Reasons to avoid: The two inner plastic pins are its minimal Achilles heel in the wet. Not currently recyclable. There are a full set of spare parts available from DMR and the pin kits include a tool for the Moto pins that can’t be adjusted with a standard hex key. Clipless mountain bike pedals are also double-sided, unlike single-sided road bike pedals, and since they rely on a mechanical attachment, rather than the surface area and pins to keep rider and bike connected, they’re typically a lot smaller than flats. This top-performing pedal has excellent grip, and a well-rounded performance and is a great choice for a variety of terrain

We swapped between three of the best mountain bike shoes for flatties (Five Ten, Ride Concepts and Specialized 2FO) when testing the flat pedals here. The softness of the rubber is directly proportional to the amount of grip, but the tread pattern also influences how well a shoe grips, hence trying several designs. One of the best-feeling and best-performing pedals that we have tested; we’re impressed with its grip, platform, and ease of service Flat pedals win medals’, or so the saying goes. While mountain bike flat pedals aren’t for everyone, they are incredibly popular with a lot of mountain bikers and for good reason; you can put your foot down when you need to, reposition your foot on the pedal, and not being attached to the bike is a definite plus when things start getting sketchy. They also force you to learn correct technique when it comes to bunny-hopping, pumping, and even pedalling, as you can’t be lazy and rely on an attachment between your foot and the pedal. What to look for in the best mountain bike flat pedals: What is the best platform shape for a mountain bike flat pedal?The Fooker Nylon Fiber exceeded expectations when analyzing its performance. The pedal was above average in grip and traction metrics and provided a solid mid-size platform. At 370 grams per pair, this pedal is lightweight while still maintaining a degree of durability. The Fooker pedal uses 16 hex-threaded traction pins (eight per side). The concave platform is on the thinner side and we had no obvious issues with pedal strikes during testing. Their mobility was a surprising quality at this price point thanks to the three sealed bearings inside, making foot adjustments easy and smooth. Within the context of the budget pedals we tested, the Fookers scored above the rest. But obviously, the main attraction of nylon mountain bike pedals is price. There’s just no denying the fact that nylon pedals are so much cheaper than non-nylon versions. And if you combine that with the fact that service kits are readily available for these type of pedals as well, there’s really no reason to spend multiple times the amount of money for premium pedals, except maybe to satisfy your ego. Cross-country riders with stiff shoes won’t need the support and weight of a platform, and will likely prefer a compact SPD pedal as a result, but in the context of gravity or aggressive trail riding, a platform provides foot support for softer shoes that have more pedal feel. Clipless or SPD pedals, on the other hand, are a bit of a misnomer since they clip onto special cleats mounted on the soles of your shoes. HT's PA03A pedals might not have the snappiest of names, but when it comes to getting boatloads of grip from a durable and comfortable platform at a bargain price, it's worth remembering it as they're the ones to beat.

Don’t worry if you can’t decide one way or another because caged ‘trail’ pedals provide a halfway house between clipless and flat-platform models. They marry a mechanical cleat-attachment device with a large pedal body for a ‘best of both worlds’ option. The big difference between this and cheap and nasty pedals is the platform shape. The eagle-eyed will notice it shares more than a passing similarity with the aluminium bodied Nukeproof Horizon flats we've tested previously. That's an entirely good thing, as the platform is decently long and broad, offering loads of support and plenty of foot positioning options. It's got a slightly concave shape to allow your foot to sit in and while they're not overly thin at 18mm, I didn't have any issues with unexpected pedal strikes. Reasons to buy: Decent grip and foot stability. Durable and serviceable. Well made. Multiple colour options. Finally, they weigh in at a quoted weight of 450g per pair, although my kitchen scales suggested mine were a few grams under that. On the trail The platform is what differentiates the V11 from more ‘normal’ flats in that the centre supporting beam is concave. That just means it’s not flat and dips in by 3mm in total compared to the external width of the pedal. You can see the dip quite clearly in this next image. The outer width of the pedal is 19mm which dips to 16mm at the centre giving a 1.5mm dip on each side. Don’t worry, it’s meant to look like that.However, don't be fooled. These are still budget-oriented pedals; the grip and traction can't match the same levels as some high-end performers. Yes, they offer sufficient levels of grip, but there is no comparison to some of our review's best options. Still, these are a fabulous option for the rider with a spending limit. These pedals are so cheap in comparison to similar products that it doesn’t really matter that Fooker doesn’t appear to offer service kits. When you’d need them, you can just as well buy a complete new pair of pedals.

The Puroma Nylon Fiber provides a surprisingly attractive option for those on a budget. The relatively above-average grip and robust platform make this pedal a worthwhile contender. Equipped with 8 hex head traction pins per side, the Puroma pedal offers a nice blend of grip, adjustability, and easy pin replacement. We tested it on both mountain and commuter bikes and found it can be used as a serviceable flat pedal, but may be better suited as a commuter pedal, as we found it excelled on electric and commuter bikes. The larger size provides a rigid platform, ideal for generating better power transfer between you and the bike. Additionally, these pedals were tested in dry and wet conditions, where we found the traction to hold up considerably well when wet. For those who value better traction and grip on their commute, these pedals are a very affordable option.

Conclusion

Flat pedals are essentially just a platform for each foot. They’re double-sided, so it doesn’t matter which way up they are and there’s usually some extra grip provided by strategically placed pins. Most of my riding heritage has been on SPD pedals – it’s relatively recently that I’ve made an almost complete shift to riding flats. For a number of reasons, including the convenience of flats and the fact the most comfortable shoes I own are flat, I’ve decided that this year I will ride flat until I convert myself. It’s been a learning curve.

a) If we have sent you the incorrect bicycle, we will cover the cost of collection and delivery of the correct model. these budget pedals are great performers. They offer up as much grip as much more expensive pedals thanks to that clever concave central area and those pointy Moto pins and despite their price tag the ease of maintenance and availability of spares means these should last a good long time. Oh, and there’s enough colour choices to suit even the most garish of tastes. All the DMR V11 spares The axle is made from forged 4140 cromoly steel with a sealed bearing on the outside and a bushing on the inside. The outer axle cap is aluminium and like the main axle is adjusted with a standard 6mm hex key. There are no flats on the axle for pedal spanners. If you wish to return your bike to us please keep it in the box it arrived in and call us on 01772 644340 and we will arrange a collection.

Details

For downhill, enduro and aggressive trail riding where you want the feel of a softer shoe while still being clipped in, the cage ensures there’s still plenty of foot support and the bigger platform makes the mechanism easier to locate after a dab or foot-out turn. Platform size Reasons to buy: Increased ground and cornering clearance. Excellent shape and pin placement. Durable construction. Replacement service parts available. Normally with a pedal of this quality and finishing there’s a price tag to match, but not this time. The Pembree D2A is excellent value, and when you factor in the build quality and five-year warranty, this pedal is going to last at least the life of your bike. Pembree just needs to offer an alternative pin profile to put the icing on the cake. The confusion with the name boils down to the fact that when this sort of pedal first appeared, its main selling point was how it enabled riders to discard the uncomfortable toe clips and straps they’d been using up until then.