Double-sided pedals usually don’t do it for me. While I appreciate the concept, most offer a sub-par riding experience. The clipless mechanism is usually too loose with no ability to tighten up and the platforms are typically small, offering little to no grip. Granted it only takes a few bad experiences to taint your opinion of double-sided pedals but something about LOOK’s Geo Trekking pedals piqued my interest. LOOK’s pedals are great. I’ve been enjoying riding on them since switching from Time ATACs to SPD pedals. Although these pedals intrigued me, it didn’t take long to see their faults and gimmicks.

Now, the Geo Trekking pedals come in four models but I’ll only be discussing the “adventure” not the commuter pedals, the Geo Trekking Vision ($139) with integrated lights, and Geo Trekking Roc ($99) with just the pedals. While I am reviewing the Vision model, they might as well have been the standard Geo Trekking Roc model. Why is that? Read on below.

Gimmicks

I figured I’d start with the critiques this round since chances are that’s why you’re reading this piece. When you see the advertisements and product photos for the LOOK Geo Trekking Roc Vision pedals, you’ll see they mention these lights that integrate where normal platform pedals have reflectors. Then, you’ll notice those lights aren’t anywhere to be found in these particular photos. Yeah, that’s because they didn’t last one ride. It’s unfortunate but the interface for these lights is chintzy, fragile, and half the time didn’t engage properly, popping out unexpectedly.

The concept is these pins push in with a pick or a pin tip and allow you to slide the light into the pedals. The problem is if you hit your pedal on a rock, or a doorway, or anything really, the jettison themselves out into the street gutter, or off the road and trail. My commute from my apartment to my office is short, so I like to mix it up with a quick urban singletrack ride before getting to the office. On my first ride, I pedal struck a rock and the light flew off the side of the trail. When I looked down at the other pedal, the light wasn’t even there! It’s a real shame because extra lights are great for safety. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to thoroughly review these USB-charging pedal lights.

Exceptional Ergonomics

Now, with that aside, if you look at the standard Geo Trekking Roc pedals (without the light), these pedals offer solid engagement on the clipless side and exceptional ergonomics on the flat pedal side. Flipping the pedal to fit your footwear is simple. The engagement on the clipless side is adjustable, offering a tuneable experience.  I’ve ridden them on my Crust Dreamer, my MTB, and my Sklar MTB and never came unclipped. While the platform isn’t as big as the standard flat pedals I use, it is larger than other double-sided pedals I’ve used.

The Price

If you omit the gimmicky Geo Trekking Roc Vision pedal and just look at the Geo Trekking Roc pedal, $99 is a great price for a pedal with double-sided functionality. They’re great for gravel bikes that double as a commuter bike, or a commuter bike you like to ride long distances. I hate riding on clipless pedals with sneakers and these pedals fix that problem. Flipping them to either side is painless and well worth the trade-off, plus at the $99 pricepoint, you’re not out $140 if you don’t like them.

Head on over to your local LOOK dealer to see these Geo Trekking pedals in person.