Hi, not sure if this has been asked at all, but I'm wondering how important the quality of a pedal is? Specifically in the material, what is the "best" material for pedals, I know there aren't really that many out there...

I'm not really looking into clipless pedals, as my bike is for quick commuting and no training, so this question really is more guided towards quill pedals, pedals with toe-clip capability, track pedals, etc.

And finally, what is more important, the quality of the pedal, the spindle, or the cage/strap set up?

Any answers would be helpful.

A quality pedal will have a better spindle, better bearings, and a better pedal body... once you get used to well made pedals it is hard to go back to anything less.

A crappy pedal with nice clips and straps is still a crappy pedal.

I got a Rubber block pedal set made by MKS , they even do that well.
after adding some more grease and adjusting the bearings.. perfect..

Cheap pedals cannot even be adjusted., and invariably they ship tight.

The best platform pedal is (was) by Specialities-TA. It was complete overkill in terms of bearing quality and cost 5x an MKS Sylvian Touring which is well proven, popular touring/commuting pedal.
For clips, I prefer metal and leather to plastic. You can bend metal for boot clearance and leather straps hold their shape well. MKS have revived the classic Christophe metal clip.

MKS has a large selection of pedals which offer a lot of bang for the buck; the bearings are easily adjustable and serviceable if you buy the $6 Dust Cap Spanner Tool; here's one source: https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...0&category=225

I recently witnessed the difference between a set of crappy plastic pedals and a correctly adjusted* quality Kona Jack***** set; and the difference is unbelievable! The cheap pedals would bind and not turn freely thereby robbing me of power which didn't reach the wheels, also they lacked "feel". When I changed the pedals, I could "feel" the drive-train and could instantly tell if everything was in-tune. My opinion is don't skimp on quality pedals.

*Kona Jack*****s: IMPORTANT TO ALL WHO HAVE PURCHASED THEM! They come un-adjusted and sometimes improperly lubed! Take them out of the box, apart carefully and lube them well. When done, put them back together and adjust the lock screws so that they rotate freely with just a hint of bearing rub. Do not place them on the bike directly out of the box because they will most probably be too tight and will fail in a couple of months!

You have to go through a set of cheap squeaky pedals to understand.

There's a reason why most everybody is naming MKS. Even their cheap stuff is well made.

I have MKS Sylvan Touring pedals on my road bike and on my 3 speed commuter bike. They are well made, serviceable, adjustable, and look good on my steel bikes. I have a box of cheap plastic pedals that came on my bikes. I keep them on hand to put on one of my bikes if I decide to sell it. I like the MKS pedals too much to let go on a bike.

I feel that pedals are as important as any bottom bracket or hub. It revolves the same revolutions as the bottom bracket. Since have converted to clipless on my bikes, I don't use platforms any more but my favorite have always been Campy record pedals. They have great quality spindles, bearings and races, and are adjustable and serviceable. This isn't too helpful since they aren't made any more and would need to be purchased used. But mine have more than 40,000 miles and still feel great.

IMO the most important part of the pedal is the spindle. Having broken a number of pedals in my lifetime, I consider spindle reliability paramount. Spindles only snap at the mot inconvenient time, when the pedal is fully loaded, as in steep hill climbing, or sprinting. As such, you're usually committed to the weight on that foot, and the broken pedal can easily lead to loss in control, and severe swerving, possibly into traffic, or an immediate crash. The bright side is that it's usually at fairly low speed.

Even if they don't break, cheap spindles can bend causing annoying oscillation of the pedal which rocks your foot with every pedal stroke. The best spindles are usually of heat-treated Chrome-Moly steel, with some titanium spindles on top flight pedals, and Boron steel alloys on intermediate quality pedals.

After that the fit and comfort of the pedal body is next important, especially for men with wider feet. There's nothing more worse than poor support or a too narrow pedal on long rides. Obviously bearings, and construction quality are important also but you generally don't feel this while riding, and these are more of a factor in how long a set of pedals will last.

Cheap pedals will begin to fall apart within a year or two, but good quality pedals can last a lifetime, or 100,000 miles with a bit of maintenance.

My road bike has Ultegra SPD-SL clipless pedals which I think are fantastic. My commuter though just has a set of cheesy plastic BMX pedals which I find satisfactory. I managed to properly adjust the bearings so there is no play and they actually turn. When they die I'll put on a set of metal BMX pedals I have. IMO it's not worth messing with clips and straps for an errand/commuter bike.

Well made and serviceable. https://www.bikeparts.com/search_resu...p?ID=BPC306648

As long as the pedals don't fail (spindle bend/break, cage or body fall apart) then there is really not a whole lot of performance to be gained or lost between different pedals. The cheapest of the cheap pedals - plastic cages and/or bodies are often the worst as these are made purely for cost-cutting and have cheap soft spindles that are likely to bend, bearings that are either rough and tight or loose and grindy, and the plastic structural materials will come apart under any hard use. . Anything with metal body AND cage is likely to be acceptable. Some may need bearing adjustments to be considered 'good.' The price of a good set of pedals starts around $20 or so.

For commuting and pleasure riding, just stay away from the really cheap pedals. I had a pair of Wellgo MTB pedals (chrome moly spindle and alloy body) that cost about $20 at the LBS and they served me well for a year on my touring/hybrid. I just swapped them for a pair of Shimano SPD pedals as I'm going clipless, but I saved them for the rainy day/winter/plan B bike that will be my summer project. They spin freely and feel good underfoot. Plenty good for commuter pedals.

IMO, pedals are important on a bicycle.

I had a set of Shimano PD-M737 clipless pedals that lasted almost 15 years on 3 bikes. I replaced the grease and adjusted the bearings every year- the bearings never failed, it was the clipless spring mechanism that came apart.

I like my MKS "Touring" pedals also.

I use a pair of Shimano PD M515 pedals that I've used on no fewer than 5 different bikes over the past 10 years or so. They've never been adjusted or greased, yet they work just as well now as they worked when they were brand new. Certainly can't complain about their quality!

But the OP was inquiring about quill or track pedals not clipless.

This all helps a lot, I'll keep away from the <20 bargain pedals for sure.

Do prices on MKS pedals fluctuate at all? Anyone have a preference between the touring/track/GR9 models?

The advantage of the MKS Sylvan touring pedal is that it's wide enough to be used with street shoes.