Peloton Bike Pedals: Best Answers to Your Questions
There are so many questions about Peloton bike pedals. I mean, hundreds.
I’ve had readers write to me asking questions as varied as “Why are my pedals clicking?” to “Can I ride my Peloton wearing sneakers?” to “How do I unclip my Peloton shoes from the pedals?”
And it makes sense. If you’re new to spinning, the Peloton bike pedals may seem weird and intimidating.
I know that when our bike arrived in 2016, I tried to ride on the regular Peloton pedals while balancing in my sneakers. Bad idea.
The pedals themselves are so small that I kept falling off. I’m lucky I didn’t hurt myself.
It is important to state that I was not new to spinning. I’d taken cycling classes at my gym for years.
Pedals on spin bikes
At the gym, the bikes were all fitted with SPD pedals. That’s one kind of “clip” or “cleat” that you can attach to the bottom of a spin shoe.
The other kind is called Look Delta, for its triangle shape. Even so, when I’d done spinning before, I’d always worn my sneakers. That’s because the gym bikes all had shoe or toe cages attached to the pedals.
Those are the kinds where you slip your shoe into the cage or strap versus clipping into the pedal itself. Even my outdoor bike always had a cage.
Answers to questions about the Peloton bike pedals
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But enough about me and my experience with spin class at the gym. Chances are you landed on this blog post because you have many unanswered questions about the Peloton pedals.
Below, I’ve highlighted the most common questions blog readers have asked about the Peloton pedals. I’m hoping that this post will be a work in progress.
That is, as more people end up here, they’ll ask new and different questions about the Peloton pedals. And then I can continue to build on this post.
For now, though, I hope you do, in fact, find the best answers to all of your questions about the Peloton pedals. You’ll find answers to 30+ common questions below.
What kind of pedal does a Peloton bike have?
When your bike arrives, you may notice that it has pedals that look nothing like a regular outdoor bike. Of course, if you’re a road rider outside, you know all about pedals that you’re supposed to clip into and clip out of.
The Peloton has what’s called Look Delta pedals. In that the shoes you wear to clip in and clip out feature Look Delta pedals.
They are usually red–at least they’re red on the bottom of the Peloton brand shoes. Also, they are shaped like a triangle. Thus, the Delta name.
Can you change pedals on the Peloton bike?
Yes, you can absolutely change the pedals on your bike. You may want to do this for a number of reasons.
One, you may want to install pedals that take a different kind of cycling shoe cleat, such as SPD. Two, you may want to install pedals with a toe cage attached to them so you can wear sneakers or regular shoes while you ride.
Finally, you may want to put all new pedals on your bike all together.
What size is the Peloton pedal?
Here is the most important thing to remember when changing pedals: the Peloton crankshaft or crank gear or whatever you call the arm that holds the pedal has a certain size hole.
According to the Peloton support website, “The Peloton Bike uses a standard 9/16″ pedal connection.” So, you want to find a pedal with a 9/16″ screw size, if you will.
FYI, when searching for pedals on TrekBikes.com, I noticed that there is a metric conversion for the 9/16-inch size. It is 15 millimeters or 15mm. This 15mm often refers to the tool size you’ll need for installing new pedals.
Looking for troubleshooting tips to solve Peloton problems? Check out this blog post.
Does Peloton sell toe cages?
At one time, Peloton sold pedals with toe cages attached. In fact, when we bought our bike in 2016, we were given the opportunity to buy a second set of pedals with toe cages attached.
Unfortunately, that is no longer an option. FYI, toe cages or shoe cages come with straps that your regular sneakers or tennis shoes slip into. You may have used them at your gym or a hotel workout facility. You can buy yourself a pair on Amazon.
What kind of pedals do hotels with Peloton bikes have?
Many of the Peloton hotels or hotels with Peloton bikes have toe or shoe cages or pedals with straps. Often, these pedals are double sided.
So, on the other side is usually a SPD pedal. That means that if you have spin shoes with the SPD cleat on them, you can bring them and clip into the hotel bike that way.
Then, the other side might be the aforementioned shoe or toe cage. Or, like the bike in my NYC hotel gym shown below, it was a flat pedal on the opposite side. That’s like the pedals you would find on a regular outdoor bike.
Here’s my post on the hundreds of hotels with Peloton bikes in their gyms.
Can you get Peloton bike pedals with straps?
Yes, you can buy pedals from Peloton with straps on them–for about $35.
However, according to Peloton users on Reddit, those pedals are not made to be used with the Delta Look, triangle-shaped cleats that you have on your Peloton shoes and use with Peloton pedals.
Instead, they are designed to be used in hotels or gyms that have Peloton bikes in them.
Online bicycle speciality retailers like Performance Bike sell toe clips straps that you can attach to your pedals.
Can you swap out Peloton bike pedals for SPD pedals?
Yes, you can absolutely swap out Delta Look pedals for SPD pedals. One of my readers informed me that you can, in fact, ride a Peloton bike with SPD shoes.
You just have to change the pedals on your Peloton bike to do so.
Where do you buy SPD pedals?
Your local bike shop, Amazon.com has SPD pedals and so do specialty online retailers, such as these:
How do you change the Peloton pedals?
It is rather easy to change the Peloton pedals. First, you’ll need a 15mm tool for loosening the original pedals so you can remove them.
Second, you must get a pedal with a 9/16″ or 15mm size. Also, keep this important part in mind: the right and left pedals are attached slightly differently. That is, their threading is opposite from one another so that you don’t unknowingly loosen your pedal while riding.
Differences between left and right Peloton pedals
So, when you’re ready to change the Peloton pedal, you’ll need to turn counter-clockwise or to the left to remove the right pedal. Conversely, you’ll need to turn clockwise or to the right to remove the left pedal.
Once the pedal is out, you just repeat the steps above, but in the opposite direction. Hopefully, your pedals are labeled as left or right. If not, you’ll know you’ve done it backwards if you turn and turn and turn and nothing tightens.
Whatever you do, please do not get on your bike to ride without first confirming that the pedals have been reinstalled properly. If you don’t check, you could end up getting injured and quite seriously. I know people who didn’t double check, the pedal slipped out and they got a gash on their legs so badly that they ended up in the ER needing stitches. Please don’t be like these people.
What is the Peloton conversion kit?
The Peloton conversion kit is a set of new pedals that it sells to convert them from Look Delta to something else. When we got our bike in 2016, the conversion kit we got was with a new set of pedals that had toe cages already clipped into them.
These days, from what I’ve read on Reddit, the conversion kit is exclusively for commercial Peloton bikes. That is, hotels that stock Pelotons in their fitness centers get these new pedals so that they can have toe cages on one side and SPD cleat-compatible pedals on the other side.
Where can you buy Peloton toe cages?
You can buy toe cages for any pedal, as long as the pedal is the right size. Peloton pedals are 9/16″ so if you’re buying a pedal with a toe cage already attached, make sure you get this size.
Another option is to buy toe cages that you can attach to your existing pedals. I can’t speak from first-hand knowledge how well (or poorly) this works. But I can tell you places you can go online to buy toe straps or shoe cages.
What are the best toe cages for Peloton?
I don’t have a ton of experience with different brands of toe cages to tell you which one is the best.
However, in researching this blog post, I came across lots of options for toe or shoe cages for Peloton bikes on Amazon.
Can you put regular pedals on a Peloton bike?
When you say regular pedals, I think about the flat pedals you might find on an outside bike like Pee Wee Herman would ride or Eliot and E.T in the movie “E.T.”
That being said, there is no benefit to putting regular pedals on your Peloton. You’ll be so much more efficient at riding if your feet are attached to the pedal using a cleated shoe.
When should you replace Peloton pedals
This was a shocker to me. According to Peloton, you should be replacing your pedals every 12 months.
Here is exactly what Peloton says on the support page about pedals:
“Pedals on any stationary bike should be replaced regularly to avoid failures that can result from wear and tear. We highly recommend replacing your pedals annually as part of routine maintenance to ensure that your Peloton Bike remains in proper working order.”
PELOTON SUPPORT
In fact, recently after logging in to take a ride, I got this screen on my bike, telling me to change my pedals.
What brand of pedal should you look for?
Not having had first-hand experience in replacing my pedals, I can’t give you a first-hand answer to this question.
What I can tell you is that the Shimano brand–maker of shoes compatible with Peloton, too–also has pedals.
Shimano is a well-respected brand in the cycling world.
What pedals are compatible with Peloton?
As long as the pedals are the 9/16″ size, they will be compatible with your Peloton bike.
Are the Peloton shoes necessary with the Peloton pedals?
Here is another question where I have to answer both yes and no. No, the Peloton brand shoes aren’t necessary to use with the Peloton pedals. Any brand of cycling shoe that takes the Look Delta triangle-shaped cleat will be compatible with the Peloton pedals.
On the other hand, yes, you must wear cycling shoes with the Peloton pedals. So, make sure you get a pair that can take the aforementioned Look Delta cleats. More about Peloton cleats here.
Why is my Peloton pedal clicking?
A lot of Peloton riders complain about noise coming from their bike. Most often they say that their pedal is clicking and they want it to stop.
Firstly, it is likely that the cleat on the bottom of the shoes is the thing that is clicking. For example, I recently got new cycling shoes and had to attach a new pair of cleats to them.
Unbeknownst to me, I hadn’t tightened the cleats as much as I could with the Allen wrench (aka hex wrench aka Allen key aka hex key) I was using. After unclipping, I tightened the cleats more and the clicking stopped. So, if you think your pedal is clicking, check your cleats first.
After that, you can use a 15mm tool to tighten the pedals, if you think they may have come loose. Finally, you can always wear headphones to mask the sound.
From my experience clicking or noises are not indicative of a pedal getting ready to fall off or anything like that. That being said, if I’m wrong about that, please let me know.
Where can I buy replacement pedals for my Peloton bike?
You can buy replacement pedals at any cycling shop you’d like. If you don’t have a local one you can visit, I would recommend checking out these retailers below.
Finally, remember this: if you don’t want to change the shoes that came with your Peloton, if you do decide to purchase replacement pedals, make sure they are the kind that take the Look Delta cleat.
Why is the threading backwards on my Peloton pedals?
The threading actually isn’t backwards. It is standard for the right bike pedals and left bike pedals to thread differently. This is done so that as you’re pedaling forwards or backwards, you are not, unknowingly, unscrewing your pedal.
To loosen your right pedal, you’ll turn the tool counter-clockwise or anti-clockwise or to the left. So, the old saying, Lefty Lucy works for the right pedal.
Conversely, to tighten you would turn it to the right or clockwise. Or, Righty Tighty.
It’s the opposite for the left pedal. To loosen your left pedal, you’ll turn the tool clockwise. To tighten the left pedal, you’ll turn the tool counter clockwise or anti clockwise or to the left.
How do you change the Peloton pedal?
To change the Peloton pedal, you need to loosen and remove the original pedal. Then, you’ll need to insert the new pedal and tighten.
Two important things to keep in mind. One, you must replace it with a 9/16″ pedal or it won’t fit. And two, keep in mind that the right and left pedals screw in and unscrew in different directions, as explained above.
What is a Peloton shoe basket?
A shoe basket is the same as shoe straps or toe cages.
They are straps (usually nylon) or rubber cages that attach to the pedals and let you slip sneakers or tennis shoes into them.
People use them in order to avoid buying cycling shoes.
Why are they called clipless pedals when I still have to clip in?
I actually had to look this one up because I found this question confusing. I mean, I know that when I get on to ride, I always push my cleats into the pedals to clip in.
So how are they clipless? Turns out, here’s the answer.
Back in the day bike pedals had medal “clips” that you pushed your shoes into to clip in. Think of these as a higher-tech version of the rubber toe or shoe cages I’d mentioned earlier.
Now that those “clips” are no more, we still call using cleats as clipping in. But the manufacturers refer to shoes with cleats and pedals that take cleats as being clipless.
What if I’m having trouble with my Peloton bike pedals?
If you have problems with your pedals, reach out to Peloton. You can call them or open a chat window on the website.
I should note that before I got my bike shoes for Peloton, I was riding using the Peloton pedal cages. Eventually, I had problems with the pedal cages, with the cages somehow compromising the pedals themselves.
That is, when we went to unscrew the pedals with the cages on them and mount the original pedals on the bike, they broke. Like sheared right off. Broke in half. However you want to describe it. They were left completely unusable.
We called Peloton and they sent Peloton replacement parts for free. That is, we got new Peloton pedals free of charge, and that fixed the problem. Why? Because our Peloton was still under warranty.
So, if you’re having trouble with your pedals within your first year of ownership, definitely reach out to Peloton. Or, if you’ve bought the extended warranty and the bike is still under coverage, also reach out to Peloton. Don’t try to fix it yourself if you don’t have to.
Final thoughts on Peloton bike pedals
So, did I miss answering any questions about the Peloton bike pedals? If so, post a comment below. I’ll see what I can do about finding you the answers you seek.
If I have a Peloton and I want to buy a new road bike. What kind of clip ins do I buy for my new road bike so I can use my Peloton shoes with the Look Delta Cleat? Thanks.
Bill
Actually, you should be able to change out your bike pedals so that they take Delta Look cleats. I would visit your local bike shop and have them go over all of this with you.
Also, replacing the pedals every year is crazy. I run pedals on my mountain bike for years and parts of them eventually get warn out (you can usually replace the parts if you want to) but it’s not as though they break off, and MTB pedals see a lot of abuse — way more than you could possibly dish out on a stationary bike. This is a total CYA (cover your ass) recommendation on the part of Peloton.
I agree about the CYA approach. We’ve had our bike since 2016 and never replaced the pedals for maintenance.
Leah
You’ve missed the easiest solution: The Peloton pedals actually have a tension adjustment screw on the bottom of the pedal. It’s marked with “+” for more tension and “-” for less tension. The tension is really high as they come out of the box — I’ve been cycling for decades and I would have trouble clipping out the way they’re set by default. Use a 3mm Allen wrench to turn the screw toward the “-” (counter clockwise, I believe) and try clipping in and out as you go. I turned the the setting screw on our Peloton about 6 times (it will click as you turn it) and it was definitely easier to clip out. If you loosen it to much, your shoe may come out of the pedal when you’re working hard, particularly when standing, but it’s easy to find the sweet spot through a little trial and error.