Lightest Mountain Bike Pedals – Both Flat and Clipless

With so many different mountain bike pedals on the market, it is hard to know which pedals are actually the lightest and any good. Thankfully I have spent hours researching the lightest flat, clipless, and SPD pedals and which ones you should consider purchasing.

There is a huge amount in this article, so check out the table of contents to navigate to the information you need.

Lightest Clipless Mountain Bike Pedals

A Deeper Look At The Results

At first glance, there is an obvious winner that comes in much lighter than the rest: the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11. They are super lightweight, and you can see why. There is pretty much nothing to them. 

If you are considering these, then there are a couple of things to look out for. First, the contact area for your foot is very small, so they require stiff mountain bike shoes to avoid hot spots on your feet. 

Second, they are costly and best suited to someone with a considerable budget or a serious racer.

If you are looking for a super-light pedal under 250 grams, the one that has impressed me the most is the Xpedo M-Force 8 Titanium weighing in at only 215 g. The Xpedo pedal has a very reasonable price tag attached to it as well and is certainly more of a realistic option for someone looking at saving some grams. On top of that, it is SPD compatible, which means they’re an adjustable, versatile pedal. 

Other notable mentions on the list have to go to Crankbrothers again with their Candy 11, a trail pedal with a good platform. It is undoubtedly the lightest trail pedal on the market.

Now all those pedals under 250 grams are all well and good, but they all have rather low maximum rider weights. Therefore, if you are over that weight, what options do you have?

Thankfully, many stand-out pedals come in under 300 g, which is still incredibly light. 

The two most notable are the Xpedo M-Force 8 Chromoly and the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3. They are essentially the same as their lighter pedals counterpart but have a Chromoly spindle rather than titanium. Both at very reasonable prices, but the Xpedo has to take the medal for me as it is SPD compatible and has an excellent reputation for durability.    

Lightest Flat Mountain Bike Pedals

At first glance, it is clear that HT Components dominate the lightweight end of the lightweight flat pedals. Their lightest two pedals are considerably lighter than the remaining pedals, with the lightest being the ME03T weighing in at an incredible 218 g. What’s more impressive is they haven’t skimped on the platform size as I would still consider it a large platform.

Following the ME03 is the ARS03, also from HT Components. Although they are very light, weighing in at 222 g and being alloy, they are a much smaller pedal that won’t offer as much grip. They do not feature many pins like the ME03s and instead have grooves cut out into the platform that are never as good. They would make a great commuter pedal but won’t perform as well when out on the trails. 

In my opinion, for the majority, there is one pedal that stands out as super light and great value. For me, that is the Xpedo SPRY, weighing in at a respectable 270 g with a very reasonable price tag attached to it, and with a great reputation! The pedal platform is huge, so your feet won’t have any issues finding it, and with 14 pins on each side, you won’t struggle for grip!

So there you have it; if you are looking for super light flat pedals at a reasonable price tag, then look no further than the Xpedo SPRY pedals. If weight is everything, then check out the HT Components ME03 range, a lighter pedal but with a higher price tag. 

Lightest SPD Mountain Bike Pedals

When it comes to lightweight SPD compatible pedals, there are a couple of stand-out options. The one that has impressed me the most is the Xpedo M-Force pedals. They are super light! Weighing in at almost 100 g lighter than Shimano’s XTR for the titanium model and 50 g lighter for the Chromoly model. 

The other is the Shimano XTR weighing in at 310 g, which is actually a decent bit heavier than the Xpedos. One thing that XTR has over the Xpedos is that they are completely bombproof. I hammered mine out on the trails for over three years without any issue. I have never owned an Xpedo pedal, but going through the reviews and forums, they too have a great reputation for durability. Many people have said that they too, have owned Xpedos and thrashed them out on the trails for many years with no issues.

My opinion is that since they are in the same price range, if you are looking for a more refined pedal that is slightly easier to clip in and out of and comes with that great Shimano build quality, then sacrifice those extra grams and go with the XTR. However, if those grams matter to you and you are happy going with the little guy, then the Xpedos are definitely a great option. 

Are Flat Or Clipless Pedals Lighter?

Before looking into the data, I considered this question and had assumed that clipless pedals would be lighter as they do not need a large platform to support the foot. However, they have much more complex parts that make up the clipless system. To a certain extent, clipless pedals are lighter, with the lightest clipless pedal being the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11, weighing in at 179 g. In comparison, the lightest flat pedal is HT Components ME03T weighing it at a slightly heavier 218 g.

However, the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 are an outlier, and the remainder of the clipless pedal weights are very similar to the flat pedals.

A good fair comparison is the Xpedo M-Force 8 Chromoly clipless pedal vs. the Xpedo SPRY flat pedal. The clipless pedal just takes the win at 260 g compared to 270 g for the flat pedal.

So yes, clipless pedals are slightly lighter than flat pedals, but it is very close and depends mainly on your budget. Flat pedals overall are much cheaper than clipless pedals, and so with the same budget, it is more than likely that you will be able to purchase a lighter flat pedal than a clipless one. 

How to Get Around The Max Rider Weight

You might have noticed that there is a maximum rider weight with some of the super-light pedals, but what does this mean and why does it exist? First, it is exactly what it says it is, and that is, if you are heavier than the max rider weight, then don’t buy those pedals as you are likely to damage them when out riding. 

Thankfully, the rider weight comes from the material that the spindle is made from. Manufacturers will offer a pedal with max rider weight and one without, where the only difference is the spindle material. The super-light pedals have a titanium spindle which, although it is super light it is not capable of handling the higher forces and hence a max rider weight must be used. Thankfully the alternative is a Chromoly spindle that is slightly heavier but can take much greater forces and is cheaper. 

Therefore, if you have a lower budget or you are a heavier rider, then go with the Chromoly spindle and leave the titanium spindle for the serious racers. You can still get a really light pedal with a Chromoly spindle that will do everything you need. 

Are Lightweight Pedals Durable?

The short answer is yes; they are just as durable as a heavier pedal. However, the max rider weight for titanium spindle pedals makes me question the pedals’ durability. I am sure they are fine, but it does make me nervous, especially if you love shredding the rough trails.

Having said that, the Chromoly pedals are definitely durable. I have shredded the Shimano XTRs for over three years with no issues at all. 

If durability is an important factor in deciding which pedal is right for you, then I would play it safe and stick with the non-titanium versions of the Xpedo pedals and Shimano’s XTR range. You can’t go wrong with these pedals, they simply just work and keep on working!

For the flat pedals, a number of the lightest pedals are made from magnesium, which I love. It is much more sustainable to manufacture than alloy and looks awesome! However, it does come at a cost for durability. Magnesium is a much softer metal and therefore doesn’t take to rock strikes terribly well. Pins can be pulled out, and even complete pieces of the pedal can crack off on a hard impact. However, this is rare, but if you ride in rocky areas, then I wouldn’t recommend magnesium pedals.

What’s The Deal With Magnesium Pedals?

Personally, I think magnesium pedals are great. They are lighter and better for the environment. Here are 6 benefits of magnesium pedals.

1. Most of the magnesium used is extracted from seawater.

2. Magnesium uses less energy to process the material than aluminum.

3. Casting magnesium uses less energy to make the finished product.

4. The casting process wastes very little material.

5. Any waste material is recycled on-site (zero waste).

6. Magnesium is non-toxic and is very safe for manufacture and use.

Sounds pretty great, right? It is, but there is one significant drawback to them: their durability when it comes to rock strikes. Magnesium is a relatively soft metal and although manufacturers are getting close to making it as good as alloy, it still doesn’t hold up to rocks very well. 

The main issue is when a pin strikes a rock, it can be pulled out of position, low profile pedals help a lot in reducing these strikes, but it still can happen.

Therefore there are several benefits to magnesium and I think they are an excellent option for most people. I would only be cautious about buying magnesium pedals if you do get a lot of rock strikes, but they will be just fine for most people.

What Pedal Should You Get?

Well, there it is, the lightest flat and clipless pedals on the market, but which one should you get?

First, you must determine whether you want flat or clipless pedals. If you need help, check out our guide.

Next, you need to determine if you want the absolute lightest pedal on the market or the best value in terms of weight, durability, and price. If you want the absolute lightest, then you will want the Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11 for clipless pedals or the HT Components ME03T for flat pedals.

In my opinion, the best value pedals that are also very lightweight are the Xpedo M-Force 8 and the Shimano XTR for clipless or the Xpedo SPRY for flat pedals. These pedals are a great combination of durability, price, and weight that will suit a wide range of riding.