Welcome to this weeks edition of the South Bay Cycle blog. Today we're going to talk about the different types of pedals. Is there a right or wrong? Spoiler: you get to decide for your own riding style!
Flat pedals: Walkability (10/10) - Speed (6/10)
Road bike pedals: Walkability (4/10) - Speed (10/10)
Mountain bike pedals: Walkability (8/10) - Speed (8/10)
What pedal system is right for you?
Flat pedals unanimously offer the best walkability of any pedal because you can use your normal shoes when you ride. The downside is that you're not able to put as much power through the pedals and are therefore losing efficency. These pedals are best for active/casual bikes
Road bike pedals are unanimously the fastest out there. Largely because the shoes are always going to be the most stiff and performance oriented. They do have one major drawback, their walkability. They're the most slippery option and often what gives cyclists a bad name, "clip clapping" through the café or being unable to unclip and tipping over on their first ride. These are the shoes and pedals for going fast but not much else.
Mountain bike pedals are a great middle ground. You get some of the engineering of road bike pedals, to get some pedaling efficency, without the difficulty walking. They have tread on the bottom unlike road shoes which makes walking "as a human" (not a cyclist) very easy! They clip into the pedals in the same way as a road bike shoe too!
The ONLY caveat, is that road bike shoes use 3 bolts and mountain bike shoes use two bolts to attach the cleats to them. Unfortunately we can't change the way the shoe is set up, so if you like a shoe, that'll help us pick a pedal. But if you have a pedal already, then we'll have to get a shoe that matches.
Don't forget to check back every Tuesday for a new South Bay Cycle Blog!