Wolf Tooth ALT Performance XC Clipless Pedal

The Wolf Tooth ALT Performance XC Clipless Pedal is an SPD-compatible cross-country pedal built for trails and gravel roads, and the numbers are where it makes its case. At 16mm it is thinner than a Shimano XT 8100 at 16.5mm or a Hope Union RC at 18mm, and 326g puts it between the two on weight. The low stack height that comes with a thin body keeps your foot closer to the axle, and the larger platform gives the shoe more to push against.

The body is open through the centre between the binding cages, which clears mud faster than a closed SPD pedal. Engagement is standard SPD with no proprietary cleats: 5 degrees of float, 12 degrees of release, and a fixed 55mm Q factor. The axle and bearing design carries over from Wolf Tooth's Waveform aluminium pedals, and the pedals are designed and tested at Wolf Tooth in Minnesota.

They are also meant to be kept rather than replaced. Wolf Tooth sells replacement parts and publishes service guides through its Right to Repair programme, and the maintenance ask is small: a drop of oil on the rear binding every 50 hours of riding, or whenever clipping in starts to take more effort than it should. Available in black, gold, orange, raw silver and red.