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Pedals can often be overlooked when it comes to fat bike riding. People tend to concentrate more on getting the right set of tires when it comes to improving their ride, but your pedals can actually make a significant difference to the quality of your ride.
Your pedals are not just essential for helping you deliver power to your wheels, but they also take a lot of abuse when you are riding off-road and jumping off drop-offs. For these reasons, it is a good idea to invest in a good set of pedals for your fat bike.
In this guide, I will cover what you should look for when buying pedals for your fat bike, as well as 8 of the best pedals you can get for your fat bike today.
Best Fat Bike Pedals
Quick List:
Nukeproof Horizon Pro Sam Hill Enduro Pedals
Spank Spoon 100 Pedals
ROCKBROS Mountain Bike Pedals
LOOK Trail Roc Bike Pedal
SHIMANO PD-EH500 Urban Riding & Cycle Touring Double-Sided Bike Pedal
Crank Brothers Double Shot Pedal
Race Face AEffect Platform Pedals
Bontrager Line Elite MTB Platform Pedals
Hirate Mountain Bike Pedal
How to Choose the Best Fat Tire Bike Pedals for Your Ride?
When it comes to choosing the right fat bike pedals, you need to think about the type of riding you will be doing most of the time, as this will influence which pedals you should go for.
If you will be taking your fat bike on rides in the winter, through snow and ice, you will quite often need to be able to throw your foot out quickly in order to stop yourself from falling off. Even with a good set of studded tires, your wheel could slip out if you are riding too fast on the slippy surface. For these conditions, you should look to get a set of platform fat bike tires as these will allow you to get your foot down quickly should you need to catch yourself quickly.
The situation is similar when you are riding in particularly boggy, muddy conditions. Whilst your fat tires will help you get through most sticky situations if you need to get your foot down quickly, being clipped into your pedals can make this difficult.
If you are more likely to be using your fat bike on easier to ride surfaces, such as pavements, roads or gravel, you might want to have the options to be clipped in as well as using a flat pedal. When riding with your feet clipped in, you are able to pedal far more efficiently than when riding using just your flat pedals.
The good news is that you can get pedals that allow you to ride clipped as well as unclipped. These are a great choice for those who will be riding on different surfaces and not just one type of surface.
How to install your new bike pedals
Installing your new pedals is a fairly straightforward task as long as you have the right tools for the job.
The main tool you will need is a pedal wrench, which is specifically designed to fit the thread needed to tighten pedals. This Pedal Wrench is a pretty affordable option that also comes with a Chain Whip, so you can maintain your chain as well.
You can install your new pedals by following the instructions below:
- Loosen the axle bolt on your old pedal. For your right pedal, you will need to turn anti-clockwise (left) to loosen the pedal and for the left pedal, turn clockwise (right).
- Once completely loose, remove the existing pedal by pulling it out from the crank arm.
- Apply some grease to the crank arm where the new pedal will go and the thread of the new pedal.
- Insert the new pedal into the whole in the crank arm where the previous pedal was.
- Tighten the axle bolt with the pedal wrench, turning clockwise (right) for the right pedal and anti-clockwise (left) for the left pedal.
Best Fat Bike Platform Pedals
Nukeproof Horizon Pro Sam Hill Enduro Pedals
Key Features:
- Weight: 18.8oz/pair
- Constructed from strong aluminum
- Very robust without being too heavy
- Specialy designed for high performance
- CrMo Axles provides enhanced strength
Spank Spoon 100 Pedals
Key Features:
- Weight: 14.1oz/pair
- MGR extruded alloy construction
- Shot-peened and anodized finish for additional protection against wear and tear in addition to corrosion protection in wet riding conditions
- Strikes a good balance between performance, stiffness and durability
- CrMo steel axles for a solid hold on any terrain
ROCKBROS Mountain Bike Pedals
Key Features:
- Weight = 10.6oz/pair
- CNC Machined High Strength aluminum alloy
- 5 stainless steel spikes for slip protection when riding in whet conditions
- Dust and waterproof design
- CrMo axle for enhances strength and durability when riding
LOOK Trail Roc Bike Pedal
Key Features:
- Weight 15.2oz
- Forged Aluminum pedals provide strength without adding excess weight
- Ultra strong 17mm axles designed to absorb shock with ease
- 12 steel pegs for enhanced grip in wet and icy conditions
- Suitable for use in all riding conditions
Race Face Aeffect Platform Pedals
Key Features:
- Weight = 13.2oz/pair
- Aluminium, concave body shaped to your feet
- Weight saving reduced spindle length
- 10 pins for added grip when riding in wet conditions
Bontrager Line Elite MTB Platform Pedals
Key Features:
- Weight = 12.3oz/pair
- Nylon resin material for the body makes these pedals extra light whilst still remaining durable
- Durable CrMo axles and sealed cartridges bearing provide a longer lasting performance
Hirate Mountain Bike Pedal
Key Features:
- Weight = 14.4oz/pair
- CNC cut high strength aluminum alloy body
- CrMo Steel lubricated axles with 3 premium bearings for enhanced performance
- 12 pins per pedal offer enhanced grip in wet conditions
Best Fat Bike Dual Use Pedals
SHIMANO PD-EH500 Urban Riding & Cycle Touring Double Sided Bike Pedal
Key Features:
- Weight = 13.9oz/pair
- Comes with a flat side for unclipped riding and a SPD clip on the other for urban riding
- 8 steel pegs for enhanced grip on flat pedal side
- Adjustable entry and release tension setting on the SPD side
- Great choice for those looking for flexibility when riding in different environments
Crank Brothers Double Shot Pedal
Key Features:
- Weight = 14oz/pair
- Clipped and Flat, non-clipped design
- A380 Aluminum body provides strength without adding excess weight
- 8 moulded spikes for extra grip when riding on the flat side of the pedal
- Forged 435 CrMo steel body
Summary
I hope that you have found this guide useful and that you now know how to choose pedals for your fat bike. At the end of the day, choosing pedals is a personal choice and really boils down to the type of riding you will be doing. Any of the pedals on this list will be a great choice.
Andy is an avid cyclist who enjoys nothing more than a ride out in the hills. Competing in track, road, time trial and mountain bike events in the past, he prefers slower rides out with his family these days.
