The best clipless MTB pedals you can buy

DMR V-Twin

Next to the other pedals in the test, the DMR V-Twin looks like a monster truck at a sports car meeting. It isn’t only the biggest and heaviest pedal in this group test, but also the most expensive. However, you shouldn’t write off the DMR prematurely, because it’s got a unique selling point: the huge cage offers by far the largest contact area of the test field. While the cage hardly makes contact with the shoes on most pedals, the entire cage of the DMR V-Twin firmly grips the sole. How does DMR do this? Firstly, the platform of the V-Twin can be adjusted via spacers and thus adjusted to the exact height of the sole. Secondly, the clip mechanism is attached to a spring-loaded swivel, pulling the shoe to the pedal when you clip it in, just like the legendary Shimano DX pedal. With SPD pedals where the clip mechanism doesn’t swivel, the front part of the cage is always slightly lower. Otherwise, you wouldn’t get into the pedals.

The setup is a bit tricky at first, but once you’ve found the right setting for your own shoe, your foothold on the DMR is similar to that of a good flat pedal. On the trail, this independent design leads to a completely different riding experience than with all other pedals. If you ride the DMR V-Twin with the optional pins, your feet will stay glued to the pedals, ensuring an extremely secure foothold, but you won’t be able to turn your feet into corners, and it’s somewhat more difficult to clip out.

Clipping in and out is not as intuitive as we are used to with other SPD pedals, despite the swivelling mechanism, and takes longer to get used to. The large contact area with the shoe makes the click mechanism feel less defined than with the original Shimano system; occasionally the DMR lacked clear feedback when clipping in.

Conclusion

The DMR V-Twin is the clear outlier in this test, but if you’re looking for maximum grip and a large foothold, you should definitely consider these pedals. The DMR V-Twin is an interesting option to combine the best of both worlds, especially for riders who can’t decide between clipless and flat pedals.