It’s been a long time since I rode my unicycles. One of the last times I rode I came off backwards and the pinned pedals I used badly ripped open the back of my leg.
I’ve always used pinned pedals as I found plastic ones to be dangerously inadequate if it started to rain or was just generally damp.
Had no previous issues with pinned ones.
But the damage was bad enough to make me not want to ride again with pins.
I’m not interested in tackling the issue by using leg pads.
Are there any non-pinned pedals that have sufficient grip to ride in wet conditions outside with?
Not all pins are equally aggressive. You might try some different pedals with smaller, duller pins or alternatively take a file to the pins on your existing pedals.
Clipless pedals, then you have plenty of grip without pins - even in the rain 
I can’t imagine what kind of pedals would provide grip in the wet without aggressive pins. It’s a tradeoff - you can’t have smooth pedals with high grip… If it existed they would likely be popular among mountain bikers.
What you are asking for is like slick tires with great off road capabilities in wet conditions 
Sorry not trying to be rude here. Hope someone has some good suggestions for some pedal which might offer a decent compromise between aggressiveness and grip.
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Some pins are far worse than others for causing leg damage - what pedals were you using before?
You can’t really get good grip without some kind of aggressive grippy features on your pedals (typically pins).
You’re probably right, but, as things are, it’s looking like my unicycling days may be over, so I’m just having a last attempt to see if anyone does know of some non-pin pedals that may work.
I run Chesters and have done that once on each leg, but I would rather have the pins since I would fall way more often without them and that just adds to the probability of an impact injury(twisting ankles or something similar) compared to the occasional puncture wound from the pins. However, I have some Fyxation Gates pedals on a 20” street style uni and I had that out yesterday with many puddles and wetness from a brief warm period and I was surprised at how well they worked. I was able to land on them and not slip off when doing some small arials and leg wraps as well as put some serious forces through them trying to do a 360(probably got about 280).
Before I was using the standard basic metal pedals with metal pins for outdoor riding- had no complaints about their grip, but having now experienced how much damage they are capable of in a fall, I’m not going to enjoy ridng with them.
For my indoor unis I’d use plastic pedals.
I’ve never tried the rubber pedals- any chance they’d be better than plastic ones in the wet or are they pretty much the same as plastic ones?
Like these?-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fyxation-Gates-BMX-Platform-Pedal/dp/B009R03JFW
Presumably those pins are plastic? If so wouldn’t they have the potential to cause damage like metals ones, in falls where they’re dragged down the back of the legs?
They might still cause some damage, but the pins are wider than any metal ones I’ve seen, they are pretty short, and the top is flat rather than slightly tapered at the edges like metal ones usually are so they should be much more forgiving than metal. I haven’t had a bad fall on them yet, but I don’t think it would be nearly as bad as metal pins.
I’m sorry to hear that. Just curious why not just use some shin pads. In my opinion they do not restrict me in any way. Sure they can be hot summertime but solid grip with metal pins and protection is very confidence inspiring (for me).
I use the Fuse Alpha https://fuse-protection.com/collections/all-shin-pads/products/alpha-shin-pad and they have some removable plastic inserts that I have simply removed. Then they just become a nicely fitting neoprene wrap of my shins. They have saved me from a few scratches from pedal pins and also from ground impact while UPDing at speed.
Agree with this answer 
Joke aside, why not trying some magnetic pedals? They may have no pin but lets you have some grip.
I get it, I have some nasty scars from those pins.
What kind of shoes are you using? Most shoes have really bad grip. Ever since I switched to 5.10 shoes it’s made a huge difference. With good shoes and pins Im so locked in sometimes I can’t get my feet off in time. I think with good shoes and some large platform pedals ( size/contact area matters) you would be good. Some large pedals don’t have much contact area which will make a difference. I’ve used 5.10 impact, Freeriders, and currently use the hellcats which are the grippiest so far.
Hope this helps, hate to see someone give up over this kind of a problem.
And like another person said the magnetic pedals may work, they have come a long way and may be worth looking into
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I didn’t like them when I had them, but the Kris Holm Leg Armor does an excellent job of giving 360 degree leg protection. You could try that as well. For me, I found they had a tendency to sag, others seem to like them though. I did like the way they wrap around and protect your calves. That just seemed like a great feature for muni since sometimes you have to run out a UPD and end up doing it into brush where a stick or thorns that can jab you.
I bought a set of Look Geo Trail Grip pedals and love them on my Oracle 27.5.
They have pins, but there isn’t any way the pins on the Look pedals will damage your leg like your others did.
Look also makes a Geo City Grip pedal. No pins. The rubber platform is made by Vibram.
I hope these keep you riding, @onewheeldave !
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I bought Duff’s KH leg armor from him, so now I have two pair. Having two pair is great in the summer. I wear one pair one day, then hang them up to dry and wear the second pair the next day.
We are all unique. While the KH leg armor didn’t meet Duff’s desires, they meet my needs perfectly. I can now ride any pedals without fear of gouging my shins or calves. I wear them every time I ride.
I understand where you are coming from, I’ve cut up the back of my leg pretty badly twice and still have a slight scar years later.
I think the pins are removable on quite a lot of pedals, even the Nimbus ones as far as I remember, so you could remove some and only leave a few, which may reduce the risk of one of them getting you. That said I seem to remember a line of parallel cuts up the back of my leg one time like I had been clawed by a big cat – that would have been from a Nimbus pedal and the pins on those are pretty blunt compared to some others.
Some pedals have pins in the centre section as well as at their leading and trailing edges. It is difficult to know if those would “get” you more than the ones on the edges or not if you just left those in, I guess it depends on how you fall.
As others have mentioned you could always take a grinder to the pins and shorten them and round them off so you retain some grip.
I have Hope F20s on various unis and bikes. Even without the pins fitted I think you would get a good grip from the milled grooves on the platform. I would be reluctant to recommend them just to try though because they are pretty expensive (and if you fit the pins they are pretty aggressive (they come unfitted with the pedals)). You can hopefully see what I mean on this post:
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Great discussion on pedal traction technology.
…But…what’s wrong with leg pads. Wear it for awhile. Get better. Take them off.
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Interesting looking…I wouldn’t have thought they would be that grippy given the picture, but learning on my new Oracle 27.5, those big sharp looking pins on its pedals do make me nervous, especially trying to get freemounting the new bigger/taller wheel down, so was also looking for less dangerous options to put on it (at least for now). I was thinking maybe Fyxations, but your experience makes me wonder if these might be better.
I have a few updated photos. Obviously, I like them. But you will have to be the judge for your needs.
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I rode similar pedals on a long distance bike trail ride last year. I found them very comfortable considering I did not need extreme grip. They were marketed as beach cruiser pedals. I have not tried them on a uni. I ride all the same pedals on all my unis. I find running the same makes shifting my feet after free mounting much easier. I have $25.00 dynasty and fixation pedals (very similar) with plastic pins on all my unis. They seem great to me and the feel is always familiar.
I created.a thread last year titled “to pin or not to pin that is the question”. Lots of good responses probably worth a re look.