Depending on how seriously you take your cycling, you may have very strongly held beliefs about what is the best pedal for you. Power transfer, support, control, and comfort all are impacted by the type of pedal you are using. But if you are just starting out in cycling, or are perhaps trying a different type of riding – like moving from road riding to mountain bike – then you might like to have a few pointers about how to choose the right pedal for you. 

Types of bicycle pedals

There are three main types of bicycle pedals:

• Clipless pedals for 2, 3 and 4 bolts
• Flat pedals 
• Hybrid pedals 

Clipless bicycle pedals

Contrary to their name, clipless pedals do clip you into the pedal. The “clipless” in the name refers to the fact that these clever pedals do not use old style top clips to secure your feet on the pedals. If you are not certain what we mean, take a look at an old photograph of Eddy Merckx or any other pre-1985 professional cyclist and you will see there is a metal cage around the toes, attached to the pedal that would be tightened using a leather strap. This was how riders kept their feet solid on the pedals before the advent of clipless pedals.

We covered this topic briefly in our SPD vs. Platform pedals blog. Please revisit it if you are interested in learning more about that side of the topic. 

Flat bike pedals

Flat pedals, as the name suggests, are flat, usually with quite a broad platform, and do not physically clip the foot into the pedal, but rather allow the foot to rest on the pedal without holding it in place. Your fist bike as a child probably had flat pedals, perhaps covered with grippy rubber. More advanced types of flat pedals will sometimes have metal pins protruding slightly from the surface of the pedal to grip the bottom of your rubber soled shoes. 

Hybrid bike pedals

Hybrid pedals cleverly meld these two options, usually with an SPD mountain bike-like clipless option on one side and a grippier platform option on the other.

How to choose bike pedals? Main advantages of each

Perks of clipless pedals

It’s well established that the introduction of clipless pedals in the mid-1980s remains one of the greatest advancements in cycling technology of the past 50 years. To be able to be comfortably secured on your pedals without the pressure or complication of using toe clips was the first step towards truly optimizing power transfer in a pedal stroke. 

One potential downside of clipless pedals is the fact that you need to have special cycling shoes to connect to the pedals. Cycling shoes typically have very hard soles to aid in the power transfer, which makes them extremely impractical in any situation when you are not on the bike. Walking in cycling shoes with cleats attached that then connect to the pedals is indeed one of the more common reasons for cyclists slipping and falling on their way to pay for their coffee. 

There are three main types of clipless pedal designs which are distinguished by the number of bolts used to connect the cleats to the shoes. Two bolts are used to connect SPD or mountain bike pedals to the shoes, largely because that allows the cleat design to be small enough that it can still be recessed into the shoe’s sole tread. Having that tread makes it much easier for mountain bikers, gravel riders, and cross racers to walk and even run in their shoes, which is why the two bolt style is used by those non-road oriented disciplines. And even if you are a road rider, you can use these types of pedals so that you can walk around more easily, for instance, if you are on a bike tour and will spend a certain amount of time wandering on foot through small towns. 

Three bolt systems are the most common design for road bikes, used first by Look for the first clipless pedals, and then also employed by companies like Time and Shimano in their road pedal designs. Using a three bolt design allows the pedal to offer a wider platform which will increase support and reduce the chance of developing hot-spots due to putting too much pressure on a small area of the foot. 

The four bolt system is used primarily by Speedplay pedals. The system allows up to 15 degrees of float, which means the rider can pivot the heel up to 15-degrees off-center. The range of motion is particularly appreciated by riders with knee and hip issues and find it uncomfortable being locked in with little or no room for movement. The design has the added advantage of meaning that the road pedals have double-sided entry, unlike the three bolt systems which mean you can clip in only on one side. The reduced stack height enhances the overall efficiency of the system. 

Flat pedals

For anyone who prefers simplicity of design and has no intention of buying special shoes for cycling, the flat pedal design will certainly tick all necessary boxes. The broad platform design will offer excellent support and the metal pins will lightly hold the foot in place without locking you in. This is a design favored by mountain bikers who may feel more comfortable knowing they can take their foot off the pedal more easily. 

Commuters will appreciate the simplicity and universality of the design as well. Without requiring a special set of shoes, you can easily ride into work wearing your normal shoes, though if you have expensive dress shoes with leather soles, you may want to consider flat pedals without metal pins to avoid damaging your shoes.

Split the difference with hybrid bicycle pedals

Hybrid pedals seem to offer the best of both worlds. One side will have a platform-like surface which can accommodate a normal street shoe. The other side will have an SPD-type two bolt pedal that you can clip into if you have the right shoe with a cleat that matches the pedal. These are not pedals that road racers will typically choose because they can be somewhat heavier than a road clipless pedal. These pedals are very useful for cyclists who are touring and will want to wear shoes they can easily walk in, either two bolt mountain bike shoes or normal street shoes. 

For that same reason, commuters will appreciate the variety hybrid pedals offer. Being able to choose whether they want to wear special cycling shoes or office shoes when riding will give multiple options that can accommodate various weather conditions or dress code requirements. 

Whatever happened to toe clips?

Though you can still see some pedals with toe clips on older bikes parked outside the coffee shops, they are much less common than any of the three options already mentioned above. That’s because they are not as efficient as clipless, not as comfortable as flat pedals, and unbelievably fiddly to clip into. 

If you have heard about people struggling to clip into their clipless pedals for the first time, just imagine how much practice it took to master the technique to flip the pedal around so that the toe clip was ready to slip the foot into, and then reach down to fasten the leather straps so the foot would stay in place. Disengaging was even more complicated since you’d have to reach down to loosen the leather strap so you could wiggle your foot out of the pedal. Planned stops would be simple enough, but if you had to come to an unexpected stop, sometimes getting out of the clip took longer than it did to fall over. 

Conclusion – a pedal choice for everyone

Though the very first “bikes” were designed in the early 1800s called velocipedes used no pedals or cranks, modern bikes only work with pedals attached.  Luckily, there are several types of pedals that can accommodate any rider’s needs and preferences. From lightweight road racing pedals to durable mountain pedals to multi-use hybrid and flat pedals, whatever your needs, there is the perfect pedal for you and your needs.