Hey, Im in the market for a new pair of pedals to go with my KH24. It has come down to the Shimano DX pedals or the Azonic Xtensions. There is plenty of info on the Shimano’s, but i cant find much input about the Xtensions. If you have ever used the xtensions, please let me know how they work for Muni/Trials. I hope their performance lives up to their looks!
There has to be SOMEONE who has tried these pedals…
not tried them yet, they’re very new! But I have heard no bad as yet and am thinking about some myself.
aaron
I’d buy them for looks alone!
I haven’t tried them either, but am looking for some new pedals.
How much do they weigh?
Anyone got a link to a pik?
Also, trying to keep the thread alive.
i’m also in the market for decent pedals. i’m tired of pedals that i have keep tightening. i actualy popped a bolt during one ride and had to get back to the car using it’s axle.
john
If it is the Azonic X pedal, it is the second from the bottom on this link, click the INFO button for a pic. http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/manfstk.php?manf=AZONIC
Scott
Get the Atomlab Aircorps. They’re the best muni pedal available. They’re not the lightest but they’re plenty light enough. They’re around 550 grams for the pair.
Atomlab has made a big change for the 2004 model. The 2004 model is a bearingless design, it uses two bushings per pedal. No bearings in the pedal means that there are no bearings to break and leave you stranded on the trail with a broken pedal.
If you don’t trust the new bearingless design then run to your local shop (or favorite online shop) and buy a 2003 model. The 2003 model uses one cartridge bearing per pedal. You can still get the 2003 model, but probably not for much longer.
I have more about the 2004 model in my Aircorp review linked above.
Bottom line: The Aircorps are the best muni pedal available, but the 2004 model is totally new and totally untested for muni.
The Aircorps are to expensive are not nearly as pretty. I think im gonna have to go with the Xtensions. They look WAY to cool to pass up. If anyone else wants to get a pair, I found em on BeyondBikes.com for $50. Thats the best price I have seen so far.
The Aircorps are expensive but I think they’re worth it. They are reliable and they are the only high end pedal that I’ve tried that has lasted me more than one season. Since they hold up well they can be less expensive in the long run because they will be the last pedal you buy for a while.
My concerns with the Azonic Xtension pedals are:
How well will the bearings hold up?
Will they be grippy enough? There are no grip pins in the center section of the pedal.
Will they be comfortable under the foot for long rides? The middle section of your foot is unsupported. Is that going to be comfortable for long rides when you’re standing on the pedals most of the time?
Eh, all good points. I’ll have to think about this one.
I’m still pretty keen on the Azonic A-frames.
The Azonic Xtension’s look extremely gimmicky to me…I would waste $10 on them. Just based on the photo they look completely useless…the whole point of flats is for them to make as much of a contact patch eith your feet as possible.
Buy the A-frames, that’s my 2.5 cents
I’ve got a really trashed pair of a-frames, I wouldn’t trust them myself. I think the Xtensions are pretty much the same internals, but with a funny shaped pedal body.
The issues with the a-frames are
- A single very small bearing is the only thing keeping the pedal on the spindle.
- The right hand endcap has a tendency to unscrew.
If the endcap unscrews even once, the pedal becomes loosened, even if you put the cap back on, then in a while the bearing explodes due to sideways forces.
You don’t get much warning of the bearing exploding either, I was spinning my pedals happily before the ride, then one moment it started clicking and about 5 minutes later the pedal fell right off the spindle, meaning I had to walk several miles.
I met some trials bikers up in London and a few of them had tried a-frames and had exactly the same issues with them going wobbly and exploding.
I’ve had aircorps for a year or so now and they are really super so far, although not had to do anything to the bearings, so it’s hard to know if they’re perfect.
If you do have to buy a-frames, then buy a tube of loctite and a big allen key at the same time and loctite on the pedal end-caps.
Also, take out all the pins and loctite them in, I didn’t do this to my a-frames and they mostly fell out pretty quickly.
Joe
The thing with the A-frames is that you do need to pay attention to them in a minor way. If you do they’re great. I have at least 10 sets out there on my and others’ unis and they are doing fine. I did need to get extra end caps from Azonic and I do loctite them in. These end caps are not like most end caps in that they need to be there for the pedal to work right. I also loctite the axle nut. I’ve only lost a couple of pins from the bodies (without doing any extra work ahead of time), and they are easy to get and to replace. It’s also easy to follow JC’s advice about adding O-rings to stiffen up the pedal action and make mounting the uni less problematic in tight spots.
Look at those trials riders’ bikes and you may see that the rest of their bikes are looking a bit weary and abused as well.
The A-frames have fantastic grip in all weather conditions. I’ve been out in them all – heat, rain, snow, cold. The only condition I haven’t tried them in is a raging ice storm. The A-frames are also a reasonable price - about 65% of the Aircorps’ price.
They do collect some mud upon crashes. I’d like to try the X pedals to see if that design fixes this, but it’s really a minor issue. I just find a little stick and poke the stuff out.
As far as warning; it pays money- and safety-wise to pay attention to one’s gear. If you don’t, it costs. Check your ride over carefully before you set out and fix anything that you find. Check it again halfway or after some good technical stuff or after a good crash.
At first glance, I like how easily accessible the bearings are. That sure would make sevicing pedals less of a chore.
Andrew
They aren’t actually that bad, a couple of them work at a bike shop, and they do seem to know how to look after kit.
They told me if I wanted a pedal around that sort of price, to buy V12s rather than A-Frames, because they were having too many returns on A-Frames. V12s have a slightly less big pedal platform, but seem to work okay and are known for their reliability. Obviously they don’t look so cool.
My issue with A-Frames is not that they don’t work well while they’re working, but that they do fail and when they fail it’s very sudden, with almost no warning and leaves your uni un-rideable.
That’s okay if you’re never more than a couple of miles away from your car and don’t do really long rides, but if you’re 10 miles away from the nearest road then that’s a seriously bad thing to happen.
Joe
Those V12s look pretty good from the photos. DMR’s seatpost clamp could be good too.