With this blog I’ll be giving you my top picks for the best clipless pedals for cyclocross racing.
It seems like cyclocross imagery is dominated by mud-caked individuals riding epic courses. So when you think about this particular cycling discipline it’s obvious that good mud-shedding capabilities should be at the forefront of what makes a good cyclocross clipless pedal.
And when riding in muddy conditions, it also makes very much sense to focus on bearing quality and longevity. Clipless pedals which have dominated the cyclocross scene have always been the most minimalistic versions, with hardly any platform to speak of.
These race-oriented pedals are basically the cleat mechanism attached to the spindle. So any weight gain you could get resides in the axle, with titanium versions being the most premium ones.
Since I understand not everybody is looking to spend hundreds of dollars on a minimal pair of pedals with titanium axles, I’ve included a range of pedals within the same category. The gains between pedals is mostly marginal whereas its functionality is almost the same since the mechanism doesn’t change between pedals.
So on this list of the best clipless pedals for cyclocross racing you’ll find both extremely pricey and very budget-friendly options. A table overview at end of the article is added for your convenience.
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11
Among each product category there are always a number of items that jump out, and the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 is definitely one of those products.
Before I say anything else about this pedal, let me state that it’s one of the best clipless mountain bike pedals on the market for sure. It’s absolutely stunning, the lightest one by a huge margin, and exquisitely crafted.
And we can talk all day long about the ease-of-use of this pedal versus your standard SPD one, float, release tension, what have you, but the fact is they are too expensive when compared to other titanium offerings.
What sets these Eggbeaters apart from the rest of its namesakes is that everything is made from titanium, meaning the spindle, wings, and body. It ensures it’s the only mountain bike pedal below 200 grams (claimed 179 grams).
They’ve long since taken care of bearing issues, which means the single needle bearing and cartridge bearing still perform smoothly after prolonged use. If I would create the ultimate XC racer, this pedal would probably be on that bike.
That being said, if money is even somewhat of a concern, you’re better off buying the Eggbeater 3, which is a third of its price.
- Leaves the competition in the dust from a weight perspective
- Too expensive
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3
The Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3 is one of the lightest mountain bike pedals on the market at a claimed weight of 280 grams.
The minimalistic design of these clipless mountain bike pedals is known for its mud-shedding ability, because there’s hardly anything to cling to, and the single glide bearing and cartridge bearing ensures smooth action, with the proper care. Its body and wing are both made from stainless steel, with a chromoly axle.
It’s recommended to use Crankbrothers cleats, which are a tad bit more expensive than the standard Shimano ones.
They offer an industry standard float of 6°, and a release between 15° or 20°. The 4-point engage system, versus the traditional 2 takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, getting in or out of the pedals will feel natural and easy.
The pedal doesn’t have any platform at all, so it’s recommended you use them with carbon shoes.
- Lightweight XC or gravel pedals
- Minimal design requires carbon shoes
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 2
The Crankbrothers Eggbeater 2 is almost similar to the Eggbeater 3, with the same axle, and body. Except the wings are made from stamped steel instead of stainless. And it offers a standard enduro bearing instead of the MAX version of both the 3 and 11.
Naturally pedal manufacturers try to differentiate products in their lineup, and with the Eggbeater 2 they’ve done so in such a way that I would favor the more expensive 3 or cheaper 1 over this pedal. That’s because I deem the better Enduro Max bearing of the 3 worth paying the price for it. Yet opting for the fully stamped steel body of the 1 and just having a stamped steel body instead of a stainless steel one doesn’t really make much difference at all
- Lightweight XC or gravel pedals
- Minimal design requires carbon shoes. Not distinctive enough compared to the Eggbeater 3 or 1
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 1
The Crankbrothers Eggbeater 1 lowers the cost even more by replacing the stainless steel body with a stamped steel version. They are the entry level version of these types of pedals.
Considering the fact that the ride quality is very similar to each other pedal in the Eggbeater lineup, they offer the best value-for-money by far, for a pedal still below 300 grams (at 290).
- Best value-for-money Eggbeater pedals
- Minimal design requires carbon shoes
Shimano XTR PD-M9100
There is no best of list without Shimano XTR, and the Shimano XTR PD-M9100 is the best, most minimalistic clipless pedal in their lineup.
Where every other manufacturer offers versions with titanium axles to reduce weight, Shimano does not, which means these pedals are light enough at 310 grams, but not the lightest. Third-party titanium axles are available that enable you to get these pedals below 300 grams, but it’ll cost you multiple dollars per gram to do so.
At 15.1 mm the XTR pedals have one of the lowest stack height of all clipless pedals, which means a very low risk of pedal strikes.
The rear part of the mechanism is spring-loaded, which means you engage the pedals toe first. This takes a bit getting used to, especially when you’ve never used clipless pedals before. When attached they offer a snug feel with minimal float of 4 degrees, and reasonable release tension at 13 degrees. This is good for those people who want a super consistent pedal feeling and maximum energy transfer.
The pedal comes in two different axle lengths, 52 and 55 mm, and are the only pedals that offer a dual cup and cone bearing setup. Such a bearing setup enables the pedal to enable a higher load.
The SPD system is outstanding with definite clicks to let you know you’ve either engaged or disengaged the pedal. There are multi-release cleats available, of which I’m not a fan, that allow you to disengage both ways and upwards.
Mud shedding is excellent with a minimal round machined body where debris has little change to pack. The platform is rather small, which means that I’d opt for the larger M9120 or other more trail-oriented pedals when moving away from XC or gravel riding.
The XTR pedals have been the benchmark against which all other pedals are measured, and these pedals ensure they keep that status.
- The benchmark clipless XC pedals ticking all necessary boxes
- Minimal float offers tight feel. Small platform less suitable for trail riding
Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100
XTR and Deore XT are always very closely related to each other in terms of functionality, but of all Shimano’s products I feel their pedals are the closest.
The Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 differs only slightly from its XTR counterpart. And the difference is a few grams, 32 to be exact, and 6 mm of stack height. It does mean the XTR is better, but ever so slightly.
I don’t need to repeat everything I’ve already mentioned with the XTR PD-M9100 because in terms of ride quality these are exactly the same. And nobody’s going to convince me that they can possibly discern the weight and stack height difference while riding.
- Offering Shimano reliability almost similar to the XTR version
- Minimal float offers tight feel. Small platform less suitable for trail riding
Ritchey WCS XC
The Ritchey WCS XC is the best non-Shimano SPD alternative you can find. The clipping-in mechanism is virtually identical and works just as great.
The cleat tension can be adjusted with your standard 8mm hex tool and features a gauge so you don’t have to count the number of clicks to remember where exactly you are. Effective cleat tension options are both lower and lighter than Shimano premium SPD pedals, but offer enough room to suit all riders.
Very light indeed at a sub-300 298 grams, the pedal body is a forged alloy, which is considerably stronger than the cast alloy of the more budget-friendly Comp version. Little silver flat parts on the otherwise black body offer minimal support, so these pedals are definitely race-oriented for XC, cyclocross, and aggressive gravel riders.
Fully serviceable the dual bearings, one sealed and one needle bearing, alongside a single bushing on a chromoly axle ensures longevity. And as far as I know, there’s no weight limit set for these pedals.
Touted as being pedals that once helped Nino Schurter win races, you can’t argue with the fact that they are championship proven.
- Best SPD XC alternative
- None
Time XC 12
To create a weight of just 248 grams the Time XC 12 uses both a carbon body and titanium axle, which is a unique combination for a pedal.
Where the Eggbeater pedals don’t have any body for debris to cling to, all of the Time mountain bike pedals use their ATAC system. This unique system sheds debris out the front when engaged, which makes this pedal a go-to option for cyclocross or bad weather aficionados.
The carbon body is obviously more prone to wear than an aluminum or steel one, and with a large stack height of 19 mm the chance of a pedal strike is larger. By comparison the Shimano XTR PD-M9100 has a very low stack height of 15.1 mm.
The most important design feature of these XC pedals is the amount of float you have, which sits at the extreme end of the curve (a lot). Besides your standard 5 degrees angular float you also have 6 degrees of lateral float, unique amongst MTB pedals. This is excellent if you often have to deal with knee pain, because the pedal enables you to achieve your natural riding position more naturally. But the feel of movement can be disconcerting to those not used to it, and pedal disengagement is more inconsistent, than with pedals with a more fixed cleat position.
- Fantastic mud-shedding abilities and extremely lightweight. Large amount of float enables natural riding position more easily.
- Very expensive when compared to the XC 8. Largest stack height of all clipless MTB pedals. Large amount of float feels disconcerting and might produce inconsistent pedal disengagement.
Time XC 2
The Time XC 2 is the cheapest way to obtain the benefits offered from this lineup.
A composite body is used with a single sealed cartridge bearing on a chromoly axle, with the same 5 degrees of float and release angle between 10 and 20 degrees.
At 302 grams they are still pretty light, and definitely not much heavier than the more premium versions.
The ATAC mechanism is known for its above-average mud-shedding capabilities, so if you like cheap pedals for muddy XC or gravel riding, these are one of your best options
- Budget-friendly. Fantastic mud-shedding abilities and extremely lightweight. Large amount of float enables natural riding position more easily.
- Largest stack height of all clipless MTB pedals. Large amount of float feels disconcerting and might produce inconsistent pedal disengagement.
Clipless Pedals Weight Rating
Saving weight is an ever important thing to strive for when buying bicycle products, and of course you want the lightest clipless pedals available. Yet there are a couple things to keep in mind. It’s very difficult to make strong yet lightweight products. The lightest pedals are usually also more expensive than heavier ones. And you have to ask yourself how much you’re willing to pay extra to save 50 to a 100 grams or more.
The lightest pedals like the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 and Time XPRO 15 use titanium spindles, and a titanium or carbon body. And in general clipless road bike, cross country and/or gravel pedals are lighter, simply because they either have a small platform, or no platform at all to add weight.
In the following graph you can find all the pedals mentioned here and their weight ranking. A ranking of 0% means you’re looking at the heaviest pedal. A ranking of 100% means it’s the lightest.
Clipless Pedals Bearing Rating
An important aspect of pedals is their internals and bearing setup. Almost all pedal manufacturers sell bearing kits, and it’s nice that you can rebuild your pedal internals if you need to.
What’s even better is that the quality of the bearings are of such a nature that you either don’t have to rebuild the internals at all, or after years of service. This saves you both time and money, and you simply enjoy your pedals more.
High-end Shimano pedals are known for their longevity and according to my personal experience pedals from Hope are at least just as good if not even better.
In the following graph you can find the bearing ratings in relation to the highest quality setup. The bearing rating is calculated based on the bearing setup and the maximum load it can endure. It’s an approximation of the quality of the setup that does not take into account how well the internals are sealed from outside elements. The setup deemed best receives a 100 percent rating.
Specifications clipless pedals for cyclocross
Name | Price | Weight | Length | Width | Height | Body | Spindle | Bearings and bushings | Pins | float | release | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 | 499.99 USD | 179 | 32 mm | 75 mm | 15.2 mm | titanium | titanium | Enduro sealed needle bearing Enduro MAX cartridge bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | |
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3 | 149.99 USD | 280 | 32 mm | 75 mm | 15.2 mm | stainless steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro MAX cartridge bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | |
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 2 | 99.99 USD | 285 | 32 mm | 75 mm | 15.2 mm | stainless steel / stamped steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro cartridge bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | |
Crankbrothers Eggbeater 1 | 59.99 USD | 290 | 32 mm | 75 mm | 15.2 mm | stamped steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro cartridge bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | |
Shimano XTR PD-M9100 | 179 USD | 310 | 15.1 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 2 cup and cone bearings, 1 bushing | none | 4° | 13° | |||
Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 | 130 USD | 342 | 43 mm | 16.5 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 2 cup and cone bearings, 1 bushing | none | 4° | 13° | ||
Ritchey WCS XC | 149.95 USD | 298 | 15.5 mm | forged aluminium | Cr-Mo | 1 sealed cartridge bearing, 1 bushing, 1 needle bearing | none | 4° | ||||
Time XC 12 | 317 USD | 248 | 19 mm | carbon | titanium | 2 cartridge bearings, 1 bushing | none | 5° | 10° / 13° / 17° | |||
Time XC 2 | 42 USD | 302 | 19 mm | fiberglass / composite | Cr-Mo | 2 cartridge bearings, 1 bushing | none | 5° | 10° / 13° / 17° |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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