If you’ve just got into mountain biking then you’re probably riding on whatever pedals your bike came with. Riding with pedals that suit you and your riding style can make a big difference to your confidence, safety and efficiency.

How can pedals affect all of these things? Let’s use an example…

You’ve been riding on cycle paths for fitness when your partner talks you into going off-road. Next thing they’ve dug out some old parts and put together a MTB with an old frame that has been hanging in the garage. The bike has clipless pedals because they are ‘better’ or so you are told. You hit the trail and it’s a whole different ball game to that bike track – loose, slippery and all manner of obstacles. Next there’s a rock in front of you – hang on my feet are stuck, before you know it you’ve hit the dirt. Now every time you get to an obstacle you’re panicking about getting your feet out and just not having fun.

This is a pretty common situation for a novice mountain biker. Re-run this situation with a more appropriate choice of pedals and the outcome would be far more positive. Some basic flat pedals and normal shoes would allow the newbie rider to get their feet on the ground in an instant and feel more confident as a result. The result is greater confidence and greater confidence leads to faster learning and more fun! There’s enough to worry about on the trail when you start out without having to be scared of being stuck in the pedals.

Anyway this is just one example of how pedals are such an important connection with the bike. There are so many different types that the choice of pedals and shoes can become confusing. This overview of pedal and shoe types should help in giving you an ideal of what to look for.

Flats First

As pointed out, flat or platform pedals can be a good option for beginners. They are also popular with down hill riders who want to be able to get their feet on and off the pedals in an instant without having to worry abort slipping into a fancy pedal mechanism. As a result there is no shortage of sturdy alloy platform pedals with plenty of grip so that your feet won’t feel like they are going to fly off on the next bump. Some will use studs while others will have aggressive teeth, both can work well, but make sure that you don’t bash your shins on them or you will be in real pain. For real downhill use look for pedals with chro-moly spindles for extra strength. Better quality platform pedals will also have replaceable studs and sealed bearings so they will last better.

The basic flat pedals that come on an entry level mountain bike are often fitted with toe-clips and straps. These can improve your pedaling efficiency. They help to keep your feet on the pedals and allow you to push across the top and bottom of the pedal stroke. They are a cheap half way step towards the improved efficiency that clipless pedals can offer. However, it is very important that you don’t get carried away when tightening the straps or you’ll wind up stuck in the pedals and on the dirt-always make sure that you can get your feet out quickly.

Getting Attached

Clipless pedals offer a number of advantages over ‘flats’ that makes them the most popular choice for trail riding, cross country and even downhill use. With specially made mountain bike shoes you can click into the pedal in the same way as you would with a ski binding. Releasing from the pedal involves a quick sideways twist of your foot.

Being securely attached to the pedals allows you to pedal in circles rather than just pushing down. This allows you to unlock a surprising amount of extra pedaling power and can make those steep hills that little bit easier. Being able to pull up on the pedals also makes it easier to ‘bunny hop’ trail obstacles.

It’s best to try clipless pedals when you’ve already got your basic mountain bike skills well sorted, as they require their own learning curve to grow competent in their use. You don’t want to still be learning the basics of mountain biking and have to learn how to get out of clipless pedals all at the same time. When first trying clipless pedals it is a good idea to practice clipping in and out while stationary to get used to them- before long the action will become instinctively fast.

Choosing pedals with an adjustable release tension or an adjustable angle can help make your learning curve less painful. These features allow you to set the pedals up to be very easy to get out of while you are learning. This is done either by reducing the tension on the spring that holds your foot in the pedal or by letting go of your foot sooner when you twist to get out. Either way it will be safer to begin with ad you can tighten the mechanism up once you grow confident in their use.

Clipless mountain bike pedals need to have a small and ‘open’ design so that mud can be pushed through them when you try to clip in. If you ride a lot in the mud then look for a very simple and open pedal design-less moving parts usually means less chance of mud stuffing things up.

Bit of Both

Some clipless mountain bike pedals have large cage around the outside of the clipless mechanism. These were initially designed for down hill riders who wanted a large, stable platform to get their foot onto if they missed the much smaller clipless mechanism. This type of pedal can also work well when wou are trying to gain confidence with clipless pedals. You can ride with your feet on the large platform but not clipped in if you are approaching a difficult section where you are scared that your feet won’t release in time-good for the novice and the extreme downhiller as well!

If you are a real cross country racer then you’ll probably want to go with a lightweight and minimalist style of clipless pedal. Low weight and good mud clearance are usually the key features for the fit and fast.

Finally, make sure that you get replacement cleats for whichever brand of pedal you opt for. Some of the cheaper ‘no name’ brands will use their own specific cleat (the bit that you bolt to the shoe). Cleats do wear out and if you can’t get commonly available replacements then your pedals may have their usable life cut short.

Clipless pedals will start from around $100 with most better quality designs costing between $180 and $250. From there, high end models can cost up to $700! Basic flat pedals will start from $30 with good quality ones costing from $50 and up.

Shoes

If your taken the plunge and bought clipless pedals, then clipless compatible mountain bike shoes will also be on your shopping list. These will have a cutaway section on their sole with threaded holes for the cleats that are supplied with your pedals. Beyond this basic feature they will be designed to make your pedaling more comfortable and efficient.

There is huge range of types that are designed for a broad range of different riding styles. Some will have more in common with a hiking boot while others will look like a pro road racing shoe. To choose you will need to sort out in your mind what’s most important to you.

If you are into racing or just want the best on the bike pedalling efficiency, then opt for a cross country shoe. These won’t have a lot of rubber on the outer sole. Their tread consists of pronounced lugs for brief, muddy off the bike sprints. The mid sole is typically very stiff-this offers excellent power transmission but makes walking a little awkward, especially when you’re trying to hop across a slippery creek crossing. This style of shoe will also come with a very secure closure mechanism. Two or three large Velcro straps will help to hold your foot firmly into place and put all of your pedaling effort into forward motion. . Minimal tread and high tech materials often results in these shoes being very light-light weight again equals speed and efficiency on the bike.

At the other end of the scale, you have shoes for recreational riding. These usually look a lot more like casual footwear and are often preferred by touring cyclists who don’t want to stand out in the crowd when wandering into the pub at some small town. They can offer advantages while mountain biking. The tread on this type of shoe is usually more consistent-not just deep lugs and hard nylon. This combined with a more flexible mid sole makes extended walking much more manageable. The rubber may also wrap around the sides of the shoe for better grip while scrambling around on your feet. This may prove worthwhile if your epic adventures often land you at the bottom of long unrideable hills or if you just like to take the occasional on foot detour. In general this type of shoe tends to be more robust in the uppers which can give you better protection when walking-some will even have ankle support like a hiking boot.

This disadvantage of all these robust ‘walking friendly’ features is additional weight, reduced power efficiency due to the flexible sole and poorer ventilation from the robust uppers. There is so much choice on the market and you will find shoes that fill all of the gaps in the ‘middle ground’ between these two extremes. The trick is to buy a shoe that offers the right mix of features for your riding style.

Basic mountain bike shoes will start from around $100 with the high performance models costing many hundreds of dollars. So once you are ready to take the clippless pedal plunge, start shopping and choose sensibly.

Article by John Hardwick

This article has been provided for publication by Bicycling Australia. Unauthorised use or reproduction is strictly prohibited. All material & images are © Bicycling Australia & Break Loose Publications. Break Loose thanks Bicycling Australia for allowing us to bring you this excellent cycling article.

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