What pedals for a gravel bike?

[skedaddle]

I used to do long road rides in the 70s / early 80s. At that time I used caged pedals with cleats which everyone used at that time. After many years of not having a bike, I've just bought myself a new gravel bike.

Things have changed since I was last on a bike. It seems bikes today don't even come with pedals!

So what shoes/pedals are recommended now for someone getting back into riding a gravel bike typically for dry stony trails / quiet roads? I'm still pretty fit and thinking about either flat or clipless double sided pedals but little idea which ones.

[Bairn]

Shimano SPD range is what i have used for gravel. Very good pedals and plenty of footwear choices.

[bobbo89]

For a gravel bike I'd go for an XC MTB pedal and some disco slippers.

Just for info, an MTB clipless pedal is a completely different system to a road clipless pedal. Road pedals use a 3 bolt system and MTB a 2 bolt system.

Pedals are a bit of a personal preference thing. You can get lightweight minimal ones that are basically just the spring mechanism built around the axle....
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals

.... as well as ones that have a body that provide a platform for a bit more contact and feel....
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/hope-union-tc-pedals

Bigger platform pedals are generally intended for more Enduro/DH riding where people are wearing a more flexible shoe with less support in the sole. The smaller pedals with less/zero platform are intended more for XC and gravel riding where people wear a shoe with an almost solid sole so you get the support from the shoe rather than the pedal.

There's also more than one system with CrankBro's having their own unique clip system however I'd recommend going SPD as, IMO, they're probably better suited to someone new to being clipped.

As for shoes. Like I say above you've got a couple of types of shoe. Your typical XC shoe having a very hard sole which provides support with your more Trail/Enduro/DH shoes having a flexible sole with the support coming from the pedal body.

Typical XC shoe https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-xc3-spd-mtb-shoes

Typical Enduro/DH shoe https://www.wiggle.co.uk/crankbrothers-mallet-boa-...

Like I say, it's all personal preference and so if possible I'd be getting myself to a bike shop to have a look at stuff and maybe try some stuff if possible. Once you're into both a set a pedals and a pair of shoes you've likely spent a good chunk of money so you want to get it right.

Edit to add. None of the examples linked above are recommendations, purely there to provide quick links to give you an idea of what I'm on about.

Edited by bobbo89 on Friday 24th February 09:44

[EdmondDantes]

I have the following pedals https://www.sourcebmx.com/products/odyssey-grandst...

I’ve always ran Odyssey since my bmx days. These are plastic and are pretty light weight and have lots of grip.

Down to £10 as they have a sale on.

[PomBstard]

I use Shimano XT SPDs for everything - road, gravel, mtb - one system, one pair of shoes, and the pedals just don’t break.

[Your Dad]

bobbo89 said:

Road pedals are known as a 2 bolt system and MTB a 3 bolt system.

Road cleats (Look/Delta/SPD-SL etc.) = 3-bolt
SPD = 2-bolt

[djone101]

Another vote for Shimano SPDs - the double sided pedal makes clipping in easier and shoes with recessed cleats mean you can walk normally off the bike (unlike SPD-SL road cleats).

Loads of shoes around - I'm a fan of Giro personally - summer gravel I use the Giro Rumble

[mikeiow]

skedaddle said:

I used to do long road rides in the 70s / early 80s. At that time I used caged pedals with cleats which everyone used at that time. After many years of not having a bike, I've just bought myself a new gravel bike.

Things have changed since I was last on a bike. It seems bikes today don't even come with pedals!

So what shoes/pedals are recommended now for someone getting back into riding a gravel bike typically for dry stony trails / quiet roads? I'm still pretty fit and thinking about either flat or clipless double sided pedals but little idea which ones.

I’m still a fan of toe-clips…..I’m pals with quite a few cyclists, of all levels, and all have agreed if I move to any clip-ins, there will come a point where I fall over!
Having used toeclips as a lad and in my 20s/30s, I chose to stick with them: I am, after all, an old dog, & that would be a new trick….

Did LEJoG when I stepped away from work a couple of years ago….few other mini-adventures….works for me, & means I can wear whatever shoes I want.

For a gravel bike, if you are taking on some potentially gnarly drops, I would think having no clips would make most sense, just push the pedals….but if you just mean, like me, a preference for off-road (canal paths, old train tracks, etc), then toe-clips are fine:



& finally….a strong recommendation to use https://cycle.travel as a website to plot and plan routes - a thing of wonder, and you can get the routes to a Wahoo (like I have) or a Garmin

[snotrag]

Shimano M520. No other answer needed, the default for decades.

[S600BSB]

PomBstard said:

I use Shimano XT SPDs for everything - road, gravel, mtb - one system, one pair of shoes, and the pedals just don’t break.

Me too.

[bobbo89]

Your Dad said:

bobbo89 said:

Road pedals are known as a 2 bolt system and MTB a 3 bolt system.

Road cleats (Look/Delta/SPD-SL etc.) = 3-bolt
SPD = 2-bolt

Yeah I got that the wrong way round didn't I!

TBF it was early when I typed that out!

[HughG]

Shimano XT T8000 of my gravel bike, lets me hope on it for pottering around/going out with the kids on the flat side, and SPD on the opposite for proper riding.

[HughG]

mikeiow said:

& finally….a strong recommendation to use https://cycle.travel as a website to plot and plan routes - a thing of wonder, and you can get the routes to a Wahoo (like I have) or a Garmin

Thanks, I've not come across that before.

[What The Deuces]

HughG said:

mikeiow said:

& finally….a strong recommendation to use https://cycle.travel as a website to plot and plan routes - a thing of wonder, and you can get the routes to a Wahoo (like I have) or a Garmin

Thanks, I've not come across that before.

thats a great site. Thanks

[mikeiow]

What The Deuces said:

HughG said:

mikeiow said:

& finally….a strong recommendation to use https://cycle.travel as a website to plot and plan routes - a thing of wonder, and you can get the routes to a Wahoo (like I have) or a Garmin

Thanks, I've not come across that before.

thats a great site. Thanks

I found it absolutely brilliant for planning a long ride (my LEJoG) - always takes the road less travelled, or gravel/cycle paths. Plus you can put your postcode in & get it to suggest a ride of a preferred distance. The work of one bloke - marvellous!

[tertius]

HughG said:

Shimano XT T8000 of my gravel bike, lets me hope on it for pottering around/going out with the kids on the flat side, and SPD on the opposite for proper riding.

I use a similar two-sided pedal for my gravel bike - Shimano M324 I think - flats on one side, SPD on the other. As HughG says this means you can just jump on the bike and ride with normal shoes for pottering to the shops or similar, but have the connection of clipless the other way.

And for shoes I'm a big fan of the DHB Dorica, lace up - amazing value for money and really easy to get a perfect close fit.

[bobbo89]

mikeiow said:

Just clocked where this is, found it last year and I'm local, do a right good hot dog for next to nowt!

[Julian Scott]

I use SPDs, but I've now put Shimano m647s on - SPD but with a rubber pedal around so I can use the bike with trainers for errands or riding with my kids.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-m647-clipless-spd...



For shoes, I use Mavic All Road Pro gravel shoes - Kevlar reinforced to protect feet.

Edited by Julian Scott on Friday 24th February 13:04

[Pablo16v]

I use Shimano SPD pedals as well but I found that the cheap-ish ME700 version offered the best support on the gravel bike. I was getting uncomfortable hot spots on long rough fire road rides using non caged XTR's, and XTR caged too, but the ME700's have been great.

[PastelNata]

I've had Wahoo PowrLink 'Speedplay' pedals on my Diverge for the last 3 weeks and they work really well for dry gravel.

But given I ride in mud too, I've today received a pair of Time Atac XC8's because they self-clean mud etc away.