Bicycle pedal

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Simple platform bicycle pedal

The pedal is the part of a bicycle that the rider pushes with
their foot to propel the vehicle. It provides the connection
between the cyclist's foot or shoe and the crank allowing the
leg to turn the bottom bracket spindle and propel the bicycle's
wheels. A pedal usually consists of a spindle that threads into
the end of the crank, and a body on which the foot rest is
attached, that is free to rotate on bearings with respect to the
spindle.

Pedals were initially attached to cranks connecting directly to

the driven (usually front) wheel. The safety bicycle, as it is
known today, came into being when the pedals were attached
to a crank driving a sprocket that transmitted power to the
driven wheel by means of a roller chain.

Types
Just as bicycles come in many varieties, there are different
types of pedals to support different types of cycling.

Flat and platform …

Wellgo DMR V8 Copy pedal

Traditionally, platform pedals were pedals with a relatively large

flat area for the foot to rest on, in contrast to the quill pedal
which had very little surface area.

One form of the platform pedal had a large flat top area and
flat bottom for use with toe clips and toe straps. They were
designed for greater comfort when using shoes with less than
rigid soles. They typically had a smaller cutaway underside
giving greater cornering clearance, which was often needed for
track cycling. They were often marketed as being more
aerodynamic than conventional quill pedals.

Attaching the shoes to the pedals gives the user more control
over the pedal movements. There are two methods for
attaching a cyclist's shoes to their pedals: toe clips – a basket-
and-strap device which hold the foot in place – and so-called
clipless pedals, where specialized shoes with built-in bindings
attach to compatible pedals.

In mountain biking (MTB) and BMX, platform pedals typically

refer to any flat pedal without a cage. BMX riders typically use
plastic pedals made of nylon, polycarbonate, or carbon
reinforced plastic, although aluminum alloy, and magnesium
are not uncommon pedal body materials. Mountain bikers tend
to use aluminum or magnesium because of the necessary use
of metal studs to offer grip while the pedals are wet, muddy
and slippery. BMXers tend to prefer platforms to cage pedals
because they offer more support and grip for flexible "skate"
shoes by using short metal studs. Cage pedals are more
popular in the low end mountain bike range. In general, cage
pedals are uncommon in all types of biking, although there is a
niche market within mountain biking.

Platform pedals are available in a wide variety of types and

prices, ranging from disposable plastic units used for test rides
on new bicycles to high-end downhill models. Budget models
may be made of steel or aluminum and incorporate reflectors
for safer riding on streets at night, in addition to complying
with some traffic laws. Less expensive platform pedals are
generally considered disposable and cannot be rebuilt when
worn out.

More expensive platform pedals for the mountain bike market

are available with replaceable metal traction pins and cartridge
bearings. Lightweight pedals intended for Freeride and
downhill cycling have been made from exotic metals such as
magnesium.

Toe clips typically are generally not installed on this type of

pedal because they are considered unsafe by some MTB and
BMX riders. In downhill racing, the extra power and grip offered
by clipped pedals is utilized at the risk of clipped in crashing in
which the bicycle can potentially stay attached to the foot of
the victim. However, fixed gear riders have started using fabric
straps instead.

Quill …
Bicycle pedal, quill road type, with toe clip and toe strap (1970s)

The quill pedal is a common pedal system on bicycles. It

consists of a main axle section that is attached to the bicycle
crank arm and contains extensions from the axle to which
parallel cage plates are attached at the front and rear of the
pedal. In order to utilize the quill pedal, the cyclist pushes his
foot against the platform formed by the parallel cage plates.[1]

To improve the performance of the quill pedal toe clips were

added. The toe clip is a thin metal or plastic attachment to the
front cage of the pedal. The toe clip is shaped like the toe of a
shoe and its function is to prevent a cyclist's shoe from
slipping off the pedal during the forward pedaling motion.[1] A
further enhancement of the quill pedal was modifying the toe
clip to allow a strap and buckle to go around or through both
the pedal and the toe clip to encircle the cyclist's foot on the
top of the pedal.[1] This strap is generally made of leather or
nylon.
Mikashima track pedal

To further improve the quill pedal's efficiency a "cleat" was

developed. This cleat consists of a small metal or plastic
attachment to the cyclist's shoe. The cleat is slotted and is
adapted to engage a quill section of the bicycle pedal. The use
of the slotted cleat enhances a cyclist's ability over that
provided by toe clips and strap, enabling for greater pedaling
efficiency.[1] Although quill pedals can be used with smoothed-
soled cycling shoes or ordinary shoes, they were designed to
be used with cycling shoes which had a slotted shoeplate
attached to its sole. The disadvantage with this system is that
to remove the shoe from the pedal a rider had to reach down
and loosen the strap by hand or leave the toe strap loose and
thus give up some efficiency. This type of pedal and pedal
setup was common for racing cyclists until the mid to late
1980s.

Quill pedals are sometimes said to be named for the quill or

"pick up tab" on the rear of the pedal. The weight of the toe clip
and strap would make the pedal hang upside down, and the
rider would tap the quill with their shoe to flip the pedal over so
the shoe could be inserted into the pedal.[2]

The main difference between track, road, and touring quill

pedals is width. Track pedals are narrow and the front and
back plates of the cage are separate, road being a little wider
with a one piece cage in a shape of a sideways "U", and touring
being the widest to allow for comfort when used with wider,
non-racing shoes during longer rides. While quill pedals can be
used for mountain biking, the use of clips here is dangerous as
they do not grip well. Cage pedals built for mountain biking are
typically serrated so that even when muddied, the pedals can
be gripped well by any flat shoe.

Shimano SPD system

Clipless pedals …
LOOK road pedals

Eggbeater pedal with cleat from Crankbrothers, designed for mountain bikes

Clipless pedals (also clip-in or step-in) require a special cycling

shoe with a cleat fitted to the sole, which locks into a
mechanism in the pedal and thus holds the shoe firmly to the
pedal. Most clipless pedals lock onto the cleat when stepped
on firmly and unlock when the heel is twisted outward,
although in some cases the locking mechanism is built into the
cleat instead of the pedal. Clipless refers to the toe clip (cage)
having been replaced by a locking mechanism and not to
platform pedals which would normally not have toe clips. The
clipless pedal was invented by Charles Hanson in 1895.[3] It
allowed the rider to twist the shoe to lock and unlock and had
rotational float (the freedom to rotate the shoe slightly to
prevent joint strain).[4] The M71 was a clipless pedal designed
by Cino Cinelli and produced by his company in 1971. It used a
plastic shoe cleat which slid into grooves in the pedal and
locked in place with a small lever located on the back side of
the pedal body. To release the shoe a rider had to reach down
and operate the lever, similar to the way a racing cyclist had to
reach down and loosen the toestrap. The lever was placed on
the outside edge of the pedal so that in the event of a fall the
lever hitting the ground would release the foot. The pedal was
designed for racing, in particular track racing, and because of
the need to reach down to them to unclip, they have been
referred to as "death cleats".[5] In 1984, the French company
Look applied downhill snow skiing binding or cleat technology
to pedals, producing the first widely used clipless pedals.
Initially used by triathletes in order to facilitate faster
"transitions", Bernard Hinault's victory in Tour de France in
1985 then helped secure the acceptance of quick-release
clipless pedal systems by cyclists. Those pedals, and
compatible models by other manufacturers, remain in
widespread use today. The cleat is engaged by simply pushing
down and forward on the pedal, or, with some designs, by
twisting the cleat in sideways. Then, instead of loosening a
toestrap or pulling a lever, the cyclist releases a foot from the
pedal by twisting the heel outward.
SPD Dual Choice with shoe

The next major development in clipless pedals was Shimano's

SPD (Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) pedal system. Whereas
Look cleats are large and protrude from the sole of the shoe,
SPD cleats are small and could be fitted in a recess in the sole,
making it possible to walk (although comfort will vary, as the
soles of different cycling shoes vary in their rigidity, depending
on design). Cycling shoes have rigid soles to maximize power
transfer and efficiency. They may be specific to road or
mountain biking, or usable for both. Shoes designed for
mountain biking typically have recessed cleats that do not
protrude beyond the sole of the shoe, and have treads for
walking on trails, as walking or carrying the bike is often
required. Road cycling shoes are typically lighter than their
mountain bike counterparts, and feature a protruding cleat and
less weatherproofing. The protruding cleat makes these shoes
impractical for walking, as doing so can damage the cleat.
Mountain bike cleats can generally be mounted without
difficulty to road shoes although sometimes an adapter is
required. Such attachment is not usually possible for road
pedals, as the cleats are normally too large to be mounted on
mountain shoes. The smaller mountain bike cleats are
attached to the sole of the shoe by two bolts; larger road-
specific cleats are attached by three. Various manufacturers
have produced their own designs of clipless pedal systems
over the years.

Xpedo M-FORCE 4 TI pedals with six-degree float

Platform adapters are designed to temporarily convert clipless

pedals into more traditional platform pedals which have a
larger and flatter area for the foot to rest on. Clipless pedals
can have advantages over flat ones,[6][7] especially in mountain
biking and racing. They keep the foot from slipping in wet and
muddy conditions and provide better transfer of power. Since
the pedal platform adapters temporarily converts these into
platform pedals, this allows riders to wear normal shoes
without switching to another bike with a different pedal setup.
They can be fastened by using bolts but as they are normally in
temporary use, it is also common for them to be mounted
using different snap-on techniques. Although it is possible to
use clipless pedals with regular footwear, they will be much
less comfortable than platform pedals, as the shoe sole is
more likely to bend or slip.

Float and tension …

Float is defined as the degree of movement offered by the cleat

within the pedal before release begins. This can be highly
important to prevent damage to knees, as most people's legs
do not remain in a single plane as they pedal. Many standard
road pedal systems offer cleats with a six-degree float. SPD-
SL, Look Delta, Look Kéo, and Time cleats are also available in
three-degree and zero-degree float. Road pedal systems
commonly colour-code cleats by the amount of float offered.
Some pedal systems have a fixed (non-adjustable) float, such
as six degrees for Crankbrothers and 4.5 degrees for the Kéo
Easy. Most cleats develop more float as they wear.

Magnet pedals …
Davtus magnet pedal

Magnetic pedals were introduced as early as 1897,[8] and the

Exus Mag Flux Road was available in 1996.[9] Norbert Sadler
and Wolfgang Duerr filed for a patent in 2005,[10] and it has not
been granted as of 2012.[10] Established bicycle component
manufacturer, Mavic, introduced a magnetic pedal and
dedicated shoe for casual riding in 2009.[11] Others have
received mixed reviews.[12][13]

Folding …

To maximize compactness, folding bicycles often have pedals

that fold as well.
 Folding Folding ...and
pedal on pedal on folded
a a
Brompto standard
n bicycle bicycle,
unfolded..
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Attachment
The pedal spindle is threaded to match a threaded hole at the
outboard end of the cranks. Multi-piece cranks have a 9⁄16-inch
(14.29 mm) hole with 20 TPI (a diameter/pitch combination
fairly unique to this application). One-piece cranks use a 1⁄2-
inch (12.7 mm) by 20 TPI hole. French pedal spindles use M14
× 1.25 (14 mm (0.551 in) metric diameter with 1.25 mm
(0.049 in) pitch) threads, and thread loosely into a 9/16 pedal
hole. The threading size is often stamped into the crank, near
the pedal hole. The right-side (usually the drive-side) pedal
spindle is right-hand threaded, and the left-side (usually the
non-drive-side) pedal spindle is left-hand (reverse) threaded to
help prevent it from becoming loose by an effect called
precession.[14][15] Although the left pedal turns clockwise on its
bearing relative to the crank (and so would seem to tighten a
right-hand thread), the force from the rider's foot presses the
spindle against the crank thread at a point which rolls around
clockwise with respect to the crank, thus slowly pulling the
outside of the pedal spindle anticlockwise (counterclockwise)
because of friction, and thus would loosen a right-hand thread.
For a short time in the early 1980s, Shimano made pedals and
matching cranks that had a 1-inch (25.4 mm) by 24 TPI
interface. This was to allow a larger single bearing, as these
pedals were designed to work with just one bearing on the
crank side rather than the conventional design of one smaller
bearing on each side.[16]

See also
Animation of a bicycle pedal
Crankset
Cycling shoe
Treadle

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bicycle pedals.

1. Sampson, Eric A. (28 March 1989). "Integrated Bicycle
Pedal" . United States Patent Office. Retrieved 5 May
2011.
2. Bridge, Raymond (1979). Bike touring: the Sierra Club
guide to outings on wheels . Sierra Club Books.
3. "Perfecting the Clipless Pedal". Velo News. Inside
Communications, Inc. 36 (5): 60. 2007.
4. "The History of the Bicycle Pedal" . Archived from the
original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
5. Brown, Sheldon. "Bicycle Glossary Da-Do: Death Cleat" .
Sheldon Brown. Archived from the original on 10
September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
6. "The advantages of clipless cycling pedals" , Livestrong.
Retrieved on August 17, 2013.
7. "Why You Should Switch to Clipless Pedals" , Gizmodo.
Retrieved on August 17, 2013.
8. "Bicycle Pedal History Museum, Bicycle Pedal Timeline" .
Speedplay Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-12. "1897: Tudor invents
first magnetic clipless pedal."
9. "Bicycle Pedal History Museum, Clipless Road Pedal
Gallery and Time Line" . Speedplay Inc. Retrieved
2010-04-12. "Exus Mag Flux Road 1996, Taiwan, Foot is
secured by a powerful earth magnet"
10. "Magnetic non-positive connection between a bicycle
pedal and the shoe of a cyclist" . World Intellectual
Property Organization. Retrieved 2012-07-23. "...unlimited
relative movement, in particular, in rotation, between the
bicycle shoe and the pedal, without causing undesired
separation of the magnetic non-positive connection."
11. "Mavic EZ-Ride Evolve pedals review" . BikeRadar. 3 Sep
2009. Retrieved 2012-07-23. "EZ-Ride Evolve pedals are
fantastic if you consider what they’re designed to do."
12. "ProTonLocks Magnetic Pedals: Review" . MtnBikeRiders.
Nov 5, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30,
2012. Retrieved 2012-07-23. "I’m not going to beat around
the bush, these pedals suck"
13. Charlie Sorrel (September 24, 2009). "Magnetic Bike
Pedals Work With Any Shoes" . Wired. Retrieved
2012-07-23. "We agree, and we see the exact same
problem with this version from Proton Locks. While it has
a big advantage over the Mavic EZ-Ride pedals in that it
comes with magnetic plates to bolt onto your own shoes,
rather than requiring you buy a specially made pair, it still
suffers from a lack of locking."
 14. Jobst Brandt (April 28, 2004). "Left Hand Threads" .
Sheldon Brown. Retrieved 2012-11-13. "Unscrewing occurs
from precession, in which a round object rolling in a
circular ring in one direction will itself turn in the opposite
direction."
15. Sheldon Brown. "Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary:
Precession" . Retrieved 2012-11-13. "'Precession' refers to
the tendency of a part subject to rotating stresses to
rotate in the opposite direction of the stress rotation."
16. "1982 Shimano Catalog" . Archived from the original on
2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-04.

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