Best flat pedals?? Opinions please

Mathias Levo said:
The Vaults are probably going to be what I go for after all. Some of you guys have recommended them, good colour range and not bad at £60 odd quid ? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
You don’t really notice the blue pins, and it mostly wears off anyway after a while.
Do Do Do get a spare set of pins. For the cost of them they come in handy. You do get a few in the box tho. I’m happy I got a set of silver pins for mine and they blend well with the half blue ones ?
 
⚡ EMTB Pro Go Pro — Living Intelligence Reports, exclusive discounts & ad-free Up to 25% off Peaty's, PEMBREE, Magicshine & more · Ad-free browsing · Pro badge See the deals →
Got some new Crank Brothers Stamp 1's to test out, which is their new composite/plastic pedal - really interested in these as I love the platform shape of the Large CB pedals, but on my Stamp 3's I find the diameter of the pins to be a bit to wide to dig in to my shoes how I like, which I think is mainly because they screw in from the top, rather than through the pedal from the bottom.

However the Stamp 1's have the pins going though the pedal, and the pins are a bit thinner/spikier so hoping for god things. They are nice and thin too, have bit of a concave, but the axle "tunnel" does stick up a bit.

A8A8E794-6F13-491E-B46D-6D41404221B3.jpeg


27368055-BA1D-4E0A-A3D5-EDE5E8AFCBBA.jpeg


E9197093-B06F-4A90-9E93-FBDE51D1624E.jpeg


B4A18D8D-B72D-4BAB-A7EE-BBCD458DD63C.jpeg


C673C0FB-D4C2-4134-8B7A-9914D9AC1E93.jpeg
 
Stamp 3’s in a large , are the perfect combo with the five ten impact highs , so good ? had a few shin episodes ? but generally they are fire ? I’m a size 10 uk so I think it really does depend on your feet size to pedal ratio as to grip level.
 
Seems to be a worldwide shortage of Nukeproof Horizon Pro pedals (not Comp or Ti) in silver/black. If anyone should see them on their travels please holler.
 
Krisj said:
Sorry r120 this is very rare for me but on this occasion I have to disagree with you on the stamps
I’ve just bought the stamps in large and I got a new pair of 5/10 impacts. The grip with these two combined was ridiculous, I had to seriously wind the pins in on the pedals as I just couldn’t reposition my feet quickly enough. With the pins adjusted the combination of the two I find excellent now.
Click to expand...
I second that.The stamps are ridiculously grippy even with old shoes. I had some Funn Pythons before this, and the were super grippy as well, but would destroy your shins if you got it wrong, seriously i still have scars from 8 months ago from one such occasion. the stamps are a little more forgiving with the amount of skin they strip off.
So i recommend the stamps in the smaller size unless you have big feet then the large is they way to go
 
Gave the Stamp 1s a good thrashing over the weekend, and really like them - at first I thought they might not be that grippy, but best thing I can say about them is that I don’t even think about my pedals whilst riding. The pins are definitely grippier than the Stamp 3s due to the smaller diameter. Early days yet but impressed so far.

I’m the last year I have put decent time on One Up pedals, different HT’s, horizons, and the Stamp 3’s, and the Stamp 3 had my favourite shape but the least grip of them IME, with the One Ups being by far the most grippy with lots of dagger like pins and a big platform.
 
Last edited:
R120 said:
A lot of it has to do with the shoe.

I have Specialized 2FO’s which I love in terms of fit and protection, but are nothing like as grippy as my 5Tens - on the crank brothers they can bounced off quite a lot, whereas with the 5Ten freeriders the grip is a lot better.

If I could combine the Specialized shoe with the 5Ten sole I would be a happy man
Click to expand...
Have you tried the Specialized 2FO ROOST? Have the regular low top and dh versions. Specialized has finally got the rubber compound figured out. Super grippy soles and very comfortable shoes. Like the stiffer sole on the dh version for the descents and regular version works great when I do a lot of climbing. Ride Concepts is also making some awesome shoes!
 
Surprised to see that Hope have only had a couple of mentions!
The best flats I have used.
My own taste is a completely flat or slightly concave surface. I never choose flats where the centre spindle is the highest point of the pedal (excluding pins of course).
DE51BAC3-F2CC-4E87-A76F-EEF3B5064223.jpeg
 
I love my stamp 7s in large. Thin with a good base I can move my feet around.
 
I had DMR V8's which wore out in about 6 rides and the pins need changing for longer ones, I didint like them.
Also tried burgtec and nukeproof nylon ones, didnt like them, not grippy enough. In fact I drilled and counterbored the burgtecs to install M4 instead of M3 pins to see if it improved things, it did but I still didnt like the feel of them.
then I bought a pair of Unite Instict pedals, its a bonus that they are made in Wales and for me they are near perfect, large platform, long pins, they have retained the stiffness between pedal and shaft so when you take a foot off, the pedal stays put making it easier to get your foot back on. the rebuild kits are about £15...
oh, and they have brought back the custom engraving option !
uniteco.bike

Flat MTB Pedals | UK made flat mountain bike pedal

Pre-order the Unite Instinct V4 MTB pedals. Featuring an oversized 113x105mm CNC aluminum body, triple-sealed bearings, and max-grip pins.
uniteco.bike uniteco.bike
 
DMR V12 for me, although I need to get some more as I've ripped the pins out on a poorly placed rock (nothing to do with my lack of skill) so may look at the vaults this time.
 
The Vault V12’s are awesome and the pins are great with a ridiculous amount of grip, just be careful as they make a mess of your shins and calf’s 😁
 
Check the pins for tightness before first use. Then check them again. They should be OK by then.

PS: Remove the middle front pin from each side. That's the one that rips the shin bone. :eek::cry:
 
DMR V8’s for me, never had any issues with them, still using a ten+ year old pair on my current eeb. A fraction of the price of Vaults

Tried larger platform pedals such as the Vaults and One Up’s but found them too big and clumsy

Pedal choice is definitely personal
 
I wonder when the new Saint PD-M829 will be available. Could be potentially good if the 130 euros price and Shimano quality is ok.
 
Pedals personal choice, have tired a few, Superstar OK, cheap for a reason… DMR Vaults good, saints OK, Burgtec Penthouse 5 my current fav, Hope not tried but Fugly
 
I think how you position your feet on the pedals makes a difference to your choice of pedal..........the other factor probably being size/width of your feet. I ride with my feet fairly far forward on the pedals so prefer a concave shape, and I am size 44 ( UK 10 ) and find the larger pedals too wide. I think if you ride more on the balls of your feet you probably find perfectly flat or even convex pedals more comfortable.

So my choice for years now has been DMR V12 . I have never serviced or had any need to change a set of pedals, just always opting for them when I change bike. I also prefer pedals finished just in the polished ally because painted pedals often look really tatty in a short space of time.
 
Zaskar20 said:
Surprised to see that Hope have only had a couple of mentions!
The best flats I have used.
My own taste is a completely flat or slightly concave surface. I never choose flats where the centre spindle is the highest point of the pedal (excluding pins of course).
View attachment 78838
Click to expand...
Swap out the hope pins for burgtecs :) Hope are great pedals but a lot of people slip on the pins,
 
I started with Race Face Chesters because I had zero experience and didn't want to spend much money on my first guess. I ended up putting about 5000 miles on them with no complaints. Chesters are a bit thick, made of plastic, are totally flat, and have pins (screws) that leave a scar.

About 3 months ago I decided to try concave, thin, alumin(i)um. Oneup products seemed to have good reviews, so that's what I bought. I am not a highly skilled, sensitive, sophisticated rider, but I can easily feel the difference between the thick plastic flats and the alumin(i)um concave, and I like the concaves better. The grip on the shoe seems to come partly from the shape and partly from the pins, whereas the Chester's grip was all from the (vicious!) pins.

So you want opinions? Mine is to look at thin, concave alumin(i)um pedals that have a good reputation for longevity and are rebuildable if the bearing need to be refreshed.

Edit: Spell check thought I wanted to say that the Chester pedals were a thick and syrupy liquid (viscous), whereas in fact they are mean-spirited (vicious).
 
Last edited:
Don't know if the spec has changed but I run a couple of sets of V8's & they have cup & cone bearings which I would avoid nowadays. The maintenance is fiddly & the design is prone to water & dirt ingress.
 
I suggest the pedals are only as good as the shoes. The soul of the shoe is possibly as important as the pedal?
 
Flyfisha said:
I suggest the pedals are only as good as the shoes. The soul of the shoe is possibly as important as the pedal?
Click to expand...
I agree that the shoes are important. I stopped using 510's for example because the sole was that grippy that I could only change foot position by lifting my foot clean off the pedal and replanting. That is not always practical.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Keep reading
    Browse all

    Similar Threads

    Community Stats

    Since 2018
    670K
    Messages
    41,111
    Members
    Join 30,000+ Riders, it's free!
    Back
    Top