Good flat pedals?
 

What would you recommend for a pair of decent flat pedals that would be on a bike that's used mostly for casual riding down to the coffee shop but sometimes for some good exercise? I have clipless pedals for my newer road bikes, steel clips for my vintage road bikes but then have an older mtn. bike and a steel bike that I've left the original pedals on. They are decent enough when I'm just doing a casual ride with my wife or in town for a coffee but not great for more extensive riding.

I need to keep the pedals flat because my son will ride them sometimes and I don't want to be wearing cycling shoes when out for a coffee with my wife.

I like RaceFace Chesters.

Victor VP-538. (Eighth pedal down on the following page.

https://www.vpcomponents.com/pedals

Also sold at rivbike.com

https://www.rivbike.com/products/vp-538-black-pedal

I’ve done the last 20K miles or so on flat pedals, mostly on Odyssey Grandstand flat pedals, but In doing so I learned that I prefer pedals with sealed bearings to those with bushings, and have switched to the VP-538 on my MTB and the MKS RMX on the road frame.

https://www.mkspedal.com/?q=en/product/node/86

Otto

MKS GR-10
https://www.retro-gression.com/produ...s-gr-10-pedals

fwiw, these are the pedals I use on 3 bikes

Road Bike Funn Mamba Single Side Clip Wide Platform MTB Pedals

Hybrid Wellgo MG-1 Platform Pedal

Mountain Bike ROCKBROS MTB Bicycle Pedals with Wide Flat Platform

Wellgo B087s, have them on a bike I use for same purpose you listed. Feet never slip no matter what shoes I’m wearing, 20 bucks on Amazon.
Tim


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So a lot of you recommend those newer wider pedals which I see advertised a lot but I wasn't sure if they provided that much better grip, but looks like they do. I also like that hybrid option Rumrun6 listed to have both options. Might consider that.

I'm sure anything is better then those old school steel pedals with the aggressive spikes on the edge which truly punish you when your foot slips off the pedal! :cry:

I like the Raceface Chesters and some of the other wide platforms shown here. However, be aware that all of those little studs sticking up can severely punish your shins if you're not careful. You can however adjust the studs so that they don't stick up very far (or perhaps completely remove them if you don't care for them). The main purpose of the studs is to keep your feet anchored on rocky bumpy tracks, so if you don't do that then you really don't need them.

I like the Crank Brothers Stamp pedals which in the "large" are wider than the average pedal and so placement of the shoe is much less critical while riding trails and the same would apply in town.

I like these puppies then I can wear any shoe and they are so big my size 14 feet are fine.


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Yep on the VP’s. I bought them from Rivendell as Clem’s. Light, won’t kill your shins. Good bearings and rebuildable. Got them on both bikes!
Tbe wide platforms are great. They support your shoes and keep them from digging in. The old rat trap tourist pedals would really dig into your foot if you weren’t wearing hard soled cycling shoes. These let me ride in Birks comfortably!

Velo Orange Touring pedals.
Can also add toe clips if you like.
https://velo-orange.com/products/vo-...earing-236g-pr
They are currently showing out of stock but I just picked up a pair on Amazon.

Ergon..no spikes, just flat

The Shimano "Saint", known as the DX back in the BMX days, and any of the better made copies of it are IMO the best flat pedals made. I am fairly sure the ones I currently have are an analog to the Wellgo type suggested above.

iSSi Thump pedals on my hybrid for a couple of years. Very good and reasonably priced composite pedals. Slightly concave platform so they fit the natural curve of the foot/shoes. They can be serviced, although mine haven't needed any attention yet.

I got the version with molded in nylon pins. There's a version with replaceable steel pins but I'm not a hardcore mountain bike or gravel rider so the molded nylon pins are fine for me.

Thanks for the shopping list, everyone. I just converted back to flat pedals after about 50 years of various clip and clipless systems. Late last year I salvaged and repaired a bike that came with generic black flat pedals. I tried them out "for the first ride." 1500 miles later they're still there and I love them. I'm going to convert my other bike and it's good to have a list to choose from. I'm surprised at how little I miss the cleats and clips, at how little difference it really makes.

I have these on 3 of my bikes, including my Pinarello F12 Dogma. (with mini clips)

https://velo-orange.com/collections/...earing-236g-pr

Wow 11 reviews and all 5 out of 5, that's good

I like wide flat pedals with pins; they're comfy and you can ride them with any shoe. That said, a shoe made for bmx style pedals with a bit softer sole helps your feet stick to the pedals. I've been riding my '92 Trek 950 lately as the roads/paths have their share of snow and ice but it's fast melting:

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You raise a good point there regarding the shoes best suited for a pedal. I know this question has been asked numerous times in the past (I think I even posted it once myself) but has anyone found a good shoe to ride for clipless pedals? or even steel toe clip pedals?

I know a few places make new retro leather shoes for riding vintage bikes and pedals but someone has to make a modern comfortable shoe that's ideal for riding without having to use cleats? In my discovery, an indoor soccer shoe might be a good fit, with a hard flat sole and lightweight, breathable material. I prefer Velcro straps over laces as I've had more than one situation when my laces got caught in my crank when riding. Not fun!

Something like this:
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I just use an SPD shoe that is not too boxy (you can find them if you look around) and use a large toe clip (MKS makes toe clips designed for modern shoes). The laces can be an issue though but likely not if you tuck the laces into your shoes on the inside.

If running toe clips and straps, I prefer a platform pedal over a quill as my feet tend to get hot boxed on a long ride with quills. YMMV on this.

If your running shoes feel too soft, try adding a stiffening insole like Superfeet. The insoles are expensive, but they outlast many pairs of shoes.

The Velo Orange pedals have a platform that is 90mm x 60mm as compared to the Crankbrothers Stamp 7 Large which provide a platform that is 114mm x 111mm. With my Five Ten shoes in a 10.5 size the wider Stamp 7 pedals are much easier to manage and less precision is needed with my foot placement.

+1 again for the Rockbros. I have them on my FX and wear flat pedal shoes made for MTB to protect my feet.

My favorites as well. They won't slip in any shoes, even wet. They won't eat your legs up like more aggressive peddles, and they are comfortable in even less than desirable cycling footwear.