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Pedals are one of the most overlooked components when it comes to fat bike cycling. They are essential for delivering power to your wheels and suffer a lot of abuse when riding off-road and downhill, absorbing all of your body weight during your ride.
Whilst the stock pedals you get with your fat bike will be good enough, you might find that they replacing a lot sooner than other components on your bike.
In this guide, I have scoured the market and identified 7 of the best fat tire bike pedals available today.
Read on to find your next fat bike pedals.
Recommended Fat Tire Pedals
Shimano PD-GR500 MTB Flat Pedals – My Favourite Fat Bike Pedal
Key Features:
- GR500 platform pedal with concave platform for better control and efficiency
- Extra-wide platform suitable for various shoes sizes
- Low profile pedal flat pedal
- Long pins for extra grip when pedalling in wet conditions
- Low maintenance design
- Weight: 533g/pair
Nukeproof Horizon Pro Sam Hill Enduro Pedals
Key Features:
- Tough aluminuim construction
- Excellent robustness without excess weight
- Engineered for high performance
- Weight: 533g/pair
Spank Spoon 100 Pedals
Key Features:
- High-quality MGR extruded alloy construction
- Excellent balance of stiffness, durability and performance
- Shot-peened and anodised finish, which gives it an additional layer of protection against wear and corrosion during wetter riding conditions
- Cold-forged chromoly (CrMo) steel axles for a rock-solid hold on every terrain
- Weight: 400g/pair
ROCKBROS Mountain Bike Pedals Flat
Key Features:
- Lubricated sealed bearing flat pedals features sturdy and stable, keep flat pedals spin smooth and without noise
- Aluminium Alloy material
- Cr-Mo spindle possess durable composite pedals
- 102mm large platform pedals supports the foot more evenly when riding
- Weight = 422g pair
LOOK Cycle – Geo Trail Roc Bicycle Pedals
Key Features:
- Forged aluminium pedals
- Ultra-strong 17mm axles for added durability on downhills
- With 12 steel pins per side and a concave shape created from varied pin lengths – 10mm outer and 8mm inner – your foot will be cradled securely and confidently to take on any challenge the trail throws at you
- Weight = 430g pair
ROCKBROS MTB Bike Ultralight
Key Features:
- Using high strength Aluminum Alloy material and luo molybdenum steel axis
- 6 anti-skid nails on each side and double-sided non-slip corrugated design provide more secure on the pedals and hold your feet in place
- The Sealed DU bearing is lubricating and with great stability
- Weight = 334g pair
Boardman Performance Flat Pedal
Key Features:
- 16 replaceable studs
- Aluminium body
- Cro-mo axle
- Weight: 372g
Fat Bike Pedal FAQs:
How To Choose The Best Fat Tire Bike Pedals For Your Ride
Choosing the best fat tire bike pedals for your ride can be a daunting task. But with the right knowledge, you will be able to find the perfect one for your needs.
Pedals are an important safety feature of a bicycle. You need to make sure they can be easily installed and removed before you buy a new bike. If they’re difficult, it could lead to dangerous situations since you might not always have the help of someone else.
The best fat bike pedal will have a small, heavy housing with a wide base, so it can stand up on its own without being clipped in and it should be made of durable materials that won’t rust or wear out too quickly.
There are two main materials used for making fat bike pedals – aluminium and steel. Aluminium pedals are low maintenance but can be more expensive. Steel pedals are heavier, but offer greater durability and greater traction on different terrain.
How to Install a Your New Bike Pedals
Installing a new pedal on your bike is an easy task if you have the right tools. Knowing how to use a pedal wrench is key for this job.
You can install your new pedals by following the instructions below:
- Loosen the axle bolt on the old pedal by turning it counter-clockwise with a pedal wrench.
- Then remove the old pedal by pulling it straight up and out of the crank arm.
- Push in on the new pedal so it sits flat on top of both crank arms
- Then tighten down its axle bolt with your wrench
Do I Really Need To Upgrade My Fat Bike Pedals?
There are many cycling enthusiasts out there who have upgraded to better quality pedals, but there are others who think it is not necessary. The ones who have upgraded say that the pedals are more durable and reduce the weight of their bike, which ultimately gives them a small speed boost.
On the other hand, people who haven’t upgraded say that the pedals are just as good as the new ones because they last long enough before you would need to replace them. They also do not want to spend more money on something that they don’t need.
In the end, upgrading bike pedals is a personal decision, but if you want to increase your speed or if you don’t want to replace them often, then upgrading might be worth it for you.
Is It Harder To Pedal A Fat Bike?
If you have ever tried to pedal a fat bike, you know it can be hard work. The tires have more drag due to the lower pressure in them and it is more difficult to keep up speed when climbing or going over bumps.
Fat bikes are also heavier than standard mountain bikes which makes them harder to pedal on inclines. The inertia from the added weight will cause riders to lose momentum on climbs and when going over bumps.
This is not so much an issue when riding downhill, since gravity provides some assistance. Be sure to have a good set of brakes if you plan on taking on any steep descents!
Are Flat Pedals Better For Fat Tire Bike Riding?
In the world of off-road biking, there are two main types of pedals, flat and clipless.
Flat pedals were created to offer a more simplistic and less obtrusive way of attaching a rider to their bike’s pedals. They are not as restrictive as clipless pedals, but still, provide enough grip for those who want to take on more challenging terrain or tackle obstacles.
As most fat tire biking is done off-road on over tricky terrain, being able to quickly put your foot down is a good option to have as you are more likely to need to quickly “catch” yourself should your wheel get caught in particularly tricky conditions.
Whilst you could opt for clipless pedals when riding your fat bike, you will lose the ability to quickly dismount from your bike should you need to.
What Kind Of Shoes Should I Wear For Fat Bike Cycling?
When choosing what shoes to wear on your fat bike, a shoe with a rigid sole is best because it’ll keep weight down and provide better stability on the bike.
What you want is something that feels like walking in sneakers on pavement, just stiffer.
The stiffness of the sole helps to absorb some of the energy from pedalling, which makes it easier to pedal uphill without having to get off of your bike and walk it up steep hills.
What Grease Is Best For Fat Bike Pedals?
This is a question that has been asked for years by fat bike enthusiasts, and it seems like the answers are never certain. The truth is that you really don’t need anything other than oil or water to lubricate your pedals.
The main difference between these two common lubricants is that oil will last longer but may attract dirt and dust more easily than water. For this reason, it is recommended to clean your pedals after riding in wet conditions with oil-based grease.
Summary
Hopefully, you now know more about how to choose a pedal for your fat bike.
For me, the Shimano PD-GR500 MTB Flat Pedals offer the best balance between durability and price.
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Happy cycling!
