by Peter Scott

Created on: November 27, 2010

A clipless pedal is one that engages a special attachment integrated into a cycling shoe, resulting in secure, efficient and safer pedalling. Whether designed for a road cycle or a mountain bike, the contact with the pedal is always found underneath the sole of the shoe. It replaced a system in which the shoe was secured to the pedal by a metal frame which virtually surrounded the shoe, combined with a cleat in the sole of the shoe - this 'toeclip' system was not as effective since it had no effect on upward pedal strokes and was difficult to disengage if the rider needed to leave the cycle in a hurry. The clipless pedal is quite easy to disengage, requiring the rider to arc the foot outwards. Perhaps surprisingly, the clipless concept dates from the end of the nineteenth century but its recent popularity is the result of the work of two companies - Shimano and Look.

Clipless pedals come in a variety of designs - for mountain bike riders there is a shoe plate found in a recess in the sole, whereas for road cyclists there is a plastic attachment that screws onto the sole. The most popular and common mountain bike clipless pedal is made by Shimano and called the SPD (Shimano Pedalling Dynamics). While slightly smaller than the clipless road pedal, the SPD system allows easy contact with the pedal, not least because the pedal may be engaged with the shoe plate on either side of the pedal.


Shimano SPD clipless pedal advantages:

- Double-sided pedal allows easy access to shoe.
- Recessed shoe plate means that it is possible to walk on the shoe (as opposed to road clipless systems which are very difficult).
- The small plate size means it is easy to disengage, whether deliberately (when the rider wants to dismount) or accidentally.

Shimano SPD clipless pedal disadvantages:

- The small plate size means that tractive power can be slightly limited, when compared with a road system such as that of Look.
- The small pedal size means that it takes slightly longer to get used to this system, although this is a short-term problem.


Road riders, tourers and even some commuters prefer the Look system, where a plastic cleat is attached to the sole of the cycle shoe. Although the pedal can only be engaged on one side, the union of cleat and pedal is sufficient to provide excellent power and traction, hence its popularity amongst every single professional cycling team. The latest Look pedal, the Keo, is extremely lightweight, and while their top of the market version is expensive, the medium- and lower-end versions are relatively inexpensive.


Look clipless pedal advantages:

- excellent power transmission
- comfort and ease of pedalling, minimising the risk of injury
- lightweight construction results in minimal weight
- the range of Look Keo pedals means there is a pedal for everyone's price range


Look clipless pedal disadvantages:

- protruding cleats on shoes mean that sustained walking is not really possible
- smaller cleat size is not so easy to engage first time, although does get better with practice

While Shimano and Look are the most popular manufacturers, others are also available including Time and Crank Brothers. There is also a wide range of cleats and shoe plates, allowing various amounts of movement of the sole of the shoe. There is widespread agreement amongst all cyclists that the clipless cycling system is far more efficient and useful than the archaic toeclip system.

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