Seeking pedal suggestions for a gravel bike

[wc1934]

I currently have road pedals on my gravel bike (which I ride exclusively) but I am contemplating a switch. What pedals are you using on your gravel bikes? The more specific the better - As always - Thanks!

[Pastashop]

Why switch?..

[oldpotatoe]

Why switch?..

Ya can’t use ‘road’ pedals on a ‘gravelgrinder’, what’s wrong with you? No caliper brakes, front ders, straight forks, QR wheels or skinny tires with tubes either....gggeeeezzz:)

[Hilltopperny]

I use speedplay frogs. I like the walkability that mtn pedals provide.

[Bentley]

I got them on my cross bike, I’ve had them on a road bike (I know, totally wrong), but SPD pedals and shoes make stopping for a coffee super easy without all the issues of walking in road shoes. My 2 cents.

Ray

[tumbler]

XTs are nice as well. Cheap, walkable, bombproof.

[Cornfed]

Shimano A530 or XT. If you've ever walked on loose gravel in road shoes, you'd know.

[FlashUNC]

Time ATACs.

[ceolwulf]

Time ATACs.

This is Correct

[Lovetoclimb]

Shimano SPD has been mentioned above. I use XT. Cost effective solution that you will likely never have to think twice about. The only reason I would think to switch from road pedals is if you anticipate ever walking on a "gravel" ride. It's a 50% possibility on most of the rides I take people on.

[AngryScientist]

i am considering a switch myself.

although i am hands down, most comfortable in road pedals, and have no real issue walking in road shoes (SPD-SL cleats), when the going gets super muddy/mucky, the cleats do fowl, and make clipping in a bit of a chore.

when i rode dirtphalt this year and it was wet out, there were a few times i stepped in some really silty mud that buried the cleats enough to cause a minor issue.

i'm thinking of trying out some XTR pedals.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgohI-R7MQ0/WdtyopIM28I/AAAAAAAAC6Q/n-VjuL1bU0giGS3LeNSQlbVe62O2LZWTgCLcBGAs/s1140/IMG_1432.JPG

[DarkStar]

Shimano A600 on Litespeed Blueridge, XT on Goodrich and Marinoni touring.

[vqdriver]

xt or xtr, which seem to be always be on sale
very much worth the walkability and grip when on dirt or gravel
but if you're putting in significant miles then make sure to get nice stiff shoes to mitigate hotspots with the smaller cleat surface (of any 2 bolt cleat)

[Bentley]

xt or xtr, which seem to be always be on sale
very much worth the walkability and grip when on dirt or gravel
but if you're putting in significant miles then make sure to get nice stiff shoes to mitigate hotspots with the smaller cleat surface (of any 2 bolt cleat)

Totally agree, but I always buy stiff shoes cause I get hotspots otherwise.

[BRad704]

I like my Crank Bros Candy 2's. Easy in and out, but is definitely missing the Shimano clip out sensation.


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[Birddog]

I'll be the outlier here, I use Crank Bros Candys. They are cheap and have lasted a long time with no problems. I like the wide platform when I ride in my less stiff hiking shoe style bike shoes.

[Pastashop]

I think if you’re gonna ride clipless (and not race), SPDs or similar make sense as much on the road as on gravel. Otherwise, the platform pedals with some spikes probably work well.

On my dirt / mixed surface rides I had used clips and straps, Time ATAC, Time Impact, Time Equipe, and SPDs. I like SPDs the most, but mainly because they’re very compatible with my Lake winter boots. But I know folks around here who are strong cyclers that just run platforms!

Now, that said, I’ve a mental block against platform pedals on drop bar bikes. Weird but there it is. I’ve no problem running SPDs on a road bike. But I’m gonna try platforms instead of clips and straps on my commuter, so maybe even that barrier will be broken! :-)

[572cv]

Time ATACs.

I'm on this page, after having flipped through others. ATAC 8 or 12s

[Charles M]

Time Xpresso... Open body system and pretty tough to gum up.

Of course if you're riding mountainbike trails or cross, switch to MTB pedals.

[FlashUNC]

I'm on this page, after having flipped through others. ATAC 8 or 12s

I'm on the 6's personally, but mostly because I couldn't find the 8s on sale when I was buying.

[MikeD]

Shimano M520. Great, inexpensive pedals. Ball bearings instead of bushings. Wrench flats for install or removal.

[VoyTirando]

This is Correct

Yes! Actually, have time atacs on all my bikes, ride Sidi Dominators. Lots of float for the knees, and utterly reliable.

[mistermo]

Time ATACs.
Another vote. Even on my road bikes because road rides often end up with a beer or two.

Shoes:
Sidi Dominator
Specialized S Works MTB

[AngryScientist]

could voters in this thread also mention what shoes they are wearing too please.

[simplemind]

Yes! Actually, have time atacs on all my bikes, ride Sidi Dominators. Lots of float for the knees, and utterly reliable.

I rode this combo on MTB for years with good success. Then went with flats to avoid the occasional "I can't get out of the pedal quick enough to avoid crashing" phenomenon (repairs take much longer at my age).

However, I think for gravel, the Dominator with your choice of MTB pedal system makes the most sense. They fit almost the same as the Genius and have some tread to help with traction. Too much mud and mess to f with my Speedplay Zeros, so although I liked the ATAC's, I think I'm going to try the SP Syzr's for my gravel setup.

[FlashUNC]

could voters in this thread also mention what shoes they are wearing too please.

Lakes. The Cross version of their 231s.

[doomridesout]

Shimano XT and Lake MX237 for me. Shimanos just work... I had ATACs for a long time. Their reputation for durability didn't extend to also being quiet for me-- lots of squeaking, which drove me nuts.

[nesteel]

I use Shimano A530's on one bike, and PD-M324 on another. They're both good, but the M324 pedal seem to be more tolerant of/have more cleat clearance on the platform side. I often times unclip and just ride the platform side when I'm not comfortable with the road conditions.

[Tandem Rider]

Shimano 520's, they are cheap and pretty durable. When I lived in Iowa, they were underwater once or twice a week so nothing would last, so cheap was good. I pair them up with mid level Specialized mtb shoes. Decent quality and pretty cheap, I tend to get into lots of slop, water, sand, etc. so nothing lasts very long.

[dem]

Weenie option for SPD compatible, Xpedo M-Force 8 titanium:
http://www.xpedo.com/products/pedals/mtb/83/m-force-8-ti

Abuse tested & approved. :)

[Vientomas]

pedals: http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bike/en/home/road/pedals/pedals/pd-a520.html

shoes: http://road.cc/content/review/90820-shimano-rt82-spd-shoe

[dmurphey]

Wow, Shimano pedals for you guys?? Sorry, I have to say there are better. Time ATAc I tried but didnt like. Crank Bros Eggbeaters I tried but didnt like. I love my Speedplay road pedals, but they do not play well with mud or dirt. They have the Pave version of the road pedal, but it is not designed for dirt and is expensive. I called them up, Speedplay, and they said try the new SYZR. I did and they are like super Shimano SPD's. They control the base at the shoe and the interface. This years Dirty Kansa was won by a large margin by a guy on a C Slate with SYZR's. They are new but better than the old crap. Do you want Shimano or Speedplay? Easy one.

[nesteel]

I like a dual pedal. And there's no way I'm paying that kind of money for a gravel pedal. Ever.

[yashcha]

Have been pondering this for the last couple of weeks as my 333fab ti all roads nears completion and the inevitability of moving from a 4 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment becomes imminent as well.

So I have a pair of new xtr pedals and a pair of DA pedals, but will have access to only one bike, the all roads. For those guys with only one bike, are you guys sticking to mountain pedals for both road and cross rides? I like the xtr pedals, but my mtb shoes feel so soft and inefficient compared to my road shoes. Maybe stiffer mtb shoes will bridge the gap between xtr/mtb shoes and DA/road shoes?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I will be hitting a lot of rides, like the early morning dc hammer ride, or lunch workouts at hains where I will be at my limit the whole time. I may just have to switch pedals depending on the ride...

[Duende]

I'm on Syzr's. They have a tendency to be hard to clip in sometimes, and/or become unclipped unintentionally. But I really dig the float and pedal contact though, and so far they have been reliable.

So I guess I'm settled for now. Basically they're a good choice if you can put up with a few quirks.

[owly]

...but my mtb shoes feel so soft and inefficient compared to my road shoes. Maybe stiffer mtb shoes will bridge the gap between xtr/mtb shoes and DA/road shoes?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I will be hitting a lot of rides, like the early morning dc hammer ride, or lunch workouts at hains where I will be at my limit the whole time. I may just have to switch pedals depending on the ride...

You'd need to try on some different mtb shoes (mostly likely the race models) to get a feel for how stiff you're chasing e.g. Lake has recently come out with an 'endurance' mtb shoe, but not sure about its stiffness.

[dem]

I ride the Lake CX237/MX237 combination, and the sole seems to be the same stiff carbon. The MTB shoe just has rubber tread bits glued on, so it is heavier.

I built a jig to measure stack from center-of-axle to inside ball-of-toe, and they were within a mm of each other with Road Look Keo vs MTB Xpedo SPD, so that is nice too if you're gonna go hammer, you can get the settings almost identical to the road configuration.

[NHAero]

I'm using regular Eggbeaters on my Anderson all-road and paired with Diadora x vortex pro ii mtb spd shoes - stiff and light and comfortable for all day rides.

[Luwabra]

I ride gravel almost exclusively and have not found the need for anything beyond shimano m540 the weight comared to the xt is minimal for the cost savings.. im a bang for the buck guy though

[ltwtsculler91]

I'm swapping pedals on my gravel bike depending on the type of ride I'm doing. For most days and through the winter, where its more a road ride with 1 or 2 dirt road sections i'll use Looks. If a true gravel ride is planned I'll switch the bike over to Crank Bros Eggbeaters, which I like for the 4 sided entry and the fact that they never pack up with mud/snow like my SPDs did.

I'd stress what others have said above and get STIFF shoes (MTB/Cross Race shoes) if you're going from road to MTB pedals. The smaller pedal area and less stiff shoe will make a difference versus what you're used to on road pedals. I now use Bontrager XXX shoes for both, and am very happy I spent the money to upgrade the MTB shoes as I notice only a slight difference when switching pedals

[douglas]

I've had trouble with hot spots in the past. I use the Shimano XT 8020 pedal with the platform and Sidi Dragon with a carbon sole for my gravel bike. I like being able to walk when necessary. The hot spots seem to have disappeared.

[yashcha]

I have the cx237 and I love the stiffness. If the mx237 is similar in stiffness I should be fine on mx237/xtr and never worry about pedal swaps, just ride the xtrs all year long. Thanks!
I ride the Lake CX237/MX237 combination, and the sole seems to be the same stiff carbon. The MTB shoe just has rubber tread bits glued on, so it is heavier.

I built a jig to measure stack from center-of-axle to inside ball-of-toe, and they were within a mm of each other with Road Look Keo vs MTB Xpedo SPD, so that is nice too if you're gonna go hammer, you can get the settings almost identical to the road configuration.

[Vientomas]

These look interesting: http://shop.bontcycling.com/epages/BontCycling.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BontCycling/Products/RMTBB-36/SubProducts/RMTBNYB-42

[weisan]

platforms, budget shimano spds - they all worked, just depends on what you like, which bike it goes on, and the kind of rides you will be doing.

for sketchy gravel roads, I prefer the platform so I can put my foot down any time. Also, if your gravel bike is like mine which serves dual duty as kids/coffeeshop/neighborhood, platform allows easy entry/exit without needing special shoes or a kit.

no need to spend more for the shimano spds - even the lower-end (540) works really well and lasts a long time.

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_7845_r.JPG

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_7842_r.JPG

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_7843_r.JPG

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_7846_r.JPG

http://alicehui.com/bike/misc/IMG_7844_r.JPG

[Bentley]

The SWorks MTB shoe is damn stiff. I find the Shimano XC90’s good as well. I just find that a pure MTB pedal/shoe combo works good if you are planning on any serious time off the bike, like a stop at the end for coffee/beer, lunch. The combination of a MTB shoe with the small cleat makes for no fuss walking.

[PaMtbRider]

Another vote for XT or XTR. Sidi Dominators or Lake boots, if it is really cold.

[jruhlen1980]

Shimano 520's, they are cheap and pretty durable. When I lived in Iowa, they were underwater once or twice a week so nothing would last, so cheap was good. I pair them up with mid level Specialized mtb shoes. Decent quality and pretty cheap, I tend to get into lots of slop, water, sand, etc. so nothing lasts very long.

Same combo here, for the same reasons (in KS). It doesn't take very many sloppy winter rides with mud and/or manure before the best shoe in the world becomes unusable (because if I bring it in the house I'll get divorced).

[Bob Ross]

I use speedplay frogs.

^^^This. Have them on all my bikes.
(Full disclosure: It's rather disingenuous of me to be replying to a "What's On Your Gravel Bike?" thread because I rarely ride on gravel so I don't have a dedicated gravel bike, just four road bikes that infrequently wind up on an unpaved road. But they're all sporting Speedplay Frogs.)

My shoes included Gaerne, some high-end S-Works, some lower end (but still carbon-soled) Specialized, and Answer winter boots. And I'm thinking about throwing all of those out (since they're all more than 6 years old and falling apart) and replacing with Sidi Dragons.

[dem]

I have the cx237 and I love the stiffness. If the mx237 is similar in stiffness I should be fine on mx237/xtr and never worry about pedal swaps, just ride the xtrs all year long. Thanks!

Great, make sure you order the toe spikes at the same time, they are not included if you plan to do any scrambling up hills. :)

(and a dab of loctite when you install them.. I lost one in a river some where.)

[joosttx]

I like the Time ATAC XC-8 or 12. I use to use standard SPD's but quit when I broke a cleat 40 miles out. I think pedals are a personal thing as others have said.


PS. I wear Sidi Dragons

[Mike Bryant]

I do the Crank Brothers Candy 3 for gravel riding and commuting (same bike). They've been plenty reliable, easy in and out, and can be grease injected without removal.


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[Ronsonic]

Shimano M540s for gravel. The M520s aren't bad but not quite as nice.

Sadly, although I'm all Campy on the road and gravel bikes the pedals are Shimano on both. Campagnolo needs to fix that for me in the future.

[Thrillho]

Shouldn't you just run whatever is on your mountain or cross bike so that you don't have to have a dedicated set of pedals?

As an aside, I have a pair of speedplay paves on my rain bike and I definitely would not recommend them for a gravel bike unless and until they develop a cleat that can fit on a mountain shoe.

[GRAVELBIKE]

Clipless: Crank Brothers Candy, Speedplay Frog and SYZR, Time ATAC.
Flats: Pedaling Innovations Catalyst, FPD magnesium, Spank Oozy, VP Vice, Xpedo Spry.

[Ken Robb]

Over the years I gave up on "Pure" road shoes/pedals in favor of various "mtn.bike" shoes and pedals because they were so much better for walking around and I had no problems with hot spots. I used various levels of Shimano, Wellgo,and Crank Bros. They all worked for me. I had two pairs of identical Shimano lace-up mountain bike shoes. One pair has Crank Bros. cleats and the other Shimano/Wellgo cleats. In dry SoCal performance in muddy conditions doesn't matter much.

I still have all the above but I have gravitated to flat pedals with various rubber-soled shoes. For my kind of riding I can't discern any loss of speed when I ride "free" versus clipped-in and I like being able to move my feet around on the pedals.

I can imagine how being clipped in would help in some situations and types of riding but not for my idea of what gravel-riding means. On some of my gravel rides I have encountered DEEP gravel where I had to dismount and walk. I think the first time I hit that stuff wearing my carbon-soled Carnacs was the last time I rode my Speedplays. :)

[wc1934]

Thanks for the great replies - I have a lot of homework to do.

NOW - the 2nd part of this question - would your replies be the same if I stated that I planned to ride my gravel bike primarily on the road?

[Vientomas]

Thanks for the great replies - I have a lot of homework to do.

NOW - the 2nd part of this question - would your replies be the same if I stated that I planned to ride my gravel bike primarily on the road?

Yes, as to my reply. That's the combo I run on my "road" bike as well as my "gravel" bike.

[owly]

Thanks for the great replies - I have a lot of homework to do.

NOW - the 2nd part of this question - would your replies be the same if I stated that I planned to ride my gravel bike primarily on the road?

Began with Frogs on the road. Now using on gravel bike as well.

[Ronsonic]

NOW - the 2nd part of this question - would your replies be the same if I stated that I planned to ride my gravel bike primarily on the road?

Sure. The only reason I have "road" pedals at all is I've got one racy go-fast bike and the white pedals and white shoes on a white race bike with white bar tape and saddle is an affectation. I might be slow, but I look good.

[wc1934]

Sure. The only reason I have "road" pedals at all is I've got one racy go-fast bike and the white pedals and white shoes on a white race bike with white bar tape and saddle is an affectation. I might be slow, but I look good.

Haha. I hear ya. When styling I look fast but I know I am not fooling anyone.

[Duende]

No... I'd definitely just stick with road pedals. Speedplay Zero's are my faves!

[spinarelli]

I was looking for atac cleats for xc8 and came across CC is clearing out the older xc4 model at a good price, $41 from $125. How do these compare to the xc8. Should I try this lower xc4 model or not even bother, as in you get what you pay for?
Cleats are on sale for $11
10NOW COUPON

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/time-atac-xc-4-pedals-tme000m?skidn=TME000M-BK-ONESIZ&ti=UExQIENhdDpNb3VudGFpbiBCaWtlIFBlZGFsczoxOjE6Y2N DYXQxMDAxMzY=

[Tommasini53]

Ya can’t use ‘road’ pedals on a ‘gravelgrinder’, what’s wrong with you? No caliper brakes, front ders, straight forks, QR wheels or skinny tires with tubes either....gggeeeezzz:)

agreed.... In my area gravel riders are using mtb pedals (shimano or eggbeaters) but really there isn't any walking going on so i'm likely going to stick with my road pedals. Take a close look at the rides in your area.

[simplemind]

I was looking for atac cleats for xc8 and came across CC is clearing out the older xc4 model at a good price, $41 from $125. How do these compare to the xc8. Should I try this lower xc4 model or not even bother, as in you get what you pay for?
Cleats are on sale for $11
10NOW COUPON

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/time-atac-xc-4-pedals-tme000m?skidn=TME000M-BK-ONESIZ&ti=UExQIENhdDpNb3VudGFpbiBCaWtlIFBlZGFsczoxOjE6Y2N DYXQxMDAxMzY=

147 gm you got to be kidding...for the pair??? Must be a misprint. I have used their MTB trail pedals a lot and they are really good.

Currently I'm using the Speedplay Scizor pedals for gravel and they are considered fairly light at 320+/- gms. The Scizors are really nice, but their entry engagement is a bit awkward.

May have to pick up a pair of these and give 'em a try.

[Dsteiker]

I have been using this pedal shoe combo on my gravel bike.

Pedals : HT Pedals: M1 CrMo Stealth Black.

Shoes - Lake mx237 endurance shoes.

So far a good combo, shoes fit great right out of the box.

[spinarelli]

147 gm you got to be kidding...for the pair??? Must be a misprint.


I think it's 147 grams PER PEDAL which is kind of misleading. the 2018 model is listed as twice that.

[palincss]

xt or xtr, which seem to be always be on sale
very much worth the walkability and grip when on dirt or gravel
but if you're putting in significant miles then make sure to get nice stiff shoes to mitigate hotspots with the smaller cleat surface (of any 2 bolt cleat)

And when you've done that, you might just consider switching the fleet to SPDs, because walkability is an advantage on rides on pavement too.

[palincss]

NOW - the 2nd part of this question - would your replies be the same if I stated that I planned to ride my gravel bike primarily on the road?

Absolutely the same. SPDs and Sidi Dominators work fine on pavement. In the early 1990s I used Mavic LMS 646 pedals (Look-alikes with float) w/Look cleats, but not long after I got a commuter/touring bike set up with SPDs (primarily for the long, long walk inside the building from the parking garage to my office, which amounted to two full city blocks) I realized there was no advantage at all to the Look style cleats, and a few incidents where their slipperiness resulted in falls or slip and slide accidents convinced me to convert the fleet to SPD. In the 23 years since then I've found no reason to question that decision.

[R3awak3n]

I use SPDs on my gravel bike, but also have SPDs on one of my road bikes since I ride it in the city from time to time...

[bigbill]

XT trail SPD's. I've put thousands of miles on them since last fall. I've got Shimano MTB shoes and Specialized Defrosters for the cold months. I've got a set of Race XT's that I'll put on a road bike in the winter so I can wear the winter shoes and not hassle with shoe covers.

[veloduffer]

I use Shimano A520 pedals for both road and gravel - light, fairly open design, inexpensive. I’ve used them for several years now.

For shoes, I use Lake Mtb shoes (not sure of the model but it has a Boa closure) for gravel and Bontrager RXL mtb shoes (stiff carbon sole) for road, as they are light as road shoes and well ventilated.

In the winter, I use Specialized DeFrosters.


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[jb_11]

Look S-Track with stiff MTB shoes.

[owly]

I'm a fan of Frogs.

Used on my road bike also, which is my gravel bike :)

[Hilltopperny]

I am using frogs on my two all road bikes and one of my road bikes. They took a little getting used to at first, but they are my prefered off road pedal for sure.

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[SeanScott]

I used the Syzr's all last year including some races. I wanted to love them however never was able to quickly clip into them. It was always a sideways push with extra force and always took multiple attempts. For me not the best for getting through technical terrain. Once clipped in they felt really great.
I ultimately just wen back to SPDs on the cross bike.


I'm on Syzr's. They have a tendency to be hard to clip in sometimes, and/or become unclipped unintentionally. But I really dig the float and pedal contact though, and so far they have been reliable.

So I guess I'm settled for now. Basically they're a good choice if you can put up with a few quirks.

[Dsteiker]

I have been using this pedal shoe combo on my gravel bike.

Pedals : HT Pedals: M1 CrMo Stealth Black.

Shoes - Lake mx237 endurance shoes.

So far a good combo, shoes fit great right out of the box.

Pedal update:

Pedals updated to XTR SPD. For some reason the HT pedals float never felt correct. Started to bother my knees. Installed the SPDs, world of difference.

[Ozz]

Time ATACs.

on sale at excel for $118 today.....

[MaraudingWalrus]

I dig my Ritchey Micro WCS pedals. Will get two more sets and have them on each of my three bikes.



They use a two bolt cleat, which looks like it is basically a shimano SPD cleat. Will try clipping in with a shimano cleat one of these days. Not sure it's exactly the same, but may be close enough.



I used a Crankbrothers 2bolt cleat to 3 bolt shoe adapter (with some Dremel-ing) and have cleats on my Giro Empires for road riding, and also have Giro Republics for gravely rides.


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