How We Tested
To really put these twenty pairs of clipless pedals to the test, we headed out in every kind of weather imaginable, hitting everything from perfect, loamy singletrack to messy days in the rain, snow, and sand. We even sought out different “flavors” of mud, ranging from the thin, watery variety to the thick, sticky stuff that looks more like Nutella and really tests a pedal's grit. Our team of male and female riders logged serious miles on everything from nimble hardtails to beefy enduro rigs, using ten different pairs of shoes to see how each setup felt across the board. We swapped cleats so many times during the process that we've basically become experts at moving pedals from bike to bike in a flash!
To give you the most complete picture, we test these pedals with a massive variety of shoes, ranging from ultra-stiff carbon XC racing flats to the much more flexible Five Ten freeride shoes and everything in between. We don't just ride them; we actually pull these pedals apart to count the bearings. We also spend time chatting with tech support and testing out warranty services behind the scenes, basically going all in to make sure the information we give you is as accurate and helpful as possible.
Ease of Entry
We clipped in, clicked in, kicked in, slid in, and rode these pedals for dozens of hours. Using a wide variety of the most popular cycling shoes on different riders in every conceivable condition. Each time we encountered an engagement that was anything shy of perfect, we took note.
Ease of Exit
We used static and real riding tests to evaluate the ease of exit. In general, there were only subtle differences in the pedals here, with a few notable exceptions. If the pedal induced panic or we fell over, we took note of its position and tried to determine the cause. There are occasions when the traction pins can prevent a clean release; in most cases, those pins can be adjusted to reduce interference.
Adjustability
When it comes to getting your setup dialed, we look at adjustability through three main lenses. First, there's how much you can tweak the actual clipping mechanism; second, the variety of cleat options available to change your float or release angle; and finally, those extra bits like traction pads or grub pins that let you customize the grip. Some pedals are pretty straightforward with little to no room for adjustment, while others allow you to change just about everything. We made sure to give higher scores to pedals that offer more flexibility, simply because they're much more likely to be a perfect match for whatever riding style you're into.
Weight
We're big believers in “trust but verify,” so we put every set of pedals on our scales, both with and without the extra hardware, and we even weighed the cleats separately. We compared our findings with the manufacturers' official numbers and were happy to see that most were right on the money and closely matched their stated weights.
Platform
To get the most accurate specs possible, we use a digital caliper to measure the exact dimensions of every pedal cage. We also check the profile height, which is just a fancy way of measuring how thick the pedal is from base to base, right over the spindle. Another key detail we track is the “Q-factor”, the distance between the spindle and the crank arm at the center of the clipping mechanism. This is a pretty big deal because it determines how wide your stance will feel while you're riding, and it can also play a role in whether you're more likely to accidentally clip a rock or a root out on the trail.
Mud Shedding Ability
To test how these pedals handle the sloppy stuff, we quite literally go out and play in the mud! While we definitely evaluate them during normal trail rides, we also go out of our way to find the deepest muck possible. We'll purposely unclip in a muddy patch and grind the dirt right into our cleats just to see how the pedals stand up to even our most creative attempts to jam them up. It might be a messy process, but it's the only way to be sure they'll still click in perfectly when your ride turns into a swamp.