In this article I’m going to give you a selection of the lightest mountain bike flat pedals on the market today.
The average mountain bike flat pedal weighs around 400 grams per pair. Unlike with other components there isn’t a huge difference in weight between budget and very expensive pedals. The reason is that carbon isn’t used in quality pedals to bring the weight down, because one pedal-strike and your carbon pedal would probably explode.
That means you’re left with aluminum bodies and there’s only so much CNC’ing to be done before you negatively impact the strength of your pedal body. Another avenue to reduce weight is to swap out the chromoly axle for a titanium one, and create the body from magnesium instead of aluminum.
Where usually lighter means much more expensive, that’s also not the case with flat pedals. The cheaper alternative for aluminum is using either nylon or a nylon composite. And nylon is lighter (and less durable) than aluminum.
To create a list that also includes affordable options, a number of the best and lightest composite pedals are also included here. In the end, it makes for an interesting overview of the lightest mountain bike flat pedals, with the most premium lightweight versions sitting next to the best budget lightweight ones.
HT ME03T
The lightest entry on this list, by far, is the HT ME03T. They are made of magnesium (hence the “M”) and a titanium spindle, which lowers the weight to a mere 218 grams. This is extraordinary considering the fact that the next lightest entry is 35 percent heavier.
The pedals are extremely thin. 11mm So if you like your pedals to be anorexic, and absolutely minimize the risk of pedal strikes, this is the setup for you.
HT (which stands for Hsing Ta) is a brand that only manufactures bicycle pedals (or it seems that way) and these are both their lightest and most expensive flat pedals. And with a price almost nearing 300 euros they are wallet-draining indeed.
The pedal makes use of HT’s proprietary EVO+ bearing system, which includes ball bearings within a container between two separate races, and 2 bushings.
The platform is relatively small and incredibly thin at 102 x 96 x 11 mm. The platform does provide ample amounts of grip with 20, rear-loading pins made from aluminum to further reduce the weight.
There’s something special about any bike component that caters to weight weenies, and this is truly a gorgeous piece of engineering for those who’re willing to spend the money.
- Lightest flat pedal on the market
- Small platform with weight restriction
HT PA03A
The HT PA03A is a premium nylon composite MTB flat pedal.
Even though composite pedals are very affordable, this pedal is a bit more expensive but for good reasons. It has a big concave platform measuring 105 x 107 x 18 mm.
Weighing 345 grams, the platform has 16 rear-loading pins, and 4 nylon ones sitting at the axle.
The machined chromoly axle holds dual cartridge bearings and a single bushing, which sets these pedals apart from the rest of the competition. These dual bearings ensure a longer lifespan, because the load get’s spread out.
The concave design and relatively large platform is simple but very effective in keeping your foot in place.
- Only composite pedal with dual bearing setup
- None
Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Small
The Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Small is the nylon composite version of their aluminum counterpart.
It measures 100 x 100 x 13 mm and offers a chromoly axle with both a glide and cartridge bearing.
Slightly concave with 18, rear-loading pins, it’s one of the best-looking and lightest nylon offerings out there, weighing only 299 grams.
- Tried-and-true design in an affordable composite setup with quality internal setup
- None
Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Large
The Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Large is the larger version measuring 114 x 111 x 13 mm.
This makes this pedal more suitable for riders with size 10-15 (us) or 43-49 (eu).
The large version is slightly heavier, but still very light, sitting at 329 grams.
- Tried-and-true design in an affordable composite setup with quality internal setup
- None
Crankbrothers Stamp 11 Small
Of all the mountain bike flat pedals I’ve researched, the Crankbrothers Stamp 11 is the most expensive at a retail price of 300 USD. No matter how you slice it, that’s a lot of money for a bicycle component, that really isn’t that complex. So what exactly does such an amount of money get you?
For starters, you’ll get a pedal that weighs exactly the same as their most budget offering: the Stamp 1. A pedal that costs 6 times less at 50 dollars. But that’s about as far as comparisons go.
But when talking about comparisons, it IS exactly the same as the Stamp 7. The Stamp 11 only differs in the material used for the spindle, which in this case is made from titanium.
The Stamp 7 costs 180 USD and offers the same dual bearing setup, the same aluminum body, and the same overall shape and size.
So if you ask me, 120 dollars for a titanium spindle and a 45 gram weight reduction across two pedals is a bit too much for my taste. Especially considering the fact you get the exact same riding experience with the Stamp 1.
So I’d go for the Stamp one or, if you don’t care about the money, go for the HT ME03T, which offers a magnesium body besides the titanium spindle.
- Stamp 7 with titanium spindle
- Hard to justify its cost
OneUp Components Composite
If you want to go big you want to go for the OneUp Components Composite MTB flat pedals.
The platform measures 115 x 105 x 18.5 mm, but still only weighs 355 grams with 20 rear-loading pins to keep your feet firmly planted where they need to be.
It offers the same single cartridge bearing and bushing on a steel axle as many of the competitors.
- The biggest composite pedal available for big riders
- None
RaceFace Chester
We at least know that the design of the RaceFace Chester was deemed nice enough to be copied. And it’s a nice-looking mountain bike flat pedal.
It has a big non-concave shape measuring 110 x 101 x 18.4 mm, with 18, rear-loading pins.
The weight is average, sitting at 360 grams.
It offers the same single cartridge bearing and bushing on a steel axle as many of the competitors.
- Very affordable, classic-shaped flat pedal
- It will forever be linked with the cheaper Fooker pedal
Flat Pedals Weight Rating
As with any other aspect of a bicycle product, weight is always an important component of a high quality product. When looking at flat pedals, there’s an important tradeoff to make between the strength of the pedal, versus how much weight you’re trying to save.
And unlike many other products that use carbon, which is very expensive, budget-friendly composite pedals are actually both cheaper to produce and lighter than aluminum versions.
A popular way to lose weight is to use titanium spindles. It makes the pedals extremely expensive however, so you have to wonder how much money you’re willing to spend to save 100 grams.
In the following graphs you find the weight rating of flat pedals, which is calculated based on the place between the heaviest and lightest pedals researched. A 0 percent rating means you’re looking at the heaviest pedal, and a 100 percent rating the lightest.
Flat 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.
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.
Flat Pedals Grip Rating
Obviously the biggest difference between clipless pedals and flat pedals is that you’re not stuck to the platform. To have better grip than your standard flat pedal, pins were introduced. They dig into the soles of your shoes and provide the grip necessary on rocky trails.
The grip rating calculated here is based on the amount of pins in combination with platform size. Another factor is pin height. Since pins can be replaced, whereas platform size cannot, I didn’t factor it into the equation.
Another factor is how concave a pedal is, and how much you’re able to naturally place your foot on the platform. Feet with shoes on them aren’t totally flat, especially not when you’re actually starting moving or pedaling.
The grippiest pedal, even without pin height taking into consideration, is the Chromagg Dagga. Those pedals have set the baseline against which all other pedals are measured. You can see the respective flat pedal grip ratings in the graph below.
Specifications lightest mountain bike flat pedals
Name | Price | Weight | Size | Length | Width | Height | Body | Spindle | Bearings and bushings | Pins | Service kit | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HT ME03T | 285 USD | 218 | 102 x 96 x 11 mm | 102 mm | 96 mm | 11 mm | magnesium | titanium | EVO+ bearing, 2 IGUS bushings | 20, rear-loading | ||
HT PA03A | 69 USD | 345 | 105 x 107 x 18 mm | 105 mm | 107 mm | 18 mm | nylon composite | Cr-Mo | 2 cartridge bearings, 1 bushing | 16, rear-loading | available | |
Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Small | 49.99 USD | 299 | 100 x 100 x 13 mm | 100 mm | 100 mm | 13 mm | nylon composite | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro MAX cartridge bearing | 18, rear-loading | available | |
Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Large | 49.99 USD | 329 | 114 x 111 x 13 mm | 114 mm | 111 mm | 13 mm | nylon composite | Cr-Mo | Igus LL-glide bearing Enduro MAX cartridge bearing | 18, rear-loading | available | |
Crankbrothers Stamp 11 Small | 299.99 USD | 299 | 100 x 100 x 13 mm | 100 mm | 100 mm | 13 mm | aluminium | titanium | 3 IGUS bearings | 20, front-loading | ||
OneUp Components Composite | 49.5 USD | 355 | 115 x 105 x 18.5 mm | 115 mm | 105 mm | 18.5 mm | nylon composite | Cr-Mo | 1 cartridge bearing, 1 bushing | 20, rear-loading | available | |
RaceFace Chester | 59.99 USD | 360 | 110 x 101 x 18.4 mm | 110 mm | 101 mm | 18.4 mm | nylon composite | Cr-Mo | 1 cartridge bearing, 1 bushings | 18, rear-loading | available |
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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