Basstar

A friend gifted me an older model Bianchi Giro and I need a set of flat pedals for it.

I checked online and there are zillions of choices, many of course stating for MTB.

Are there some obvious choices I should consider or is any, good, named brand pedal as good as the others?

Thanks

Robvolz 

Crank Bros seems like the popular choice these days. Their lil spikes offer good grip.

philbob57

You can pretty much set a budget and choose a brand-name model. Wellgo, Crank Bros, DMR, Race Face, VP ... I've forgotten the many brands with good reps.

One distinguishing factor is the length and width of the various models, and width was paramount for me. I wanted something fairly light, long, wide, with sealed bearings, and under $60 when I bought mine 6 or 7 years ago. I settled on DMR V12s, which have been trouble-free for about 8,000 miles.

I obsessed over the choice. In retrospect that was wasted effort. My reco is to decide what the distinguishing factors are for you and your budget and pick the first one you come across that meets your requirements.

freeranger

Race Face Chester pedals are worth a look. Made in USA, good reputation, good quality.

douis

I'm a big fan of my MKS x Sylvan Gordito pedals. Like their classic touring pedals, but a bigger surface.

Calsun

What can vary widely is the width of the pedal and this is important for most riders. Crank Brothers that was mentioned has some of the widest pedals available. These pedals are designed for use with mountain bike type shoes that have a very firm sole, like the ones from Five Ten. Not the best choice if using running shoes or sneakers.

GamblerGORD53

I've been using $50 or $60 Vsixty pedals for 60,000 miles. What's better about these is the pegs screw in from the bottom and do NOT twist out.
They have 1 sealed bearing on the inside and a bushing on the other. I lube them once or twice a year.
They all have a good solid alu body.
Beware of cheap pedals, they may have MORONIC 1/16" loose bearings that can NEVER be adjusted to spin properly.

Damn ads don't show you what bearings are in there.

ericlowney 

I run the Shimano M324 pedals on my classic bike, they kind of fit that vintage look/feel and one side is a platform while the other accepts SPD. I typically ride with SPD shoes, but it gives me the option to jump on it for a quick grocery/errand run with sneakers.
https://ride.shimano.com/collections...61a6ffe6&_ss=c

Tourist in MSN

My folding bike has platform only pedals, MKS brand. They work fine but I do not have tens of thousands of miles of experience on them.

I usually use SPD pedals and cleats for most of my distance riding, whether that is randonneuring or bike touring. For touring, I also like a platform side so I can ride with normal shoes too.

I like both the M324 pedals cited above (although they are heavy) and A530 pedals (lighter) that I think are now discontinued, both of which are Shimano. Shimano has made a model similar to the A530 to replace it, I do not recall the model number.

If you get Shimano pedals, if you get a Shimano model that can be worked on with the Shimano tool TL-PD40 (only a few bucks), you can add grease to the pedals later when they need it. There are several youtube videos on how to use that tool. Every few years I add grease to the A530 pedals that I have on several bikes. That tool does not work on the M324 pedals.

rekmeyata

Lots of flat pedals out there, most have removeable pins which is always good so you have the option.

I don't think there is any best flat pedal, there maybe some bad ones, but I have a feeling there are mostly good ones on the market. Most of the money you would spend is for subtracting weight.

On my touring bike I decided to go with Bontrager Line Elite MTB Platform Pedals, they weigh 350 grams, made of nylon, and cost only $52.

However there are cheaper ones like the Race Face Chester pedal, around $40, only weighs 10 grams more than my Bontragers, 10 grams is nothing.

I saw the RockBros pedals at another bike shop in town when I was looking for mine, and they have a smaller platform than the Bontrager, but they are cheap at just $30, but I wanted the largest platform pedal I could find, those are about 15 grams heavier than the Bonts, but again not a big deal.

There are some flat pedals that are dual sided but they will cost at least twice as much as non-dual sided. Shimano EH500 is a great example, these pedals are excellent for the money, and they simply work great, though they cost $80, not bad.

I had a dual sided pedal on my touring bike and decided I didn't like it, but that was because I had to keep flipping the pedal to get the side I wanted, plus it wasn't as wide as I found out I needed sometime later.

Everyone is listing very good pedals, just research all of them and find one you think you'll like best.

fvernon

The Xpedo Spry pedals are excellent--light (276g/pair), narrow profile, good platform, durable, and not terribly expensive compared to other flat pedals of similar quality. I use them on several touring/long distance road bikes with good results, and I'm just as happy with them on my mountain bike or on a commuter. YMMV, but they're the best option I've yet to find.

Road Fan

I think there are a lot of different design features in pedals which are flat and without mechanicel retention gadgets. For me many of them would be painful, like the ridges on an MKS Sylvan after an hour or so. With somewhat rigid shoes, like an Adidas Team America sneaker (off the market the last 20-ish years AFAIK), I can use a Lyotard racing-style pedal, though a Lyotard Berthet with conventional toe-clip and strap is better. Maybe you an put a flat plate of some sort onto the pedal top to smooth out the stress pattern from pedaling force. I tried 1/16" aluminum on a pair of cheep Lyotard rattraps, and the same hobby shop also sells 1/16" basswood and ⅛" plywood, 3 ply.

There is a lot you can experiment with, and there are a of choices which might not be to your liking.

john m flores 

+1. I've been really happy with my pair. I use them with approach shoes, which have a pretty stiff and grippy sole but aren't as spongy as running/trail shoes.

Trav1s

I have RaceFace Chesters on my vintage mountain bike and really like them. I put a pair of RF Rides on my wife’s Verve to replace the Trek platform pedals. Rides are pretty much Chesters without the metal pins.

Garthr

I've been riding 2 sets of VP Vice for 10-12 years on my road bikes and they've been flawless, including the cartridge bearings/bushings. Every year I remove the axle and slather on grease so that it oozes out the ends when tightened. From the factory they have little so I take the liberty to slather on as much as possible. The platform is large/wide enough to support size 14 shoes, and is dead flat, which Is my preference. The flat head allen head pins are medium length. I paid maybe $30/pair back then and I bought a couple more sets for upcoming bikes for about the same price last winter. I never pay retail, I usually shop from reputable long standing shops who sell on ebay.

Frkl

I have found a lot of modern mountain bike flat pedals with tons of aggressive pins to be way too . . . aggressive. I tried the MKS Gauss pedals. They held my foot so tight I started to develop knee pain, and apparently this isn't that unusual and catches people off guard when they think they will get a lot more foot freedom with a flat pedal. I ended up removing every single pin and now they work nicely, but that entirely defeats the point.

I think the more traditional MKS models offer a good compromise in terms of grip and slip. I use the RMX on a couple bikes and am considering trying out the MKS GR-9 or GR-10 where aesthetics are more important.

RoadWearier

Race Face Chesters and Crank Bros whatever model looks like Race Face Chesters is the only acceptable answer on this board. All others are either inferior or you get accused of being an accessory to theft per the know-it-alls on here. If you get any other brand or model, even if they are cheaper and work just as well you should keep it a secret or else.

However I bought a pair of Rock Bros and they have worked great thus far.

FLYBYU

I have these on my mountain bike and love them:

https://nukeproof.com/collections/co...35459352592538