Today we're going to look at Clipless mountain bike pedals or SPD pedals. For many people it can be a little daunting but we'll try and demystify some of it in this article. Clipless pedals offer better connectivity and control over your bike, better pedalling efficiency and the security of knowing your feet won't blow off the pedals in the roughest terrain.

This is a topic we've seen an enormous amount of content on over the years and there are some great videos online. We're going to try and refrain as much as possible from the how and the why and attempt if we can to help you buy the right pedals.

To start, a couple of definitions.

Clipless: This means the lack of toe-clips, toe-clips if you don't know are a cage that you push your foot into. As you can imagine a death trap when you want to come out in a hurry. In 1990 Shimano released its first SPD system with the M737 pedals.

Cleat: The cleat is a flat metal wedge that bolts to the bottom of your shoe. This pushes into the spring-loaded clip on the pedal and allows you to stay attached. There are different types of cleat offered by different brands.

Retention mechanism: The clip that holds the cleat and your shoe in place.

Release angle: The amount you have to twist your foot to get the cleat to pop out of the pedal.

Cleat Systems

There are multiple types of MTB cleats offered by different pedal brands. This isn't a definitive list of the best clipless pedals for MTB, just what we think is good.

Shimano SPD MTB Pedals: This is the most common system out there, Shimano offer a wide array of pedals but they all use the same cleat. This means you get a similar feel pedal to pedal. Quite a few brands also use the SPD system so if the Shimano style isn't your thing you can shop around.

Crank Brothers MTB Pedals: Popular with downhill and enduro racers, the Crank Brothers system features a simpler freely rotating spring and a smaller brass cleat. This system tends to be easier to get in and out of and offers great mud-shedding ability. The downside is that the shape and material of the cleat cause them to wear quickly if you spend a lot of time walking around.

Hope MTB Pedals: Hope entered the clipless market a couple of years ago and is currently the writer's pedal of choice. Similar to the Shimano system but with a larger stainless steel cleat, it functions a lot like the Shimano SPD but with better clearance for muck, longer cleat life and outstanding build quality.

Depending on your riding and what kind of style you're going for there will be a system for you. Let us dive in a little deeper into each brand's clipless pedal offerings.

 

Shimano Downhill and E-Bike Clipless Pedals

Shimano Saint PD-M821 SPD Pedals, tough, brutal design. Made to be smacked into rocks. A little on the heavier side with a large cage to support the foot. They offer the most secure feel on the bike, don't slip around too much and when you're pushing hard they never feel like they're going to let you down. These are easy to adjust if you want to increase the tension and we like to screw them down to the tightest setting.

Best paired with the Shimano AM9 SPD shoes, Shimano SPDs work well with most brand shoes but we prefer to pair them with the Shimano AM series or Fiveten Hellcats. 

Shimano SH51 MTB 2-Bolt Pedal Cleats, easy to replace and readily available. These are the 13-degree release angle cleat, easy to get out of and have great longevity.

Shimano Trail Clipless Pedals

Shimano XT PD-M8120 XT Trail Wide SPD Pedals, a lighter and smaller pedal, have a cage but don't directly sit against the shoe unless the shoe flexes. It doesn't feel quite as secure as the Saint but they're a favourite for almost all types of riders for their ease of use and simple design.

Best Paired with something like the Shimano GE5 (GE500) Shoes, a lighter shoe that's not too stiff and easy to wear.

As above we'd opt for the Shimano SH51 MTB 2-Bolt Pedal Cleats.

Shimano XC Clipless Pedals:

Shimano XTR M9100 XC SPD Pedals, XC is all about maximising pedalling performance and staying light. The XTR pedal is where you want to be. Lacking the cage and any superfluous extra details, these are as bare bones as they come.

Best Paired with: Shimano XC7 (XC702) SPD Shoes, a light and stiff shoe, featuring more of a road style profile. The lugs on the bottom help grip the dirt when you're off the bike running up that impossible climb and stop the click-clack that you'd normally have with this type of shoe.

These will maximise your power transfer and offer less flex when you're pushing for that sprint finish.

As above we'd opt for the Shimano SH51 MTB 2-Bolt Pedal Cleats.

Crank Brothers DH Clipless Pedals:

Crank Brothers Mallet DH Pedals: The go-to for the discerning downhiller, these pedals are widely used with the top DH riders. For a good reason, they're easy to use, super secure and the platform offers the most support out of any of the competition. The cleat mechanism is super simple and the edges are heavily chamfered to help deflect impacts so you won't worry as much if it hits a few rocks.

Best paired with: Crank Brothers Mallet Boa Shoes, Maximising the shoe and pedal interface, it's always best to go with the whole system. Previously best paired with Fiveten the Mallet Boa shoes are a step up in fit and feel. We really like the Boa which makes adjustments on the fly much easier and offers a secure fit.

Crank Brothers Standard Cleats, Available in 0 or 6-degree float and15 degree release angle, aren't the most durable of cleats but they give you the best and easiest entry and exit feel out of all the cleats out there.

Crank Brothers Trail/Enduro Clipless Pedals: 

Crank Brothers Mallet E Pedals: The smaller and lighter version of the mallet DH, we'd use these as an all-rounder from trail, E-bike and enduro. Designed for maximising performance everywhere.

Best paired with: Crank Brothers Mallet Boa Shoes, Maximising the shoe and pedal interface, it's always best to go with the whole system. Previously best paired with Fiveten the Mallet Boa shoes are a step up in fit and feel. We really like the Boa which makes adjustments on the fly much easier and offers a secure fit.

Crank Brothers Standard Cleats, Available in 0 or 6-degree float with a 15-degree release angle, they aren't the most durable of cleats but they give you the best and easiest entry and exit feel out of all the cleats out there.

Crank Brothers XC Clipless Pedals:

Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3 Pedals: As its namesake suggests, it looks like an eggbeater. It's a spindle with a retention mechanism attached. It's not the easiest to get in and out of, it's not the most pedal-looking thing out there but due to the design, it's by far the lightest of XC race pedals out there. Also providing a tiny profile to avoid impacts and due to the lack of any cage unparallel mud avoidance.

Best paired with: Fizik Terra Atlas Shoes, a little left field but a super light and road style XC and gravel shoe. Offers maximum performance if you're exploring or XC racing.

Crank Brothers Easy Release Cleats: As it says, they have the same secure feel but with a 10-degree release angle making them a little easier to get out of.

 

Hope DH, E-Bike and Enduro Clipless Pedals:

Hope Union Gravity Pedals: Available in 6 different colours and with Hope's usual outstanding build quality. The Union gravity pedals offer a huge pedal platform much more akin to a flat pedal but with Hope's own cleat retention system onboard. These offer one of the most secure platforms out there for a feel that's a bit more like a flat pedal if you prefer that style.

Best paired with: Ride Concepts Accomplice Clip Shoes, Hope's pedals come with cleats, shims and pins to fit any shoe design but we're a big fan of the new Ride Concepts clip shoes.

Hope Pedal Cleat Kit: Available in 4-degree float and 12-degree release and 5-degree float 13-degree release. We haven't noticed much of a difference between the two owing to the small change but they take a long time to wear out so you won't need to buy very many.

Hope Trail Clipless Pedals:

Hope Union Trail Pedals: Same cleat retention as the Gravity but the cage is smaller. The pins still contact your shoe in the right places and provide a secure fit but with a smaller overall profile they're a neater pedal option.

Best paired with: Shimano GE5 (GE500) Shoes, the ultimate all-rounder, when you want a comfy shoe that will still let you push the bike hard when you want to.

Hope Pedal Cleat Kit: Available in 4-degree float and 12-degree release and 5-degree float and 13-degree release. We haven't noticed much of a difference between the two owing to the small change but they take a long time to wear out so you won't need to buy very many.

Hope XC Clipless Pedals:

Hope Union Race Pedals: Again, using the same retention system, the Race pedals have no outer cage and are designed for XC, light trail, gravel and touring. These pedals still have the same tough build but with a super light CNC construction and excellent longevity, you can use them for months in the slop with no ill effects.

Best Paired with: Shimano XC3 SPD Shoes Great performance XC shoe from Shimano we find these have a great pedalling platform, good all-day comfort and won't break the bank.

Hope Pedal Cleat Kit: Available in 4-degree float and 12-degree release and 5-degree float, and 13-degree release. We haven't noticed much of a difference between the two owing to the small change but they take a long time to wear out so you won't need to buy very many.

Clipless Pedal Maintenance

If you're buying an expensive set of pedals, it's worth knowing how to maintain them. We find that though the Crank Brothers pedal may be the best cleat system, the pedal bearings and bushings need changing at least once a season. My Hope pedals have gone two years and still feel like new and I know people who have had Shimano SPD's for more than 10 years without a rebuild but you've got to look after them.

Crank Brothers Pedal Refresh Kit: By far the easiest to rebuild, the kits come with everything you need to refresh a set and with the least amount of tools. You can find the detailed rebuild instructions on Crank Brothers support site. 

For Shimano we'd recommend checking out this excellent article from ParkTool. You can find the link here

Hope has a great library of spares and tech docs, you can find them here. If you're looking for the rebuild kit, Hope makes them bagged for 1 pedal and we've got them on the website here: Hope F22 / Union Pedal Service Kit