The 8 Best Cheap Mountain Bike Pedals

The MZYRH is the pedal that makes the argument for spending slightly more than the absolute minimum. It brings together three things budget pedals normally make you pick between: a machined alloy body, a sealed bearing spindle, and traction pins that are separate threaded parts rather than moulded lumps.

The body is the obvious part. Machined alloy stays thin, which puts the sole closer to the axle and buys ground clearance before the pedal clips a rock on the inside of a corner. It is also stiff enough that a hard pedal stroke does not flex the platform under the arch.

The pins are the part that matters over a season. When a threaded pin shears off on a rock, it unscrews and gets replaced. When a moulded pin snaps, the platform permanently loses grip in that corner. The same threads let you shorten or remove pins if the factory height is too aggressive for the shoes you ride in.

The trade is the usual alloy trade. It gouges on rocks rather than skipping off them, and when a wet foot slips the platform comes back around and finds a shin. If you ride in shorts and value your legs, that is a real argument for a composite body instead.

Bottom line: the best-rounded pedal here and the one to buy if you only want to do this once.

• Body: CNC machined aluminum alloy
• Spindle: 9/16 inch, for three-piece cranks
• Bearings: sealed bearing spindle
• Pins: removable threaded traction pins
• Platform: wide flat platform
• Fits: mountain, gravel, BMX and commuter bikes with 9/16 inch cranks

Buy these if you ride trails often enough that grip matters and you want to be able to tune it. They suit riders in flat pedal shoes, larger feet that need a wide platform, and anyone replacing a factory plastic pedal on a hardtail. Skip them if you ride in shorts and hate shin damage, where a nylon body is the kinder option.

Grease the threads before fitting and remember the left pedal is reverse threaded, with L and R stamped on the spindle. Start the thread by hand and stop at once if it resists, since cross-threading an alloy crank arm is expensive. Once fitted, ride a few times before deciding on pin height, then shorten or remove pins in pairs so grip stays symmetrical.

The ROCKBROS nylon pedal is the sensible first upgrade from a factory plastic pedal, and it is a different product from the thing it replaces even though both are made of plastic. The body is reinforced nylon composite with a properly wide platform and a real tread pattern, not a hollow shell with moulded ridges.

The advantage nobody puts in the marketing is what happens on impact. A composite pedal that hits a rock skips or chips instead of biting into it, and when it comes back around into a shin it hurts a great deal less than machined alloy. For anyone who rides in shorts, that is worth more than a small grip advantage.

Weight is the other benefit. Nylon gets you a wide platform without the rotating mass of an alloy body, which is noticeable over a long climb even if it is a small number on paper.

The limitation is that the grip is fixed. There are no threaded pins to raise, lower or replace, so what the mould gives you is what you live with, and in genuinely wet and rooty conditions a pinned alloy pedal will hold a sole better. Owners generally report the body outlasting the bearings, which is the right way round.

Bottom line: the pick for trail and gravel riding in shorts, and the pedal that does the least damage to you when it goes wrong.

• Body: nylon composite, glass reinforced
• Spindle: 9/16 inch
• Platform: wide flat platform with moulded tread
• Bearings: sealed spindle bearings
• Weight: light for the platform size
• Fits: mountain, BMX and commuter bikes

For riders in shorts, for anyone upgrading a stock hardtail, and for commuters who want a wide stable platform in normal shoes. Also a good choice for younger riders, since a composite pedal is far kinder in a crash. Skip it if you ride technical wet trails where you need to tune pin height for grip.

Composite bodies do not corrode, so maintenance is about the spindle rather than the platform. Check for play by rocking the platform on the axle every few rides, and if the pedal develops a wobble it is the bearing or bushing rather than the body. Rinse mud off rather than pressure washing directly at the crank end, which drives grit past the seal.

The CXWXC is a straightforward alloy platform pedal whose selling point is the removable nails, and that is a more useful feature than it sounds. Grip on a flat pedal comes almost entirely from the pins, so being able to take some out is the only real way to make a pedal suit your particular shoes.

The body is conventional machined and cast alloy: stiff, reasonably thin, and wide enough to support a mid-size shoe properly. It is aimed at both road and mountain use, which in practice means the platform is a compromise between the two rather than optimised for either.

The nails themselves thread in from the back, which is the arrangement that matters. When one shears off on a rock it comes out with a hex key and a spare goes in. Pedals with pressed-in pins cannot be repaired that way and permanently lose traction where the damage happened.

The advertised bearing count deserves the same scepticism it deserves everywhere in this category: it counts a plain bushing alongside a cartridge bearing. That is normal at this level and not a fault, but it means water management matters more than the headline number does.

Bottom line: buy it for the removable nails, which is the one feature that lets you set grip yourself rather than accepting the factory answer.

• Body: aluminum alloy platform
• Spindle: 9/16 inch
• Pins: removable anti-skid nails
• Bearings: cartridge bearing with bushing support
• Intended use: road and mountain
• Fits: bikes with three-piece cranks

Fit with greased threads, remembering the left pedal is reverse threaded. Ride the pedals as supplied for a few outings before changing anything. If the grip is holding your foot too firmly to reposition mid-corner, remove the two central nails on each side first rather than the outer ones, since the outer nails do most of the anti-twist work.

The question to answer is whether you want to tune grip. If you ride in one pair of stiff-soled flat pedal shoes and are happy with what the factory chose, a cheaper fixed-pin pedal will do. If you switch between trainers and proper flat pedal shoes, removable nails are what make one pedal work for both.

The GPMTER is a lightweight alloy platform pedal that gets the pin layout right. Sixteen pins per pair sounds like a marketing number until you look at where they sit: spread toward the outer edges rather than clustered in the middle, which is the arrangement that resists a shoe twisting off the platform.

The body is thin and light for an alloy pedal, and that combination is the reason to choose it over a heavier cast platform. A thinner body means more clearance before a rock strike and a more planted feel because the sole sits closer to the axle.

It is sold as a universal replacement across mountain, road and cross bikes, which is accurate as long as the crank is a three-piece design taking a 9/16 inch thread. That covers essentially every modern mountain bike but not older one-piece cranks.

What the listing does not tell you clearly is the bearing arrangement, and the honest reading is that it is the usual cartridge plus bushing combination found at this level. It works, but it means keeping a pressure washer away from the crank end if you want it to keep working.

Bottom line: a light alloy pedal with a genuinely sensible pin layout, best suited to riders who want grip without a heavy platform.

• Body: lightweight aluminum alloy
• Spindle: 9/16 inch
• Pins: 16 anti-skid pins per pair
• Platform: wide flat platform
• Intended use: mountain, road, travel and cross bikes
• Fits: three-piece cranks only

Suits riders who want alloy grip without carrying a heavy platform, and anyone replacing a worn factory pedal on a trail hardtail or a cross bike. It is a good all-round choice for mid-size feet. Less suitable for very large shoes, where a specifically wide platform is a better answer, or for one-piece cranks.

Check pin tightness after the first few rides, since pins can back out slightly as the platform beds in. Avoid aiming a hose or pressure washer directly at the crank end of the spindle, which is where grit gets past the seal. If play develops at the platform, that is the bushing rather than the body, and it is a warning rather than an emergency.

The BV pedal is the answer to a specific question: the factory pedal snapped, the bike needs to be rideable, and nobody wants to research pin heights. It is a plain universal fit 9/16 inch platform with a non-slip tread and no decisions attached.

Judged against what it replaces, it is a clear step up. The platform is wider than a stock pedal, the tread actually grips a normal shoe, and it is light enough not to change how the bike feels. Judged against a pinned alloy pedal on a wet root section, it is not in the same conversation, and it does not pretend to be.

The absence of pins is a feature for some riders. Pins chew soft rubber soles, and if the bike is ridden in trainers to the shops rather than in flat pedal shoes on a descent, a tread-only platform is the more comfortable choice by a distance.

There is no service access to the spindle, so this is a pedal you replace rather than rebuild when play appears. At this level that is a reasonable trade, and owner reports generally point to the tread wearing smooth around the same time the bearings loosen.

Bottom line: the value pick, and genuinely the right pedal for a commuter, a hybrid, or a bike that lives on gravel paths.

• Spindle: 9/16 inch, universal fit
• Platform: flat non-slip tread, no threaded pins
• Fits: most adult bikes and mountain bikes
• Weight: lightweight construction
• Service: sealed, no user access to the spindle
• Use: commuting, gravel paths, general riding

For commuters, hybrid riders, and anyone replacing a broken factory pedal without wanting to think about it. Also the right pedal if you ride in ordinary trainers and do not want pins tearing at the soles. Skip it if you ride technical trails in the wet, where tuned pin grip is the whole point.

Use a pedal wrench or a long hex key rather than an adjustable spanner, which rounds the flats. Grease the threads, start them by hand, and remember the left pedal is reverse threaded. Tighten firmly: pedals self-tighten in the direction of pedalling, but a loose pedal will damage the crank thread before you notice.

This is the alloy half of the ROCKBROS range and it targets a different rider from the nylon version. The headline is a four bearing spindle, and while that count includes bushings as it does everywhere in this category, the practical result owners report is a pedal that spins smoothly and stays free of the wobble that shows up early on cheaper axles.

The platform is large, which is the other reason to buy it. A big flat platform supports the arch properly and lets you sit the axle further back under the foot, which is more stable on descents than a small platform forces you to be.

Weight is stated at around 0.82 pounds, which is respectable for an alloy pedal of this size. It is heavier than the nylon ROCKBROS and lighter than a cast platform, which is where you would expect it to land.

Two honest drawbacks. The silver finish shows every rock strike, which is cosmetic but noticeable, and like every alloy pedal it will find a shin eventually. Neither is a reason to avoid it if you already ride in alloy pedals and know the trade.

Bottom line: the smoothest spinning pedal here and the pick if a large stable platform matters more to you than saving weight.

• Body: aluminum alloy, large flat platform
• Spindle: 9/16 inch
• Bearings: four bearing spindle arrangement
• Weight: stated around 0.82 pounds
• Finish: silver
• Fits: MTB, road, BMX and city bikes

Choose between this and the nylon ROCKBROS on where you ride rather than on price. Alloy with nails is the answer for wet, rooty, technical riding where grip has to be maximised. Nylon is the answer if you ride in shorts, want the lightest option, or share the bike with someone less confident. Both take a 9/16 inch crank.

Rinse rather than pressure wash, and keep the jet away from the crank end where the seal sits. Check the nails for tightness after the first rides. If the platform develops rocking play, the spindle can often be cleaned and regreased if the end cap comes off, which is worth doing before deciding the pedal is finished.

The Hapleby set answers a problem that catches people out more often than it should: you cannot fit pedals without a pedal wrench or a long hex key, and neither comes with a bike. Including one in the box turns a two trip job into one.

The pedal itself is a wide platform design running two sealed bearings per spindle, which is a better specification than the cartridge plus bushing arrangement most pedals at this level use. Sealed bearings at both ends are what keep the platform free of rocking play through a wet season.

The platform is wide enough to support a larger shoe without the foot hanging over the outer edge, and it is light for its size. Grip comes from the moulded pattern rather than adjustable pins, so what you get is what you keep.

The main caveat is track record. This is a less established name than ROCKBROS or Mongoose, so there is a smaller body of long-term feedback about how the bearings age. The specification is right; the history is shorter.

Bottom line: a good specification and a genuinely useful inclusion, worth a look if you are fitting pedals for the first time.

• Spindle: 9/16 inch
• Bearings: two sealed bearings per spindle
• Platform: wide flat platform
• Included: one pedal wrench
• Weight: lightweight construction
• Fits: mountain and road bikes with three-piece cranks

For a first-time pedal swap, for anyone without a pedal wrench in the toolbox, and for riders with larger feet who need a wide platform. The sealed bearing specification also makes it a reasonable choice for wet climates. Less suited to riders who want to tune grip with adjustable pins.

Use the supplied wrench on the spindle flats, not on the pedal body. Grease the threads first, start them by hand, and remember the left pedal is reverse threaded and stamped L. Tighten firmly. If the wrench flexes on a tight old pedal you are removing, a longer workshop wrench is the safer tool for that job.

The Mongoose pedals solve the problem that catches out more buyers than any other in this category: the thread size. Older bikes and inexpensive department store bikes use a one-piece steel crank that takes a 1/2 inch pedal thread, and a 9/16 inch pedal will not go in. These ship to fit either, which removes the risk entirely.

The pedal itself is a plain durable alloy platform with a moulded tread rather than adjustable pins. It is heavier than the machined alloy pedals here, and that weight buys durability rather than performance, which is the right priority for the bikes it usually ends up on.

Reflectors are fitted as standard. On a trail bike that is extra bulk to remove, but for anything ridden on the road it is a legal requirement in many places and one less thing to buy separately.

Grip is adequate rather than exceptional. The tread holds a normal shoe well enough on gravel and pavement, and it will not match a pinned alloy pedal in the wet. For the riders this pedal is aimed at, that is the correct trade.

Bottom line: the safe answer when you are not sure what crank the bike has, and the practical choice for road and path riding.

• Fits: 1/2 inch or 9/16 inch cranks
• Body: durable alloy platform
• Reflectors: fitted as standard
• Supplied: set of two
• Grip: moulded tread, no adjustable pins
• Use: mountain, path and road riding

The one question to settle first is the crank. If the crank arms and the axle are a single continuous piece of steel, you need 1/2 inch and most pedals in this roundup will not fit. These will. If your bike has a modern three-piece crank, you have the full choice and can pick on grip and weight instead.

For riders with older or department store bikes on one-piece cranks, for anyone ordering pedals without being able to check the crank first, and for road and path riding where reflectors are needed. Less suited to technical trail riding, where a lighter pinned pedal gives noticeably more grip.