The Best Budget Road Bike Pedals

When you walk into a bike shop or have a look on the internet it's easy to feel intimidated by just how much cycling equipment costs. It's also shocking to some newcomers that many road bikes aren't actually sold with pedals and therefore you need to make an educated choice on the right pedals for you.

With a little bit of shrewd shopping and knowledge there's no need to feel daunted as you can purchase great value cycling equipment. This guide focuses on some of the best road bike pedals for riders on a budget.

Many manufacturers offer a wide range of road bike pedals and getting the right ones for you can be a challenge

Whether you're looking for a cheap and easily serviceable pedal system for your winter/ commuter bike or looking for your first set of clipless road bike pedals there's a choice for you below.

Shimano R540 SPD-SL Road Bike Pedals Review

Shimano's technology drip feeds down their range over the years so their base road range technology will always take aspects from their higher up Ultegra and Dura ace product ranges. Therefore the R540 pedal is effectively a pedal that borrows elements from those lines to ensure it's quality and performance at a lower price point.

For beginners using clipless road bike pedals for the first time or for established riders who are looking for a solid, wide platform clipless road bike pedal Shimano's base model R540 could be a great pedal for you.

Shimano's pedal systems feature wide cleats which subsequently call for a wide pedal platform to give beginners the feeling of security and more advanced riders a greater feeling of control when compared to narrower cleat designs, The large binding mechanism of the pedal and cleat adds to the ease of 'clipping-in' for the rider.

The R540's come with excellent sealed cartridge bearings which will offer long lasting smoothness and Shimano road pedals also feature a two year manufacturers warranty which is a nice bonus and reassuring of the quality on offer despite a reasonable price.

French manufacturer Look are one of the companies that originally helped develop the clipless road bike pedal and they stuck with a similar design for many years using their iconic ARC cleats. The Look Keo range is a logical progression from their original designs by making the pedal platform smaller and allowing the foot to like closer to the axle for more control.

Look's Keo pedals are a very popular choice with road cyclists. The cleats are some of the most readily available on the market and many manufacturers make their pedals to coordinate with the Look cleat design.

The Keo Easy is designed to be easy to clip into and out again. Grip is fine although it feels that the pedals do want to let go of the cleat once the cleats start to wear a little. Bearing quality on all Look pedals is fantastic and they're easily serviced if required. As the most popular road bike pedal system on the market at present any review must include them as a consideration.

The lack of tension adjustment may put off everyone who isn't a beginner as for riders looking for a firmer hold on the cleat they will be better served with an upgrade to the much better quality Look Keo Classic pedal or consider the Keo cleat compatible Exustar pedals featured below which offer similar performance to the Keo's and match the cleat system but cost significantly less and offer tension adjustment.

For less than the price of a set of Look's Keo Easy pedals you can pick up a pair of Exustar E-PR100PPs which will make an excellent pair of pedals for your winter road bike or a second bike for the more experienced rider who currently uses Look's higher end pedals and doesn't want to have a different set of shoes for riding/

They’re compatible with the Look Keo cleat system, and weigh in at paltry 248g per pair. The main selling point is that their tension is adjustable, thus allowing you to tune their feel and how tightly your cleats are gripped. The thermoplastic composite body spins on good quality cartridge bearings around CNC'd Chromoly axle.

Wellgo are a relatively unheard of company in cycling circles but they make some very good products which offer alternative versions of more mainstream equipment. They also often make products which carry other manufacturers names so there's no need to be put off.

Having used these pedals previously on a winter training road bike I have no qualms in using them again. Clip in is reassuring and the hold on the cleats is snug, yet fine for use for beginners and more experienced riders.

The best thing in a way about these pedals is that they are compatible with the old Look ARC type cleats which are often being sold off for low prices on sites like eBay and Wellgo make their own versions of the cleat for a sensible price.

I'd happily use them on my winter bike for training again.

We're always looking for your feedback- What's your favourite pedal system? And what pedals do you choose near the budget end of the market?

Thanks for reading

Liam Hallam