I have been both a fan and user of one sided clipless pedals for years. And I thought it would be a good idea to commit my thoughts on the subject to paper and provide you with a list of the best the market has to offer.
There are a couple things to consider before committing to buy one sided clipless pedals. Though they might seem to offer the perfect combination of functionality from flat pedals and clipless pedals, you might be better off buying a pair of the latter two instead.
The first thing to consider is that you will need at least two pairs of shoes to fully be able to use the pedals. Obviously you cannot use the retention mechanism of the clipless side with shoes that don’t have cleats. Yet less well-known is the fact that using cleated shoes on flat pedals is far from adequate as well, especially if they’re road bike or XC shoes since they are incredibly stiff. And road bike cleats protrude from the sole.
One sided clipless pedals are a perfect option if you’re going to switch shoes in between rides. And this has to do with the function of your bike. So a bike used for both commuting and fitness would be an excellent candidate to benefit from having these types of pedals. The same goes for touring or bikepacking bikes, where you might also use your bike for a quick ride downtown after you’ve reached your camping space or B&B.
If we take a look at what’s actually out there in terms of product, you’ll find the pedals move from urban/commuting environments all the way to harsh trail conditions as far as functionality is concerned. So again, it’s totally dependent on your specific ride requirements (and budget) which pedal is most to your liking.
Let’s take a look at what made it on my list of the best one sided clipless pedals.
Xpedo Ambix
The Xpedo Ambix is a high-quality single-sided pedal with a large platform.
The platform measures 102 mm in length times 84 mm width, and is reminiscent of large flat pedals. The small Posi-Fit retention system sits on the other side. The entire design is an extremely open structure, so its mud-shedding ability is at a maximum, making this pedal even usable for muddy trail conditions.
Its retention mechanism is similar to Shimano’s SPD, and you can actually use your Shimano cleats with these pedals offering great compatibility. That’s a big plus if you’re used to SPD and already have shoes. Xpedo does offer its own cleats that come with the pedals, and they don’t resemble SPD cleats, so it is recommended you use the ones from Xpedo.
Moving in the pedals and disengaging is not noticeably harder or easier than what you would expect from the SPD system, and the pedals offer the same 6 degrees of float.
The pedals have a slightly larger-than-average Q-factor of 56 mm and are running on 3 sealed cartridge bearings on a chromoly spindle.
There’s a lot to love about these pedals. They are perfect for riders with bigger feet, or for those of you who simply enjoy a larger platform offering more support. They’re probably the best hybrid pedals for trail riding, or any type of riding in rough conditions. They look great, and offer perfect SPD compatibility and functionality.
Oh yeah, they also come in a slightly more expensive oil-slick version.
- Superb hybrid pedal
- None, if you're looking for this type of pedal
Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000
The Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 are the Japanese brand’s premium single-sided clipless option. They are one of a number of hybrid pedals from Shimano and are arguably the best they have to offer for a couple of reasons.
For starters, if you’re specifically choosing a single-sided clipless pedal, you can’t go wrong with the SPD mechanism of the XT pedals. There is no XTR hybrid pedal, since XTR’s focus lies in a very small weight reduction and stack height, characteristics which don’t make sense for a hybrid pedal.
What does make sense for touring and bikepacking is bearing life, and Shimano delivers with their signature cup-and-cone style setup. which is similar to the one used for mountain biking.
The PD-T8000 is markedly more expensive than the Shimano PD-EH500. But it does provide a much larger platform measuring 80 mm in length with a width of 90 mm. Especially if you have larger feet the added width will provide more comfort.
The flat side also offers 8 height-adjustable pins. Although in general this is not as much as a true MTB flat pedal, it does provide an ample amount of grip on harsher rides. The pins are front-loading, which can be an issue when damaged or broken, and reside in a machined aluminum body which is open enough for the SPD mechanism to not easily clog with mud.
In line with its touring characteristics, the pedals also feature replaceable reflectors for increased visibility in low-light conditions.
- SPD familiarity and quality in premium single-sided clipless pedal
- Relatively pricey when compared to the Shimano PD-EH500, the next Shimano hybrid alternative
Shimano PD-EH500
The Shimano PD-EH500 is another single-sided pedal from the Japanese brand. Although it’s much cheaper than the Deore XT PD-T8000 it’s also very different from that pedal in a number of ways.
The most important difference is the pedal platform. Although it does offer the same amount of pins, 8 front-loading ones on the flat side, it’s much less wide at 71mm versus the XT’s 90. That isn’t that much of an issue for people with small feet, but if you move upwards of a size 10 (for men) there’s noticeably less platform to support you.
The lack of support is much more apparent on the side where the SPD mechanism resides. Since the pedal body is curved, there is no support at all, giving it the same feel you’d have with a minimal XC pedal body. The only upside of this design is that the pedal, with its dark gray aluminum body, is very pretty to look at compared to the much bulkier XT single-sided pedal.
Another big difference with that pedal is the bearing quality. Instead of a dual cup-and-cone style setup, you have a single cartridge bearing and bushing on the chromoly steel axle. That’s fine for normal use, and you can replace them should you wear them out, but don’t expect the same longevity as its more premium counterpart.
Mud-shedding, should you find yourself needing it, is decent enough, and the mechanism provides the familiar SPD feel even if road conditions take a turn for the worst. Adjustability happens with a single allen key and is easy to do with solid clicks to audibly confirm you of its position change.
This is not a better pedal than Shimano’s XT version, but its price, and the fact you can run the SPD mechanism in a hybrid setup does make it a worthy contender.
- Budget hybrid pedal with SPD mechanism
- Look for the XT version if you want the best Shimano single-sided pedal.
Shimano Click'r PD-T421
There are a couple of good reasons why you’d want to opt for the Shimano Click’r PD-T421 pedals.
The Click’r mechanism is a variant of the well-known SPD system. The difference resides in the fact that both engaging and disengaging the pedal is much, much easier. It means the target audience for these pedals is not people familiar with SPD, but rather newcomers to clipless pedals.
Or people who want maximum ease-of-use disengaging because they’re going to use the mechanism for commuting and touring in urban environments with lots of starts and stops.
The increased amount of float and the fact you get multi-directional SM-SH56 cleats shipped with the pedals furthermore distinguishes these pedals from ones with the standard SPD mechanism. The multi-directional cleat provides more freedom of movement for disengaging the pedal. Either the horizontal outwards option or a diagonally upwards one. You can buy these cleats separately with SPD pedals that come with standard cleats.
The flat pedal side has a non-slip surface rather than a pinned construction. Together with the reflectors makes for a more commuting look than either the Shimano PD-EH500 or even the XT PD-T8000.
- For non-SPD users who want a clipless pedal with maximum freedom of movement
- If you're familiar with SPD or any other clipless system
Crankbrothers Double Shot 3
The Crankbrothers Double Shot 3 is the most expensive version of their only single-sided clipless pedal.
The pedals feature the non-adjustable clipping mechanism from the Eggbeater pedals with a generous platform for flat pedal riding. There’s always a trade-off with hybrid pedals, and it’s the same with the Double Shot pedal lineup.
Crankbrothers have chosen to provide support on the clipless side of the pedal for mountain bike purposes, which makes engaging the mechanism a little bit more difficult than with their minimalistic Eggbeater pedals. You can find the platform easily enough, but every so often it takes a next try to engage the mechanism. Nothing to write home about though.
The Double Shot pedals are lamented for having much less mud clearance than non-hybrid variants. This is because of a winged structure inside the platform where larger objects and/or mud can lodge and hamper engagement with the mechanism. It’s true enough and happens during muddy trail riding. However, I would never recommend single-sided clipless pedals for trail riding, because it’s a downgrade from either riding full clipless or flat pedal.
So it kind of doesn’t make sense to me to be using these for trail riding. But I can imagine that you might want to look for the Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 for bikepacking and touring in really rough conditions, if you really want a hybrid pedal.
There’s no denying the Double Shot 3 is a great looking pedal. It’s slim, it’s made of premium materials, and will look great on any rig. The flat pedal side holds 8 front-loading adjustable pins. That’s not as much as a true flat pedal, which often has 10 or more, and offers an asymmetric setup for rear-loading pins. Pins that are easier to remove should they get damaged.
The body itself is made from aluminum and cast stainless steel, with a stainless steel spring, and a forged chromoly steel axle running on a sealed enduro bearing. It’s a quality setup which is to be expected from a pedal in this price range.
- Stylish looking hybrid pedal
- Not for trail riding in muddy conditions
Crankbrothers Double Shot 2
The Crankbrothers Double Shot 2 hybrid pedals offer the exact same functionality, both pros and cons, as the Double Shot 3.
The only difference is the material used for the pedal body, which is a combination of aluminum and stamped steel instead of stainless steel. And rather than adjustable pins, they are molded from the pedal body itself.
- Arguably a better offer than the more expensive Double Shot 3, with more color options
- Not for trail riding in muddy conditions
Crankbrothers Double Shot 1
Last but not least the Crankbrothers Double Shot 1 offers the most affordable single-sided clipless pedal from this brand.
To further reduce costs, the pedal has a composite resin body. Considering the fact that it runs the same axle, almost the same bearings, same spring system, and allround same functionality as the Double Shot 3, it’s by far the best option from a financial standpoint.
- Best value hybrid pedals from Crankbrothers
- Not for trail riding in muddy conditions
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 one sided clipless pedals
Name | Price | Weight | Length | Width | Height | Body | Spindle | Bearings and bushings | Pins | float | release | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xpedo Ambix | 105 USD | 390 | 102 mm | 84 mm | 19 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 3 sealed bearings | 8, single-sided | 6° | ||
Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 | 130 USD | 392 | 80 mm | 90 mm | 17 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 2 cup and cone bearings, 1 bushing | 8, single-sided | |||
Shimano PD-EH500 | 79 USD | 383 | 90 mm | 71 mm | 17.4 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 1 sealed cartridge bearing, 1 bushing | 8, single-sided | |||
Shimano Click’r PD-T421 | 79 USD | 418 | 19 mm | aluminium | Cr-Mo | 1 sealed cartridge bearing, 1 bushing | none | |||||
Crankbrothers Double Shot 3 | 149.99 USD | 403 | 94 mm | 76 mm | aluminium / stainless steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro MAX cartridge bearing | 16 | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | ||
Crankbrothers Double Shot 2 | 99.99 USD | 395 | 94 mm | 76 mm | aluminium / stamped steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro cartrdige bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° | ||
Crankbrothers Double Shot 1 | 59.99 USD | 331 | 94 mm | 76 mm | composite / stamped steel | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro cartrdige bearing | none | 0°or 6° | 10° / 15° / 20° |
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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