Flat pedal (no-pins) recommondations?

Mr. Breeze

Mr. Breeze

Member
While I love a good set of aggressive composite and aluminum pedals with grippy pins on my eMTB's, I've also been running the same on my Vado city bike which is in my opinion overkill and I'm tired of the shin and calf scrapes from the pins. What are some favorite flat pedals that people are using on their commuter/city ebikes?

I've noticed Shimano have a couple variants:

And I've ridden the metal pinned version of the Chester Race Face and see they have a molded pin version which seem as they wouldn't scrape up your legs:

Anyone run these or something else on their city/commuter ebike?
 
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In 07/23 I bought Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Small Platform Pedals Black for $42 the pair. They were large enough for my feet. They were plastic with ball bearings. They did have spikes, but they were screws and nuts, so I backed the nuts off until they just barely projected. I could have easily removed the screws. You will need a #3 phillips screwdriver. They were much cheaper than the other 500 pedal types. I have about 3000 miles on them.
As I tired of donating skin to the pavement when I fall, I wear dickies long polyester pants. Falls are inevitible. Road rash is unnecessary below 30 mph. I wear mechanic's long sleeve cotton tunics on my elbows, and polyester gloves. I do not overheat. My helmet has 7 vents which is where I mostly perspire.
 
www.bike4travel.nl

Santos Travelmaster platform pedalen

Wellgo platformpedalen met extra kwaliteit lagers volgens de Santos Travelmaster specificatie. Platform pedalen hebben door hun grote oppervlak het voordeel dat je met normale schoenen en met bergschoenen kunt fietsen. De zool van je schoen zal niet buigen en hierdoor voorkom je vermoeide...
www.bike4travel.nl www.bike4travel.nl

Last for a very long time, wellgo pedals with custom spec axle and bearings.
 
I can't ride without cleats, so I wear mountain bike shoes on my city/fitness e-bike with Crank Brothers Candy 7 pedals. They are flat, and can be ridden in a pinch with sneakers, but I always ride them with cleats. The shoes are completely walkable as the cleats are buried inside the shoe tread and never touch the ground.
 
I'm with the OP on this one.

I've been riding pavement and mild to moderate offroad with metal-spiked platorm pedals for 3 years now and have the lower leg scars to prove it. After spending time on my wife's new bike with nylon nubs in lieu of metal spikes, I honestly can't tell the difference in grip — at least not with Five Ten Freeriders on my feet.

My pedal maulings are getting less and less frequent now, but the next time I get a big one — say, in an emergency stop — I'm going to be following in the OP's footsteps.
 
When I ride pedals without traction pins I feel as if I were naked 😉

Cannot even imagine riding downhill at
Screenshot_20250519_174400_Strava.jpg
while standing on the pedals in the MTB position and risk any of my feet slipping off, especially on a rainy day...
 
Stefan Mikes said:
When I ride pedals without traction pins I feel as if I were naked 😉

Cannot even imagine riding downhill at View attachment 193973while standing on the pedals in the MTB position and risk any of my feet slipping off, especially on a rainy day...
Click to expand...
Not saying that spiked platforms have no place. Just that they may be overkill for many mixed-surface riders — myself quite possibly included.

The only reason I'm waiting till my next pedal injury to try nubs in lieu of spikes: Spent a lot of money on more pressing bike stuff lately. Wife's gonna need to see some blood to have any sympathy for new pedals.
;^}
 
Stefan Mikes said:
VP is a brand known for excellent city bike pedals.

For instance, my Vado came with VP-831P pedals branded as Specialized.
Click to expand...
Ah, yes. Great selection. My wife's new Como have those as well. I think when I bought my Vado, I was so used to using my 5 Ten shoes with flat pedals (with pins) that I immediately replaced the stock pedals (which undoubtedly were the same VP-831P's) and regrettably discarded. Thanks for the link!
 
While I have become accustomed to being semi-locked in with the 5 Ten shoes and pinned flat pedals, the Vado is used mostly when casually riding with my wife on bike paths - paved or light cinder/gravel - no hucking :) So I think some stock take offs from a Como/Vado or a set of new VP-831P's would suffice and help reduce the shin/calf scars.

Thanks all for the contributions!
 
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