Pedals

When it comes to pedals, most of us fall into one of two camps: clipped-in, or footloose and fancy free on flats. Some of us also chop and change between the two depending on what, or where, we’re riding.

Either way, the two pedal types are perfectly descriptive of what they do. A flat pedal is just that, a platform that you stand on, while a clip-in pedal (also known confusingly as a clipless pedal) incorporates a binding on either side that locks together with a metal cleat that’s bolted to the bottom of the shoe. Stamp on the pedal and the two are secured together, but twist your foot and the binding releases.

There are pros and cons with each design – too many to go into here – but we have included both styles in this group test because we know there are riders with a foot in either camp, albeit not at the same time. We have also included some plastic entry-level flat pedals because most bikes come with terrible, throwaway pedals, and these models are a really cost-effective way of increasing confidence and security on the bike if you’re just starting out.

The market is swamped with flat pedals; maybe 10 times as many as there are clip-in options. You could argue this is because they’re easier to design and make, but every single flat-pedal manufacturer we’ve talked to has their own ideas about the shape, thickness, pin placement, pin size and even material, so it’s no wonder there are so many. We can’t include every pedal here, but to make this test as comprehensive as possible, we’ve featured several top-end aluminium flat pedals, four budget plastic options and also four caged clip-in pedals that offer added security and efficiency with the support and control of a platform model.

BURGTEC MK4 COMPOSITE

£39.99

SPECIFICATION Weight: 378g pair • Eight colours • Platform size: 100x105mm • Contact: burgtec.co.uk

It would have been easy for Burgtec to pick a pedal from a factory catalogue and add its own branding, but that’s not what it has done – instead it’s copied the shape of its award-winning aluminium Penthouse Mk5 pedal. The MK4 Composite isn’t quite identical – it’s around 4mm taller all round – but it has a similar amount of concavity and an identical weight.

The MK4 Composite has eight pins per side in the same arrangement and, like most of those used in plastic pedals, these are a set screw design held in place with a captive nut, meaning if you snap one, spares are