12 of the Best 2020 Flat Pedals Ridden & Rated

Pedal Picking

As former Pinkbike tech editor Richard Cunningham liked to say, “flat pedals are just flat metal,” and he's not wrong. Unless they're made of plastic, of course, but I'll get to that in a bit. The basic design of a flat pedal is quite simple – take an aluminum body with traction pins threaded in, a chromoly spindle, some combination of bearings and bushings to allow them to spin, and bingo, you've got a flat pedal...

Except that it's not actually that easy. The dimensions of that platform, the orientation of the pins, and the size and number of bearings all have a noticeable impact on the way a pedal feels underfoot. Personal preference also comes into play when trying to decide if one pedal is better than another; some riders want the maximum amount of grip, while others want the ability to re-position their foot without lifting it all the way off of the pedal.

The following 12 options are some of the best mountain bike flat pedals currently on the market in 2020. They're all relatively thin and grippy and suitable for hard riding, but there are design features that elevate a few to the top of the charts. If you already own any of the pedals included in this round-up, congratulations – all of these are worthy options that should be able to withstand numerous seasons of hard riding without any major issues.

Are there other high-quality options that aren't mentioned here? You bet. These 12 picks are only a partial selection of what's out there, a compilation of some of the standouts that I've been spending time on over the last 24 months.

What about plastic pedals?

The focus of this article is on aluminum-bodied options, but I've mentioned if there is a comparable plastic version where applicable. Going with a plastic-bodied option is a great way to save money – plastic pedals are typically half the cost of their more expensive aluminum siblings, without that much of a performance difference.

Aluminum pedals do tend to hold up better to repeated rock smashing – they'll get scuffed and scraped, but typically don't get as battered as a more malleable plastic body. Some riders prefer the feel of a plastic pedal when it hits a rock, claiming that it glides over it rather than sticking, although I wouldn't say that's the best reason to choose one over another. Hit a rock with any pedal and you'll feel it – plastic doesn't really make that impact any less jarring.

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Deity's T-Mac pedals fall into the big gun category, with a whopping 105 x 110mm usable platform, and 14 hollow pins on each side. There's no shortage of grip, and the very concave shape lets shoes really sink in and lock into place. The T-Mac's aren't ultra-thin, and the squared-off shape does create less obstacle clearance than a more tapered profile, but I didn't notice any more pedal vs. rock impacts than usual, even compared to the thinner options on test. I did manage to blast one pedal into a dead stump at full speed, an impact that nearly ripped me off the bike, and it emerged unscathed, which is a good testament to the T-Mac's durability.

That high level of grip may be too much for some riders, but there are enough pins that removing a few for fine-tuning is entirely possible. On a similar note, the wide platform worked great for my size 11 shoes, but the width might be too much for riders with smaller feet.

The pins are all top loading, but if the top of the pin is too damaged for easy removal it's also possible to access them from the other side by removing the pin on the opposite side of the pedal. It's a clever setup, and makes pin replacement hassle-free.

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Looking for the maximum amount of grip? The Dagga's deliver. The 12 pins rise nearly 6mm above the pedal body in the stock configuration, or if for some reason that's still not enough there's a washer that can be removed from each pin to give them another two millimeters of height. Those tall pins combined with a generous platform create the grippiest option out of the 12 pedals reviewed here.

As I wrote in my original review, “the Dagga's pins look menacing, but my shins have remained scab free over the last four months of usage. That's thanks to the fact that I've yet to fully slip a pedal – there's so much traction, especially when paired with Five Ten's sticky rubber, that sliding off the platform is highly unlikely. Now, not everyone will be a fan of having that much grip – riders that want to be able to re-position their feet more easily may want to consider removing some pins, or purchasing the shorter pins that Chromag uses on their other pedals.”

The platform is nearly flat, but the pins around the perimeter help make them feel more concave than they actually are, especially if the center and inboard pins are removed. Durability, especially the weather sealing, has been excellent, although that sealing system does mean they don't spin quite as freely as some of the other options feature here – there's a little more resistance compared to say, the DMR Vault, but I'd take that over having water getting in and contaminating the bearings.

Gram counters and penny pinchers will want to look elsewhere due to that 487 gram weight and $180 price tag, but the Daggas are an outstanding option for DH riders or anyone who places a high priority on durability and a slip-free performance.

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We've all heard the saying, “flat pedals win medals,” a statement that's still partially true due to Sam Hill's recent enduro excellence. Granted, Mr. Hill is more of an exception rather than the rule when it comes to the relationship between his pedal choice and his results, but he's an ideal torchbearer for all the flat pedal fans out there.

His pedal of choice is the Nukeproof Horizon, which recently underwent a slight revision to the platform shape. The outer corners were shaved down a bit for more obstacle clearance, while the overall length and width of the pedal remained the same.

The Horizon pedals are slightly concave, but it's really the lack of pins in the center that contribute to the Horizon's excellent feel underfoot. For me, this is my Goldilocks pedal, the one that strikes the perfect balance of grip and shape. I can re-position my feet when necessary, but there's plenty of grip to keep them from getting bounced out of place on rough sections of trail. It's also possible to extend the bottom-loading pins by another millimeter by removing a washer.

The price is on the more reasonable side, and the pedals have held up very well over the last few months of muddy riding.

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DMR's Vault pedals show up in nearly every flat pedal compilation, and for good reason. They've got a sole-sucking (in a good way) portion in the center that gives them a very secure feel under foot, and that 105 x 104mm platform strikes a happy medium for a wide range of shoe sizes.

The 17mm thickness puts them in good company with the likes of the Nukeproof Horizon and ANVL Tilt – it's not crazy thin, but it's also not so thick that it feels like you're pedaling around with a brick under each foot. Downsides? The pins are on the thicker side, which means they don't dig in quite as tenaciously as thinner ones, and the outer seal against the pedal body can shift out of place, allowing water to get in to the internals.

The chromoly axle version shown here is the one I'd recommend, but if you have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket there is a magnesium bodied version with a titanium axle that's said to weigh only 290 grams.

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Third time's the charm? That sure seems to be the case with version 3.0 of Anvl's Tilt flat pedals, which is the best iteration of this model yet. Anvl is the component-focused arm of Transition bikes, and the latest edition of the Tilt gets a revised platform shape that measures 105 x 105mm, with a scooped out center portion to help keep those shoe soles firmly planted.

The pedal platform isn't the absolute widest, but the dimensions provided plenty of support for my size 11 feet, and the lack of an inboard bearing bulge opens up more foot placement options compared to some of the ultra-thin pedals out there.

There's enough grip from those 5.5mm high pins for all levels of trail roughness, although I do still wish they were bottom loading. It's not a deal breaker, but I prefer having the ability to adjust pin height by adding or subtracting washers, and in my experience it's easier to extract a mangled pin with that design.

The Tilt's price tag is on the more reasonable end of the spectrum, and they've held up very well to the last six months of use.

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Yoshimura are a newcomer to the mountain bike world; if the name sound familiar, it's because they're a well-known aftermarket motorcycle exhaust manufacturer. The Chilao pedals (the name comes from a Southern California riding spot) are made in the USA, and are available in two different platform sizes.

That made-in-USA tag does raise the price – at $190 these are the most expensive pedals out of the 12 featured here, but they also happen to be the lightest at 371 grams. That classic Keith Bontrager axiom, “Strong, light, cheap, pick two” is as relevant as ever.

The larger of the two options has a platform that measures 105mm wide x 100mm long, with 10 aluminum pins on each side. The overall platform height of 14mm is quite thin, especially for a pedal without an oversized inboard bearing.

As far as grip goes, the Chilao's fall in tmiddle of the pack. While the pin heights are staggered to help create a more concave feel underfoot, the raised inboard and outboard portions above the axle interfere slightly, preventing shoe soles from really sinking in the way they do on the DMR Vault or Deity T-Mac, for example.

It's still a little too early to comment on long term durability, but our test set is still spinning smoothly after nearly three months of regular usage.

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Shimano set the standard for clipless pedals years ago, but they haven't had quite the same level of success with their flat pedal offerings. They've been working to change that in recent years, and in late 2017 introduced an XT-level flat pedal to their lineup. It's the M-8040 that's pictured above; the current M-8140 model is identical other than a slightly different color scheme.

The M-8040s are a little thick for a modern flat pedal, measuring 18mm in the center and 20mm at the leading and trailing edges – that's the width of two OneUp aluminum pedals. Whether or not that's a factor will depend on your bottom bracket height and preferred terrain, but it's definitely something to be aware of. They come with two sets of pins, but the shorter ones are virtually unusable for off-road use – stick the 5mm ones in and forget about those little ones.

These pedals use Shimano's cup-and-cone bearing system, the same one that's found in their ultra-reliable clipless pedals. I've had these pedals in the rotation the longest out of all the pedals shown here, and they're still the smoothest spinning. They're also very easy to rebuild, as long as you have the very inexpensive plastic Shimano tool.

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e*thirteen returned to the pedal game this year with two new options, hoping to recapture some of the magic that was present in the original LG1+ pedals that debuted back in 2011. The pins are in the same location as they were on those LF1 pedals, but there's now an aluminum body, and an oversized inboard bearing.

The Plus pedals don't have the widest usable platform due to the bearing bulge, but their 110mm length and the distance they sit from the crank arm does create a decent perch to rest on. The pins provide enough grip for DH riding, and it's possible to remove the center two to give the pedals a more concave feel.

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The Wah Wah II's are right up there with the Dagga and T-Mac as far as overall dimensions go, although that oversized inboard bearing bulge does eat into the amount of available real estate. The bulge does allow the rest of the pedal body to be quite thin, right around 14 millimeters.

The supersized platform helps prevent unwanted slippage, despite the fact there are only 8 relatively small pins. A larger platform doesn't just help keep your feet in place, either; it also provides a large target to aim for if you need to take a foot off to drift around a corner, or to maintain balance on a long, sketchy skinny.

I do think an additional seal on the outside of that large bearing would help bump up the Wah Wah's wet-weather durability. There's a seal for the cartridge bearing itself, but water still seems to sneak in more easily than I'd like.

There's a plastic version of the Wah Wah II available that's nearly identical, other than the price and weight. That plastic version is also available with a smaller platform, while the alloy Wah Wah IIs only come in one size.

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The Penthouse MK5 is the latest version of Burgtec's classic flat pedal, with a little wider platform, a lower weight, and slightly more material carved out of the center. The weather sealing is excellent, as you'd hope from a company that's based in the UK, and the open platform shape prevents mud from clogging up the works.

I do wish that the pedals didn't sit so close to the crankarm – these are the narrowest pedals in this compilation when measured from the crank to the outer edge of the platform. According to Burgtec's Dan Critchlow, that's to keep them from hanging up on the edges of the UK's rutty, trenched out trails. The composite version is wider, and cheaper too; something to keep in mind if you like the look and don't mind a slightly thicker platform.

The amount of grip is similar to the Yoshimura pedals. It's decent, but not mindblowing. If I was doing rough DH laps all day, every day, I'd probably steer towards something with more pins and a wider platform, but I do like the MK5 pedals for general trail riding on less rowdy terrain.

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OneUp's naming scheme is about as straightforward as it gets. Their dropper post is called the Dropper Post, and their aluminum pedals are called, you guessed it, Aluminum Pedals (there's also a composite version called the Comp Pedal). Like the Kona Wah Wah II and the e*thirteen Plus, the OneUp pedals use a large inboard bearing to allow them to shrink the height of the aluminum platform. In this case, it measures only 9mm thick at the edges, and around 11mm in the center. OneUp claim the convex shape allows the pedals to sit in the natural arch of your foot, but I'm calling BS on that one. I don't ride barefoot, and the soles of the shoes I use don't have a raised portion where my arch is...

Thankfully, that convexity isn't really noticeable – the 5mm tall pins around the perimeter help take care of that. There's plenty of grip, although the smaller usable platform width is noticeable – I had a decent amount of shoe overhang from the 103mm platform compared to the wider options where that number can be as high as 120mm.

The pedal's low profile does help keep them out of harm's way, and the solid platform (as opposed to one with cutouts in the leading and trailing edges) should help it take a beating without bending or breaking. It's also worth mentioning that there aren't any DU bushings inside these pedals – they rely entirely on cartridge bearings, which is good news for riders who avoid bushings at all costs, no matter what.

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Tenet may not be the first name that comes to mind when you're thinking about flat pedals, but they're hoping to change that with the new Occult pedals. They have a wide, square profile, with dimensions that are close to those of the Deity T-Mac, although the Occults have a thinner profile at the leading and trailing edges, and they're not quite as concave as the T-Mac's.

11 pins are spread around the pedal body's perimeter, and an extra set of grub screws are included with each set for riders who prefer screws instead of pins. The bottom loading design also makes it possible to customize the pin height with washers. As an added bonus, the Occults come with the socket needed to pull them apart, as well as a free rebuild within the first year of ownership. Factor in that $99 price and it's easy to see how Tenet sold through the first run of these – they're expecting more later this summer.

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Top Picks

Most Grip
Winner: Chromag Dagga
Runner Up: Deity T-Mac

Best Value
Winner: Tenet Occult
Runner Up: ANVL Tilt

Best Overall Feel
Winner: Nukeproof Horizon
Runner Up: DMR Vault

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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Ridden And Rated Reviews Pedals Anvl Burgtec Chromag Bikes Deity Dmr Ethirteen Components Kona Nukeproof Oneup Shimano Tenet Components Yoshimura