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There are some folks who absolutely swear by clipless pedals – loving the feeling of clipping their cycling shoes firmly to the pedal (with a simple pair of Delta cleats) so they can get power into the upwards motion of the pedal as well as on the down.
But there are also plenty of folks, maybe like yourself, for whom the feeling of having their feet clamped firmly to a bike’s pedals is quite unnerving. Will you be able to clip-in when the class is about to start…? Will you be able to unclip at the end of a class when your legs are screaming…? Will you end up having to leave the shoes permanently attached to the bike pedals…?
Yep, clipless pedals are great for some people. For the rest of us? Flat pedals with no fiddly attachment mechanisms are the way forward.
Peloton bikes ship with a pedal that is compatible with Look Delta systems – I’ve written a fuller article here which talks about these and suggests a range of alternatives if you want to ride with regular shoes rather than clipless pedals.
The simple answer is that, if you’re looking for a Peloton pedal adapter, then you have a couple options. Let’s take a look at these now.
Recommendations *Team up with these cleats
What are the best Peloton pedal adapter options?
There are two routes you can go down when you’re looking for an adaptor for your Peloton pedals – platform adaptors and toe cages. Both use the existing Look Delta-compatible pedals you’re your Peloton ships with. On each of these the adaptor is fitted to the pedal with a plastic ‘cleat’ which is the meat in the middle of the sandwich.
Platform adaptors
These are great when you want to use a regular pair of shoes or sneakers for cycling in and
You don’t want your shoes to be fixed to the bike pedals. They make getting on and off the bike a cinch and there won’t be any embarrassing staggering-across-the-room-dragging-a-spin-bike-behind-you moments. Trust me, it’s not a good look…
The platform adaptors are left on the bike pedal ready for when you next need them and can easily be unclipped if you or a family member wants to use the clipping system. I like them because they give a large firm surface which is easy to push on. The one downside to platform adaptors is that the weight of the platform tends to spin it round to the underside when your foot’s not on it. With Peloton classes this isn’t really a problem as your feet tend to be on the pedals the entire time. Using them on an outdoor bike can be more problematic though.
Make sure you get a set of cleats that are Look Delta compatible to go between the Peloton pedals and the platform adaptors. These attach quickly and are easy to use.
Toe cages
Whilst these might sound like a piece of medieval torture equipment (on the rack between thumbscrews and boiling tar) they’re actually very useful for spin bikers looking for a clipless pedal alternative.
The ‘cage’ fits to the top of the pedal and is shaped like the front of the foot. Climb on your Peloton and slip your feet into each cage and you’re ready to roll (or confess all your darkest secrets).
Toe cages have a number of benefits. They keep your feet firmly in place as you pedal ensuring that you don’t slip off the pedal by accident and bash your shins. They also allow you to pull the pedals up. That’s useful because it means that you can share the load on each turn of the pedals – on platform pedals you can only push down, but with toe cages you can push down AND pull up. This gives a smoother delivery of power.
Conclusion
The clipless pedals that Peloton bikes come with are great but they can take some getting used to and aren’t everyone’s mug of skinny latte. Thankfully there are some great alternatives and pedal adaptors are an excellent system that you can fit quickly and easily.
Pedal adaptors can be particularly useful if you have multiple people using the same Peloton. Some might be keen to be clipped-in, others might like the reassurance of standard flat pedals. Both can be catered for with pedal adaptors like these.
