Are Flat Pedals Actually Just As Fast As Clipless Pedals?

Overview

The video tests whether flat pedals can be as fast as clipless pedals on a road bike. It uses a controlled setup comparing two footwear types: clipless bike shoes vs. stiff flat-pedal cycling shoes with pins.

Test setup

• The rider’s normal setup uses clipless pedals.
• For the comparison, clipless pedals are replaced with stiff flat pedals paired with specific flat cycling shoes featuring:
  • a stiffer sole
  • ankle support
  • a metal flat pedal with pins to help keep the foot positioned

Test 1: 800 m steep climb (12% gradient)

• Clipless run: 3:09
• Flat run: 3:07 (about 2 seconds faster)

Key performance details (flats vs clipless)

• Average power: 415 W (flats) vs 429 W (clipless)
• Cadence: roughly similar (~69–70 rpm)
• Average heart rate: 150 bpm (flats) vs 145 bpm (clipless)
• Max heart rate: 165 bpm (flats) vs 158 bpm (clipless)

Interpretation

The rider worked harder physiologically on flats but still finished slightly faster on this short climb.

Test 2: 5.5 km flat out-and-back effort

The rider performed the longer effort first on flats, then on clipless.

Overall results

• Flats: 9:22
• Clipless: 9:20 (clipless faster by ~2 seconds)

Speed and power indicators

• Max speed: 54.5 km/h (flats) vs 53.8 km/h (clipless)
• Normalized power: 355 W (flats) vs 371 W (clipless)
• Max power: 725 W (flats) vs 853 W (clipless)
• Cadence: ~83–86 rpm (clipless slightly higher)
• Heart rate: 166 bpm (flats) vs 161 bpm (clipless)

Interpretation

The longer effort was extremely close overall. Clipless showed an edge in some power metrics, but the time difference was small.

Max power sprints (20 seconds)

Three sprint efforts were performed, and the best values were compared.

• 3-second best power: 1189 W (flats) vs 1189 W (clipless value appears unclear/inconsistent in the text)
• 5-second best power: 906 W (flats) vs 1154 W (clipless)
• 20-second best power: 740 W (flats) vs 880 W (clipless)

Interpretation

For very high-output efforts, clipless produced stronger peak power, likely because the rider can apply power with a more secure connection—including the ability to pull up through the stroke.

Final takeaways / caveats

• Results across tests were surprisingly close, especially on climbs and moderate efforts.
• Clipless had an advantage in max-power sprints, especially as effort duration increased (e.g., 20 seconds).
• Important caveats mentioned by the rider:
  • Experience matters: they’re accustomed to clipless technique.
  • Flat-pedal riding may require extra effort to keep the foot positioned, especially for beginners.
  • Over longer rides (e.g., multi-hour), flat pedals might cause faster fatigue because the rider continually manages foot placement.

Presenters / sources

• GCN (Global Cycling Network) (video context)
• Hank and Connor (participants)
  • Connor is the rider used for the testing
  • Hank runs/presents the experiments