Flat Pedal Shootout - What pedal is right for you?

[@marcelknop1]

I'm 195cm tall, size 13uk shoe, (15US) and weigh 120kg. I've tried many flat pedals and had many many many axles break and bearings wear out prematurely within weeks of use. My key criteria for pedals is therefore durability first and foremost, and then the ideal platform size etc is really just a bonus if it works. After destroying a few different brands' pedals, numerous warranty claims etc, I did some more very intensive research and finally settled on the Nukeproof Horizon Sam Hill pedals. I've now been running these for a little over two years and not had any problems. I also purchased an additional pair for my other bike. I mainly chose these pedals because the axle is very well supported by the two sealed bearings a swell as a bush in the middle. The added bonus is the grip levels are great. The one downside is that when new, the pins are not secured well straight from the factory. I learnt this the hard way on my first set of these when a few of the the pins just fell out after a few rides. Even when tightened I found some still fell out so used blue locktight, which helped solve that problem. When my second set was purchased, I knew about the pin issue so checked the tightness of the pins and many were very loose. I tightened them and used that blue locktight, and did not have any issues with the pins. The pedals are also very easily serviceable with service kits available from the dealers, containing replacement pins, bearings, bush and seals..

[@stevek3114]

I’ve tried loads of pedals , dmr vaults with kingpins fitted are the grippiest , but you’d better protect your shins

[@johnamiellorzano677]

Hell yeah, used to use dmr vault before but right now im clipped in 😂

[@roddas26]

One vote ✅ for the Crank Brothers Stamp.

[@letsgo_inc]

OneUp alloy pedals. Big platform, low profile, tough and reliable. Raced the hardtail in an enduro in the wet and had no grip issues. Stoked to have them on the new FS.

[@alexgordon8277]

I have used lots of different flats over the years, here's a short list of some of my experiences. - DMR Vaults Mag: one of the best feeling pedals, poor sealing, bushing came off the pedal body, pushed the seal out and lets dirt in. Broke pedal body. - Nuke Proof Horizon Enduro: great feel, feels a bit tall. Poor sealing: it does't have an actual seal, it's more of a dust cover. The dust cover is not secured on the axle and slides off leaving a gap to the pedal body which allows dirt to enter. Easy to service, no special tools needed. - Nuke Proof Horizon Composite: same feel as the aluminium ones. Used for 2 years without issues (except broken out pins which is normal for composite pedals) until the body broke. Insane value for ca. 30 € I payed. Probably would have been using these until today if they haven't been discontinued which is a shame. - Specialized Boomslang: best feeling pedal for me, very thin, I actually liked the buldge, it allowed me to find a good foot position. Pedal body is nearly too large for me, but no issues. Good grip, with the unusual hour glass shaped pins and I like the break-away feature these provide. However corroded bearings and axle after a couple of wet rides, it's insane. Spare parts are not always available, but the bearings are standard. Needs special tool to open, service procedure is ok if you like dealing with tiny tiny o-rings. Good design idea, poor execution, it's overengineered. Specialized, get someone to sort out the issues, it would be the best pedal on the market in my opinion. - Hope F20: not enough grip and the stance feels kind of weird, I cannot figure out why. Apparently good bearing and seal design. I have tried leaving out the pins in the middle, but never get them to work well enough for me. - Burgtec MK4 Composite: feels good (not as good as Vaults, Horizons or Boomslangs though), but not enough grip for dh and enduro for my liking. The pedals are doing a good job on my dirt bike now. - HP PA03A: checks all the boxes, but it's just too large! I have size 41, and with Freerider Pros I have about 1 cm of space left on the pedal wich increases the risk of pedal strikes. I can feel where my foot is, but I can't really feel where the end of the pedal is. - I just bought the Burgtec Penthouse Flats MK5 for the 3rd time. Supposedly best sealed pedale on the market with quality issues. On the first set on pedals the hex socket on the axle was eccentric to the bore. On the second set the right pedal the axle had way less rotating resistance than the left pedal and had radial play. Let's see if the third one is finally good, I really want to find an adequately sized, well sealed pedal with good grip and feel and doesn't have any weird design choice, seems to be a very difficult task. - Wolf Tooth Waveform would be and interesting option. Great manufacturing quality, well sealed, good bearing design, axle made of 17-4 ph alloy wich has incredible corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, available in 2 sizes, has "normal" pins (hex socket screws without thread at the ends) and has a nice shape. Expensive, but I can clearly see the value.

[@briancahal]

Thanks for the input!

[@uldi1s]

Bang on with the concave/convex comments as well as the platform size. Too many people just go for the biggest platform available without considering clearance. Myself, even with gigantic size 13 feet tend to favour smaller concave pedals precisely because of what you mention 😎

[@andymajewski9084]

There was some good discussion on NSMB a month or so ago on preference of concave vs convex pedals being based on foot placement preference (ball vs arch). I noticed you and some pro EWS flat pedal riders like Sam Hill and Connor Fearon prefer the arch position. That might be a good follow-up video.

[@iffy_too4289]

Deity Deftrap composites. They're my third pair of flats and i love them. Bontrager-something-or-others that got sold with another bike and were too small for my size 11s, CB Stamp 1 which were shite and failed, were the others.

[@anthonywalters7434]

The Deftrap is my go to flat pedal. Right now I’m running Crankbrothers Mallet E’s since I’m learning/swapping over to clipless.

[@Spencer_Bikes]

I used to ride the Nukeproof Sam Hills, recently I've switched to the Tent Occult pedals and love them. You should give em a go/

[@HiltsCK]

Dmr v12, classic for a reason, with long pins in the back, tons of grip, in raw alum so you don’t see all the scars

[@Wheelsanstuff]

I bought the pnw pedals when they first came out. They lasted 2 months before the bearings were shot.

[@21armyn]

bryan i would vouch that you need to try the new wolftooth waveform pedals.

[@timbuitenhuis2172]

These videos are superhelpful, one question, what's the reason you picked the downhill Sam Hill pedal over the Enduro one?

[@briancahal]

Bigger platform and more grip, I honestly didn't know there was an enduro one until a couple days ago.

[@timbuitenhuis2172]

@@briancahal Gotcha, thanks for the answer!

[@MrDavecore777]

Hi Brian, how do you think the Anvil Tilts compare to the Sam Hill Horizons? Thanks

[@tonym6633]

One up Aluminum.

[@DavidMontreal]

What do you think of pedaling innovations pedals ?

[@BramBiesiekierski]

Best flat pedals are Spank Oozy.

[@cwalt74]

Spoons for me

[@jamlee344]

Yep, running the Spank Spike and love the grip and clearance profile. Only downside is the outer bushes need frequent replacement but I'll take that over a different profile or thicker pedal with bearings.