Wolf Tooth announces a fresh take on clipless pedals. The new product line includes CTRL Trail, ALT XC, and DEL Gravel Race Clipless Pedals that prioritize contact with the shoe for maximum power transfer and control. All pedals have class-leading specs for weight, thinness, stack height, and platform area. They also have adjustable Q factor thanks to a clever internal arrangement of bearings and spacers, and are SPD-compatible. The new pedals are machined at Wolf Tooth in Minnesota, USA.
The product development process for the new clipless pedals began over two years ago. After spending countless hours riding other pedals, our engineers set out to build the perfect clipless pedal family that outperformed all others in the areas we deemed crucial. These eight items guided the design process:
- Strong connection in the pedal/shoe interface
- Crisp, consistent, reliable clip in/out experience
- High cornering and ground clearance
- Reliability of hardware and ease of maintenance and repair
- Best fit for all riders via adjustable Q factor
- Best in class for weight
- Fresh aesthetics
- Consistent performance in all weather conditions
We didn’t want to make just another clipless pedal; we wanted to make the best clipless pedal. With those guiding design principles identified, the CTRL + ALT + DEL family of clipless pedals began taking shape.
Maximum shoe contact is key in this product line. Many other clipless pedals only contact the shoe through the cleat, which can feel like pedaling on golf balls. The massive platform areas on Wolf Tooth clipless pedals mean increased power transfer, unparalleled control, and enhanced performance.
The pedals feature aluminum bodies and stainless steel axles that are machined at Wolf Tooth HQ in Minnesota, USA. Stainless steel binding cages and hardware are strong, durable, and corrosion resistant. Inside the pedal is the same proven bearing and bushing design from the popular Wolf Tooth Waveform Aluminum Pedals, which features three low-friction cartridge bearings, one custom igus bushing, and a custom radial seal that protects pedal internal components from the elements and trail debris.
The adjustable Q factor is a clever feature designed into the pedal internal components. Two 4 mm spacers accompany the three cartridge bearings in a configuration that can be rearranged.
Each pedal is built with a default Q factor of 55 mm, which is the same as most other clipless pedals. Rearranging the spacers and bearings can produce Q factors of 51 and 59 mm. A set of two 2 mm spacers are available as extras that can also be installed for Q factor options of 53 and 57 mm. Adjusting the Q factor is simple enough to do at home in about five minutes with tools found at every home work bench. Instructions and a video guide are available to help on the Wolf Tooth website.
The CTRL Trail Clipless Pedal is designed for unparalleled control on dirt trails. No other SPD-compatible trail pedal has a large platform (941 mm^2) that contacts the shoe and locks in the shoe like this. CTRL Trail Clipless Pedals are simultaneously lighter (326 g) and thinner (15 mm) than all other trail pedals with an exceptionally low stack height (15 mm). The thin profile means better cornering clearance, while the open center between the binding cages increases mud shedding ability.
The ALT XC Clipless Pedal is built for commanding performance on trails and gravel roads. These pedals are lighter (294 g) and thinner (15 mm) while having a substantially larger platform area (443 mm^2) than all other XC clipless pedals. The huge platform area means increased power transfer for XC racing, climbing, and riding gravel at pace. It is a versatile pedal that was tested in all conditions and performed exceptionally well in dirt, sand, mud, gravel, snow, and slush.
The DEL Gravel Race Clipless Pedal is optimized for maximum power transfer in a small, aerodynamic package. It is exceptionally lightweight (216 g), incredibly thin (14.7 mm), yet still has a giant platform area (559 mm^2) to maximize shoe contact for power transfer. The one-sided design features an open center between the binding cages for mud shedding. It is lighter than a road pedal with all the same advantages, but with a shoe and cleat system that works in all conditions.
Maintaining SPD compatibility is important in this new line of pedals. While the Wolf Tooth cleat included with purchase features an optimized SPD-compatible design, the pedals will work with existing SPD cleats. Also included in the purchase is a set of shims for the cleats to further customize the connection between the shoe and pedal because all shoes are designed differently.
All three pedals are available in black and ultraviolet purple. More colors will follow. The new pedals can also be found in the Wolf Tooth Color Shop, where customers can color-match various components and accessories. This is where it’s easy to shop for bottom brackets, headsets, grips, seatpost clamps, pedals, bottle cage bolts, and more, all in the same color.
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Like most Wolf Tooth items, the new clipless pedals are part of Right to Repair. Crashes happen, parts get lost, things go bump in the night. All individual components of the new pedals are available as replacement parts, from the body, to the springs, to the bearings, and more. If something breaks in a crash, replace just the affected item instead of buying entirely new pedals. Service guides are available in text and video format to walk customers and dealers through maintenance, assembly, and Q factor adjustment.
Learn more at the Wolf Tooth Components Website