - little baskets for your feet attached to the pedals. To get it all nice and tight, riders would use straps to secure themselves into the pedals. This was fine when things were going well, but in a crash, you would be literally tied to your pedals - not great. Clipless pedals offered a secure (and more efficient) way to attach yourself to the bike without the clips.

There are a lot of details to think about when choosing a pedal, and it will vary depending on the type of pedal you choose.

In theory, flat pedals should be simple, but mountain biking rarely works like that, and there can be big differences between designs.

• Construction: The first question will be whether you want a composite or a metal pedal? Generally, composite pedals are budget options for riders looking for a cheap, simple solution. They offer similar levels of performance to metal pedals, and may even be lighter, but they are usually less refined, less robust and have fewer features than their metal equivalents. 
• Higher-end pedals will tend to be finished with a greater degree of attention, making them lighter than lower-priced options. Choosing a pedal with good quality bearings and axle should be a priority as these are the parts that most often fail. You should look for a serviceable pedal with cartridge bearings, if you can afford them, because they are much easier to maintain than loose ball bearings.
• Pins: Many cheaper pedals come with moulded pins. These are part of the platform itself, which means the pedal is less expensive to produce. The drawback is that they are not adjustable and if you damage the pins, you may need to replace the pedal. Higher end pedals almost all have replaceable pins that can be easily removed if they are damaged, allowing the pedal to keep going longer. Removable pins can also be adjusted to offer more or less grip and some manufacturers may give you a choice of pin length to fine-tune your grip.
• Platform shape: It is really important to look for a pedal with a concave platform. This means the centre of the platform dips in a little, which will help keep your foot in place more easily. Having raised ridges or a completely flat platform means you will need to rely more on your shoes and the pins to keep your foot in place.

When you get into the world of clipless pedals, there are even more things to consider when looking for your ideal pedal.

• Construction: It is rare to find a clipless pedal with a composite body, but there can be big differences in weight depending on the quality of metal used and the level of refinement. An entry-level pedal may look similar to a high-end pedal, but there will usually be a big weight difference. To have a pedal you can keep using for a long time, it is worth looking for a pedal that can be easily serviced with a high-quality axle. Although for a mountain bike, it is worth considering how often you are likely to bang your pedals, as fancy, lightweight axles are usually more expensive and more likely to be damaged if you hit them out on the trail.
• Cleat system: There is no universal system for clipless pedals, which means you will need to choose a system. Shimano’s SPD is the most common system used, and many brands other than Shimano use this attachment as it is so popular. There are others though, for example, Crank Brothers, Time, HT and Hope all have their own attachment system. Unlike road bike pedals, which use a number of different mounting styles, almost all mountain bike pedals systems use two-hole mounting on the shoe, so you don’t need to worry if your shoes are compatible with your pedals.
• Platform: For more technical types of riding, like DH and enduro, many riders prefer a pedal with a platform around it. This similar to a flat pedal and it allows the rider to have a wider contact area with the pedal to help them pilot the bike more effectively. Although they may look like flat pedals, they are not suitable to ride in without the correct shoes because the cleat in the centre of the pedal is higher than the platform, so you would not have a solid contact between your shoe and the pedal.

Which type of pedal is right for you will probably come down to a combination of your experience as a rider and what you enjoy riding.

If you are just starting your MTB journey, then flat pedals are probably the best choice for you. There is no learning curve to them, you don’t need special shoes and you can just focus on getting out and enjoying riding. If you are using your mountain bike for other things, like commuting or nipping to the shops, then it might be worth considering a hybrid pedal. 

For trail and all-mountain riding there is no right or wrong answer. Your answer will probably be found in where you put the most emphasis on your rides. If you are the type of rider who lives for the descents, then flat pedals might be more fun for you. If you are more excited about the climbs, then the efficiency of clipless pedals may suit you better. 

For this kind of technical, gravity-focused downhill riding, flat pedals are very popular. Because the rider is not attached to the bike, they make it easier to get away from the bike if something goes wrong. That said, at World Cup downhill-level, almost every racer uses clipless pedals, so there is no reason why you can’t do all kinds of riding with them, but this may not be advisable for less experienced riders.

For cross-country and endurance riding, most people prefer clipless pedals. They offer more efficient pedalling because you have a much more direct connection to the bike and your foot is always in the correct position. Because this is less technically demanding riding, there is a lower chance of crashing, so being able to get away from the bike easily is less of a consideration.

With clipless pedals you will need dedicated shoes with the correct mounting points for the cleat. For flat pedals, you do not need special shoes, but it is best to find a pair with a completely flat sole. Many modern shoes with ridges and grooves in the sole, can provide an inconsistent grip on your pedals. We would generally recommend getting a pair of mountain biking shoes, if you can afford them, because they will have soles designed to give you a consistent level of grip on the pedals.

If this all seems like a lot of information to take on board, it can be helpful to break things down to simple pros and cons lists:

How you weigh these factors up will be a very personal decision for you. Many mountain bikers still have heated arguments over whether flats or clipless pedals are better, so it clear that there is no definitive answer.

MTB pedals are generally pretty low maintenance - they are designed to have a hard life. It is always worth keeping an eye on your pedals for signs of damage or wear though, especially if you have crashed. After an impact, you should check whether the pedal is still in the correct position - a hard crash could bend the axle. With clipless pedals, you will feel a difference in clipping and unclipping from the pedal if the mechanism is damaged. A damaged mechanism could mean that you cannot unclip safely in case of a crash, and the pedal should be replaced.

To check whether your bearings are still in good condition, you can simply spin the pedal on its axle. A well-functioning pedal will spin in a controlled, steady way on its bearings, while old bearings will mean the pedal spins quickly and often noisily. You should also check that the axle is correctly tightened because they can become loose over time and the body can separate from the axle, which is not fun if it happens out on the trail. With a flat pedal, you may want to keep an eye on the pins to make sure they are still at the proper height for grip. If you have been on a muddy ride, it is worth washing out the mechanism on clipless pedals to make sure there is no dirt to stop you from clipping in.

No, none of our bikes come with pedals. Pedals are such a personal choice, that we think it is better to let riders choose their own than sell them with a set that probably won’t suit most people and end up in the back of their bike store gathering dust.  

Whether you choose flat, clipless or hybrid pedals will come down to what kind of rider you are. Some riders never like the idea of being clipped onto the bike, for others, flat pedals are heavy and inefficient. A lot of it will come down to the type of trails you prefer and your budget.

Pedals are just one part of the overall setup, and finding the right mountain bike plays an equally important role. To help make sense of the different riding styles, we have created mountain bikes buyers’ guides to help you decipher the different styles of riding. If you are new to the sport, and not sure might suit you, our bike finder tool will take you through a series of simple questions to help you find the right kind of bike for you. If you find yourself between models, our bike comparison tool compares bikes head-to-head in just a few clicks.

You’re not getting far without pedals on your bike, so we hope this guide has helped them seem a little less confusing. See you out there on the trails