New flat MTB pedals (with reflectors)

esuhl · 11 March 2017 at 11:18PM

I have a half-decent mountain bike that I use both on- and off-road (mostly on the road, these days). I look after it, and it's definitely been worth upgrading the drivetrain, shifters, tyres, saddle, etc.

When I bought it, I got cheapo flat metal commuter pedals, which have been okay. But I don't have anything to compare them to, so I'm wondering how much difference I'd notice with a slightly-more expensive upgrade...?

Essentially, I know I want flat pedals (ideally with reflectors), but there are so many choices, with different designs and hugely different prices that I don't have a clue where to begin.

Are pedals just pedals? How should I decide which ones would be "right" for me?!

Any tips?

zaax · 11 March 2017 at 11:55PM

pedal clips so you can pull on the up stroke, as well as push on the down.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/clip-in-pedals/

Johnmcl7 · 12 March 2017 at 12:30AM

For me. it's important that I get a decent amount of grip - these are similar to what came with my hybrid (I think they're a knock off from older Shimano XT pedals):

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41uKxXLzgbL.jpg

They were rubbish as the spiky edge didn't give much grip particularly in the wet which resulted in a bad pedal slip and those spiky edges made a painful mess of my shin. I now use a fairly large platform pedal similar to this:

http://redlinebicycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Pedal_FL-Mag.jpg

These still have little pegs which would hurt in a pedal slip but I find the grip is good so that's not been an issue. Not light but I'm not fussed about saving a few grams on my bike.

John

System · 12 March 2017 at 10:05AM

zaax wrote: »

pedal clips so you can pull on the up stroke, as well as push on the down.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/clip-in-pedals/

"pull up on the stroke " That seems like extra hard work, I ve just strained to push down on the stroke surely I deserve a bit of a rest. Is that the way the pros manage to ride at 25mph ?

Norman_Castle · 12 March 2017 at 11:07AM

I took the pedals off an accident damaged Specialised bike and noticed an improvement. Try stripping and greasing the pedals you have before replacing them.

Nasqueron · 12 March 2017 at 12:16PM

House_Martin wrote: »

"pull up on the stroke " That seems like extra hard work, I ve just strained to push down on the stroke surely I deserve a bit of a rest. Is that the way the pros manage to ride at 25mph ?

It's more efficient to use clip-in pedals, that's why pros use them, pulling up on the cycle as well as pushing down gives more power. There are a wide variety from big to small but do take a bit of getting used to remembering to clip out when stopping to avoid falling over. I have speedplay frog on my commuter bike (switched from shimano spd-sl types) and they are easy to get out of.

Clip-in don't normally have reflectors (though there are some hyrbid flat/clip in types that do) but these aren't really a big deal - I know the law says they are required but most bike shoes have reflective bits and the police are never going to pull you if you have proper lights and reflective clothing at night

Pros ride at 25mph average because they're fit, trained and have fantastic bikes

wongataa · 12 March 2017 at 1:25PM

zaax wrote: »

pedal clips so you can pull on the up stroke, as well as push on the down.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/clip-in-pedals/

With this sort of pedal you don't actually pull much on the up stroke, you actually just unweight the pedal on the upstroke. You can't add much more power by pulling up in reality either. It is also not the easiest thing to do.

esuhl · 12 March 2017 at 8:25PM

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

For me. it's important that I get a decent amount of grip - these are similar to what came with my hybrid (I think they're a knock off from older Shimano XT pedals):

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41uKxXLzgbL.jpg

They were rubbish as the spiky edge didn't give much grip particularly in the wet which resulted in a bad pedal slip and those spiky edges made a painful mess of my shin.

Those are almost identical to the ones I currently have!

I've bashed my shins a couple of times, but mostly they've been fine. I think I'd like something with a bit more surface-area, though.

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I now use a fairly large platform pedal similar to this:

http://redlinebicycles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Pedal_FL-Mag.jpg

These still have little pegs which would hurt in a pedal slip but I find the grip is good so that's not been an issue. Not light but I'm not fussed about saving a few grams on my bike.

Ah -- and those are just the design I was thinking of buying. And it looks like you could attach reflectors to those ones, which is good.

But there is such a huge choice. I presume the expensive ones have better bearings or are super-strong or super-light, but... practically that's not going to make much difference, is it?

I have a pair of clipless Shimano SPD pedals, which came with the bike, but I like the convenience and flexibility of flats. I don't think I'd get on with them off-road... And it takes me ages to find shoes that fit properly.

MTB shoes all seem quite expensive, and I don't know where I'd go to try on a decent range of different types.

somersethillbilly · 12 March 2017 at 10:17PM

I have recently upgraded to these...Available in Black. Blue and Red.

Wellgo BO87U Flat Pinned Platform 9/16" Bike Pedals with reflectors

http://www.sdjsports.co.uk/b087u-black.html?___SID=U

Very pleased with them

Johnmcl7 · 13 March 2017 at 12:09AM

esuhl wrote: »

Ah -- and those are just the design I was thinking of buying. And it looks like you could attach reflectors to those ones, which is good.

But there is such a huge choice. I presume the expensive ones have better bearings or are super-strong or super-light, but... practically that's not going to make much difference, is it?

I have a pair of clipless Shimano SPD pedals, which came with the bike, but I like the convenience and flexibility of flats. I don't think I'd get on with them off-road... And it takes me ages to find shoes that fit properly.

MTB shoes all seem quite expensive, and I don't know where I'd go to try on a decent range of different types.

There's a lot of copies of pedals and copies of those copies hence there's a lot that look much the same. Better pedals will have smoother bearings and be lighter as you've said, they also tend to be more serviceable as well. I wasted a lot of money on clipless pedals so just stuck some cheap £15 pedals on as a stopgap and they've been working fine so I've just stuck with them and stuck them on my other bikes as well.

The Superstar Nano's get a lot of recommendations as good flat pedals, they're probably the ones I'd go for if I was going to spend a bit more:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/nano-x-pedals.htm

When you say MTB shoes are you meaning clipless or flats? For clipless pedals I went to a bike shop and tried the shoes there as I thought it was worth spending a bit more to get some that fit properly rather than buying online.

For the flats I use Merrell walking shoes that I had already which I hadn't found great for walking but they've been good for cycling. They don't have laces so nothing to catch in the chain and the tread pattern fits well with the pedal spikes.

John

esuhl · 13 March 2017 at 1:53AM

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

There's a lot of copies of pedals and copies of those copies hence there's a lot that look much the same. Better pedals will have smoother bearings and be lighter as you've said, they also tend to be more serviceable as well. I wasted a lot of money on clipless pedals so just stuck some cheap £15 pedals on as a stopgap and they've been working fine so I've just stuck with them and stuck them on my other bikes as well.

Ah, thanks -- that's really helpful.

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

The Superstar Nano's get a lot of recommendations as good flat pedals, they're probably the ones I'd go for if I was going to spend a bit more:

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/nano-x-pedals.htm

Hmmm... interesting... thanks. I'll have a closer look.

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

When you say MTB shoes are you meaning clipless or flats? For clipless pedals I went to a bike shop and tried the shoes there as I thought it was worth spending a bit more to get some that fit properly rather than buying online.

Yeah -- I meant ones you can fit cleats to. On the flats I just use normal trainers, which usually works well enough.

The bike shops I've seen are fairly small and only have a handful (footful?) of shoes to try. And either they don't fit or they're insanely expensive.

So that's part of the reason I'm happy to stick with flats. And I very often find myself having to jump off the pedals or put a foot down, as a reflex action. I just know I'll just end up on "You've Been Framed" if I try clipless pedals in public!

I keep meaning to meet up with my friend/acquaintance who has clipless shoes and a similar foot size. I think I need to give them a go to get an idea of whether I'd get on with them, but I'm sceptical.

Anyway, from what you're saying, it sounds like I probably won't notice a huge difference (other than weight and durability) with an expensive set of pedals, so I think I'll pop in to a few local shops so I can get an idea of size and weight and just pick whatever looks about right.
Thanks again, everyone! :beer:

New flat MTB pedals (with reflectors)

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free