Knowing which pedals to pick when buying a new bike can be really confusing when there are so many to chose from. So we’ve put together a guide to the complete range of pedals we sell to help you choose the perfect pedals to compliment your new bike.
Shimano SPD
Often used by mountain bikers, recreational cyclists and commuters Shimano SPD’s are by far the most user friendly pedal and cleat system on the market. This is down to their highly practical design, with SPD pedals often being double sided making it very easy to get your foot in and out of the pedal. SPD cleats also tend to be recessed meaning you can easily walk around in your cycling shoes with out slipping on your cleats.
Shimano SPD SL
Shimano’s SPD SL pedal system offers a number of benefits, their design is slightly wider than most other pedal systems giving a larger contact point between the pedal and the cleat. Shimano claims this offers unrivalled power transfer through the pedal stroke. SPD SL pedals would be suited to any road cyclists and confident commuters. The SPD SL Cleat system offers three different levels of float, which ranges between 0-6 degrees, each level of float is allocated a colour which is shown on the cleat.
Look Keo
Look was the first brand to bring clipless pedals to the market and their long term experience of making innovative and high quality products makes them one of best of the manufactures of pedals there is. The Look Keo range has come a long way since first appearing on the market, offering a variety of pedals from adjustable spring loaded pedals to weight saving carbon bladed pedals, which come pre set to specific tensions. The accompanying Keo cleat system, much like Shimano's SPD SL, comes in three colours (black, grey and red) with float ranging between 0-9 degrees. Look also make a series of grip cleats aimed at providing better grip when walking off the bike at a café or train station. Look Keo pedals would be suited to novice and experienced road cyclists, the wide rand of products in the Keo range offers something for everyone.
Flat Pedals
If you’re new to cycling or you're riding your bike off road flat pedals might be the best choice for you. From affordable flat plastic pedals, to lightweight studded high grip pedals there are many options to consider with this type of pedal. Beginners to cycling will feel more comfortable riding without their feet clipped to the pedals and mountain bikes are able to make quicker reactions to rough or slippery terrain when not clipped in. Its important to consider getting a flat pedal with a strong grip though, flat pedals can often be very slippery in wet conditions.
Toe Clips
If you’re planning on going touring or you want to complete your retro look for an event like L’Eroica, toe clips or toe straps could be for you. Added to a set of flat pedals toe clips combine the comfort and practicality of flat pedals along with the benefits of riding with clipless pedals. One of the many benefits to toe clips is that you don’t need specific shoes to use the pedals, so going about day to day life off the bike won’t require you to carry a second pair of shoes with you. Toe straps are also used in combination with clipless pedals by track cyclists to combat the extreme upward forces put out during the upwards pedal stroke when sprinting.