Wolf Tooth Reboots Clipless: The Story Behind the DEL Gravel Pedal
Wolf Tooth Components has built its reputation on solving problems that other brands overlook. Since 2013, this Minnesota-based company has been quietly revolutionizing bike components, starting with chainrings and expanding into headsets, tools, dropper remotes, grips, and everything in between. They even launched Otso Cycles in 2016 to build the versatile, performance-first bikes they wanted to ride themselves. They design, engineer, machine, assemble, and ship everything from their Minnesota facility, keeping production local and quality control obsessive. Today marks one of the company's biggest launches yet: a complete line of clipless pedals for mountain and gravel riders who refuse to compromise.
Three pedals, one philosophy: the ALT XC for cross-country, CTRL Trail for aggressive riding, and DEL Gravel for high-performance mixed-surface riding.
The Case for a Reboot
The Wolf Tooth development team brought serious credibility to this project: over 200,000 cumulative miles and 60+ years of riding experience on clipless pedals. They've clicked in and out through mud-caked cyclocross courses, winter fat bike epics, rocky desert singletrack, and endless gravel roads. They've ridden nearly every binding system and pedal brand on the market. And when they started scoping their own clipless pedal project, one thing became crystal clear: nobody was making the pedals they actually wanted to ride.
Every design had compromises. Every brand was leaving important opportunities on the table. So Wolf Tooth spent two years building the pedals from scratch. The result is the CTRL + ALT + DEL family: three pedals that share a common philosophy but serve different disciplines. For gravel riders, that means the DEL Gravel Race Clipless Pedal, a single-sided design that rethinks what a fast gravel pedal should be.
The CTRL + ALT + DEL family represents two years of development and over 200,000 miles of cumulative testing across every imaginable condition.
Shimano dynamics perfected
Wolf Tooth's first decision was around the binding system and they quickly went with Shimano Pedaling Dynamics (SPD) compatibility. While other binding systems work well, none can match a properly designed SPD-compatible system for overall feel, reliability, and low profile. The fact that more riders run SPD cleats than any other system also helped. Rather than invent a proprietary binding system, they focused on making genuinely better pedals for the people, not just different ones. From the beginning, Wolf Tooth identified eight factors that define clipless pedal performance and committed to being best-in-class at all of them.
CNC machined in Minnesota with that signature Wolf Tooth aesthetic—form following function, but looking damn good while doing it.
Wolf Tooth’s SPD Pedal design guiding Principles
Shoe Stability and Connected Feel: The first guiding principle for Wolf Tooth was to create a pedal with a strong connection in the pedal/shoe interface. This is about power transfer and confidence while riding. Practically speaking they were aiming for sufficient shoe lug contact with the pedal body. Without it, you can get hot spots and an unstable sensation, even with stiff carbon-soled shoes. The DEL delivers a large 559mm² platform area despite weighing just 216 grams and measuring only 14.7mm thick. Your shoe lugs actually engage with the pedal body, creating that direct, planted feel that makes you faster without thinking about it. The single-sided design maximizes cornering clearance while maintaining this connection. During prototype testing, riders consistently described the DEL as having road pedal efficiency with gravel capability. High power transfer, excellent mud clearing, and a walkable cleat system, all in a package that's lighter and more compact than traditional road pedals.
Crisp Clip In/Out Feel: The engagement and release needed to feel natural and consistent. SPD systems have a strong foundation, but Wolf Tooth iterated through numerous binding and cleat designs to get this part right. They even built two custom test machines specifically to measure and compare clip-out performance, allowing them to quantify what riders feel.
Ground Clearance: The DEL's single-sided design isn't just about weight, it's about cornering and ground clearance. When you're leaned over in a turn or pedaling through a technical singletrack, the DEL clears like none other. Wolf Tooth's pedal bodies are 2-4mm thinner than competitors, and the single-sided DEL takes that advantage even further.
Reliability and Serviceability: The DEL uses the same proven bearing system as Wolf Tooth's Waveform pedals: three bearings, a custom igus bushing, and a 17-4 PH stainless steel axle. When service is eventually needed, you can do it at home with basic tools. The hardened stainless steel binding cage shrugs off rock strikes and resists rust. And through Wolf Tooth's Right to Repair program, replacement parts are always available.
Adjustable Q-Factor: Here's where it gets interesting. The DEL (like all Wolf Tooth clipless pedals) offers Q-factor adjustment from 51mm to 55mm, with optional 2mm spacers for even more granularity. This matters for riders who might split time between mountain and gravel bikes to set their DEL pedals wider to match your overall stance between bikes, reducing strain and improving comfort. The setting can be changed in about five minutes with nothing more than a couple hex keys. A video guide and instruction manual is provided on the Wolf Tooth website to walk customers through the adjustment.
Weight: The DEL is legitimately light without sacrificing the shoe contact and engagement quality that actually matters. Wolf Tooth trimmed every unnecessary gram while testing relentlessly to ensure the pedals could still handle anything you throw at them.
Aesthetics: The DEL features that signature CNC machined look, with anodized color options including Black and Ultraviolet Purple.
All-Weather Reliability: Narrower center axle housings let mud and snow push through rather than pack up.
The DEL Gravel Race Clipless Pedal: 216 grams, 14.7mm thin, and 559mm² of platform area.
Designed, engineered, machined, assembled, and shipped from Wolf Tooth's Minnesota facility. Local manufacturing, obsessive quality control.
That massive platform area isn't just about numbers—it's about creating actual shoe lug contact for confident, connected power transfer.
Time on the DEL
I've been testing both the ALT XC and DEL Gravel pedals for the past few weeks, and the differences from my usual Shimano XT pedals are immediately noticeable. The weight savings hit me the moment I picked them up. These pedals feel genuinely light in hand, especially the DEL set. The engagement is also excellent. There's a satisfying, precise click when you clip in.
I'll admit I was skeptical about the DEL's single-sided design. In practice, it's a non-issue. Clipping in quickly becomes second nature, and the benefits, including noticeable weight savings and improved cornering clearance far outweigh any learning curve. The CNC machined aesthetic is clean and purposeful, no unnecessary frills, just thoughtful design that looks as dialed as it performs. At $219.95, the price feels fair when you consider what you're getting: pedals designed, machined, and assembled in Minnesota with genuine performance improvements across the board. And when something eventually does break or wear out, you can order just that part and fix it yourself.
The open center between binding cages actively sheds mud and debris, keeping the mechanism working when conditions deteriorate.
The Complete Family
While the DEL is purpose-built for gravel racing and high-performance riding, Wolf Tooth launched two other models alongside it. The ALT XC Clipless Pedal is designed for cross-country and marathon riding where weight and efficiency are paramount, delivering significantly more shoe contact than typical XC pedals. The CTRL Trail Clipless Pedal is a double-sided design that's thinner, lighter, and more compact than competitors while offering more shoe contact area, built for aggressive trail riding and enduro racing. All three share the same core technology, adjustability, and obsessive attention to detail.
Available in black and ultraviolet purple at launch, with more colors coming soon. Integrate with Wolf Tooth's Color Shop to match your entire build.
Right to Repair
Wolf Tooth's commitment to Right to Repair sets them apart in an industry increasingly focused on planned obsolescence. Every component of the DEL is available as a replacement part. Crashed and damaged one pedal? Replace just that pedal body instead of buying an entirely new set. Lost a spring during maintenance? Order just the spring.
Service guides are available in both text and video format, walking customers and dealers through maintenance, assembly, and Q-factor adjustment. This isn't just about saving money—it's about building products that last and keeping perfectly good equipment out of landfills.
Every component is replaceable through Wolf Tooth's Right to Repair program—from the pedal body to individual bearings and springs.
COLORS
The CTRL + ALT + DEL family launches in Black and Ultraviolet Purple, with more colors coming soon. The new pedals integrate with their Color Shop, an online tool that lets you color-match components across your entire build. Now you can perfectly match your pedals, headset, bottom bracket, grips, seatpost clamp, and bottle cage bolts all in the same shade!
At $219.95, the DEL represents an investment in equipment that adapts to your needs, services easily at home, and lasts for years.
Pricing and availability
The Wolf Tooth CTRL + ALT + DEL clipless pedal family is available now at Wolf Tooth Components and through select dealers and bike shops. All pedals in the new clipless pedal series including the DEL are priced at $219.95 USD per pair.
