Best bike pedals 2026: road, mountain, gravel and flat

The right pedals can change how a bike feels, whether you're settling into a long road ride, tackling a technical trail or taking a gravel bike beyond the tarmac.

Different types of riding call for different things from your pedals, from a secure clipless connection to the freedom of a flat platform.

Road cyclists will usually want a lightweight clipless pedal paired with a stiff road shoe, while MTB riders have a much wider choice between clipless and flat pedals. Gravel riders have perhaps the most options of all, often looking for the efficiency of clipless pedals without giving up the ability to walk comfortably when the road ends.

We've picked the best bike pedals for each type of riding, with options for different priorities and budgets. Below, you'll find our top choices for road, mountain biking, gravel and flat-pedal riding, followed by a guide to choosing the right pedal and cleat system for your bike.

The best bike pedals for 2026

Choosing between pedals can quickly get complicated, particularly when you start comparing different cleat systems, platform sizes and intended uses.

We've narrowed the field to the models we'd consider first, based on what they offer and the type of riding they're designed for.

Here are our top picks for 2026, from lightweight road pedals to trail-ready MTB options, gravel pedals and flats.

Best road bike pedals

Shimano 105 PD-R7000 – best all-round road pedal

The 105 PD-R7000 is a strong choice for cyclists who want a proven road pedal without paying for Shimano's top-tier models. It uses the same basic SPD-SL cleat system as Shimano's more expensive road pedals, with adjustable release tension and several cleat options offering different amounts of float.

Wahoo SPEEDPLAY ZERO – best for adjustability

The SPEEDPLAY ZERO takes a different approach, with the retention mechanism in the cleat rather than the pedal. Its dual-sided entry and highly adjustable float and release angle make it particularly interesting for riders who want to fine-tune their foot position. Different axle lengths also allow you to adjust stance width.

LOOK Keo 2 Max Carbon – best mid-range road pedal

LOOK's Keo 2 Max Carbon combines a relatively low weight with a broad contact area and the familiar Keo cleat system. It's a sensible option if you like the LOOK system but don't need the extra expense of the company's high-end, carbon-bladed pedals.

Best mountain bike pedals

Shimano XTR PD-M9100 – best XC and race clipless pedal

Shimano's XTR PD-M9100 is aimed at riders who value low weight and efficient engagement over a large platform. It's a natural fit for cross-country riding and racing and rates highly for gravel as well as XC use. Its compact SPD design also provides the mud-shedding characteristics that make two-bolt systems practical off-road.

Crankbrothers Mallet Enduro – best for trail and enduro

The Mallet Enduro takes the basic clipless concept and adds a substantial platform around the mechanism. That provides more support underfoot, particularly when paired with a softer trail or enduro shoe. It's a useful middle ground for mountain bikers who want the security of being clipped in without the small pedal body of an XC race pedal.

OneUp Components Composite – best value MTB flat pedal

The OneUp Components Composite pedals combine a full-size 115 × 105 mm platform with a relatively low 355 g weight. Ten replaceable pins per side provide plenty of grip, while the slightly convex platform is designed to sit naturally beneath the foot. The nylon-composite body also keeps the price down compared with many aluminium pedals, making these a practical choice for riders who want a capable flat pedal without spending a lot. OneUp makes the pedals fully rebuildable and offers replacement parts for the bearings, axles and pins.

Best gravel bike pedals

Ritchey Comp XC – best value gravel clipless pedal

The Ritchey Comp XC is a compact, cageless clipless pedal that works with standard SPD-style shoes and cleats. Its 331 g pair weight keeps things reasonably light, while the alloy body provides a little more stability than an ultra-minimal XC pedal. A four-degree float and adjustable release tension give gravel riders some room to fine-tune the feel, and the open design helps shed mud and grit. Ritchey also uses a serviceable bearing system, which is useful for riders who put in plenty of off-road kilometres.

Crankbrothers Candy 1 – best alternative to SPD

The Crankbrothers Candy 1 combines the brand's four-sided, clip-in mechanism with a small platform that gives your shoe more support than the minimalist Eggbeater. Its open design sheds mud well, while adjustable release and float settings let you tune the engagement to your preference. At 294 g per pair, it's also light enough for riders who want a gravel pedal that won't feel out of place on faster rides. It's a good option for anyone who wants the walkability of a two-bolt system but prefers the feel of Crankbrothers to Shimano SPD.

LOOK X-Track Power – best for gravel power data

If training data matters as much as pedal choice, the X-Track Power brings power measurement into a two-bolt gravel/MTB-style system. That means you can retain a walkable recessed cleat while recording power. It's a more specialized and expensive option, but useful for riders who want power data without moving to a road pedal setup.

Best flat pedals

HT PA03-A – best for road and everyday riding

The HT PA03-A is a lightweight composite flat pedal with a 107 × 105 mm platform and replaceable grip pins. For commuting, shorter road rides and everyday cycling, the PA03-A provides plenty of foot support without adding much weight. It's also well suited for riders who want to use regular shoes or flat-pedal cycling shoes rather than committing to a clipless system.

Hope F22 – best premium flat pedal

The Hope F22 is a durable, machined flat pedal with a substantial platform and plenty of grip. It's more pedal than most road riders need, but it makes sense for riders who use one flat-pedal setup across road, gravel and more technical off-road riding.

How to choose bike pedals: flat or clipless?

The first decision is whether you want your feet attached to the pedals at all.

With flat pedals, you can lift your foot away whenever you need to. They're intuitive, work with ordinary shoes or dedicated flat-pedal shoes and make it easy to put a foot down. That's particularly useful on technical MTB trails, in stop-start riding or for riders who simply don't want to deal with cleats.

Clipless pedals use a cleat attached to the sole of a cycling shoe. The cleat locks into a mechanism on the pedal, creating a consistent connection between foot and bike. The name can be confusing: “clipless” refers to the absence of old-fashioned toe clips and straps, not to the way your foot connects to the pedal.

Choose clipless if you want:

• A consistent foot position
• A secure connection on rough terrain
• Easy high-cadence pedalling
• The benefits of stiff cycling shoes

Choose flats if you want:

• Simple foot placement
• Easy foot-down moments
• Freedom to move your feet
• The ability to ride in everyday shoes

There's no rule saying you need the same system on every bike. A cyclist might reasonably use three-bolt clipless pedals on a road bike, SPD pedals on a gravel bike and flats on a trail bike.

That's often the best answer: choose the pedal for the riding, rather than choosing your riding around the pedal.

Cleat systems explained: road, MTB and gravel

The pedal itself is only half of a clipless system. You also need the correct cleat and a compatible shoe.

Three-bolt road systems

Most road clipless pedals use a three-bolt cleat attached to a compatible road cycling shoe. Shimano SPD-SL and LOOK KEO are two of the most widely used systems, while TIME uses its own ICLIC cleat standard. These systems pair with relatively stiff road shoes and provide a broad interface between the shoe and pedal.

The trade-off is walkability. Road cleats protrude from the sole rather than sitting inside a treaded recess, so they're less comfortable for walking than MTB and gravel cycling shoes. That's usually a minor concern for riders who spend most of a ride on the bike, but it becomes more noticeable if your route includes cafés, train stations or sections of road where you need to walk.

Wahoo SPEEDPLAY takes a different approach. Its cleat system can be mounted directly to four-bolt shoes or to standard three-bolt road shoes using the supplied adapter. The current SPEEDPLAY ZERO also offers adjustable float and fore-aft, lateral and rotational cleat positioning, making it an interesting choice for riders who want to fine-tune their setup.

Two-bolt systems for MTB and gravel

Two-bolt systems are common on mountain bikes and gravel bikes because the smaller cleat can sit inside a recessed area of the shoe sole. The surrounding tread makes walking much easier than with an exposed road cleat. Shimano SPD is the best-known example, but it isn't the only two-bolt system.

Crankbrothers uses its own cleat and pedal interface, for example. Its Candy pedals work with MTB and gravel cycling shoes that have a recessed two-hole mounting pattern, but SPD cleats aren't compatible with Crankbrothers pedals. TIME's MTB and gravel pedals similarly use the company's own ATAC cleats.

That's an important distinction when shopping for pedals and shoes: two-bolt describes the shoe mounting pattern, not a universal cleat standard. A two-bolt shoe may accept cleats from several different pedal systems, but the cleat still needs to match the pedal.

Why two-bolt systems work so well for gravel

Gravel riders have good reason to favour two-bolt pedals. A recessed cleat gives you a secure connection while riding but doesn't turn your shoes into awkward walking platforms when the terrain takes you off the bike.

The exact pedal can still vary considerably. A rider racing fast gravel events might prefer a compact XC-style pedal such as the Ritchey Comp XC, while someone tackling rougher terrain may appreciate a little more support beneath the shoe. A rider who wants to walk frequently might even prefer flats.

That's why there's no single “gravel pedal” design. The right choice depends on how closely your riding resembles road cycling, XC mountain biking or something in between.

Check the cleat before you buy

Think of a clipless setup as a three-part system: