Review: Resdshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapters
A modular platform to convert SPD-compatible pedals to flats — are the Redshift Mousetrap Adapters the answer to annoying pedal swaps and uncomfortable riding in the wrong shoes?
Why I Chose the Mousetrap Pedal Adapters
These days, my bike riding habits are pretty fluid. And right now, for better or worse, I’m spending a lot of time riding my Surly Cross-Check. It’s not the most responsive, it’s a little heavy and the frame is pretty flexible, but and to be honest, it’s pretty battered. But boy is it fun to ride. And set up as a flat bar I use it daily.
I ride it to work, to the shops, to the pub, on the trails in the forest and I ride it at the weekend with my friends and my partner too. Often in jeans, sometimes in full kit.
At that means I ride different shoes. I don’t always want to ride in SPDs, so for a while now I was swapping them out for a pair of DMT flat MTB pedals whenever necessary. And it does’t take that long, but it is a bit of a faff.
The idea then of a straightforward platform I could simply click in and out of place as and when I wanted meaning I could chose what sort of pedals and shoes I wanted to wear was really appealing.
I once had something similar from Shimano — the PD22 adapter.The connection which mimicked the movement of a shoe to click in and out however was really hard to use, requiring a lot of twisting force to disconnect again, which eventually gripping a chewed up jagged rectangle of plastic, was pretty uncomfortable. In fact they were pretty unusable and as thin little rectangles actually didn’t offer much in the way of a pedal surface either.
The Mousetrap Adapters however with an easy connection system and large square platforms looked like they could be the solution.
Out of the Box
Firstly, the box itself: The pedal adapters came in a charming little square cardboard box, which actually makes a really useful on-going storage solution for them.
The pedals are really square with great coverage whilst remaining remarkably low profile. They could easily slip into a rear trouser pocket or jacket coat if they needed to.
They’re also magnetic which is a cool touch. Having them stick together means storing them in a bag, in a cupboard, even in your back pocket while your in the pub is really easy. It’s a great very satisfying little design feature.
The pedal surfaces are impressively tactile, with miniature diamonds seeming to provide a surprising amount of grip.
From the marketing material, these pedal platforms looked incredibly user-friendly, but does that match the reality of using these pedals?
Put to the Test
To clip into an SPD pedal these adaptors use a lever like system and it is surprisingly quick, effective and satisfying. Which is a lot of ticks for what is essentially a small plastic platform that sits onto of a pedal.
They clipped-in in first time so simply to the extend that I felt the need to wriggle them quite aggressively to check they were in fact clipped in.
And they’re great to ride. Since installing them on the bike, I’ve commuted to my office daily negating the awkward shoe change on arrival and alleviating competitive real estate in my pack.
The grip they offer is not amazing in the rain, but then the intention isn’t for these adaptors to replace any pedals. For riding to and from work, the pub, whatever, they’re a great design that’s so easy to use I do actually swap them out regularly.
Opening the mousetrap to disconnect them providing just as easy and a massive relief with the backdrop of flashbacks of using those — the more I think about them horrendous — aforementioned PD22s.
Key Features
Materials
Light but sturdy enough, with a smooth working mechanism, these plastic platforms are satisfyingly built. Their integrated magnets snap the adapters together into a sleek, low-profile package that makes them easy to store and keep together.
Grip
For a minimal pedal platform, these adapters provide a surprising level of grip. While no one is suggesting you should replace your normal flat pedals with these, they certainly pride more than ample grip for in the city commuting and casual rides.
Mechanism
The spring system clipping the pedal firmly into place is really satisfying to use. It’s incredibly easy to clip into and out of place and needs no tools to use meaning it’s actually really simple and effective to use on the move out in the real world.
Profile
A surprisingly low profile means the platform sits perfectly at the height of the SPD pedal so there shouldn’t be any need to alter the seat post. It also means they slot nicely away into a pocket.
Rating
4.5/5
Specs
Material: Glass-Filled Nylon
Weight: 176g per pair
Dimensions: 80mm x 105mm platform x 10mm thick
Compatibility: For now justSPD clipless pedals (Though Redshift have said more versions will be available Fall 2026)
RRP: £54.99
Cons
Same price as many actual pedals
Not super grippy in the wet
Pros
Super easy to clip-in and unclip without tools
Nice large pedal platform for secure pedalling
Lightweight and durable
Magnetic to keep them together off the bike
Are the Redshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapters Worth Your Money?
The Mousetrap Pedal Adapters from Redshift are a really cool bit of kit that for me have really made balancing my more casual riding habits easy and mindless.
It is definitely worth considering that at £54.99 you can almost get a set of Shimano’s PD-EH500 SPD Pedals which are flat on one side and SPD on the other. In fact, at the time of writing this, they’re discounted in several places online for around £50.
With that in mind, they do seem like an expensive solution. And for many riders have a permanent pedal that can be ridden in flat shoes or SPDs without having to change anything is probably the answer.
If like me though, you like the minimal body of a bare SPD pedal and the feel of a plastic pedal for casual rides and further still can get excited by a simple and satisfying mechanism, then the Mousetrap Adapters from Redshift are well-worth a look. And I’ll definitely be continuing to ride on these for as long as they last, which from what I can tell, will be plenty long enough.
