why are road bike clipless pedals "single sided"?

Bought my first road bike a few months ago, and not wanting to spend loads on it, I used a spare pair of crank brothers acid clipless pedals that I had hanging around from my mountain bike. These have worked fine, but I thought that maybe they’re super heavy compared to proper road pedals, so maybe I should look to get some proper road bike clipless pedals.

Looking around at proper road bike pedals, I noticed that they all seem to be ‘single sided’ ie, the pedals have to be the right way up to clip into them? why is this? seems a backwards step to my mountain biker brain. There must be a good reason for it. The pedals themselves dont seem significantly lighter, so it cant be a weight saving measure.

In case they run out of things to be grumpy about

You don’t need to clip in/out so often on the road, I guess. Why add the weight/expense of making them double sided. I’m guessing here – but the roady mechanism seems to be bigger so maybe it would be heavier to have that mechanism on both sides.

You soon learn to flick them over so not really an issue in use.

Road pedals tend to be a broader, bigger platform for better support. Having a double sided big platform would jut add weight. Getting in and out of a road pedal is far less important than off road, so double sided isn’t any advantage there.

If you un-clip at all often on the road you may be doing it wrong.

🙂

To give ignorant mtbers something else about road bikes to be grumpy about.

Cornering clearance too – you need to be able to pedal round corners without grounding a pedal. I can on my road bike and when I ride my MTB sometimes I can’t do it and I forget! Going round a corner and hitting a pedal on the floor at 30mph is no fun at all!

Single sided pedals are lighter – one mechanism. Plus single sided pedals often have better clearance. Crit race and you’ll soon notice that when you ground your pedals.

My thoughts on the subject:

-Half the components(or maybe 1/3rd less) required to make them single sided? single binding mechanism per pedal = lighter…

-Road pedals are all about having the most stiff/direct interface possible, just look at the size of the cleats, bigger mechanism, bigger bulkier cleat, more working surface area, making it double sided would add even more weight and complexity for a feature you only need if you’re stopping all the time, in which case any “efficiency” would already be knackered…

-Marginally more Ground clearance?

-You can make that single sided pedal profile more awesome and aero?

-Real Roadies don’t need to “Dab”… often…

-Real Roadies don’t stop until the end of a ride…

-Nobody has ever actually complained to the manufacturers about the lack of double sided Road specific pedals, because they could always just go and buy MTB pedals, or speedplays…

If you really want a double sided clipless pedal they kind of already exist…

Cheers chaps, all interesting stuff.

In the interest of not spending money unless I have to, I will continue to use my mountain bike pedals,shoes, helmet and baggy shorts when out on my road bike and get funny looks from ‘proper’ roadies.

If you un-clip at all often on the road you may be doing it wrong.

This. If I pick a quiet route with few junctions, it can easily be 20-30+ miles before I have to unclip.

You’ll be fine after a couple of rides with a good single sided pedal and a tension and angle of release you are happy with.

Of course, if you can afford it Speedplay are double sided.

Dont forget road cleats have 3 (or 4 in the case of Speedplay) bolts so you might need new shoes as well.

Ask Dan Martin…

One issue is clearance.
Second, increase in platform size
Third is weight.
Fourth you rarely need to unclip

In the interest of not spending money unless I have to, I will continue to use my mountain bike pedals,shoes, helmet and baggy shorts when out on my road bike and get funny looks from ‘proper’ roadies.

I think you’re about 6 years too late to come up with that one and still be funny…..

Average road ride clip in leaving the house unclip when you get back to the house, bit of a waste having 2 sided. even if you stop at a cafe and double the amount of unclip/clip it’s still not worth it IMHO

FWIW I cba having a different set of foot wear for road riding when it’s such a small part of my overall riding so use mtb cleats and single sided pedals 🙂

Don’t worry – most of them will just completely ignore you.

I use Crank Bros Candy pedals for road riding and haven’t had any problems yet.
Mainly because they’re more convenient and it reduces cost.
Other than that I’m roadie-rules compliant.

I think while there are some valid reasons listed above, the biggest reason they are one sided is historic. Originally roadies used clips and straps, which are by definition one sided, so when Look came along they simply re-created that (plus coming from a ski binding company and mtbing at that time not really existing, I doubt a double sided pedal even crossed their minds). It took the big increase in mtbing and Shimano to properly design and market a double sided pedal in around 1990. Look even persisted with the single sided version offroad for a few seasons till they gave up.

I have seen loads of commuters using one sided clipless pedals. They often fumble about and wobble in front of traffic as they set off from lights.
The double sided users just step on, click and go. Safer IMHO.

Lower stack height with single sided too.

They can be a pain for commuting, but I’ve just got better at clipping in!

I think you’re about 6 years too late to come up with that one and still be funny…..

even when I wear my full face helmet….

The double sided users just step on, click and go.

trackstanding is even quicker

tho it will earn you the ire of binners and other forumites.

Really? Why?

As long as folk can actually trackstand it makes a lot of sense! Plenty of folk though seem to slow to 0.5mph, then wobble forward, pause, wobble, pause, wobble. By this time they’re actually sideways on blocking everyone’s path, but have passed the ASL, so think it easier to just ride off. If you RLJ slowly enough it’s not illegal right!?

thats not trackstanding tho is it?
that riding very slowly quite badly

TBH if there’s railings or a post available to rest my hand on I’ll use that rather than “showboating”

I can’t remember the last time I “dabbed” (or unclipped) mid-ride, including 70+ mile jaunts, excluding an intentional stop for coffee/cake/loo.

Commuting on a route with many traffic lights forced me to improve my trackstands.

I’d say the main reason is ground clearance. I’ve done a lot of Crit racing and when you just sneak that last pedal stroke in or grab an early one on the exit of a corner you’ll be glad there’s not a big bulky pedal there! My shoe soles have scuffs on the corners from last years Tour Series.

thats not trackstanding tho is it?
that riding very slowly quite badly

Haha! True, but it seems to be the standard practice in London!

In the interest of not spending money unless I have to, I will continue to use my mountain bike pedals,shoes, helmet and baggy shorts when out on my road bike and get funny looks from ‘proper’ roadies.

You are SO cool.

even when I wear my full face helmet….

Swoon!

Not only are road pedals about half the weight of SPDs for example, the shoes are also lighter because SPD shoes have to have a deep well in the sole for the cleat, which means thick heavy rubber. Road shoes don’t even have rubber soles, just skiddy plastic.

The trouble with them being single sided is I live in city centre, and as such I need to negotiate numerous junctions and lights before getting out into the open road. If I’m starting in the country road pedals are fine, but they are at best a pain and at worst slightly dangerous in town.

I don’t understand the problem – as explained above, if you can’t trackstand just RLJ

If you want to spend loads of money, speedplay are double sided (because all the complicated stuff is in the cleat)

Not only are road pedals about half the weight of SPDs for example, the shoes are also lighter because SPD shoes have to have a deep well in the sole for the cleat, which means thick heavy rubber. Road shoes don’t even have rubber soles, just skiddy plastic.

depends on the shoe

The trouble with them being single sided is I live in city centre, and as such I need to negotiate numerous junctions and lights before getting out into the open road. If I’m starting in the country road pedals are fine, but they are at best a pain and at worst slightly dangerous in town.

Sounds like the perfect basis for an N+1 argument:

“No love, you see I NEED a round town commuting Road bike with double sided pedals for all the stopping and starting, you do want me to be safe riding in traffic, don’t you?
And then I’ll also NEED a “Best” bike for the weekends, if I ride the commuter will never be able to keep up with the others, you don’t want me to feel like a failure, lose interest and get fat again, Do you?”

Is that all you were really after?

just keep one foot clipped in and pedal like that until you get your other foot in.added bonus is it improves your leg strength if you alternate legs

Just an off topic point to those above, can people please say ‘crits’ not ‘crit races’ and ‘ride a crit’ instead of ‘crit racing’.

Thanks. There is literally nothing worse.

They get easier to clip in/ out of as the bearings wear in. Once the pedals naturally fall heavy-end-down they’re in the correct position to clip in and it’s easy.