More Fun for 25 bucks

I have been riding with Shimano DX pedals for three years. They are light weight, and strong and I have had no problems with them, other than the pins being too small.

After a UPD and nearly getting my boys squashed by a rock - missed by that much…

I decided it was time to move on. I bought some Azonic Fusion Pedals from recs from Jess and JL thanks to the search function. http://www.blueskycycling.com/product143_44_-Azonic_Fusion_Magnesium_Pedals.htm

I put them on earlier in the week, and quickly noticed a difference. I was able to ride some skinnies better than I had ever done in the past. These included a low concrete domed-top garden boarder that was only about 4’ in diameter - basically like riding on a pipe, except that it is sinuous, not straight as it follows curved line along some grass. I only went about 8 feet at most, but that beats the two or three I had done on the old pedals.

Then it came to the wall riding. Also, concrete and sinuous. The wall is domed on the top, slightly and only 6" wide. The total length is about 15 feet. It starts at 9" off the ground and gains to over 24" high and then a steep 3 foot long decent back down dumping you on the sidewalk.

I have only ridden this once in my past. I nailed it twice on Tuesday. I attributed the success to the pedals. There was just a more stable footbed and I felt more balanced.

The pedals are narrower by at least 3/8", forcing the foot in closer to the crank. Essentially, I think it reduces the Q-factor, and gave me more inline control.

It was a banner day for me with the new Fusions. They are more sticky and relatively easy to move my foot on. I was out in sweltering heat this morning for an hour testing them out before the heat fried me, and the added grippiness, made a difference when rolling over 1 foot high bolders and launching off the same, as my foot was more able to stay on the pedals.

We practice and practice to build skills, but it’s nice to see a jump in skills, but just R/R a compenent

Fun for 25 bucks!

Cheers.

I think it has to do with the weight of the pedals

I found going to light pedals on my 20 helped everything, balance, turning and riding backwards. Partly it is the lower inertia that makes all those start and stop wheel movements quicker. I also noticed that when pushing my KH 20 with the stock 730 gram JC pedals, it waddled side to side. Although one pedal goes up as the other goes down, canceling out the force, they are not in the same vertical plane. So the weight of the pedals causes the uni to rock side to side, with a force directly proportional to the pedals weight. I think that is why you were suddenly better at skinny riding. An invisible hand that had always rocked you side to side before was gone.:slight_smile:
I know not all of us can afford a really light set of metal platforms, but I want to encourage everyone to try a set of really light plastics, for 8-15 $, just to see what you are missing. :sunglasses:

Those azonic pedals look extremely thick

Upgrading Your UNI

I find pedals the easiest and most effective way to upgrade your UNI and your riding. The foot/pedal connection is very important. I found that most of my falls in MUni riding were from my foot falling off the pedal. Getting good grippy pedals totally reduced the number of UPDs that I had while MUniin’g. Good broad pedals totaly help with pedal grabs during Trials riding. They also give you a broader more stable base from wich to make your jumps from. It is so easy to just put on a better pair of pedals!

Unicorn

I think I was wrong about this case

Lighter pedals are way better, if they are big and have good grip. The azonic’s that teachen dad got are about the same weight as the shimo’s he replaced. Still, try light pedals !:slight_smile:

They do look thick in the pix, but in actuallity, of the two types of pedals I have on my different UNis, It’s the same thickness as the Shimano DX and Oddyssey JC pedals, on the ends. The only slight difference is the dishing of the pedal. Only fractionally diffferent among all the pedals.