Sport And Biking Talk: OneUp Composite flat pedal review

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

OneUp Composite flat pedal review

Nylon pedal is more impervious to scratches.

What is it?

There’s been a lot of development in the flat pedals category in recent years as riders have migrated towards this option to better explore the world of unclipped riding. Flat pedals improve the safety margin for most riders as they’re able to handle more technical terrain without being locked on to the bike. Flats also improve the skill set of the rider as they learn to stay connected to the bike without being attached to it.

Excelled in the gnarly terrain of Moab.

OneUp Components introduced two pedals recently, an aluminum one for $ 125 and this composite model available at $ 48 a pair. We’ve been fascinated with this composite pedal not only because of its low price but also because of our experience with composite pedals absorbing rock blows without jarring the rider and without showing much damage to the pedal.

OneUp Composite pedal and Race Face Chester side by side.

Pros

$ 48 price for quality design and construction
very grippy, without being too sharp
large 115x110mm platform, with coverage close to the crank
excellent pin layout and textured material
fairly thin
spins freely without wobble
nylon material absorbs shock and hardly shows scratches
open design sheds mud and debris well
360 gram weight is very respectable

Cons

stock pins can be too sharp for some
no fancy colors
very grippy so may need to lift feet to reposition shoes.

Pins are long and grippy.

Final Word

We rode this pedal in our local forests and felt confident enough to take it on a 10-day road trip to Moab and Fruita. The pedals performed flawlessly and just seemed to get better with time as they spun more freely and the edges were smoothed out.

The best thing about them is the grip. Heel down, heel up or pedaling out of saddle, the pedals always provided reliable and predictable grip. They felt very natural with FiveTen Freerider Pro shoes. These shoes don’t have the stickiest sole available but they were a perfect match with the OneUp shoes providing pedaling efficiency and grip.

The platform is big at 115×110 without being too big as it extends the pedaling surface close to the crank where the axle meets it. 10 long, removable pins are placed at the outer edges and on the middle of the pedal.

The platform is fairly open so although untested in our road trip, we can see that this pedal will shed mud well. Edges are chamfered as well to deflect obstacles and rock hits.

Aside from being more affordable compared to aluminum pedals, nylon pedals seen to ride better in the rocks. During those inevitable rock hits, they absorb some of the shock and vibration thus reducing the fatigue to the rider. And clean them up a bit and the scratches seem to disappear on the nylon surface.

Are they better than the venerable RaceFace Chester pedals at $ 55? Yes! They weigh exactly the same at 360 grams but the OneUps deliver much more grip. The platform is a touch bigger and the grippier, longer pins are positioned better. And it has a more open, mud-shedding design.