Flat vs Clipless Pedals: Which Is Right for Your Riding?

Flat vs clipless pedals at a glance

Flat pedals hold your foot by grip alone; clipless pedals hold it with a mechanical lock between a cleat on your shoe and a spring-loaded binding on the pedal. That one difference drives everything else.

	Flat pedals	Clipless pedals
Shoe	Any shoe; flat-specific shoes grip best	Cycling shoe with a 2-bolt or 3-bolt cleat
How the foot is held	Sole friction and pins	Cleat locked in a binding
Foot position	Free to move anywhere on the platform	Set by cleat position, plus a few degrees of float
Getting off	Lift or step off in any direction	Twist the heel outward
Pulling up	Not possible	Possible
Learning curve	None to start; technique takes time	A few rides to make exits automatic
Walking	Normal	Easy with recessed SPD cleats; awkward with road cleats
Ongoing parts	Replacement pins	Replacement cleats
Best for	Trail and enduro, skills, commuting, kids	Road, gravel, XC, touring, long rides

“Clipless” is the confusing name: it means “without toe clips.” You clip in to a clipless pedal. For the older system, see toe clips vs clipless vs straps.

Are clipless pedals more efficient? What the research says

At steady effort, the evidence for a clipless efficiency advantage is weak. A 2008 study by Mornieux and colleagues in the International Journal of Sports Medicine compared flat pedals with clipless pedals in competitive cyclists at submaximal intensity. It found no significant difference in pedaling effectiveness, net mechanical efficiency or muscle activity between the two.

The same study asked riders to actively pull up on the upstroke. That made the force on the pedal more effective, but net efficiency went down. “Pulling up” is not the free power it is often sold as.

Where clipless pedals do help is in keeping the foot located:

• High cadence: your foot cannot drift or bounce off at a fast spin.
• Rough ground: the foot stays put over roots, rocks and potholes.
• Hard standing efforts and sprints: there is no risk of a foot slipping off under load.
• Long rides: the foot returns to the same position every stroke, which suits riders with a dialed-in fit.

Good flat-pedal shoes on a pinned platform close much of that gap for trail riding. Treat any claim of a fixed percentage gain from clipless with suspicion.

Flat vs clipless by discipline

Each type of riding leans one way, but every discipline has riders on both.

Trail and enduro mountain biking

Both are common. Flats let you dab a foot in tight corners, bail out of a crash and adjust your foot mid-descent. Clipless keeps your feet planted through long, rough sections and helps on technical climbs. Many trail riders who want a bit of both use a clipless pedal with a pinned platform, such as the Crankbrothers Mallet E LS. For flats, start with our flat pedals guide.

XC mountain biking and racing

Clipless is the norm. Racing means long seated climbs, high cadence and hard accelerations, where a locked-in foot helps most. Light double-sided SPD or Crankbrothers pedals dominate; see double-sided clipless pedals.

Road cycling

Regular road riders almost all use clipless, usually a 3-bolt road system with a wide platform. Flats are fine for short, casual rides. Our SPD vs SPD-SL vs Look Keo guide explains the road systems.

Gravel riding

Most gravel riders choose 2-bolt SPD-style clipless. The recessed cleat lets you walk or push up steep sections, and double-sided entry is quick after a stop. Bikepackers who walk a lot sometimes prefer flats and hiking shoes.

Commuting and city riding

Flats or hybrids usually win. You can ride in work shoes, stop at every light without thinking and walk straight into the office. Clipless makes sense on longer commutes if you already change shoes at work. Our hybrid and commuter pedals guide has options for both.

Kids

Flats are the right choice for most children. They need to put a foot down instantly, outgrow cycling shoes quickly and often ride bikes with one-piece cranks that take 1/2” pedals, while almost all clipless pedals are made in 9/16” only. Older kids who race XC or road often move to clipless once their bike has a 9/16” crank.

Skills: what each pedal teaches

Flat pedals reward good technique. To lift the bike or keep your feet planted on rough ground, you have to use your body position and weight the pedals properly, because nothing holds your feet on. That is why many mountain bike skills coaches start riders on flats.

Clipless pedals let you lift the bike by pulling on the pedals, which can hide poor technique. It does not make clipless the wrong choice. It means riders who learn on clipless benefit from practicing on flats now and then.

Safety: falls, crashes and shins

Neither pedal is safer in every situation; the risks are different.

• Clipless risks: the slow topple when you forget to unclip at a stop, and staying attached to the bike in a crash if you don’t twist out in time. Low tension and multi-release cleats reduce both.
• Flat risks: a foot slipping off in the wet or over a bump, and pinned pedals striking shins and calves. Shin guards are common among trail riders on flats.
• Panic stops: flats always let go. Clipless exits become automatic after a few weeks, but they must be learned first. Our clip in and out guide covers practice drills.

Cost: pedals, shoes and parts

The pedals cost about the same; the shoes make the difference.

• Flat pedals: ride in any shoe. Flat-specific MTB shoes with soft, sticky rubber grip far better than sneakers, but they are optional for commuting. Pins wear and bend, so keep spares; see pedal pins.
• Clipless pedals: you need cycling shoes drilled for your cleat type, plus replacement cleats as they wear. Brass Crankbrothers cleats and plastic road cleats wear faster than steel SPD cleats. See when to replace cleats.
• Both: entry-level pedals do the job. Premium pedals mainly save weight and add better bearings.

Middle ground: hybrids, platforms and magnets

If neither extreme suits you, several designs sit in between.

• Hybrid pedals: clipless on one side, flat on the other, such as the Shimano PD-M324 or Double Shot 2. See single-sided clipless pedals with a platform.
• Platform clipless pedals: a clipless binding inside a large pinned platform, so your foot has support even when not clipped in. See double-sided clipless pedals with a platform.
• Magnetic pedals: a magnet holds a steel plate on a 2-bolt shoe and lets go in any direction. Compare them in magnetic vs clipless pedals.
• Toe clips and straps: retention in everyday shoes, common on fixed-gear and commuter bikes.

How to decide

Answer these in order:

1. Do you want to ride in everyday shoes? Yes: flats, a hybrid or straps.
2. Is your riding mostly road, gravel or XC? Yes: clipless, usually SPD for gravel and XC and a road system for road.
3. Are you learning mountain bike skills or riding steep, technical trails? Start on flats; try clipless or magnetic later.
4. Do you stop and start constantly? Flats or a hybrid.
5. Still unsure? A hybrid pedal lets you try both without committing.