Best platform pedals for road bike
 

Hey Everyone,

I will be picking up my new 2020 Specialized Allez tomorrow and have a quick question about pedals. I am currently transitioning from a 29'er mountain bike and with everything being closed due to the pandemic, I do not want to convert to a clipless setup quite yet. With that said, I am looking for a decent set of platform pedals in the $50 range to hold me over until I transition to clipless in the future.

Thanks for all suggestions; it's good to be back! (I was a member on these forums over a decade ago, but can't remember my user name).

Instead of buying two different pedals (the flat now and the clipless later), why not look into a set of hybrid pedals. They're flat on one side and clipless on the other. That way, you get the best of both worlds. You can find some in your price range.

That way, if you happen to forget your cycling shoes (which I've done after an hour's car ride to where I had intended to ride), you can always opt to use the flat side.

There are several brands that make them. Some are Crank Brothers, ISSI, Shimano. I run the Funn Mamba, since the flat side is very large, similar to a regular flat pedal. My wife runs the ISSI Flip III, because the flat side is smaller like her feet are. More suggestions here: https://fondation-adn.org/spd-hybrid-pedals/

​​​​​​​Most, if not all, are SPD pedals.

That's a good idea; I actually considered them as well. I was just a bit skeptical how good the flat side of a hybrid petal would be.


I looked into pedals like Crank Brothers Stamp and just feel those would be a better pedal to use for platform. I could be wrong though.

I have these on two different bikes. They are comparatively light, strong and smooth.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-V...0AAOSwPa1cxFe6

My oldest pedals are Wellgo and similar to these. Lighter than the VP with a smaller overall size. They too have served me well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wellgo-WR-1...rhzcopiXievbzw

I use crank brother double shot 3 for my road bike.
honestly, I use flat side mostly nowadays.
I wear five ten flat shoes and I don’t have slipping problem so far.
Double shot 2 is cheaper version but it can not replace pins but double shot 3 can replace pins so I decided to get 3 instead of 2.
It’s not too big or too small so that’s why I got it.
shimano also make dual pedals.

I've been using it dual sided on my mtb and was looking into a set today to replace the bmx pedals I tossed on my gravel/touring bike. I find they're not too heavy but I think their style might look a bit chunky on a real road bike if that matters to you.

i use crank brother on gravel bike👍

I like them

I like the MKS Touring pedals.

If you're not 'set' on what type of pedal to use (flat or clip-in) why not try a pair of something like these inexpensive ones from this or another on-line retailer:

https://www.performancebike.com/gt-p...3822?v=1175350

I've had a pair on a commuter bicycle for a few years and haven't had a problem with them. Under $20, so no great loss if you decide in the future to go with clips. Just make sure you're ordering with the right thread size as they come in both road bike and BMX sizes (9/16" or 1/2" respectively).

FWIW: You can find these from other retailers, too. I just ordered some tires & stuff from Performance's new website (over $50 worth) and I thought the shipping charges were a little 'stiff'. I liked the tires so went through with the order, no problems with it getting here on the scheduled date, but hipping costs would make me think twice about ordering again if they don't give any shipping discount at a certain order level (even for slow shipping).

Hi Bran and welcome back. You have some good suggestions already, and I'll add my two cents:
I have a Specialized Roubaix which I bought last summer (only slightly used). I use platform pedals with so-called "grip pins". Combined with sticky soled shoes, and I use Bontrager Flatlines and Five Ten Freeriders, these types of pedals provide tremendous grip. In cold, wintry conditions I use:
Origin8 Vex pedals
https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Pedal...p?ie=UTF8&th=1

The rest of the time I love my Wellgo M194's - only 240 grams. I got mine at my LBS, and now see them on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wellgo-M194...cAAOSwUOJeLVmm

I think you get the idea.
Best regards

I also use/like the VP’s.

I use the VP Vice on my geared gravel bike, and the standard VP 001 on my ss cross bike. I wear the classic Five Ten Freeriders and it's a winning combo--tons of grip. The Vice are more low profile, a bit lighter than the 001-- lists for around $70 or so I think, but I've seen them cheaper online. I went from a 29'r mtb to a road bike too, and then to a cross bike and gravel bike. Have never felt the need to go clipless. Quite happy with these flats and shoes, and I ride everything from road to singletrack.

Woah, thanks for all the suggestions! This forum is even more responsive and helpful than I remember :)

Picked the bike up this morning and got the shop to keep the cheap-o platforms on, so I can ride for the time being. I might take the pedals from my 29'er for now and use them until I make my final decision.

The more I think about it, the less I am wanting a clipless setup. While I understand the benefits, I just hate having my feet locked in place (have used both cages and straps before and could never get used to them).

If I do decide on platforms long-term, I'm starting to realize the $40-70 range has a lot of great options. For some reason the Shimano XT's are really speaking to me from an aesthetics standpoint (and the brand will match the other components on the bike).

I never liked clipless, or straps, etc either. I really like to be able to re-position my feet. Feels far more natural to me. With pedals w significant pins and shoes like Five Tens, my feet never move or leave the pedals unless it's intentional, even in the rough. And, I read enough Grant Peterson to get his ideas firmly stuck in my head....;)

I'm glad to hear other people also like being able to move/reposition their feet when biking. For some reason being "strapped in" always felt weird to me.

I never even thought about getting non-clipless biking shoes like you have mentioned. Any other suggestions for these other than the Five Tens?

I have only ever tried Five Tens - Freerider and Aescent. I really liked the shape of the Aescent actually(it's technically an "Approach" shoe), but they're discontinued. So I went back to the classic regular Freerider I started with.
I find them very comfortable--really surprising grip, and I like the degree of stiffness they have. I ride in hot weather a lot, and to me at least, they really breath well too. Sure, they look a bit like skate shoes, but I've gotten used to that.
There's others out there I'm curious about though, like these Pearl Izumi's: https://bikepacking.com/news/2021-pearl-izumi-shoes/
or these: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...-shoe/p/21730/
But at the end of the day, the Freeriders just plain work . . .

You said you're transitioning from a 29'er to the road bike. If you are keeping the 29'er, why not just move the pedals back and forth until you're ready to go fully clipless? You have the shoes and the pedals you're used to, so there won't be a major problem getting used to them. All you need is a $15.00 pedal wrench and the off-on process takes three minutes or less. Just be sure you have the correct wrench.

I use these on my road bikes: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ.../PD-M9120.html

They're great pedals. You can clip in on either side, unlike the clip / flat side pedals mentioned, that you have to spin to the right side no matter which way you're wanting to ride at the time.

To me, these work better if you're in regular shoes and just want to go for a quick ride.

You don't "need" to go clipless ever, if it's not right for you, even if you're a roadie. And not riding clipless does not somehow make one less of a cyclist, by any stretch.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Race Face Chester. For a budget platform pedal it is hard to beat. I provided the REI link as it is on sale there but shop around if interested.